Lampanelli gets laughs and gasps
Deemed Comedy Central’s “Queen of Mean,” comedian Lisa Lampanelli performed her controversial act to a sold-out Boulder Theater, interacting with an audience of varying age and race by pinpointing members and addressing them directly.
Lampanelli has no qualms about calling people derogatory names and stereotyping race, sex and religious affiliation with confidence.
Though the content of her Feb. 29 show was openly offensive and insulting, audience members cheered, gasped and embraced her blatant insensitivity.
“She makes me proud to be a minority,” said Ingrid Pfennig, 41, who works for Fusion Entertainment. “It’s her aggressiveness and her vibrancy. She brings us minorities down to earth.”
Tracy Locke opened the show with a comedy set focusing on her Jewish religion, being on a football team and dating military men.
“[Football] girls are so tough they roll their own tampons,” Locke said.
She was followed by Laura Levites, who addressed the war in Iraq by comparing the coping strategies of today’s youth with those during the Vietnam War. She also said she hated George Bush and was applauded for saying so.
“It’s not for political reasons,” Levites said. “His eyes are just too close together.”
As Grammy-nominated Lampanelli walked on stage in a floral blue dress, she quickly clarified her comedy style by pinpointing every black, Latin, gay and Jewish member of the audience and addressing them with the stereotypes associated with their background.
“Look how she’s laughing!” Lampanelli said to one member of the audience. “And she doesn’t even speak any English.”
Though she brashly called people offensive names and focused on racially sensitive jokes, Lampanelli maintained objectivity by targeting every race with the same uninhibited style. From entitled white children, to Oprah, to sleeping with an NFL player, the topics of the night ranged widely and all received positive audience response.
After her stage act, Lampanelli walked around the venue and joked about more audience members. One man was distinguished because he was “super white.”
The show ended with Lampanelli thanking all audience members for their cooperation and clarifying the point of her comedy style.
“I make fun of everything to show it’s all ridiculous,” she said. “We all just need to lighten up.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Carolyn Michaels at Carolyn.michaels@colorado.edu.
