After waiting for 15 minutes for the show to start, I felt it was safe to run to the bathroom; predictably, the show started in my absence.
Kerri Louise opened UPAC Comedy’s night of stand-up in the Union on Friday. Louise definitely had the attitude of a stand-up comic and held the audience’s attention well for the 15–20 minutes of her set. Although she tackled some standard female stand-up comic topics such as being poor in New York City, shopping, and other women (especially the "naked" Britney Spears), I found myself laughing and having a good time. The crowd in the McNeil Room was very receptive, as were the observers on the balcony, one of whom made Louise’s day by shouting, "You’re hot!"
Headliner Chuck Roy, however, eclipsed Louise’s performance with his own hour-plus routine. Roy was touted as having appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Will and Grace, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. My companion and I remembered him immediately from Comedy Central. He used some of the same material, particularly that of lending his punk little brother in New Hampshire $4000 to buy a car (more accurately a stereo system with a moving rust shell) and being teased as a child for being overweight. (His mother attempted to console him by saying he was just "puffy.") The material was just as good the second time around, however, and the crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy the performance. Many people were visibly doubled over at times, including me.
Puffy also did his homework; he targeted his walk up the Approach from his hotel, the School of Management, RPI’s gender ratio, Manory’s, and the economic status of Troy. He related to the audience much better than Louise had by gaining a sense of the environment at RPI. Roy also taunted the Public Safety officers assigned to the show, threatening to smoke his guano-grown marijuana on stage and pointing out that while they were working a Friday night in uniform as college security officers, he was on stage in a T-shirt. He also covered such topics as homosexuality, white trash, and his family in Utica, and often went on tangents as a result of interaction with the audience, deliberately lengthening the show and obviously enjoying himself.
If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend checking out Roy—you will not be disappointed in the show. I would also suggest going to the next UPAC Comedy show. If all their guests are as entertaining and talented as Puffy, you will not regret it. It’s a great evening of comedy; plus, it’s free.
