Kevin Shea Brings Chuckles, Not Laughs

By MADELINE MCDONALD

Comedian Kevin Shea, who has appeared on Comedy Central and “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” has the kind of credentials that suggest that he should be able to deliver outrageous jokes and leave audiences clutching their sides with laughter. Last Friday in the Great Hall, Shea delivered outrageous jokes, but no one in the audience seemed to be dying of laughter.

In some ways, Shea’s very casual style was great, allowing him to easily interact with the audience. Random questions and comments weren’t just limited to the first three or four rows, and even the sound technician became a part of the show. The audience was also allowed to choose whether Shea would end the show on a dirty or clean note, giving a unique spin to his performance.

At times though, it seemed like he might’ve just been a little too casual. There were moments when he seemed like he wasn’t entirely sure what to talk about or where he was going with a particular thread of discussion. The jokes were clever enough to keep the audience chuckling, but nothing he said left people rolling in the aisles.

His humor was also noticeably more male-oriented. Typically dirty sex gags were abundant, but at least they didn’t take over the entire show. Jokes about women were common, but just weren’t that funny. His joke about pushing his pregnant ex-girlfriend down a flight of stairs six times, for instance, didn’t go over well. He managed to bounce back by explaining that she was a gymnast and therefore always landed on her feet.
Another joke about an “organic” alternative to using “roofies” also fell flat as he described breastfeeding a woman at a bar and singing her lullabies.

Some of the most interesting and unexpected parts of Shea’s performance were his jabs at technology. It was kind of refreshing to be laughing about using expensive military headsets to talk about killing aliens in “Halo” instead of listening to more penis jokes. More talk about crazy cell phones and video game references would have been appreciated, but they were far and few.

While the show had its moments, Kevin Shea’s comedy act was lukewarm at best. There was no punch to his performance, leaving no lasting memory aside from a few off-color jokes about women.