Sammy Obeid

Sammy Obeid

The Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center has just added a new Valentine’s Day show to the LVPAC Presents series at the Bankhead Theater. Combining love and laughter, The Best of the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition will star Sammy Obeid and be hosted by Lars Callieou, with guests Clara Bijl and Shawn Felipe. All seats for the show on Sunday evening, February 14, 2016, are just $30 each with $16 tickets available for students and military personnel.

Now in its 40th year, The San Francisco Comedy Competition is a stand-up comedian’s marathon. Contestants who make the final rounds must perform multiple short sets almost daily for several weeks in venues of different sizes and styles as judges narrow down the field. The SF Comedy Competition has served as a stepping stone for numerous comic legends including Dana Carvey, Robin Williams, and Ellen DeGeneres. Originally founded and held in San Francisco, venues are now spread across the greater Bay Area and beyond, including the Bankhead Theater where a semi-final round was held in September 2015.

Born in Oakland and now a resident of Fremont, Sammy Obeid’s reputation for astonishing word play and quick wit earned him an appearance on the late night TBS talk show, “Conan.”  He is best known for his “1001 Arabian Nights of Comedy,” a record-breaking streak of consecutive comedy performances which began in December 2010 and concluded 1,001 days later in 2013. In addition to his appearance on “Conan,” during Obeid’s long run he appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and was the first comedian to perform on The Food Network in “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.”

Obeid’s humorous riffs on being Lebanese-American will add to the show’s international flavor.  Canadian Lars Callieou, from Edmonton, Alberta, will serve as host. Both he and Obeid are past SF Comedy Competition finalists. The show will be opened by Clara Bijl, a French-American comedian and Shawn Felipe, who brings a Hawaiian-by-way-of-Thailand twist to the evening.

Since it opened, the Bankhead Theater has often hosted shows on Valentine’s Day. “People like to enjoy the evening out and we looked for a show that could appeal to everyone,” said Scott Kenison, LVPAC’s executive director. “Whether you come alone or with a group, a comedy show brings people together. And for many couples, sharing a good laugh can be just as romantic as a candlelit dinner.”

The Best of the SF Comedy Competition starring Sammy Obeid leads off a month filled with laughter at the Bankhead Theater.  Renowned masters of improv, The Second City, return to Livermore with a show about love and modern romance, “Hooking Up with The Second City,” on Friday, February 26th, followed by the cerebral stand-up comedy of scientist-turned-comedian Tim Lee on February 27th. Tickets for these and all other shows in the 2015-2016 LVPAC Presents season are available now through the Bankhead Theater ticket office at (925) 373-6800, on www.lvpac.org, or via the new LVPAC mobile app.

The Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center provides wide-ranging programs that provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater and the Bothwell Arts Center are home to nine resident performing arts companies and over 40 studio artists and cultural arts instructors. The Bankhead Theater ticket office is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On performance days the ticket office is open from two hours before to 30 minutes after the scheduled start of each show.