Steve Martin & Martin Short feat. Jeff Babko and the Steep Canyon Rangers at the Palace Theatre in Albany, NY on December 4, 2025
To keep an audience engaged, invested, and entertained for two-hours is a near impossible feat, yet that is just what Steve Martin and Martin Short did on Thursday night’s sold out show at the historic Palace Theatre in Albany, New York, proving that the two elder statesmen comedians (Short at a young 75, and Martin having turned a regal 80 this past August) remain at the top of their game. Their tour billed as “The Dukes of Funnytown,” the duo is a classic comedy partnering, with the two playing each other’s foil. Short’s sporadic, over-the-top, offbeat campness and Martin’s measured strategic condescending wit made for a fabulous night of comedy, along with some spectacular musical numbers, that had the rapt and lively audience continuously applauding, laughing, and robustly guffawing throughout the night.
The stage was set up with two brown arm chairs in the center, a piano at stage left and a small drum kit and amp set up on stage right. They had the crowd from the opening reel, a hodgepodge of stand-up, film, and television appearances, which reminded attendees of some of the comedians’ career highlights, that had patrons cheering in appreciative recognition and calling out well-known catch phrases and classic lines along with the clips.
After a formal introduction, Steve Martin appeared first in a spotlight to an uproarious applause that lasted for some time, and then, in his own inimitable way, he introduced the incorrigible Short to the stage. With Short’s grandiose entrance, which also received great adulation, they immediately fell into their shtick. They lampooned and, at times, outright roasted each other, volleying humorous yet lovingly playful barbs back and forth at each other (even during their hilarious eulogies to each other). They sat together side by side and told stories, shared photo moments and special memories, and used the back screen periodically during some comical bits as well. Although well rehearsed, they infused regional locales and audience participation into their act to make everyone feel a part of the show.
They each had their own solo moments. Martin played a couple banjo tunes alone and was also joined by the Steep Canyon Rangers, (performing a new tune, “I Can Play The Banjo,” that had him humorously “dueling” with fellow banjoist Graham Sharp). Short was his usual Chihuahua-like self, hamming it up in comedy bits with his animated antics, singing cabaret and show tunes accompanied by Jimmy Kimmel pianist Jeff Babko, and doing various spot-on celebrity impressions. During a musical interlude, The Steep Canyon Rangers, whose musical talent and bluegrass prowess are always a treat to behold, performed a stirring version of “Be Still Moses” and the upbeat “Auden’s Train,” which featured fiery fiddle player Nicky Sanders jauntily traveling around the stage emulating the sound of a roaring locomotive through his bow and strings, while Michael Ashworth (on drums) and Barrett Smith (on bass) held down the foundation, and Aaron Burdett (on guitar), Mike Guggino (on mandolin), and Graham Sharp (on banjo) moved with him to the front of the stage and back to the single stand-up mic to sing. More information at: https://www.steepcanyon.com/
At the end of the show, when the Martin and Short came together at the piano to share some one-liners from their favorite comedians and singing a song together, it brought the night to an emotionally poignant and hysterical end. They came back for a final send up song, and then the Steep Canyon Rangers, joined by piano player Jeff Babko, played them out, leaving the jubilant and adoring crowd to filter out into the frigid December night still warmed by the joy of witnessing these two living legends of comedy.
More information at: https://www.stevemartin.com/ and https://martinshorttour.com/
