2008 Woodie Awards
Steven Wright still delivering standout stand-up comedy
Caity Cudworth
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Entertainment
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10/23/07 - Like a bear riding a unicycle, a good joke should be well balanced, entertaining and reasonably intelligent. (unicycle-trained bears are probably at the top of the heap, intellectually.)
Comedian Steven Wright (though probably not well-versed in the delightful tricks of circus bears) has the formula down cold.
Wright brought his signature brand of deadpan and oddly profound comedy to the Providence Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Oct. 14. Wearing a black hat, jacket and pants, Wright took the stage looking vaguely like a strung-out cast member of Blues Brothers (sans shades) and launched immediately into a two-hour routine of good old-fashioned rapid-fire joke telling.
As a performer, Wright is fairly docile. Especially in comparison to comedians like Dane Cook- whose act generally consists of screaming and jumping up and down on a chair before launching into an elaborate impression of some lady he saw at McDonald's.
But Wright's lack of over-the-top showmanship is part of the show; he has a subdued, cynical and mildly deranged style of comedy and it suits him.
The guy seated behind me in the theater seemed to know Steven Wright personally (or "Steve," as he called him repeatedly). He went on talking about Wright's life until the show started; "Did you know, for example, that Steven Wright is from the Boston area? Or how about that he went to Emerson College? No? Well now you do!"
So either this guy actually knew Steven Wright or he was just some weirdo stalker-fan with a lot of time on his hands and access to Wikipedia.com.
Wright took the stage and told a mix of older jokes from his first comedy album I Have a Pony, and his latest album, the aptly titled, I Still Have a Pony. The performance touched on important issues ranging from "little straightjackets for insane children," to the ongoing Jesus v. Santa Claus debate.
"What," Wright asked, "did Jesus ever do for Santa's birthday?"
Which is pretty true if you think about it: Santa slaves all year for Jesus and Jesus never reciprocates. Jesus is so busy going around being a savior that he doesn't even acknowledge all Santa does for Him: Santa basically runs a sweatshop year-round just so kids can have toys on Jesus' special day.
Comedian Steven Wright (though probably not well-versed in the delightful tricks of circus bears) has the formula down cold.
Wright brought his signature brand of deadpan and oddly profound comedy to the Providence Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Oct. 14. Wearing a black hat, jacket and pants, Wright took the stage looking vaguely like a strung-out cast member of Blues Brothers (sans shades) and launched immediately into a two-hour routine of good old-fashioned rapid-fire joke telling.
As a performer, Wright is fairly docile. Especially in comparison to comedians like Dane Cook- whose act generally consists of screaming and jumping up and down on a chair before launching into an elaborate impression of some lady he saw at McDonald's.
But Wright's lack of over-the-top showmanship is part of the show; he has a subdued, cynical and mildly deranged style of comedy and it suits him.
The guy seated behind me in the theater seemed to know Steven Wright personally (or "Steve," as he called him repeatedly). He went on talking about Wright's life until the show started; "Did you know, for example, that Steven Wright is from the Boston area? Or how about that he went to Emerson College? No? Well now you do!"
So either this guy actually knew Steven Wright or he was just some weirdo stalker-fan with a lot of time on his hands and access to Wikipedia.com.
Wright took the stage and told a mix of older jokes from his first comedy album I Have a Pony, and his latest album, the aptly titled, I Still Have a Pony. The performance touched on important issues ranging from "little straightjackets for insane children," to the ongoing Jesus v. Santa Claus debate.
"What," Wright asked, "did Jesus ever do for Santa's birthday?"
Which is pretty true if you think about it: Santa slaves all year for Jesus and Jesus never reciprocates. Jesus is so busy going around being a savior that he doesn't even acknowledge all Santa does for Him: Santa basically runs a sweatshop year-round just so kids can have toys on Jesus' special day.