Multi-talented comedian Luenell Batson, known mononymously to her adoring public as Luenell, was born a poor Black child in the nondescript hamlet of Tollette in deepest, darkest Arkansas, a town whose most distinguishing feature was, in her words, is that it did not have and still is without a “…pay phone, wash house or movie theatre.”
Being the eighth of eight children, she relocated early on to another equally hardscrabble environment of a different kind, the east bay burg of Oakland to seek her fortune. Her place in the chronological peaking order likely impacted her vocational choice, as she admits “…seeking attention definitely had something to do with it!”
Today, through hard work, pluck, and perseverance, Luenell has outdone her siblings to proclaim herself “the shortest, roundest, and richest.”
The legendary comedian and actress granted Our Weekly an exclusive in announcing the beginning of her residency at Flappers Comedy Club in downtown Burbank and reflecting on her inspirations.
Following a two-hour performance to a sold-out crowd on June 26, she will grace the Main Room in a show provocatively titled “That Time of the Month With Luenell,” beginning on Aug. 6 and running every first Wednesday through the end of the year.
A casual glance at her repertoire underscores the unmistakable influence of that seminal pioneer from Black comedy’s “Chitlin’ Circuit,” the fabled Jackie “Moms” Mabley, who challenged societal norms by flagrantly declaring a proclivity for younger men (in reality she was a practicing lesbian). When pressed about her influences, Luenell points to Mabley’s contemporaries, whose dirty rhetoric eclipsed her.
“Moms’ was pretty tame,” Luenell observes.
Nonetheless, she paid the ultimate compliment when she did a voice-over portrayal as Moms Mabley in the 2011 animated series “Black Dynamite.”
She traces her own affinity towards ribald comedy to Mabley’s contemporary, Redd Foxx and his arch foil LaWanda Page, known in her day as “The Black Queen of Comedy.” The profane duo sanitized their act for mainstream America, when they appeared in the landmark 1970s sitcom “Sanford and Son,” which set the stage for comedians of color who followed.
Luenell acknowledges the debt she owes these (living and dead) fore-bearers in a “…homage to the ones who went before me.”
“…I LOVE & respect you LaWanda Page (Aunt Esther), Loretta Mary Aiken aka Jackie “Moms” Mabley, Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, (and) Eddie Murphy.”
In keeping with this tradition of conformity and versatility, Luenell can tone down her adult-orientated repartee as evidenced by appearances in financially lucrative family-orientated animated motion pictures, including 2012’s “Hotel Transylvania,” and this year’s “Dog Man.”
This flexibility has enabled her to accumulate a whopping 79 credits (and counting) on the online entertainment database IMDb.
Her earlier performance in Burbank had her displaying her success, via the copious diamonds and jewelry that are a staple of her stage ensemble. She reasons that before she can share the bounty of the toil of her humor she should treat herself. While not on a level with the Kardashian family synonymous with opulence, her eye remains fixed upon the prize.
Luenell will continue her previous residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas, concurrently with her tenure at Flappers.
Flappers Comedy Club & Restaurant is located at 102 East Magnolia Blvd., at the corner of 1st and Magnolia, and adjacent to the AMC 8 movie chain, within the Burbank Town Center Mall complex. Tickets can be found at www.heyluenell/com/schedule/