Judah Friedlander parkoured his way into Jarman Auditorium this past Saturday, Sept. 14 in order to bring a unique brand of comedy to Longwood’s campus. The room was packed with excited students who, perhaps, were not prepared for how interactive the performance would be.
When Friedlander walked out on stage wearing his signature "World Champion" T-shirt, wind breaker and trucker hat, the audience erupted in applause – applause that Friedlander promptly critiqued. Pointing to one audience member, he said "You, you're the best clapper, clap for all of us again, just you.” The audience member complied, and Friedlander commended him. He picked out another student in the front row and dubbed him "worst clapper in the audience," telling him "his technique was completely off.”
Friedlander went on from there, asking the audience various questions, making the whole evening feel more like a hilarious lecture by a possibly inebriated professor rather than a stand-up performance. He started out by asking students what their majors were. When one answered 'kinesiology' he seemed baffled. "Kinesiology?” he said. “The study of how the body moves? …. Don't worry ladies, don't ever be lonely because somewhere at any given time there is a far more lonely kinesiology major....watching you move."
He also volunteered fashion advice for a few lucky audience members, saying things such as, "Is that a scarf you're wearing? Is your neck chilly? Because it's September and we are inside. What do you do in February, just move [somewhere else]?”
One portion of the evening included Friedlander's stance on all the major political issues, preparing us for his inevitable presidential campaign. Continuing his theme of audience participation, the comedian had the crowd shout out current issues, and he responded with his own solutions. For example, one overzealous audience member said “gun control.” Friedlander asked the audience's opinion on the issue before responding, "Wrong, on both sides. We won't need any weapons when the entire nation is required to read my book ‘How to Beat Up Anybody: An Instructional and Inspirational Karate Book by the World Champion.’"
Friedlander proceeded to solve a few more of the world's major issues, mostly by boasting about his own superhuman strength, which was a main theme of the night.
At one point, he picked up the microphone stand and casually stated, "This microphone stand actually weighs 350 pounds; it's nothing for me.”
As the evening was winding down, Friedlander fielded some personal questions from the audience which seemed to make him slightly uncomfortable. Of course, audience members asked him about his most famous role as Frank Rossitano on the hit show “30 Rock,” and he gladly shared his experiences.
When asked who was the most difficult to work with on the set, he side-stepped the issue saying, "Everyone was pretty cool, but I worked with Lindsay Lohan on a movie once, and she was a really nasty person. Like she had a party after we were done shooting, but she roped off a section for just her and her two friends.”
When Friedlander's untraditional set was over, he had a meet-and-greet with a long line of Longwood students, taking pictures and answering questions. Though the majority of the night was directed at poking fun at audience members, it proved to be an enjoyable experience for everyone in attendance.
As the event was coordinated by Lancer Productions, it is safe to say the group planned yet another fun-filled night for students.
