Perhaps the best type of comedy is the kind where the audience can actually relate to the comic. Jim Breuer knows this little fact quite well. As he got up on the stage of the Sixth and I Synagogue, he looked around and said, “Yeah, I know what you guys are thinking: Am I in the right place?” The crowd laughed, considering that at one point or another, that thought might have crossed their minds. Since when do comedians perform in synagogues? Breuer’s joke about that elephant in the room immediately eased the crowd.
Then it was time to really get into the comedy.
Breuer began his act by talking about all the things his fans want him to talk about — “Saturday Night Live,” Metallica and “Half Baked.” Some of the material may have been familiar to those who’ve seen him on Comedy Central, but there was a freshness to it, as a lot of the material was reworked and funnier than before. As Breuer does skits, there is a hyper quality about him — he runs on both sides of the stage, imitating children and animals alike, with an energetic fervor that made both the adults and teens in the audience roll with laughter. He shouted, he sang and he did wild impersonations of his family and various celebrities, such as Dave Chappelle. Only when an audience member shouted out “Pesci!” Breuer acquiesced and pulled out that famous impersonation as well.
One of the funnier parts in the act was when Breuer reflected on his filming experience in “Half Baked.” He narrated the one time he was actually high during filming, sitting in his trailer and pretending to be a rock star surrounded by thousands of fans. All of a sudden, a knock comes to his door; it was a crewmember, he said, telling him that he had to get out there and film one final scene. In his state of mind, Breuer said that his first reaction was to look back at the “crowd” at his concert and think, “What am I going to tell the fans?”
Breuer never failed to deliver his jokes with perfect timing and an easy confidence. His comfort with leaping around the stage and being as loud and wild as possible is something that makes Breuer quite the likeable comedian — which he should be, considering he has been in this business for quite a few years now. He is an adult with the grand imagination of a child — something he talked about quite a bit in his act. Almost wistfully, he talks about the imaginations of his children and how much they dedicate themselves to whatever it is that they are imagining — whether it be pretending to be kittens or just acting crazy.
He talked about his family in other contexts, too, joking about his wife’s sleep deprivation and subsequent conversion into a demon. He detailed his children’s preference to waking up before the sun and making sure that “Daddy” is wide awake too, describing how they go to any lengths to wake him up, including licking his toes and prying his eyes open. Breuer narrated his father’s first time meeting “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels, as well as his less-than-flattering event of crapping his pants. He had no shame telling the crowd about his mother’s blind eye and how he often takes advantage of this to scare her — though, this was actually not as sadistic as you may think, due to Breuer’s ability to make anything sound funny.
Breuer’s talent of being able to put a smile on anyone’s face is one that certainly bodes him well. The audience’s laughter and the introduction of new friends are evidence enough that Breuer’s performance was a success.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
