Stand-up comedian and actor Adam DeVine brought his house party TV series to Hawaii and shot the entire third season on the North Shore of Oahu. When it starts airing on Comedy Central in March, “Adam DeVine’s House Party” will showcase a laugh track with local flavor.
Ten episodes were shot last month. During the 10-day shoot, the producers filled Surfer, the Bar, at Turtle Bay Resort every other evening, booked 40 extras or more for every shooting day and gave speaking parts to nine locals.
Rising Honolulu comedian Shane Lucas Price got a few lines and a big laugh as Beer Guy. Teenage ukulele sensation Aidan James made such an impression that his character’s name was changed from Gary to Aidan. North Shore surfer Koa Rothman got the part of Surfer Bro for an homage to “Point Break.”
“House Party” is a hybrid comedy — a blend of scripted sitcom material and stand-up routines, said executive producer Scotty Landes, who writes the episodes with DeVine. Each episode is built around a party hosted by DeVine and featuring three stand-up comedians who also perform. Landes also appears in each episode as Hungry Man, the guy who is always eating. In Hawaii he ate a lot of pineapple and kalua pork for laughs, he said.
“We use the scripted element of the show, the narrative, to hold the audience,” Landes said. “We introduce them to a story right away, and we weave the story into the stand-up.”
The goal of the show is to be true to its premise: It’s a party.
“We want people to go, ‘That looks so fun,’” he said. “We want to make it feel like a party more than a TV show.”
The stand-up comedians come from all over the country.
“The stand-ups are able to be part of the story as actors, and they also get to perform their material,” Landes said.
For most of the show’s relatively unknown guest performers, it’s a potential springboard to greater stardom.
“It’s a stand-up showcase for new faces,” Landes said. “For a lot of our comedians, this is their first time on TV.”
DeVine is perhaps best known for the hit films “Pitch Perfect” and “Pitch Perfect 2.” Last summer he shot a feature film in Hawaii with Zac Efron, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.”
Landes also works with DeVine on Comedy Central’s scripted series “Workaholics,” which follows three college dropouts who work at a telemarketing company.
“He is the funniest person I have ever worked with, and he is also very, very generous with the talent,” Landes said. “When you see the new talent come in, they are very nervous. He is excellent at guiding them.”
Local comic Price, who promotes comedy shows once a month at Hawaiian Brian’s, was happy to be on the receiving end of that. But he stood out on his own: Landes said Price had a booming voice so loud that he made the cameramen wince.
“I’m a big dude,” Price said. “And I have a big beard and I get big laughs, and they loved it.”
Afterward, DeVine thanked Price, who got pointers from the veteran comic.
“Adam walked right up to me and said, ‘You’re a really funny guy, thanks for doing this,’” Price said. “He said it was awesome and that he couldn’t have done it without me, which I don’t believe. But it was fantastic.”
The 30-year-old Price has been in comedy only four years, so having his face on Comedy Central is invaluable.
“I speak in this, and that’s a pretty big deal for a guy who is trying to claw his way up the stand-up ladder,” he said. “That is definitely a notch in my belt.”
DeVine wasn’t available for an interview, but sent a few comments by email. He said Hawaii became a part of the show. Funny or not, each episode will be beautiful, said DeVine, who added that he would like to work here again.
“This place gets inside of you,” he said. “Once you experience it you just want to come back. I hope every project I’m involved in shoots in Hawaii. I’m going to drop my resume off at ‘Hawaii Five-0.’”
And that’s a wrap …
Mike Gordon is the Star-Advertiser’s film and television writer. Read his Outtakes Online blog at honolulupulse.com. Reach him at 529-4803 or email mgordon@staradvertiser.com.
