Various Stand-Up Comics – The Awkward Comedy Show

The Awkward Comedy Show is a buffet style stand-up comedy DVD and Comedy Central show featuring five Black comics.

The opening credits reveal the origins of the Yo Mama joke which is always good to know. The show aired April 9th 2010 at midnight on Comedy Central before becoming available on DVD. This is a pretty decent show.

Marina Franklin does a great job of hosting the Awkward Comedy Show. She also smoothly sets the tone: these are Black comics who are not your stereotypical Black “‘hood cool” comedians but are instead nerdy stand-up comics.

Baron Vaughn has strong material, especially the newscaster girlfriend bit (“a woman who sticks to the facts and has a point”) which features some adult content. What most impresses is the variety of his material and his delivery. He is not big on segues though so you do have to work a bit harder to stay connected. His performance is the strongest on this stand-up comedy DVD.

Eric Andre opens with a dick joke based on a 1987 music video. This sets up the rest of his ordinary material and performance.

Hannibal Buress is a laid back stand-up with an interest in language. His bit on rape, pillage, and plunder is very good. The segue to the font routine is weak but the routine itself is pretty good and the rest of his set is solid.

Victor Varnado closes The Awkward Comedy Show with a decent set. His letters from Jesus bit is good but I think he oversells it a bit. The homeless bit is weak and the integrating Black characters on TV routine is a good idea that goes nowhere.

The Awkward Comedy Show was filmed on a small budget. This does not get in the way of the sound and shots but the background pixilates. I just really, really wish director Victor Varnado had not cut the flow of each comic’s stage performance and the show in general with some interview and animated story footage though the animation is pretty damn good.

Bonus features on the stand-up comedy DVD are thirty minutes long and include Audio commentary with Varnado, Jay Stern, and Hannibal Buress; Backstage with the cast; Bonus Interviews; Bonus jokes; and a trailer

The Awkward Comedy Show
Victor Varnado, Hannibal Buress, Marina Franklin
Eric Andre, Baron Vaughn
Directed by Victor Varnado
Stand-up Comedy DVD
Airs Comedy Central April 9th 2010 Midnight
Supreme Robot Pictures 2010

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