Comedian Aziz Ansari performs for sold-out crowd of students
Comedian Aziz Ansari strikes a series of poses while performing a bit about taking pictures during stand-up routines. Ansari performed as a part of the CEC speakers series in Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
By Frank Shyong
May 17, 2010 10:00 p.m.
Aziz Ansari performed at Ackerman Grand Ballroom last night to a sold-out crowd of 800 students.
Tickets for the highly anticipated show sold out just two hours after they were offered.
“Everybody just kept asking about them,” said Katie Thure, a first-year molecular, immunology and molecular genetics student who works at the Central Ticket Office.
Ansari’s reputation has grown quickly over the past year, and the public has taken notice ““ hours before the show began, the line was already stretching around Ackerman Union.
Jonathan Gurunathan, a fifth-year civil engineering student, was one of the first people in line at the show.
“He’s going to be the next Dave Chappelle,” Gurunathan said.
The show began half an hour late and kicked off with Los Angeles-based comedian Dan Levy, who warmed up the crowd for half an hour with jokes about airport security, Internet porn and the irony of Circuit City’s financial insolvency juxtaposed with RadioShack’s relative success.
Ansari entered the stage to thunderous applause, putting on an energetic performance. The comedian told the audience that the set was a practice run for his upcoming tour, with approximately 45 minutes of old jokes and half an hour of experimentation, including some of the material he is currently preparing for the traditional monologue at this year’s MTV Movie Awards.
Topics ranged from his overweight, 15-year-old cousin Harris to his favorite racial slurs. He also did a visually and aurally complete impression of a person turning into a burrito.
Although the event was advertised as a show followed by a Q&A, Ansari performed the entire time.
Ansari performed with a more relaxed, candid manner than usual, taking time to explain his jokes. At one point, the comedian lost his train of thought mid-joke, started a different joke and belatedly delivered the punchline to the previous joke to gales of laughter.
Justin Tan, a fourth-year film student, said that he enjoyed Ansari’s candor.
“I think it’s really cool that he tested out new material on us,” Tan said.
Anhad Singh, a third-year film student, said that he had a better idea of Ansari as a person.
“We got the good jokes and the bad jokes, … so then I know he’s human,” Singh said.
