MASO Comedy Night is more than just laughs

Author: Nicholas Fager

Last Saturday students crammed into McCullough Social Space to see a comedian that has been compared to Chris Rock, George Carlin and Dane Cook. These students were witness to the comical genius of Eliot Chang. Chang is from New York City and prides himself on a "no holds barred" performance, which he surely delivered on Saturday. His main goal in each one of his shows is "to make every single person in the audience laugh harder than they ever have in their entire life." Judging from the reactions of many who attended he may have achieved this goal at Middlebury.

Eliot Chang has a long list of prestigious comedic appearances, including a performance on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" and Spike TV's "Crashtest." On "Premium Blend" he was one of the few comics in history to receive a standing ovation. For eight years he has toured America to sold out crowds, and his act has long been known as one of the best in the country. Originally an actor, he currently does improv for the Upright Citizens Brigade and is part of an NYC sketch comedy group called Project Mayhem.

There is also a side of Chang that perhaps no one at Middlebury College, except those who attended his show, are aware of. Chang is an acclaimed Asian Activist and actually followed his act with a serious political discussion entitled, "Asians in the Media." The discussion focused on the portrayal of Asians throughout history in the media and the influence of that portrayal on American attitudes towards Asians. His work as an activist has put him in high demand as a keynote speaker. His workshop has garnered so much attention across the United States that he was invited to use MTV offices across the country to conduct.

Will Ceurvels '08 enjoyed both aspects of Chang's show. "His act was one of the funniest I have seen, and the lecture afterwards, with its contrast to comedy, showed yet another impressive aspect of his character," he said.

Overall, both the comedic and serious aspects of the show were a big success. Those who attended agreed that Chang had a unique style of individualistic humor that was very effective. Chang proved himself to be a daring comedian with strong opinions on and off the stage. His original, honest humor spoke the truth about important issues from politics to television. He was not afraid to challenge the ideas that the media has pressured the public to believe while maintaining the humorous side of his act. Eliot talked about "real issues," as opposed to what some might view as the usual "hum-drum" of stand-up comedy. Still, his show was not derogatory towards any race, sex or background, letting everyone in the audience enjoy it. His comedy somehow manages to "make strong points in a non-offensive manner," declared Jed Yeiser '08.

Middlebury was privileged to host such a renowned comedian as Eliot Chang this past weekend. His mixture of the serious and comedic aspects in his act provided an effective and hilarious overall performance. His workshop added a unique and interesting aspect to his act, and his ability to balance humor with real issues of society is incomparable.