Mild, Medium, and Hot (pt. 1)

The day we have all been waiting for, since the beginning of the semester, since the first day of class; stand-up comic presentations. Today was the first day of the fully fledged comedic insanity. The first lucky comedians were: Mitch Hedberg, Wanda Sykes, and Dave Chappelle. These are surely three well defined comedians with lots of material and analysis to take away from. The only comedian we had studied previously was Wanda Sykes and her material and insight was still amusing. The comedians had no real congruity with each other. The most obvious association would have to be that Dave and Wanda are both aggressive on stage. The reason for the title of this blog is that these three performers just so happen to fit right in line with three successive BBQ sauces. But instead of taste, this comparison concerns stage presences.
We studied stage presences a few weeks ago while examining the “Funny Ladies” video and the work paid off for this specific blog. On the Mild end, Mitch Hedberg is the bees’ knees when it comes to laid-back presence. Thomas made it evident that this “hippie” presence is merely but a front to his stage fright. He has battled his entire career with the shyness he exhibits on stage. Maybe my “mild” argument should be adjusted to “wussy” but for the sake of that not being a real BBQ flavor, I will stick with Mild. Although his jokes were funny, I could tell he did not look comfortable on stage. Hiding behind a mop of brown hair and large, aviator sunglasses, he even told a joke while timidly sitting on steps of the stage. Overall, it did not have a negative impression on the jokes he was telling, it all seemed part of his personality. It was the most unique of the three stage presences, but also the most boring, and for that, he receives the Mild taste.
Up next, we have the Medium sauce. Wanda Sykes was as funny as the first time I had heard her a few weeks ago. We got to see two skits from two different time periods and the stage presence was consistently strong. I was very comfortable regarding her stage presence and she seemed equally comfortable around her crowd. Unlike the other two, I am pretty sure her crowds were not nearly as large; nonetheless, she owned the stage. Her appearance was also coherent with her dominant stance against the stereotypical man.
Finally, the big tuna for the day, Dave Chappelle ate the Hot sauce like a champ. His boisterous manifestation on stage had me on my heels for his entire act. I was never quite sure when the next curse words would erode from his dominant style and loud mouth. Dave is the epitome of the Hot sauce on stage and I would be shocked to see another comedian with his pizzazz. He also had some distinct poses. During periods of close-up camera views, it was evident when he paused for laughter. Upon a punch line, he would pucker his lips and lean, with authority.