The Lyric Theater Presents Paula Poundstone 1/21

It's impossible to see a Paula Poundstone performance without marveling at the comedienne's ability to interact spontaneously - and hilariously - with members of the audience.

Armed with nothing but a stool, a microphone and a can of Diet Pepsi, Poundstone uses her razor-sharp wit to create on-the-spot humor that's also dead-on. Her impromptu bits are so hysterical that audiences often wonder if the random people she talked to were "plants." No, they're not - and yes, she's seriously that good. The Boston Globe says, "Poundstone improvises with a crowd like a jazz musician . . . swinging in unexpected places without a plan, without a net."

Poundstone became a stand-up comic at the age of 19, "...turning my back on a successful table-bussing career," she says. After getting her start in clubs in Boston and San Francisco, she moved to Los Angeles, eventually starring in several comedy specials for HBO.

Poundstone was the first woman to win an ACE (the Cable Emmy) for Best Stand-Up Comedy Performance. She has appeared frequently on a wide variety of television programs, from "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to "Sesame Street" and "Comic Relief." National Public Radio listeners will recognize her from her regular appearances on "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me" and her commentaries on "Morning Edition." Poundstone, a keen observer of politics and society, serves up intelligent humor at its best.