Laughter Resounds at AAA's Annual Comedy Jam

Author: Crystal Belle

If laughter is the key to one's soul, then many souls were unlocked during the African American Alliance's annual Comedy Jam on Saturday.
The McCullough social space was packed at 9 p.m. as Middlebury students piled into the hall, anxiously awaiting the evening events. This year was different from others as students were added to the show.
The student lineup consisted of DJ L'Naj (Jan'l Hastings Robinson '04), along with hosts Damian Washington '03, Kadion Phillips '03 and Peter Abrikian '04, not to mention a witty, satirical opening performance by Otter Nonsense.
The integration of the students and the performers created an open and comfortable environment for laughter. Otter Nonsense opened the show with their signature improvisational skills, during which the audience provided the content for their random two-or three-minute sketches.
A member of the group asked someone from the audience to think of a title to any story that has "never been told," then the group created a sketch based on the title.
One of the first titles an audience member screamed out was "Girls in the Shower," prompting the comedy troupe to create a scene of a gym teacher who apparently liked to film girls in the shower.
The savvy yet clever way that Otter Nonsense formulated their jokes on the spot had the crowd roaring with outbursts of laughter.
Following Otter Nonsense was what everyone had been waiting for: True Blue Comedy! A tall, black man by the name of Kenny Williams stepped on stage wearing jeans, a denim top and a black scarf. Now one would question why Williams chose to sport a black scarf.
He went on to explain that his scarf was proof that he wasn't a thug, since "a real thug would never be seen in a scarf."
The crowd went wild. This joke stemmed from Williams' statement that there aren't any "thugs" in college, for how could one talk about murdering someone while mentioning their exams and studying in the same sentence.
Williams, a comedian from New York City, has been featured on Black Entertainment Television's (BET) comic view as well as Def Comedy Jam. He was the emcee of the show, appearing at the end of each act and introducing each comedian.
The first comedian was Kyle Grooms, a New Jersey native who originated from the South Florida comedy scene. His nerd-like, bespectacled countenance already made him funny to the audience.
He began with jokes about Vermont and Middlebury College's middle-of-nowhere location. The Vermont jokes proved to be a recurring theme throughout the night.
At one point Grooms asked the audience: "So do you guys go cow-tipping for fun?"
Students laughed heartily knowing the many nights of feeling as if there is absolutely nothing to do here in "cow town."
Grooms continued with jokes about racial identity and culture as he noted that he absolutely hates when individuals assume to know all about a culture, when in reality they are completely ignorant.
For example, he mentioned that, since he is black, someone would automatically say to him "Hey, did you get the new Jay-Z album?" Or even "So I bet you can really dance?"
Although the jokes were of course in the comedic sense, it still opened people's minds, helping one to consider the many stereotypes that we all take part in on a daily basis. Grooms' light-hearted yet powerful references to racial differences really created a humorous, politically-charged stand-up performance.
Last, but certainly not least, was the headliner of the night --Michael Blackson, who immigrated to the United States from Ghana in 1985.
Blackson, one of the most popular foreign comics, has been featured on BET's Comic View as well as Uptown Comedy Hour.
He has appeared in the movies "Lean on Me" and "Next Friday." Because of his popularity, students were anxious for his performance as he came on stage bare-footed, robed in his signature African garb.
Blackson started off his routine on the right foot, making jokes about Middlebury, and the fact that although he loved Africa, he was never going back there. He also made stereotypical jokes about Africa regarding people walking around naked and living in huts.
After this strong commencement, Blackson slowly died down as he made many jokes about gays and obese people, in which the crowd fell to a dead silence. It was obvious that many students were uncomfortable, especially considering it was Visibility Week.
However, everyone kept their composure and made an effort to endure the duration of Blackson's stand-up which mostly consisted of the term "mother-f--ker.
Ironically, it was the headliner who did not motivate the crowd as much as one would have expected. Yet still, Middlebury students enjoyed the continuous laugher despite a few awkward moments.