After a bumpy start to the school year with the devastation of the flood, the foul weather, and midterms, a night of comedy with Aaron Kleiber and Josh Blue came just in time.
Even the snow that fell in all-time record amounts for the month of October did not stop people from coming out to enjoy a night of laughs with comedians Kleiber and Blue. The house was packed and many students were there with their parents and siblings. I overheard a girl a few rows behind me tell her parents outright that she didn’t know how “clean” the language might be, and to not freak out when they heard “f-bombs.”
Perhaps it was the stress of the past few weeks, or having parents in the room, or just the crappy weather, but when Kleiber stepped on stage to warm up the crowd, everyone was a bit stiff. It didn’t take him long to win the crowd over though, cleverly engaging both the students and parents in the room. A joke about his love for powdered confections and subsequent resemblance to Bobby Brown had a lot of the parents in the room in a serious chuckle. Kleiber got everyone laughing when he instructed the parents to explain it to their kids after the show. He did the same in reverse when he made some pop culture references that the parents didn’t get and told the students to fill them in later. When Kleiber’s time was up, he had really gotten the crowd to unwind.
Finally headliner Josh Blue took the stage, and the crowd was ready for him. He wasted no time, immediately throwing jokes at us. Blue had the crowd laughing from one joke into the next, employing the professional comedic timing that you can only find in true A-listers. While there were a few “f-bombs” throughout the evening, I would still call it good, clean fun.
Blue’s style and routine have evolved continuously. While researching Blue I found his old routines were individually unique. In other words, he doesn’t have one routine that he beats to death but instead adapts and works with the circumstances. What was new about his routine to me was the focus on his family.
What made Blue’s show so enjoyable was his ability to relate to the audience even though once you look at his big picture he may seem far from average. He was born in Africa, lives with the difficulties of Cerebral Palsy, played on the US Paralympic Soccer Team, and married a Japanese woman. The events and little problems that crop up in his life make for a hilarious story; such as the bit on how he still doesn’t know his father-in-law’s name, and asked if anyone in the audience could tell him how to say “line-stick-box” in Japanese. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Blue wrapped up his show with a Q and A session that brought on more laughs.
As the audience filtered into the lobby after the show, Blue really showed his level headed attitude when he walked straight out to the lobby to personally greet fans, take pictures, sign autographs, and sell merchandise.
“[You guys are] good laughers, good listeners… I typically make it out here once every few months,” Blue said when asked what he thought about this area, but went on to say that he’s looking forward to getting home when his schedule takes him to Denver in December.
This comedy show was high quality entertainment, and I look forward to what the Celebrity Artist Series will bring to BU in the future. Up next is Coach: The Untold Story of College Basketball Legend Al McGuire on Nov. 4. For ticket sales or general information on the Celebrity Artist Series call them at (570) 389-4409 or visit them on the web at www.bloomu.edu/CAS.
