Local stand-up acts bust guts at comedy night
* Joshua Boydston/The Daily
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
They say laughter is the best medicine. If that’s the case, then Norman comedians must be doing their best to cure cancer.
The Opolis hosted Comedy Night Friday, and laughs were in no short supply. The audience chuckled and snorted along through the two-hour show that featured eight local comedians, all of whom showcased his or her own distinctive brand of humor.
We’ve witnessed a sort of Renaissance in comedy in the last few years; while David Cross, Demetri Martin and Dane Cook have exploded on the national scene, Norman comedians have quietly been plugging away as well, and the show Friday night was a testament to how their efforts have not been in vain.
The Opolis showcased a blend of up-and-comers as well as Oklahoma comedy vets, and each and every one of them had something to offer.
The show launched off with Cameron Buchholtz poking fun at hipsters, and would continue throughout the night as the show’s emcee.
Recent OU grad James Nghiem then indulged in some absurdly wonderful tales before Seth Joseph made a triumphant return from New York to his hometown of Norman.
Another OU grad, Leah Kayajanian, then strode onstage and left the crowd in stitches before the mellow, causally raunchy set by Derek Smith.
The veterans, Spencer Hicks, Anthony Cavazos and recently named Loony Bin host Brad Porter, closed out the evening just in time to avoid an overdose of laughter.
The evening was a glimpse of how lucky the region is to have such interesting and diverse comedians. There were hits and misses of course, but my evening of comedy was pleasant and gave me my daily dose of laughs for sure. The show was a relaxed affair - no one taking themselves too seriously and all content on having a good time.
The crowd laughed the night away in amazement of the talent these locals possess. As talented as some of these guys are, you might not be able to catch them around here for much longer.
I would especially like to applaud the sets of Buchholtz, Nghiem and Kayajanian. They all seemed especially on point and remarkably fresh, made even more notable by the fact that they were probably the youngest and least experienced of the show.
Buchholtz noted that “whenever I watch comedians, I’m constantly thinking about how I would approach their topics and often work my way from there.” You can see that in his jokes, all of which are off-the-wall and extremely clever.
Kayajanian and Nghiem’s humor leans towards the absurd, with the inspiration coming from real life. I could barely contain myself during their sets. I might just have these guys to thank for the few more hours that have been tacked on to the end of my life.
If you are feeling like you need your own dose of hilarity, you are not out of luck. You can catch these, and many other, comedians at the “Mondays Don’t Suck” show at Oklahoma City’s 51st Street Speakeasy on Monday nights, Othello’s Open Mic on Tuesdays and the Loony Bin Open Mic in Oklahoma City on Wednesdays.
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