Marvin Lee brings comedy show to Nocatee

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The Nocatee community is about to get a little funnier when comedian Marvin Lee visits the area to do three shows in one night on July 31.

The shows will begin at 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Nocatee Room. Tickets to see Lee perform are available for Nocatee residents only and will be sold for $10 per show online beginning at 6 p.m. July 19.

Attendees must be 21 years or older, as Lee’s material is considered a clean comedy show for adults.

According to Lee, although his discussions are not dirty, they do deal with adult scenarios, such as marriage, that children and even college students may have trouble associating with.

“They just won’t be able to relate with being in a 20-year marriage,” Lee said.

Being edgy with his content while also remaining clean can be a challenge at times, but it is something that just comes natural for Lee.

“I don’t believe in political correctness at all, but I do believe in respecting people,” Lee said. “That’s always been my mantra.”

An example of this is when he talks about marriage during his show and makes sure to point out the strange and senseless things that both men and women do in a relationship.

By pointing out the quirks of both sides and the varying perspectives he hopes to create discussion that would have otherwise not existed.

If he can make people not only laugh but think about life and why they do the things they do, he feels like he has accomplished something.

“Out of everything I do, I love that part of it more than anything else,” Lee said.

One of Lee’s new talking points of late focuses on vegetarians and the way they sometimes act around those who are not vegetarians.

He first came up with the topic after spending some time dating someone who was a vegetarian and experiencing certain things firsthand.

“Hypocrisy sets me off more than anything else,” Lee said.

 Although he has certain topics he often talks about, he approaches every show with an understanding of being adaptable with his material.

“A lot of times, a comic show is like a tree,” Lee said. “You start with a base and then as you feel out your audience, the show can branch off into different directions.”

Lee was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama and performed a comic routine on stage for the first time in 1993 and after working for a radio show and doing comic routines on the side, he eventually dove into comedy full-time in 1999.

He remembers staying up late to watch the comedians on “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson” and knew at an early age that he had what it took to be in their shoes one day, and it seemed to run in the family.

“My dad was more of a prankster, but my mom had the smart aleck attitude,” Lee said.

One of the things he has learned over the years is that to get recognized in the business he needed to branch out and make a name for himself as an actor as well.

He moved to Atlanta, which has become a prominent spot to film movies in the south in recent years.

Since then, he has been cast for several roles, including having a recurring part as “Kyle” on the past five seasons of the T.V. series “The Walking Dead.”

Acting and performing on stage are very different skill sets.

“When I do comedy, it’s me, my thoughts and the audience,” Lee said. “When you act, you have to try to be true to the writer’s words and actions. It can be a challenge at times.”