The Daily Campus

Issue date: 1/26/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Amanda Spinelli Hofsetter proved why he is called 'the thinking man's comic' Thursday night.

Hundreds of UConn students were treated to riotous laughter during comedian Steve Hofstetter's routine Thursday evening at the Student Union Theater. It was the 27-year old comedian's first time in Storrs, but Hofstetter is already considered a comedy veteran. He has performed at colleges around the country, authored two books and produced an enormously popular DVD. Opening for Hofstetter was comedian Dennis Donahue, who performed for about 15 minutes. Donahue was initially greeted with a large deal of applause, which generally faded throughout his performance. Making seemingly tired jokes about college students and their lifestyle, Donahue's performance was seen by much of the audience as having "fallen quite short of expectations."

"Donahue's face was funnier than his jokes," according to 2nd-semester undecided major Melanie Marante.

Many of the other members of the audience agreed with Marante, calling Donahue's performance "boring" and "annoying."

By the time Hofstetter took the stage, the audience was eager to see what the much-anticipated comedian had in store. Hofstetter's routine, which began by making fun of the state of Indiana which he had recently visited, was a great success overall. Students fell out of their seats laughing at a range of comedy targets, from strippers to bad commercials. In one of his most popular bits, Hofstetter ridiculed a woman who dropped her child in a gorilla pit, comparing her to Michael Jackson.

In addition, much of Hofstetter's humor was based on issues that he feels are legitimate problems in American society today. Citing ludicrous regulations that allow a glass bottle to be brought aboard an airplane but ban drinking water, and chastising Americans for not being more concerned with global warming-Hofstetter himself drives a hybrid car-Hofstetter was able to use his comedy to bring up serious social issues. By doing this, Hofstetter not only proved his comedic abilities, but also lived up to his nickname of being "the thinking man's comic."

"I had heard about Hofstetter's performance while I was studying in the Student Union," said Allison Malecki, an 8th-semester economics major. "I'm really glad I came to watch the show tonight. He was totally worthwhile and very funny."

4th-semester pre-education major Michelle Levenduski agreed with Malecki.

"This was such a great source of entertainment," Levenduski said. "And, of course, it was free, which is fantastic."

In addition to Levenduski, more than 300 UConn students were able to enjoy the free performance, which was organized by SUBOG. After the show, many students had the opportunity to converse with Hofstetter individually, while they perused his copies of his CDs, which were for sale.

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