The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/20/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Ashley Popisil A member of Agents of Improv performs during a comedy show Friday night.

You know those jokes that are funny, and then they keep going for a while, and then they're not funny any more? And then, somehow, they're funny again?

How about those jokes that go on for over two hours - and they're funny the whole time?

UConn's comedic talent came out of the woodwork Friday night for the Ha! Ha! Comedy Show, a marathon medley of sketches, improvisational comedy and stand-up. The show stuffed four stand-up comedians, two improv troupes and a sketch team - along with a rapt audience - into Whitney dining hall.

UConn improv troupes Agents of Improv and Horse Lincoln joined three of the Rooftop Comedy competition winners and stand-up comedian Brian Manotok, an 8th-semester sociology major, for the bulk of the night, while sketch duo Steve Winchell, a December graduate, and Sean Rose, an 8th-semester English major, dropped by for a few experimental flourishes.

The longer group performances were staggered with short routines from the Rooftop Comedy winners - Evan Lawrence, Paul Valentine and Scott Colleran, in order of appearance.

"It was nice to have standup, improv, standup," said Aaron Cipollina, a 4th-semester communications major and member of Agents of Improv. "We got to see lots of different styles."

With such a breadth of performers, the night offered something for everyone. Fans of bellowing, physical comedy got their fill from Lawrence's charismatic retelling of the Passover story, while viewers with more cerebral sensibilities chuckled quietly at Winchell and Rose's cynical, acerbic wit.

"They really captured the 'variety' in 'variety show,'" said John Turner V, a 2nd-semester engineering physics major and member of the Agents of Improv.

While the laughter varied in volume and density, none of the acts fell flat. Horse Lincoln in particular drew big laughs, and the Agents of Improv pounded a few scenes into the bleachers as well.

"[Horse Lincoln] was really the best improv I've seen at UConn," said Brian Barlow, a 3rd-semester exploratory major. "Their skills were top-notch."

And while many of Winchell and Rose's sketches left the audience scratching their heads, they stole the show with one in particular - "the office where everyone is allergic to laughter."

The scene began with some prosaic water-cooler chat, until someone in the audience giggled - and the scene snowballed into a delightfully predictable hilarity, with the performers rolling around on the floor and begging for respite.

Manotok credited the engaged audience with much of the show's succcess.

"I really liked the audience," Manotok said. "It's nice when they're willing to laugh - they weren't hesistant."

Comprehensive comedy revues aren't common on campus, Manotok said.

"Some events - open mics and whatever - they're not as inclusive of comedy acts. It's good to have a night of humor," he said.

Horse Lincoln frontman Dan Emmons was responsible for the genesis of the event, which was sponsored by East Area Council. "The [Community Assistants] were looking around for programming and I came up with the idea for a comedy show," Emmons said. "There's a huge comedy scene [at UConn]. We just wanted people to come and laugh."

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