2008 Woodie Awards
Manhattan College Comedy Night
Christine Gianino
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: Web Exclusives
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The show lasted a little over an hour and managed to keep the audience laughing for nearly the entirety of the program. The host warmed up the crowd with jokes about college life and living in the Bronx. He made sure to remind the students that, "It's not Riverdale, it's the Bronx. It's not like Archie and Jughead are hanging out at the 1 train!"
The first comedian of the night was a young, Southern man named Peyton Clarkson. He opened up his act with a joke about the structure of Manhattan College, specifically the bell tower above the quad: "That can only mean one thing-someone's getting killed!"
Clarkson then began to focus his act with somewhat crude commentary on men-women relations and the absurdness of sex. He ironically joked about the discomfort that so many women voluntary experience, and provided his comical impersonation of a woman walking through New York in extremely painful high heels. The physical comedy didn't end there-he also imitated the facial expressions and "verbal constipation" of President Bush, much to the students' amusement. And finally, he closed his performance by summarizing his envision for "utopia": a world where there are no politicians, no reality TV, no single-ply toilet paper in public bathrooms, and of course, a worldwide acceptance of farting.
The next comedian was Chuck Nice, who has appeared on VH1's Best Week Ever and is also a radio personality on Q104, New York's classic rock station. He received a warm welcome from the crowd, who recognized him from his stints on TV. Nice began his performance with jokes about being Black, which would remain a central theme throughout his act. He declared, triumphantly, "I don't care if Michael Jackson is guilty or innocent. I'm just glad he's White-yeah, he's yours now!" He paused before adding, "Don't worry, we still got O.J. and Kobe."
After the eruption of laughter had calmed down, Nice discussed how frustrating it was to see so many rich people walking around New York City. He also commented on the shallowness of TV shows, particularly MTV's Cribs, for which he feels an exceptional loathing. Nice explained his hatred by imitating the typical rapper who appears on the show: "Hey, welcome to MTV Cribs! I can't read or write, but look at my big-a** f***ing house!" Returning to the topic of New York City, Nice joked about how impossible it is to faze the average New Yorker, and that even the terror alerts are virtually meaningless. Suddenly the act turned to a serious note: the topic of September 11th. Nice commented on how refreshing it was that all New Yorkers were brought together just for one day, and added, humorously, "White people started looking at brothers for protection. 'Are we okay, homie?'" However, Nice couldn't refrain from mentioning the nuisances of terror precautions taken since 9/11, particularly airport security and racial profiling. He also added that there is profiling by name: "If your name is Ida Goldberg... you'll probably raise my rent, but you're not a terrorist. But if your name sounds like a cat throwing up a hairball-well, that makes you a suspect for blowing up an airplane!" Nice concluded his act by discussing the downfalls of getting drunk, particularly the problem that guys "get stupid" and approach girls with ridiculous, offensive statements. He closed his show with his belief that "the drinking age should be 18-the driving age should be 21!"
The last comedian to appear was Exiene. Exiene, like Nice, had also appeared on VH1 and MTV and received a warm welcome from the crowd. He began to tell a story about the time he went down to Virginia Beach and found himself paying fines for a very unusual law: $12.50 for every curse word. "I'm a New Yorker, you do the math." He then asked for a favor from the audience, and borrowed a baseball cap from one of the male students in the crowd. He informed the students in attendance that it's impossible for him to look normal wearing a hat, and proved his point by placing the cap on his head. "I look like a leukemia victim... it's sad, but this is how I get to the front of the line at Disney World. I just say, 'It's my last wish!'" Exiene went on to discuss the ironic situations he must face, because as a gay man, men and women alike are constantly asking him for advice with their heterosexual relationships. He advised the men in the crowd, "Always keep a little fag under your belt! That came out wrong, didn't it?" Exiene also told stories of his childhood, and how he used to get beaten up a lot until the day he fought back, adding, "I realized no kid would ever pick on me again. And number two, I liked sitting on guys. It was a very profitable day for me." He concluded his act by advising the audience that the most important thing in life is to be able to "learn how to laugh at yourself."
Despite the loud laughter throughout the show, Manhattan College students had somewhat negative reactions, mostly due to the fact that this show, which cost money to attend, was very similar to the free preview.
Kiera Maguire, a freshman, noted, "I was pretty disappointed. I wouldn't have paid if I knew it was going to be the same material from the show that I saw for free a few weeks ago. In fact, [Exiene] did the exact same routine. I wouldn't bother seeing another show of theirs unless I knew it was going to be different."
Charlotte Maietto, a freshman, agreed. "On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 7. Some of the jokes seemed so forced, and they weren't funny. It was as if the comedians were just too rehearsed in their material."
Still, the night was not a total loss. "It was good, but I was expecting more," said Brenna Hogan, a freshman. "I went to the preview in Plato's Cave a few weeks ago, and some of it was the same material. I think more people would have come if it hadn't been held on a Thursday night. Still, I enjoyed it, and I was definitely surprised by how raunchy it was, since this is a Catholic college."