Last night, comedian Bill Cosby performed two shows at Eisenhower Auditorium (at 7:00 and 9:00 PM), displaying his strong grasp of stand-up comedy and, for the most part, showing that he has not actually lost his mind. This review is of the 9:00 show, although I am sure that the 7:00 show was very similar.

Cosby began his show with jokes and anecdotes mainly about his personal life – especially his wife. He then covered the comic spectrum by incorporating jokes involving Thanksgiving, food, chopping down trees, visits to the dentists, his old age, and more. All of these topics flowed effortlessly, although Cosby sometimes went off on tangents unrelated to the beginning of the joke, but the audience didn’t seem to mind at all.

Midway through his set, a couple of hecklers interrupted Cosby, one shouting, “You need help!”. Mr. Cosby, however, is a veteran of the stand-up scene and was able to dispatch of these hecklers effortlessly to the pleasure of the crowd.

The highlight of the evening, though, was Cosby’s delivery, still top-notch after decades of performing. Quotes from the show would not do his comedy justice because the delivery is such an important aspect of his routine. Cosby has such a way with words that he made a fifteen minute joke/rant about turkey bacon and its origins completely engrossing and hilarious. That is not an easily-accomplished task for even the most skilled comedians and orators.

Overall, the ninety minutes of comedy were some of the finest that I have ever seen. His humor pointed out the absurdities of life without incorporating vulgarity, which is to be expected with Bill Cosby. The “Hello Friend” sweatshirt that he wore for the duration of the night was not the “Cosby sweater” that many would expect him to wear, but it was still high-quality.

Another interesting note: despite being a stand-up comedian, Cosby spent most of the evening either sitting down or lying on the ground. Also, this may be the first review of anything Cosby-related to not mention Jello Pudding Pops. Oh, whoops. I guess not!

[Photo from the Department of Public Information, shot by Andy Colwell.]