Correction appended
Approximately 250 students attended the Student Union Board’s first comedy event in more than five years on Nov. 1, as Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer took the stage for a night of comedy.
Jacobson and Glazer, stars of the Comedy Central series “Broad City,” offered a sneak peek of their upcoming tour, and the two women proved formidable.
Before the duo got on the stage, flanked by comically large inflated birthday cakes, a slew of video testimonials from “Broad City” cast members played. One came from seemingly drunken showers and another came from a movie set. One particularly funny clip came from the character Bevers (John Gemberling, “Marry Me”) as he let his rump show in the mirror.
Absurdity truly kicked in when Jacobson and Glazer took the stage. For about five minutes, both ladies danced around to their best ability, rousing the crowd.The audience became comfortable with the comedians after they got up close and personal with audience members.
In typical “Broad City” fashion, the banter between Glazer and Jacobson was effortless and kept pace with mini-punchlines and riffs. It also helps that both women have been best friends for years. Jacobson and Glazer recognized that this was their first show on a college campus and wondered if the audience was too young to get some of the jokes.
The first wave of jokes to break over the crowd focused on the soundtrack of important life moments. Both women wanted to share the songs that influenced their most important life moments and took turns working in popular songs and even the “Lion King” theme song into different parts of the bit. First gay experiences, being birthed and death-bed and sex music were only a few of the life events Glazer and Jacobson took turns performing. Jacobson even had to take a break from singing her version of “Oral (Receiving)” music before jokingly getting too hot and heavy.
Both women took time to do an act separate from each other as Jacobson took the stage to tell a deep secret about the relationship between her father and Chinese food menus. Glazer followed it with a stand-up act about her micro-impersonations of celebrities like Nicki Minaj and other characters like a Jewish seal.
Jacobson and Glazer broke away from the expected dolling of well-crafted jokes by letting a bit exist on its own without words. Closer to the end of the night, both women used drum sets on opposite ends of the stage to battle their percussion skills. It turns out that Glazer is an exceptional drummer and hilariously put Jacobson’s attempts at drumming to shame.
A few “Broad City” season two goodies premiered during the show. One of Jacobson’s and Glazer’s favorite scenes from the new season was screened for the first time, and a full trailer of the second season with guest stars like Seth Rogen also excited fans.
Between rollerblading with whirling ribbons, twerking at the stage’s helm and taking selfies with the crowd, Jacobson and Glazer’s show successfully left the audience full of good vibes.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that at least 100 students attended the event. Approximately 250 students were in attendance, according to SUB director Tam Sackman.
Disclaimer: SUB director Tam Sackman is the arts & entertainment editor for The Eagle.
