Any fan who attended Demetri Martin’s stand up show at the Barrymore Theatre Friday was probably struck with the same sense of déjà vu as I was. No, it wasn’t due to the twenty something man sitting next to me with his friend, who repeated every single punchline Martin perfectly delivered. It all started with the comedian’s intro, which instantly brought me back to 2012, where I sat in my high school study hall, secretly listening to Martin’s newly released stand-up act on my iPod. The original starts out with Martin acknowledging two empty seats in the front row, calling out the waste of buying front row seats and not even attending.
While Martin ran out to the stage spinning in circles and pretending to ignore the audience by checking his phone, a change in introduction from the recording, I was surprised to see that he used the same intro joke as three years back. Like a broken record, Martin pulled another joke from the 2012 recording again, a joke that could only be printed in the Dirty Bird column of this newspaper.
Now I can’t criticize Martin for reusing a few jokes. Maybe they’re the You Belong With Me equivalent of a Taylor Swift concert, a solid and timeless hit that the artist brings back for a showstopper. However, my fellow attendees, mainly couples in their mid-twenties, with a few salt and pepper haired adults sprinkled in the crowd, did not seem to have any problem with Martin’s jokes.
Martin definitely knew his audience. The New York native showed off his current event knowledge, explaining how you know there’s a problem with your governor when people on the opposite side of the country know about it. Clearly aimed at Gov. Scott Walker, these jokes can go one of two ways: one person suddenly cheers while the rest of the crowd remains silent, or suddenly, there’s a realization that everyone in the room seems to carry the exact same political views. The room broke into a simultaneous roar of laughter, as the strangest sense of community filled the auditorium, which smelled of stale beer.
The former Comedy Central comedian continued to push his luck, as he pulled out another political joke, this time tackling race with a white privilege joke. Once again, the crowd was electrified, obvious through the simultaneous hooting, oohing and clapping of the audience. Martin definitely changed up his material from the past, even telling the audience that would be his one and only political jab of the night. He continued the night with the occasional religion joke, effortlessly engaging the audience, pointing out that people only say “It’s a free country” to be a jerk.
I have always been envious of Martin’s material, the way he seamlessly transitions from random topic to topic. One minute he’s talking about how dogs are practically animal hostages and 30 seconds later he questions why we “baby talk” but not “old-person talk.” Martin’s self-deprecating style is thrown in just the right amount, long enough for him to mock his big nose, but never dragged on.
Unlike the opening act Levi MacDougall, whose comedy style focused on humorous anecdotes of strange situations, Martin’s repertoire is full of one-liners, easy for audience members to follow. His jokes come from basic observations as he questions basic societal norms ranging from the uselessness of a “please use other door” sign to pondering why adults can’t climb trees but children can. He keeps his topics broad, ensuring that every attendee can easily relate to his jokes.
Martin ended the show by showing off his multi-tasking talent of playing the harmonica while strumming on the guitar, pausing only to list off one-liner after one-liner, leaving the audience breathless with non-stop laughter.
Demetri Martin’s performance fulfilled my 2012 self as Friday’s show left me “lqtm,” Martin’s coined version of “lol” meaning “laughing quietly to myself.” With the exception of a few repeats, Martin’s new material and relaxed delivery is one to be envied. I’ve never been so jealous of a middle-aged man until now. While an audience in any other city may have found parts of Demetri Martin’s new material risque, the Madison crowd embraced and encouraged his style with a standing ovation as he jogged off stage.
