Comedian Vargus Mason [Courtesy photo]
Every Saturday, Mason brings together several of Hollywood’s brightest up-and-coming comics in the Ice House’s slickly designed California Room for 90 minutes of laughter. He has also performed frequently for the United States military at bases around the globe, currently is a popular comedian on cruise ships, and uses his nickname as “The Human Cartoon” by performing voices in animated movies and TV shows on Nickelodeon, Netflix, and DreamWorks, among many others.
He caught the comedy bug in third grade, when his teacher allowed him to perform for his classmates every day.
“I grew up in Denver, and when I was in third grade, I changed schools and I lied and told my teacher that my old teacher used to let me tell jokes in class,” Mason recalls. “It was a bold-faced lie, but to her credit, I hold Miss Gray in my heart to this day because she said yes, and at the last five minutes of class, I got to tell jokes when everyone’s putting their chairs away. She even would tell them if they were acting up, ‘Hey, if you guys don’t behave, Vargus can’t tell jokes at the end of class.'”
Mason’s humor has been seen on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Comics Unleashed & Entertainers with Byron Allen, BET’s Comic-View, and VH1. He was also Comedy Central’s online red-carpet host for the Celebrity Roast of Flavor Flav.
His popularity has grown since “Deez Nuts” began at the Comedy Store almost two decades ago in 2005, and circles back to build the notoriety of the show. Mason had worked his way up the ladder at the Comedy Store to the coveted “Paid Regular” status, and owner/comic Pauly Shore told him he could have his own show.
The switch to the Ice House came amid the COVID shutdowns, when the Pasadena club opened its doors faster than the Comedy Store returned. Mason also had longstanding ties to former longtime owner Bob Fisher.
“Bob was one of the first guys who got me regular time at a club with the Ice House. When you first start, you need that time just to develop,” explains Mason. “I used to perform every Friday in the smaller stage called the Ice House Annex. So it’s kind of kismet that I’ve come full circle and get to run my own show there every Saturday and give opportunities to young comedians.
“[Current owner] Johnny Buss is really cool about giving younger comedians stage time. That’s been a mission of theirs. And also the fact that the whole place is completely renovated. The old Ice House was a dream, I loved that spot but it was an old building. And now it’s like you feel like you’re in a VIP craft box at the Staples Center because it’s designed to feel like that — plus the food there is amazing.”
Mason performs in “Deez Nuts” whenever he’s not touring or on cruise ships, but the onstage driving force of the shows is Sally Mullins, a hilariously loopy MC who makes funny, unique jokes about every comic in the lineup before and after their sets. He also notes that starting his shows at 5 p.m. most Saturdays (the show this weekend on Nov. 23 starts at 4:30, with doors open at 4 p.m.) brings an extra bonus of kismet to the showcase.
“I love that our show’s a bit earlier too, because now that it’s the early show, our older audiences can come out and still get home early,” notes Mason. “And our younger crowd loves being able to pre-game before they go out. It’s the best of both worlds. But it’s really about you try to treat people with respect and I think that respect comes back to you.
“If you can be positive when an industry is negative, people gravitate to that. And I think my comics are really good too because I attract the comics who are positive people and don’t want the drama involved with most shows. Laughter is the one thing that brings us together.”
“Deez Nuts” is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, with doors open at 4 p.m. (Other Saturdays start at 5 p.m. with 4:30 doors). At the Ice House, 24 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Tickets are $20. Visit icehousecomedy.com or call (626) 414-2386.
