WiseCrackers, the longest-running comedy room in the Lehigh Valley, typically promises a night full of laughter featuring three stand-up comics. New Year’s Eve was no exception.

The lineup for the 7 and 10 p.m. shows was Paul Spratt, the emcee; local favorite and Nazareth native Tyler Rothrock, feature act, and New York City comedian Mike Burton, headliner, closing out the show.

Burton draws from his life experiences in his set. He’s a father, family man and dog owner. In fact, during a phone interview he was walking his American bulldog hound mix, Buzz, through his Manhattan neighborhood.

“He’s all white with a black eye, so everybody that sees him calls him Petey, of course, from ‘The Little Rascals,’” says Burton about his dog. “That was his name when we got him from the shelter, but we have since changed it to Buzz. My son was six when we got him and so Buzz is the perfect name from ‘Toy Story’ when you are six.”

Burton, like any performer, enjoys receiving rave reviews about his performances, but he’s also been known to turn the tables on reviewers who he feels criticize him unjustly. He has been known to write reviews about the reviews and also about some of the venues he’s played. Negative reviews, incidentally, are not the norm for Burton, but he enjoys having fun at the expense of critics. “I figured we can both play this,” he laughs.

Burton holds several legendary comics in high esteem, including George Carlin. He also cites Eddie Murphy as a huge influence when he was growing up, and most recently, the late Greg Giraldo.

“He was such a great writer,” Burton says of Giraldo. “Getting to work with guys like that in New York on a regular basis ... I’m lucky to be able to do that.”

Burton got his start in comedy, as many do, at open mic nights. “It [stand-up comedy] was something I always talked about,” he says, “I was living in New York. I woke up one day and said, ‘Stop thinking about it. Do it.’ I found an open mic, paid five bucks for five minutes and I had probably about three minutes. I remember thinking [afterward], ‘Well, nobody threw anything, so I’ll be back next week.’”

In addition to working comedy rooms, Burton has on occasion been the substitute warm-up man for “The Rachel Ray Show,” “The View” and “Meredith.” Burton was the regular warm-up for the short-lived syndicated TV talk show, “Bethenny,” hosted by “The Real Housewives Of New York” star Bethenny Frankel. In the role of warm-up he is more “hype man” than stand-up comic.

“When I do warm up,“ Burton explains, “it’s more cheerleading and there’s jokes within that. We play off the audience, I don’t do a lot of crowd work necessarily, I can. I don’t mind it. But if I can just do my set and get to play around I love that.

“Warm-up is more cheerleading, ‘Let’s clap for everything.’ You’re just getting everybody hyped-up.”

Burton enjoys playing the Lehigh Valley. “I love it. It’s kind of my home away from home,” he says, “My in-laws lived there before they moved to Myrtle Beach, so I know the area. I’ve been playing Allentown for a long time.

“It’s definitely a town I look forward to coming to. That’s where I did my first New Year’s Eve show a long time ago.”