Review: Comedian Kathy Griffin Dishes The Dirt At Albany's Palace

Kathy Griffin, self-proclaimed member of the 'D-List', brought her comedy act to a packed house at The Palace Theater in Albany, NY on September 22. [More on the theater below...]

Kathy was true to form. Her comedic style — gossiping about Hollywood stars from her unique vantage point of an outsider looking in — gave her two hours of material that she covered in rapid fire. There were times that she seemed breathless because she was so excited to let you in on all the secrets. So much to tell, so little time. I've seen her stand-up comedy DVDs and both seasons of her Emmy-nominated show "My Life on the D-List" on Bravo, and while many of her celebrity targets were the same, the material was all new.

She started out with Jessica Simpson and quickly transitioned to Sharon Stone, Barbara Walters, Star Jones, Whitney Houston, Clay Aiken, the Olsen twins, Larry King, Katie Couric, Oprah and Gayle, and so many more.

Kathy spent some time entertaining the troops in Kuwait and Iraq earlier this year and she had some funny behind-the-scenes, not-for-TV stories to relate.

The Scientologists were skewered, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Kathy gave the audience an inside view into the crazy 'religion', started by a science-fiction writing hack, by relating the experiences of a close friend that had gotten swept up with them but was able to get out.

Her politically liberal slant wasn't too prominent. Although a quick slam of Ann Coulter turned the psycho political pundit into the masturbatory fantasy of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.

The most hilarious segment involved Kathy's Irish Catholic 89 year old father and 85 year old mother. Anyone familiar with her show already knows they are portrayed as booze hounds that provide no end of irritation and entertainment to their daughter. According to Kathy, no group takes the Lord's name in vain more than the Catholics, choosing to ignore that commandment. To illustrate her point, Kathy tells how she tried to persuade her parents to accompany her on a lesbian/gay family cruise to Alaska sponsored by Rosie O'Donnell's R Family Cruises. As more details of the trip are disclosed to her mother, the skit escalates until her mother is swearing a blue streak and the audience is roaring!

If you like Kathy, you would like her show. For those others, probably best to stay at home!

I can't believe what I've been missing. In all the years I've lived here, I have never been to The Palace Theater. That is clearly my loss. The Palace has been refurbished and the work shows ... it is an absolutely stunning venue. Besides the ornate decor, I sat in the front section of the balcony and the sight line was incredible. Best I could tell, every seat in the house was a great one.

In the 60's and 70's, all the major acts played at The Palace. With around 2,500 seats, it was the largest performance theatre in the area. Now it seems most musical acts play arenas with capacity for 20,000 people or more. That increases the chance you'll get a seat, and the act's bottom line, but the intimacy provided by a smaller place is lost.

There's a happening night life scene within walking distance of the theater. Lots of restaurants and bars located adjacent to one another, encouraging folks to hop from one place to the next with live music in several of them. The area reminded me of the West End in Dallas and Sixth Street in Austin. Weather permitting, there is additional seating and standing space on the sidewalks so patrons can mix and mingle. This was a Friday night before a show at the Palace so things were quite busy. The crowd appeared to be mostly 30 to 50 year old professionals. If this sounds at all appealing, it is definitely worth checking out!