What do marijuana and sex have in common?
They can both be talked about endlessly in a comedy show.
Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) hosted The Last Laugh Comedy Night in the Mutli-Activity Center (MAC) Friday night. Bringing in a small crowd of 86, the finalists of “The Last Comic Standing” — Sean McBride, Jay London, Dana Eagle and Dante — owned the stage, bringing with them their unique spins to each joke.
“The variety between the comics was great,” mathematics alumnus Carlos Romero said.
Specifically, he enjoyed that there was an older comic, a gay comic and a straight one.
During the show, the comedians played with the idea of sex and gay stereotypes. At times, when topics like accidental pregnancies and abortions were exaggerated, the audience responded with more silence than laughter, prompting a switch in the comedian’s track.
“I like how they tested their jokes, and based off our reactions, they adapted the business of their skits,” mechanical engineering freshman Eric Zhong said.
By testing the waters with each joke, the comedians were able to gauge how much they could say without going over the top.
Specifically, Eagle stood at the edge of diving into the unsafe topics. Bringing up mental illnesses and unplanned pregnancies, Eagle received less cheer from the audience than expected.
However, when moving toward the issue of sexual assault and suicide, Eagle took the academic setting of a college campus into consideration, exempting those jokes from the show. Despite the filter she put on for certain topics, Eagle entertained the audience no less than the other comics.
While Eagle had to hold back at times, London was the opposite. He’d tell a joke and a handful of the college student audience would not understand.
“Oh, you didn’t even get it!” he’d say to the audience, knowing it was time for him to move on to a different topic.
The difference between Eagle and London’s humor could be attributed to their ages. Being younger, it seemed that Eagle was more aware of the issues that millenials feel sensitive about. On the other hand, London’s older age was accompanied by jokes that occasionally did not resonate with the audience.
Throughout the evening, London executed himself in a defining way. Less jubilant and more low-key about his humor, he was unique from the start. Coming onstage in ripped jeans, a black jacket, white clown shoes and a defining wig of curly dreadlocks, he frequently made references to his shaggy-looking appearance. London would often direct a question to an audience member in pity for himself, “please, will you just look at me?”
He’d then give up and say, “let me go over here,” moving from the left to the right of the stage throughout his segment.
Students received London’s feigned desperation for audience replies well, reacting in laughter. They found humor in London’s ability to move from topic to topic effectively.
“The best part of the night was how the comedians responded to the audience,” Zhong said.
Many of London’s jokes were plays on words and puns like, “I’m using medicinal marijuana for constipation. The doctor told me to get off the pot.”
Marijuana continued to be a popular topic for the comedians even after London left the stage.
When Dante had the spotlight, he asked about the purpose of the MAC. He jumped into a hypothetical situation in which he jokingly assumed its use is to grow marijuana. This discussion generated laughter from the audience despite the rather long duration spent on the scenario.
Though each comedian touched on marijuana, it was Dante’s impersonations of gay individuals and racial groups that generated the most laughter from the audience. Taking on a flamboyant personality and with it a feminine voice, Dante joked about how gay people throw skittles at people they’re angry with in the drive-thru line, telling them to “taste the rainbow.”
The jokes about the LGBTQIA+ community were received well. Cuesta college junior Jason Dodd said he could relate to a lot of the LGBTQIA+ jokes, especially when his boyfriend, Carlos Romero, pulls up in his driveway and he knows it’s him based on the volume of the music.
Aside from inciting laughter within the audience about the gay jokes, Dante dedicated time to telling jokes about sex. He specifically focused in on one sexual fantasy where he told more information than some of the audience may have wanted.
While many of Dante’s jokes were scenarios rather than one-liners, he had the audience roaring in laughter with his ability to impersonate others. He made his mark on the stage by leaving the audience with a killer Robert De Niro impression, pretending to be crucified — saying in the notorious bass voice, “You’re gonna crucify me?”
At the end of the evening, Dana Eagle, in reference to her jokes about taking pills, handed out candy to students on their way out, playing on the idea that sharing is caring — especially when it comes to telling jokes at comedy shows.