"We had all these ferry issues, but fortunately, we were finally able to board one," Vahl told us from the boat. "Thank God, because there is already one comedian on the island. At one point, I asked that comedian, 'How much material do you have? Because it could just be you out there on the island.'"
But the mothers/performers of the comedy collective successfully sailed to the island, where they performed a set of "cleanish comedy" about motherhood. The journey to Massachusetts was part of the Colorado group's recent nationwide expansion; each of its shows includes a group of comedians who share their hilarious and heartfelt stories about parenting, marriage and everyday family life.
After years of selling out fifteen local shows per month, Vahl has expanded Moms Unhinged to include a rotating roster of approximately 44 comedians from across the country, who bring their own distinct perspectives on parenting to the stage. The majority of shows feature only women, but Moms Unhinged occasionally includes a "token dad" on the roster. "For some of the bigger shows we do, it’s super fun to include a dad and highlight the struggles of gentlemen," Vahl says. "I joke that we don't always have a token dad on our show, but when we do, we pay him eighty cents on the dollar."
From sleepless nights to the awkward moments of raising teenagers, no topic is off-limits. Typical shows last about an hour and a half and include four comedians: the host, a ten-minute opener, a twenty-minute feature act and a headliner who performs for 35 to forty minutes.
"We like to start around 7 p.m. so that neither we nor the audience get home too late," Vahl says. Audiences mostly comprise women, including book clubs, mother-daughter duos and neighbors, though Vahl emphasizes that men are welcome. "When dads do come to the show, they're usually scared but enjoy themselves," she says. "It's usually only about 5 to 10 percent of the audience, because I believe they're worried that we will make fun of them — which we do, but only a little bit. Every show begins with a poll of the audience's children's ages; the primary attendees — or perhaps just the loudest group — are the empty-nesters, but we really have moms there of all ages."
Moms Unhinged has 54 public performances scheduled across the country through November.
Courtesy of Jeff Stonic
Christie Buchele, an accomplished Denver comedian and director of standup comedy at RISE Comedy, praises the group's mission. "I love Moms Unhinged," she says. "Moms are the most difficult demographic to keep in comedy, but Andrea has created something amazing for them. It makes me want to have a baby just so I can perform on her shows. I'm not going to, but she makes it look so good. I just love people who realize the traditional route is not for them and forge their own path."
Vahl's path to comedy was far from typical. Originally from Chicago, she's been in Denver since 1996. "The mountains brought me out here; I just love them and all the outdoor activities," she says. "My family's still in Chicago, so it's fun to go back, visit my family and do some shows while I'm out there." Before taking the stage, she was a successful social media consultant, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies and the sole author of Facebook Ads Made Simple.
For years, Vahl traveled across the country, speaking with and advising small-business owners on how to use social media for marketing. Despite her professional success, she felt a pull toward a more creative outlet, so about fifteen years ago, she started doing improv comedy, which she enjoyed because it allowed her to work with a team.
"At the time, I thought I would never do standup, because that's too hard and scary," she says. "I was nervous about being up there all by yourself, so I ruled it out. But then I started wanting to try it, so I decided to take a standup class. I had so much fun in those classes that I just kept doing more standup."
Some of Vahl's favorite comedians include Maria Bamford and Gary Gulman. "Maria Bamford is incredible. I love how she discusses everything from mental illness to dating to what it's like to be a woman in Hollywood and today's society," says Vahl. "Gary Gulman is another one of my favorites, especially his special The Great Depresh. He is just really smart, and he gets you to think differently about certain issues in a very funny way."
Vahl attributes part of her success in local standup to the "vibrant" Denver comedy community. Without the abundance of open mics and supportive comedians in the area, she doubts she would have been able to continue, and she admits that it would have been much more difficult to get Moms Unhinged off the ground in another city.
The comedy group started by chance, just before the pandemic. Vahl had put together a show with a gaggle of moms and came up with the current name, and although they only planned to do the shows a few times a year, the comics had so much fun that Vahl started scheduling more Moms Unhinged shows.
"After the pandemic, we kept selling out and selling out, which showed us that there was clearly a need for moms to get out of the house and laugh," Vahl says. "A couple of months ago, I ended up quitting the Facebook marketing business I started myself to run Moms Unhinged full-time."
From sleepless nights to the awkward moments of raising teenagers, no topic is off-limits in Moms Unhinged.
Courtesy of Moms Unhinged
Vahl has been working diligently behind the scenes to book as many shows as possible for the group. Moms Unhinged has 54 public performances scheduled through November, including stops in Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Washington, as well as at Colorado venues such as the Rialto Theatre Center in Loveland and the Comedy Fort in Fort Collins. You'll have three chances to see the group locally in the next week: at Fraco's Bar in Littleton on Thursday, July 18; at Lone Tree Arts Center on Sunday, July 21; and at Loonees Comedy Corner in Colorado Springs on Thursday, July 25.
"We're actively trying to expand Moms Unhinged throughout the country," Vahl says. "That includes shows as well as finding great comedians who are in different areas. One of the fun aspects of our show is that, due to our rotating roster, no two shows are the same, allowing us to return and perform in the same venues with different comedians."
An essential part of Vahl's approach is ensuring that the comedians are well compensated. Moms Unhinged offers profit sharing for its shows, guaranteeing a fair rate with the potential for additional earnings if the show sells out. This commitment to fair pay has helped build a dedicated and motivated team of performers.
"Moms Unhinged is a great place to have people hear their own voice and be able to have kind of a niche audience who really gets them and understands what they're going through," Vahl says. "That's what's making our show so successful: People are sharing their own voices and reflecting the realities of motherhood through comedy. There is just so much pressure around being a mom. Moms are worried about so many things; we're worried about our kids, making our relationships exciting, and some of us are taking care of aging parents, so life can be such a challenge. It's amusing to examine the world from the perspective of a woman, and it makes for some great comedy."
Learn more about Moms Unhinged and upcoming shows at momsunhinged.com.
