Few comedians have made as consistent and indelible of an impact on the late-night news program as Michael Che. Since 2014, Che and his co-host, Colin Jost, have hosted the “Weekend Update” segment on the infamous NBC sketch show “Saturday Night Live,” where the two make fun of current events and popular culture through sketches, one-liners and an infectious rapport. However, performing to a sold-out crowd at the Paramount Theater Wednesday, Che proved that he is far more than the man behind the desk.
The second current SNL cast member to visit Charlottesville this week, Che performed to a crowd of 1,100 people just days after a rare midseason weekend off for the SNL crew. Inviting audience members in from the rain, he kept the packed house at the Paramount laughing for over one hour of stand-up comedy.
The main act was preceded by two other comedians who performed shorter, albeit very funny stand-up sets to warm up the crowd. Chris Alan, a local comedian, rolled on stage with a knee scooter before sharing anecdotes about his own Achilles injury and his time in the Air Force.
Alan, who regularly hosts comedy open-mic nights at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall in Charlottesville, spoke after the show about his goals for his set at the Paramount.
“I just wanted to let people know who I was and what I was about,” Alan said. “I wanted to let the people of Charlottesville know that I live here and I'm part of the community, and there are talented people here doing cool stuff. So that was my goal, was to represent Charlottesville comedy the best that I could.”
He was followed by Paris Sashay, a D.C. comedy staple who poked fun at her queer identity and the Charlottesville crowd. She gave the city the moniker of “tiki torch town” in reference to the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, to which she received mixed, restrained laughs. Combined, the two opening acts provided an apt preview of the set to follow between the self-deprecating humor and no-holds-barred style of comedy.
Che emerged onstage to thunderous applause and opened with a personal story about a friend who recently came out as gay, before speaking about his own experience attending a pride parade. This transitioned quickly into a surprisingly introspective tangent on his own dating life and his personal perils with romance. Che’s ability to blend personal anecdotes with relatable musings on subjects like growing older and the current political climate made each joke feel fresh and spontaneous.
Che had a laid-back, reserved approach to his set. Dressed in a hoodie and baseball cap, Che meandered around the stage throughout the night, often laughing at his own jokes as if to indicate to the audience that they are supposed to laugh along with him. This is a characteristic of his comedy on SNL, with Che seldom making it through a segment without breaking into a fit of giggling.
On SNL, Che is rarely seen in sketches, almost exclusively performing and writing for the “Weekend Update” segment each week with Jost. So it was no surprise that he mentioned SNL and Jost by name late into his set. After mentioning that he was supposed to be at work, Che told the crowd that he faked being sick with COVID-19 because he wanted to be in Charlottesville so badly, leading to one of the largest outbursts of applause of the entire night.
Third-year College student Natalie Wike was in attendance and spoke about the unique opportunity to see Che perform live after seeing his work on SNL.
“I was really excited,” Wike said. “I had never seen him do stand up before, but I love SNL, so I had high expectations. And it was really, really funny.”
Beyond SNL and his live stand-up performances, Che was also the creator and star of “That Damn Michael Che,” a sketch comedy show on HBO. His stand-up style emulates his vast experience in sketch comedy through his variety of comedic styles and ability to use the momentum of the crowd to his advantage. At times, the audience lulled into a brief period of silence before a well-timed line about politics or relationships caused those in attendance to erupt with laughter.
A unique aspect of his live performance was his use of crowd work — or lack thereof. About two-thirds of the way through his set, Che realized he forgot to do any crowd work, and admitted so to the audience before asking questions to various attendees in the front row. He made fun of himself in the process, acknowledging that he is not very good at that aspect of stand-up. However, it worked in his favor, as the audience laughed hysterically at Che’s struggle to string together banter with the crowd.
Che covered a wide variety of topics throughout his time on the mic, many of which were for more mature audiences than those familiar with his work on SNL. The show contained many lewd and raunchy jokes, which was appropriate considering the 18+ designation. But everybody in attendance, made up mostly of local community members as opposed to University students, found something to laugh about at points throughout the set.
Third-year College student Homira Koraganie, who had previously seen Jost perform stand-up, was unfazed by the risque subject matter that Che covered during his set.
“I think for the Charlottesville community, especially people who are local here, it might be a bit edgy for them, but it’s kind of what you expect from him,” Koraganie said.
It was this unabashed, brazen style of comedy that worked to Che’s advantage throughout the set. There was no subject, however taboo, that he could not spin in a comedic manner. Not every joke landed for every member of the audience — that is the price paid when a show like SNL and, by proxy, a name like Michael Che, attract such a broad audience. However, there remained enough variety in tone, style and subject matter to keep people consistently engaged.
Before leaving the stage, Che asked someone to the side for a drink, so he could share a toast with the crowd before ending his set. Moments later, Che was handed a glass and he told a few final jokes before thanking the crowd and wishing them goodnight. Che himself told the crowd that he hopes to return to Charlottesville soon, perhaps without faking an illness to get here.
Read More
Hoo’s Watching: Unmasking identity in horror films
By Isabelle Halliday | YesterdayHere are three horror movies that include thought-provoking takes on the loss and complexity of identity.
Comedian Andrew Dismukes brings laughs and dirty jokes to Grounds
By Calla Mischen | 3 days agoStudents came to Old Cabell Hall Sunday to watch Andrew Dismukes perform, hosted by University Programs Council.
‘Rental Family’: Hikari’s love letter to Japan and humanity
By Sofia Hahn | 3 days agoThrough “Rental Family,” Hikari made it clear that she is a fresh talent to watch, and she is just getting started.
