By Manal Museitef |Executive Editor|
Kevin Hart, also known as Big Kev, made tears and ribs practically fall off from laughter as his stage presence and comedic humor radiated through the Coussoullis Arena.
He performed at CSUSB for the second time on Nov. 22– but don’t call it a comeback.
He never left. In fact, he exploded.
Since we last saw him, two years ago, Big Kev has rose to fame faster than you can say, “What Now?” the name of his current stand-up special.
He has electrified the big screen in movies such as “Think Like a Man,” “About Last Night,” “Ride Along,” and hasn’t even stopped to wipe his sweat.
Big Kev is now on tour promoting his new movie, “The Wedding Ringer,” showing special screenings on college campuses across the country during the day and performing stand-up at night.
Kev’s team contacted our Associated Student Incorporated (ASI) asking if CSUSB would welcome him back and they were more than willing. ASI immediately went around campus asking students how they would feel if Kev returned.
“We got a lot of feedback from people. They were really excited for new material from him,” said Programming Coordinator Allison Rosiles.
Sure enough, word began to spread about Big Kev’s return and in just over two weeks the show was completely sold out.
Over 900 people showed up to support the comedian, forcing ASI to hold two separate screenings.
The man himself even came out during the mini-premier for a question and answer session. Later that night, students lined up like ants at a picnic in front of the Coussoullis Arena at 7 p.m.
As soon as his name was announced, a thunderous roar jolted the walls – a flaming hot welcome for the King of Comedy.
With all-new material, Kev opened by explaining the initial message behind the name of his new show, “What Now?”
He tells the audience that in the past he has shown he is a “Grown Little Man” who is “Seriously Funny.” He continued, “Laugh at my Pain,” and now he asks, “What Now?”
He goes on to tell hilarious jokes based on real-life moments with family.
One of the most hilarious bits was about how Black women have such a hard time believing what men say.
He jokes about this by jerking his upper body and head all the way to the side, questioning every claim with a loud and elongated, “Really? Reeaaalllyyyy?”
Another bit that had the crowd rolling on the floor with laughter was the struggle of Starbucks lingo.
He begins the joke by telling us that after tasting his girlfriend’s Starbucks drink, he wanted to get one of his own, despite her claim that he wouldn’t be capable of ordering alone. She insisted to go with him, but he argued he would be capable.
After quarreling with the barista over size lingo, the difference between blended and whipped, and the tastes of different milks, Kevin finally surrendered.
Ranea Al-Takriti thought it was the most hilarious part of the show and said, “I experienced the same thing at a Starbucks once, so I thought it was really funny. He exaggerates everything so that makes it even more comical.”
One of the best and most moving aspects of Big Kev’s comedy routine is how mindful he is of his audience. Kev made a few jokes centering on his outlandish family life away from stardom.
He shares a few stories about his crazy son lighting matches around the house just to see what would happen, as Kev squats lower and lower in disbelief. Kev’s dad excuses Kev’s son behavior by insisting the boy is on crack.
As students, we deal with many humiliating and life-changing experiences and it’s evident that Kev doesn’t spare his experiences while on stage.
He admits, he was so scared of his creaky house after watching the horror film, “The Conjuring,” he left eyes-closed and screaming, without any concern for his family.
It was impressive the way Kev ended his show, weaving several story lines together to create one complete laugh-out-loud finale.
Hart has built such a massive following among stand-up and movie-goers, and his reputation as the hardest working comedian actor in showbiz stands firm with a rib-splitting punchline.
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