After 15 years of chuckles and guffaws, the Funniest Housewives of Orange County comedy troupe is getting ready to have the last laugh.
This group has been the longest lasting comedy troupe in Orange County, playing mostly at the Coach House and Brea Improv, but also performing as far away as Boston. With their joking play on the “Real Housewives” TV franchise on Bravo, the rotating cast of this troupe has spun off into its own universe, with successful contestants on “America’s Got Talent” and other comedy venues.
The troupe was originally founded by standup comics Cindy Burns and Vince Harper, and featured standup sets by mostly women who gave themselves personas such as the “Dysfunctional Housewife.”
“People said, “Oh, women aren’t funny. You’re never going to make it,” recalled comedian and author Julie Kidd, who kept the troupe going after Cindy Burns’ death from cancer in 2016.
But the group did succeed, drawing big crowds and devoted fans. Kidd estimated they performed around 100 shows altogether. She even wrote a book about the show, called “When Laughter and Inspiration Collide: The Funniest Housewives.”
Kidd, who has produced the shows for many years, said she is now ready to move on, so putting on this last show at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday, Oct. 18 will bring everything to a close.
“This was Cindy’s big dream and I carried it on,” Kidd said about her stepsister and best friend. “But now it’s time to move on.”
Kidd recently bought a condo in Costa Rica and said she’s performing comedy down there. Many of the original cast are returning for the Oct. 18 show, which at this writing was nearly sold out.
Garden Grove native Vicki Barbolak, who rose to fame after being a finalist on “America’s Got Talent,” said she performed at the very first show. She became known as the “Trailer Trash Housewife” and still lives in an upscale trailer today in San Diego County.
“I hope this is like a Cher show,” she said, “and there’s never a final tour.”
Funniest Housewives — ‘The Last Show’
When: Wednesday, Oct. 18; doors 6 p.m. show 8 p.m.
Where: The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
Tickets: $25
Information: 949-496-8930; thecoachhouse.com; funnymomproductions.com/shows
