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Mark Russell will be on the Van Wezel stage on March 31. Contributed photo from Promopichires "Long before Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, there was Mark Russell, daring to joke and sing of the often absurd political process," a Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall news release says. "With his impeccable timing, twinkling eyes and insights into American politics," Russell will grace the Van Wezel stage in Sarasota on March 31, the release adds. Russell grew up with entertainers as his heroes, among them radio comedians Fred Allen and Jack Benny, the release notes. He became class clown when he was in the fourth grade and maintained that position through high school, the release adds. "His career came to life in a little piano bar on Capitol Hill," the release continues, across the street from where the lawmakers "held court." He started out knowing little about politics, but he was an immediate hit, thanks to his ability to find humor in anything, the release says. The Marquee Lounge became "the place" for politicians to gather in Washington, D.C., where they listened to Russell's jokes about what they had done earlier the same day. Tickets are priced from $30 to $45. For more information, call the box office at 953-3368 or visit VanWezel.org. RUSSELL TO BRING HIS CAPITOL HILL OBSERVATIONS TO SARASOTA Sarasota News Leader March 28, 2014 Page 113