The Daily Campus

Issue date: 10/5/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Steve Sweeney Comedian Caroline Rhea, famous for her role on 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch,' performed her stand-up act at the Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts Saturday night.

While this past Saturday might have been a dark, rain-filled day, the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts was aglow with knee-slapping laughter and the smiles of audience members at the UConn Family Weekend Comedy Show.

The evening of stand-up comedy featured headlining comedians Caroline Rhea and Mike Birbiglia, offering the Jorgensen audience a taste of two vastly different comedians.

"Each comedian had something unique to offer," said Mike DiRe, a 5th-semester mechanical engineering major. "It was a lot of fun."

All of the comedians featured in the show have appeared on television at some point in time, and many audience members were excited to finally see these comedians in person.

"I like seeing them in person rather than on TV," said David Kaufman, a 5th-semester landscape architecture major.

The variety of comedic styles opened with Comedy Central comedian Geoff Tate who had a dry style, which focused on an array of subjects including the economy, the workplace, married life and even his ultra-preppy appearance.

"I do look like I'm in 'Ocean's 11,' if it starred George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Paddington Bear," said Tate.

His joke about paying America's debt to China back with Wal-Mart gift cards received some of the greatest applause:

"You got Wal-Marts there or only the factories?" Tate said.

While Tate appeared very static in his stage presence, only using physical comedy for a handful of jokes in his set, headliner comedian Mike Birbiglia commanded the stage and audience with his physical comedy and hilarious personal stories, which he assured the audience were absolutely true, as far-fetched as they sounded.

Some stories included 7th-grade love and high school at an all-boys' Catholic school, during which he provided some advice to the students in the audience.

"Running away works. That's my advice to the incoming students," Birbiglia said.

"I watched Mike Birbiglia on TV and I thought he was funny," said Georgia Williamson, a 3rd- semester exploratory student. While funny on TV, Birbiglia has had some time to practice executing a perfect stage presence in his one-man show entitled "Sleepwalk With Me," which opened in New York in 2008 and ran for eight months.

Continued...

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