Eric Andre
On September 26, Eric Andre brought his famous brand of shock and surrealist comedy to JFL42 in the form of two back-to-back stand-up sets as part of his Legalize Everything tour. In his 75-minute set, Andre berated the history of American politics. Throughout his performance, Andre referred to how the current political climate in America can be blamed on a constitution that was written over 200 years ago and how an update to America’s laws is long called for. He also talked at length about how spending a lot of time with his mother as an adult has led to unexpected life experiences, namely knowing what it’s like to smoke weed with your mom. This led to his closing bit where Andre got a few audience members to hand him their phones so he could mad-lib text their moms from the list of automated words prompted in iMessage.
Andre’s act kept me entertained for its entire runtime, although I was slightly disappointed to hear a couple of jokes recycled from previous shows and podcasts. Though still funny the second time, I would have loved to see a show filled entirely with new jokes. Despite that, Andre’s set was still filled with enough raunch, nudity, and cringe comedy to keep any fan of his laughing. – Jennifer Dufton, Associate Podcast Editor
Nick Kroll
Nick Kroll performed the second night of his Middle-Aged Boy tour as part of the JFL42 festival at Meridian Hall on September 20, 2019. Emmy Blotnik opened the show with a short set on Michael Phelps’ love of affirmations and meditations, and how ridiculous it is when rich kids get celebrities to come to their Bat Mitzvahs.
After Emmy warmed up the crowd, Nick came out and delivered an hour-long set which spanned topics from eczema, breakups, and birthdays to ageing. While I am a fan of Nick Kroll’s work on Big Mouth and his characters on Comedy Bang! Bang!, I had never seen him perform stand-up and he did not disappoint. Comedy is at its best when you feel that no one is being unfairly put down for the sake of laughs, and Nick Kroll worked his way around this by focusing most of his act on self-reflection. His best joke told the story of his recent experience in the world of hypnosis while trying to rid himself of his desire for snacks. He described in detail how he was hypnotized over the phone and was told to record the conversation to listen back to each night before he went to bed. As this story might seem fabricated, he asked the audience if they believed it, and when some of them said no, he played an actual audio recording of this hypnosis. The highest point of his act was getting to hear this recording, where the woman described Nick’s favorite snack foods back to him in various unappealing ways; they were filled with spiders, dirt, and goo. The only things that seemed not to flow in the act were the times Nick mentioned that he was still working out which jokes did and didn’t work, and how the show was a work in progress. As his tour continues, I’m certain he will work through these kinks and come out with an even tighter, well-worked-through set. –Ellen Grace, Associate Stranded Editor
Ron Funches
Nothing but pure joy emanates from Ron Funches’ spectacularly funny, relatable, and honest stand-up act that glues a smile on your face from beginning to end. I would recommend this show to anyone with a beating heart, and anyone who loves feeling good; and if you don’t fall into those categories, I would say go anyway! Maybe you’ll change your mind.
With the voice of a “Disney bear who teaches responsibility”, it’s not a surprise that Funches brings a quirky optimism to every topic he touches. Through Rugrat allegories about happiness and his vast amount of knowledge about Koala STIs, everything leaves his mouth and body wrapped up in a delicious cupcake of love and hilarity. It’s rare that I ever leave a comedy special with just a “feeling” but that’s as best as I can describe the lizard signals that went through my brain. If someone were to ask me about the show—which, after this review, no one has—I would probably distill it into one feeling: joy. Pure contentment from the time he introduces the opener to the time he abruptly, and all too soon, ends the show. To his credit, it felt like one of the quickest specials I have ever watched, but, of course, time flies when you’re having fun.
What made the show feel so special and intimate was the picture of family life that Ron Funches paints. We don’t typically see Ron “the Dad”, but it was incredibly relatable, honest, and hilarious. Funches describes how he, as a single dad, takes care of both his mother and 16-year-old autistic son while balancing his free time with his girlfriend. While this didn’t take away from the humour of the jokes, I would be lying if it didn’t make the permanent smile on my face all the wider. I don’t know if this was because I went to the show with my own father, who is a single dad, or because I really like families, but either way it filled my heart with laughs and cheerfulness the whole way. From Ron trying to complete his mom’s dream of having sex with Lebron James, to his girlfriend being turned on by his Super Mario skills, you will leave the show with not only stitches but also a better understanding and appreciation of the man that is Ron Funches. –Max Nisbeth, Stranded Editor
Kate Berlant (feat. Joel Kim Booster)
Fun. Funny. Unique. Normally, unique is used as a polite “I don’t like it” for when your cousin gives you a homemade painting for Christmas. But in this case, I use unique to describe what was one of the most special combinations of both stand-up and improv with a final product that will have you laughing ‘til your knees shake.
Why her stand-up was so “unique” was largely because it felt like a one-woman improv show. Her style and use of audience participation made every bit seem fluid and connected in ways that went beyond a normal stand-up performance. Some bits were more stand-up heavy like when she discussed the playfulness of incest and her mask-like face during sex, while others were explicit improv portions. One of the improv-heavy elements of the show was her crowd work that manifested itself as a mindreading of random audience members, which was surprisingly accurate (she correctly guessed whether a viewer had an injury in their left leg).
For all of these reasons, her show felt in-the-moment, special, and like all improv, a high-wire act with fantastic landings. Instead of predicting punchlines, you were anticipating them from whatever which way. Never have I been to a show where a person can go on a tangent about her own chili and feel like, “Wow. Every second was special.” But it was! And I highly recommend catching Kate Berlant in whatever capacity you can! (Not actually catching her! To be clear I am not promoting kidnapping. Repeat: I am not telling you to kidnap Kate Berlant.) A performance I won’t forget anytime soon.
SPECIAL NOTE: The opener, who also headlined a show of his own during JFL42, Joel Kim Booster, was one of the main highlights of the show. Hands down, was one of the funniest comedians I saw during the festival and made me instantly regret not going to his headliner. From his spicy takes on cruise boat drug culture to being mistaken as the founder of PF Chang’s in Idaho, he commanded laughter from beginning to end. His confidence, timing, and persona were all aligned in a perfect tri-force of comedy that gave me some of the loudest laughs of the week. –Max Nisbeth, Stranded Editor
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