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Greg Giraldo brings the funny |
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Written by DUSTIN WHITE / Photos by ALANA GRELYAK
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Friday, 23 February 2007 |
This weekend I made the trip to Schaumburg to see Greg Giraldo at The Improv. As I’ve said in previous reviews, The Improv, located in the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, is one of the nicest clubs in the nation. The Improv has spacious seating, a full menu, and some of the biggest-name headliners on the comedy circuit today. Certainly, one of the best working comedians today is Greg Giraldo. While he is not a household name to some, you may have seen him and laughed until you cried on one of his many appearances on Comedy Central, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, or David Letterman. His act at The Improv this past Friday night was funny, clever, and edgy.
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Greg Giraldo
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 Entertainment
Art
The Improv
Schaumburg, Ill.
February 16, 2007
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The night kicked off with some of Chicago’s best talent gracing the stage. Lauren Bishop, a young, promising local female comedian, led off the show with her cutesy persona that makes her sometimes surprisingly edgy material all the more fun to watch. The second comedian of the night was another local favorite, Prescott Tolk. Prescott is hands down one of the funniest young comedians working in Chicago and has appeared on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. Prescott’s material is so clever you find yourself quoting him long after the show. He talked about how he always falls for scams saying, “I lost a lot of money in the last get-rich-quick scheme I fell for…college.” Prescott is definitely someone to keep an eye on, which should be easy because you can see him performing all over Chicago.
After Bishop and Tolk got the audience warmed up, it was time for Greg Giraldo to take the stage. Greg created a fun energy that got the audience going, but he wasn’t obnoxious, abrasive, or manic. He covered a wide range of material including politics, news, and sports. Nobody was safe with Giraldo at the mic; he weighed in with his opinion on Lance Armstrong being considered a hero stating, “Isn’t riding a bike the one sport you would benefit from having only one ball? I would be impressed if he had three huge balls.” Greg touched on recent big news events including everybody’s favorite crazy astronaut lady. Giraldo expressed how he felt sorry for her husband as his wife was driving across the country in a diaper to get to her lover because she didn’t want to stop and pee. He sympathized with the husband who could probably never get his wife to wear a diaper for him at home. Giraldo also covered politics, talking about why Barak Obama won’t get elected. He said white people never show up for a black candidate the way they say they will. His theory is that once a white person gets in the box all alone there is that lingering thought in the back of their mind that if a black candidate won, it could lead to a scheme to get back at us for hundreds of years of oppression. He followed up with his impression of a thuggish Obama saying “Ya’ll done f*#**# up now!”
Giraldo had a wide range of material that was sometimes edgy, but he didn’t offend or alienate the audience to the point that they felt uncomfortable laughing with him. I can confidently make the claim that Greg Giraldo is one of the best working comedians today, and he is someone you should catch live before he gets too big to be playing at a club near you. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
