With John Mulaney’s show, CAB has proven that they’re capable of picking quality comedians, once again, continuing their fine string of choices that started with Amy Schumer and Chris D’Elia.
Having been familiar with very little of John Mulaney’s work, I was impressed with his highly animated stage presence as well as delivery. Even if his material wasn’t always unique or inventive, Mulaney still managed to leave me bursting with laughs more than once, but it’s too bad, the same can’t be said about his openers.
The first comedian to grace the stage was Ryan O’ Toole, a former UCF student who exemplified the importance of timing. A lot of his material had potential, but, unfortunately, it was often wasted, as he paused too long between a punchline and his next joke, as well as stumbling over many lines. Couple this with the relatively niche group his jokes were aimed at, as well, and what we were left with was a young comedian who has an eye for humorous inspiration, but not much else.
Once Ryan O’Toole’s set ended, Ali Wong was up. Completely juxtaposing O’Toole, Wong had a sharp and confident delivery, leaving the audience with much more laughs, and a lot less boredom. Unfortunately, halfway through her performance, Wong began to discuss her past desire for a marriage in which she wouldn’t have to work as well as her disdain for feminism.
I realize, as a comedian, all these sentiments could have been expressed in sarcasm, but her opinion seemed genuine and I feel like it alienated a large part of her college audience. Still, when she walked off the stage, I was glad to have seen her. She was funny, often offensive as well as extremely energetic. She might not have been the greatest comedian I have ever seen, but she was certainly worth the time.
Finally, the headliner of the evening, John Mulaney appeared. From the beginning of his set, Mulaney placed an emphasis on audience interaction, not always succeeding, but getting enough people involved to mix it up, in comparison to his openers. By the time he left, he had provided more than enough laughs to make the night a success, as well as giving me plenty of reason to see him again.
Click here to see photos from the show!
