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Arts & Entertainment

Melrose Native Comedian to Perform at Cambridge YMCA

Ken Reid is slated to perform Saturday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the YMCA, 820 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.

There have been studies showing that laughing can lead to a longer and healthier life. If that's the case, get your laugh on when Melrose native and current Stoneham comedian Ken Reid takes the stage at the YMCA in Cambridge on Saturday.

Reid, who has been involved in the Boston-area comedy scene for nearly eight years, is set to perform his one-man show called "Shirt Tales" at the YMCA, 820 Massachusetts Ave., at 7 p.m. May 19. 

“This will be the fourth time I've had the chance to do this show in this format,” Reid said. “This is my longest show where I use Power-Point and other multi-media to tell stories about my life growing up in the area. I use my ridiculously huge tee-shirt collection as the guidelines for each story.”

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Reid, who is nominated for Boston's Best Comedian in 2012 by The Boston Phoenix, is the regular Friday night host at the Comedy Studio at Harvard Square, opening for popular comedians such as Patton Oswalt, Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry and Bob Saget.

As an entertainer for two decades, Reid started doing stand up while wrapping up his bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University. Back then, Reid was in a punk band, but “knew [he] always wanted to do comedy.”

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Formerly of Melrose, Reid moved to the United Kingdom in the late 90s where he began his comedy career. After crafting his voice across the pond, Reid was eager to return to the states. Reid settled in Boston in 2004 where he has been making audiences crack up ever since.

Influenced by other Boston-based comedians such as Louis C.K. and Dana Gould, mixed with the wackiness of his love for 80s cult comedy classics like “Repo Man” and “Real Genius,” Reid describes his comedy as a cross “between a play and improv. In my stand up there is a lot of room for tangents and interesting quirks, especially with the multi-media aspect I incorporate.”

Talking about the Boston comedy scene, Reid said: “Boston is a really popular and growing comedy scene. I have always focused my act as more of a storyteller and not so much in one-liner material. I like the audience to feel like I'm kind of hanging out with them and the focus isn't just on how much I can make them laugh. I like to mix in a little bit of life's tragedy in there which gives the whole experience a deeper meaning.”

Tickets to the show cost $15 and can be purchased on the Brown Paper Tickets website.

For more information about Ken Reid, visit his website or check out a YouTube clip of Reid's last one-man show called the “Very Special Episode.”

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