PHOTOS BY KURT RIVERS
Last night, veteran comedian Charlie Murphy, brother of legendary comic Eddie Murphy, brought his stand-up routine to the UCF Venue. UCF’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted the event and tickets were free to UCF students.
Murphy is probably best known for his legendary “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” sketches on Chappelle’s Show.
Yesterday’s performance was his first since his recent infamous performance at Grambling State University, in which the crowd in the middle of his performance booed Murphy. Murphy responded to response when he had his manager bring him the $22,000 check Murphy was paid with, only for Murphy to “give it back” to the students by dropping the check on the stage and storming off.
Murphy seemed in better spirits during his act at the UCF Venue, which was nearly filled with UCF students. He started off his show by addressing his incident at Grambling State, explaining earnestly that his angry reaction came as a result of his own disappointment with not being able to please a college crowd.
But this time around, Murphy’s act was met with a warm reception, as he cracked the crowd up with the raunchiness he is known for. Most of his jokes were R-Rated, with topics of his humor ranging from sex to race to politics.
Murphy’s opening act, a longtime friend of Murphy’s named Freeze Love also delivered a crowd-pleasing set. His jokes poked fun at the differences between whites, blacks, and Latinos. Love’s performance was complemented by his impressions of each race, making each punch line that much more effective.
Thanks to Murphy and Freeze Love’s one-two punch of humor, CAB planned another successful comedy night. But if last night’s success could be pinned down to a single reason, it’s because Charlie Murphy redeemed himself as a comic, receiving a check well-earned from UCF. Thankfully, it stayed with his manager.
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