You know how the saying goes, “when life gives you cerebral palsy, achieve fame as a comedian by poking fun at your disability.” At least that’s the proverb for Denver’s Josh Blue, the winner of Last Comic Standing Season 4, who has turned his lifelong cerebral palsy into an immensely likable stand-up act, one that lightheartedly narrates life with the disability while refuting any preconceived stereotypes. The Paralympic-soccer-player-turned-comedian uses his unconventional body movement as a starting off point for his quips, then, once the jokes bring the house down, tells his audience that “you’ll all be going to hell for laughing at me.” Blue’s material is more than novelty, his self-deprecation is creative, unique and—dare I say it—heartwarming. “I was walking downtown and the drunk-tank stopped and picked me up,” he says. “I was like, ‘uh-oh.’ I was like, ‘Wait a minute fellas, there’s a misunderstanding, I’m not drunk, I have cerebral palsy.’ They’re like, ‘That’s a pretty big word for a drunk ass.'” (Andy Seifert)
June 11 at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells, (312)337-4027, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. $25.
Seen, Unseen: A Preview of “What Remains” at the MCA Warehouse This multidisciplinary performance at the MCA's off-site warehouse space addresses issues of race, opposition, hostility, identity and disappearance, bringing into question what it means to be simultaneously surveyed and ignored as a black person in society.
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