'King of Queens' Kevin James' sold-out nights in Worcester result in new comedy special

WORCESTER — In the fall of 2022, “The King of Queens” held court for two sold-out nights at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

The end result of his successful two-night stint at The Hanover is Kevin James’ new comedy special, “Irregardless,” which started streaming Jan. 23 on Prime Video.

In his first comedy special in five years, James jokes about domestic bliss, how his body is falling apart, his diagnosis with “pre-diabetes” and how every day he lives in fear…And that’s only the first five minutes of the hour-long special.

In a perfect mélange of performer and performance space, James comes to thunderous applause to a bare-bones stage while twirling, kicking, rolling and dancing while the grand architecture of the theater is shown.

James Kronzer, the production designer for the Kevin James special, pitched the idea of a bare-bones stage, where you can see all the pipes and fixtures, to the comedian, and his people and they loved it.

“One of the biggest challenges is coming up with new, interesting, distinct, unique looks that also fit who the comic is,” Kronzer said in an interview with the Telegram & Gazette. “And I just think this was just a great confluence of the theater, his personality and just walking into the space and going, ‘Oh, I think I know what this is,’ and embracing the theater itself because it’s a road house. It’s a classic old touring theater.”

Kronzer, who designed the original set for The Hanover’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” said his setup pitch showcased the comedian while celebrating the theater.

“My background is theater. I started in theater and I ended up in TV later on in my career. So it’s where I’m most comfortable,” Kronzer continued. “I know that they got all these line sets and these bars. So it was an exciting idea and I pitched the idea. You never know if they’re going to like the idea. It’s a collage of what’s in the theater. And it was all those pipes and each one had a very specific height. So all of that was considered, even the electrics.”

Kronzer said set design for a comedy special is a balancing act.

“There’s always the balancing act in terms of what I do is making sure that the head-to-toe and the close-up look good, are not distracting and they have some texture because that’s where we’re going to spend 90% of the show,” Kronzer said. “And we all know we’re in a theater with a live audience. The wide shot has to look just as successful. And that’s what I love is balancing those two, making sure they both pay off, as opposed to going out into a wide shot and you just got nothing but blackness.”

Annie Kerins, The Hanover Theatre’s public relations manager, said James, who had already performed in the Worcester theater in the past, hand-picked The Hanover for his latest comedy special. When the show was booked, The Hanover Theatre did not know that it was going to be the site of James’ latest comedy special.

“He loved Worcester, with emphasis on Worcester crowd,” Kerins said. “I heard that from producers and multiple folks,”

"From my perspective it couldn’t have gone more smoothly, which was great for a project with so many moving pieces,” Troy Siebels, Hanover Theatre’s president and CEO, said. “It was a good experience all around."

Not only did James perform two sold-out nights Nov. 11 and Nov. 12, 2022, at The Hanover Theatre, the everyman funnyman was spotted hanging out at Fuel coffee shop on Front Street and dining at Pasta Mani at the Worcester Public Market and Livia’s Dish during his short stay.

While he looked more like a member of the Cartel with his shaved head, buffed arms and beard than his lovable, round self on “The King of Queens,” James was very personable and appreciative when fans went up to him to chat, even though he had a big important night in a few hours.

Then again, the celebrated comedian is a seasoned professional.

In addition to TV sitcoms and stand-up, James has also starred in such film comedies as "Hitch," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," and "Paul Blart: Mall Cop (1 and 2)", along with voice work in animated films "Hotel Transylvania," "Monster House" and "Barnyard."

Not one to rest on his laughing laurels, James is already on his next comedy tour, “Owls Don’t Walk.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Kevin James 2022 Worcester performances result in new comedy special