It is often said that laughter is the best medicine. It can make you cry until you cannot see and giggle until you cannot breathe. Like no other media genre, comedy has a way of creating joyous memories and tons of “Remember that one time…?!”’s. This was achieved by none other than a 25-year-old man whose improvisations are like no other and his original songs cannot be beat. That man is Bo Burnham.
On the evening of Tuesday March 1st, 2016, the College Union Board (CUB) held their 2016 Spring Comedy Show at 8:30 PM in Kendall Hall. Opening the show was comedian and writer Matt Koff. Currently a writer for the Daily Show, Koff opened the show with blunt jokes that had the audience ready to google his name after the show to learn more about him. He talked about how he believes he has an ‘Old Navy body’ before jumping right into the hot life that comes with living in New York City. He even mentioned the one time on the subway he saw someone studying the Olive Garden menu, which had the audience giggling. Koff continued with tackling relationships and his confusion yet fascination with psychology. He took a turn to discuss the lovely TCNJ campus and how fancy our dining hall is complete with an omelet bar.
He closed his set with his ideas for questions for the “Newlywed Game,” all of which ended with death. Koff certainly got the ball rolling and the audience engaged, ready for the man they truly came to see.
The man we had all been waiting to see entered the stage like no other; to an elaborate light, music and song ensemble. Bo’s set was filled with upbeat songs and stand-up jokes that had the audience falling out of their seats, all while wearing a TCNJ sweatshirt that even he agrees is too expensive. His favorite topic of the night, similar to Koff, was tackling the TCNJ campus. He questioned everything, from why every building was made of bricks to every single detail in Kendall Hall. Not only did bricks become a recurring theme throughout the night, Bo also had a fixation for the police officer standing on the side of the stage. He did not let him fly under the radar, rather he joked about him wearing sunglasses on top of his head in addition to practically every move he made. He touched on politics and other heated issues in the news, yet touched on them so briefly and so light-heartedly the audience was hysterical. He later sang songs about his love for country music and its lyrics, as well as the reality about relationships.
Bo told us all about his very difficult life with his brand new puppy, and also provided honest comedic feedback. In addition to his fixation with the police officer, Bo was also very interested in our majors, criticizing each one brutally. One of his best songs of the night was the one about how hard his life is as a white man, even explaining what irony is to us throughout it. He even performed his popular “From God’s Perspective,” which had the audience in stitches as they sang along to the lyrics. There was truly never a dull moment throughout his entire set, and I cannot wait to see what else Bo Burnham has in store for the rest of the world.
Photo credit: TCNJ College Union Board