DUPB hosted comedian Brad Williams on Jan. 13 in the Davis Auditorium. Williams, who has appeared on “Legit,” “Live at Gotham,” “The Tonight Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Mind of Mencia” and “Pitboss,” proved himself an animated comedian with some truly hilarious observations about the world around him.It’s clear that his surroundings are what drive him to do what he does, and he is passionate about helping his audience see the laughter in our world.
When Williams illustrates how embracing humor can make everyone a better person, the audience can’t help but agree with him. He isn’t afraid to make himself the butt of his own joke, and his approach is an effective one. As a little person—he was born with achondroplasia (a type of dwarfism)—he is someone who may be prone to jabs about his size. He makes his own punchline though—about the likelihood that he’ll soon be shorter than his baby nephew or that he can stay standing for certain sexual positions—before anyone else has the chance to.
Second year biology major Liz Edwards found Williams “very funny because he was so self-confident in himself and his act. It was easy for him to make awkward subjects funny and enjoyable.”
One of the standout aspects of the show, as voiced by first year film studies student Erin McLaughlin, was Williams’ physical comedy.
“Brad walked on stage just exploding with energy,” said McLaughlin.
Williams’ show, while incredibly raunchy, felt very intimate, and Williams compared his act to “teaching in a classroom.” Part of what really set his act apart was his insistence that audience members raise their hands to ask him questions that came to mind at any point during the show. For anyone that is curious about what sex is like for, and with, dwarfs, Williams was more than happy to elaborate when an audience member asked him if he’d ever had any crazy sexual requests. Williams took this opportunity to talk about the time he took part in a “devil’s three way;” he brought the audience to uncontrollable laughter as he clarified that the other two participants were nearly 6 feet tall, so while they attempted to carry out “the London bridge,” the result was something more akin to the “leaning tower of Pisa.”
During his hour-long act, Williams alleviated any back-to-school stress and made the world a better place by making his audience laugh. He united the room full of Pios by telling jokes about himself, and us, and made it clear that it’s okay to laugh at things in life that strike us as funny.
Anyone looking for a good laugh can listen to Williams’ comedy album “Coming Up Short,” available on iTunes and Amazon.com.
