Top-rated comedian Adam Grabowski gave students a reason to smile at this week’s Tuesday Night Live. Grabowski is the third comedian the College Programming Board has brought to Ramapo, suggesting a new trend in TNL acts.
The focus on comedy performances seems to be bringing out the crowds. However, the promise of a good laugh is not the only reason students are spending their Tuesday nights with the CPB. Freshmen Elizabeth Hitch and Bryan Sweeney, for example, came to this week’s TNL simply because it was something to do.
“I usually don’t go out to these things so I wanted to come,” Sweeney said.
Hitch agreed with Sweeney and explained that Tuesday Night Live gave her a way to get more involved in campus life.
“I came out here to do something that I don’t normally do. It’s my first semester here, so I wanted to get involved in the campus,” Hitch said.
This week’s TNL gave Hitch the opportunity to be active on campus and attend an event that is out of the ordinary for her.
“I normally don’t listen to comedy even though I love Saturday Night Live,” Hitch said.
Before the comedy show began, student opener Andrew Clayton warmed up the crowd with his acoustic guitar and original songs. Clayton explained the origins of each of his self-written songs, including “Crown” and “Green Back Dollar,” which was inspired by an old folk tune.
For his song “James,” he offered this explanation: “I wrote this song when I was up in Alaska. I spent some time there playing folk music for this little tourist trap place. This was one of the songs that came out of that.”
After Clayton’s soulful performance, Grabowski took the stage to entertain with his comedy act. Grabowski is currently Campus Activities Magazine’s highest rated college comedian. Originally from Chicago, Grabowski has been on the road bringing his humor to campuses all over the country.
Grabowski’s act included making fun of things like board games, Disney movies and how people name their children. He incorporated popular songs with clever, rewritten lyrics into the act, along with “Random Graphs,” which displayed graphs of things like “How many girlfriends you have by how much World of Warcraft you play.”
Grabowski got the audience in on the act and challenged them to call out different board games and Disney movies, promising to make fun of everything they yelled to him. He tied in the childhood favorites of the audience, fulfilling Hitch’s want of a relatable performance.
“I want to hear something I can relate to and something that I can laugh at. I want a stress reliever,” Hitch said.
Sweeney, on the other hand, hoped for humor based on real life experiences.
“I like real stories and funny situations in comedy,” Sweeney said.
Grabowski tied this type of humor into his act by mentioning other colleges he had gone to and his experiences in places like Iowa and Nebraska. This mix of comedy made for endless entertainment for Ramapo students.
The next performer to come to TNL is comedian Marianne Sierk on March 5. To attend more College Programming Board events, check out their screening of “Wreck-It Ralph” on Saturday or their Oscar party on Sunday.
