On April 10th, Staff Writer Keahi Harper ventured into the world of Columbia University’s comedy clubs and left feeling a strong sense of community and admiration.

The John Jay Memorial Annual Comedy Variety Show, produced by Columbia’s Memento Mori stand-up club, was a hilarious and memorable show on April 10th in Barnard’s LeFrak Theatre. This show displayed the talents of various people in comedy clubs in Columbia and Barnard. In order of appearance, the groups and comedians performing at this event were: Latenite Theatre, Evin Schwartz (BC ’28), Fruit Paunch & Third Wheel Improv, Chowdah Sketch Comedy Troupe, Beau Gantz (CC ’28), Columbia University Sketch Show, and The Federalist. Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the show was the headliner, former writer/cast member of Saturday Night Live and actor/comedian based in New York, Chloe Troast! Troast can also be seen in feature films like Sweethearts and Goodrich and the Netflix series Four Seasons. Her immense talent and witty, intelligent humor were a highlight of the night for the audience. 

As I waited for the show to begin, I was excited to finally engage with the comedy scene at Columbia University. This show perfectly curated an environment for you to be able to see the distinct differences in each group’s approach to comedy. I had expected to leave with a strong sense of individuality from each group, but I enjoyed leaving with more of a feeling of unity between them.

The annual comedy variety show began with Latenite Theatre, an experimental sketch comedy group. These performers did a set that was unafraid to dabble in more mature concepts, with their sketch being about university students and an infamous streaker. The audience was positively shocked, and their silly but developed characters in the sketch set the tone for the rest of the night. Next, Evin Schwartz, who is also involved with Memento Mori and Chowdah Sketch Comedy, did a personal set about their fathers’ running habits and their recent top surgery, creating an engaged and connected audience that was thoroughly enjoying their perspective and comedy!

Fruit Paunch & Third Wheel, given their improvisational nature, interacted with the audience and formatted their improv around the word “computer.” This became one of my personal favorites of the night because of the multitude of comedic approaches and the theatrical nature of their improvised concepts. Some were centered around school, while others were about family relationships. I was enthralled the whole time, and everyone seemed very impressed with their ability to collaborate and think of such distinct scenarios.

Following the improvisers, Chowdah Sketch Comedy Troupe worked together to perform their multiple sketches. The combination of the unserious plots of their sketches, yet committed performers, was done very well! This was followed by comic Beau Gantz, a comic involved with Memento Mori, Third Wheel Improv, Latenite, and The Federalist. His set was personal, speaking of things like therapy, Early Decision, and college life. I enjoyed being able to engage with solo performers in the midst of bigger groups; it made it easy to stay connected.

Columbia University Sketch Show approached comedy in an immersive way, using props like a door and a couch. They created an almost sitcom-ish environment, a unique comedy experience. The Federalist was the last of the student groups, and they read out satire comedic news headlines about what has happened on campus recently, making jokes about the Chef Mike’s sandwich sleeve, fire alarms in campus dorm halls, and JJ’s. This was a fun way to engage in recent events at Columbia and marked a satisfying end to the student performers, especially since their set revolved around recent campus events.

The headliner of this show then came on. Chloe Troast approached comedy in a way that had me personally reeling. She did a sketch about her own life as a college student, interacted with the audience, and was constantly engaging. She encouraged students who were willing to come up and perform for her, as well as asked questions to those in the audience and riffed off of student answers. I mean it when I say there were personally very few times I could not stop myself from laughing at almost everything she said. It was clear she enjoyed engaging in this environment, and it was a very warm and inspirational ending to the night! I can’t speak for everyone, but it felt encouraging for artists to see someone like Troast. Her talent emanated from her performance, and it wonderfully wrapped up the night with everyone grinning ear to ear. 

The John Jay Memorial Annual Comedy Variety Show, presented by Memento Mori, was a night that reminded me of the student body’s wonderful talent, while simultaneously reminding me that I was surrounded by silly college students! These events create a space that allows students to perform their personal art while the audience is almost included in their talent. I felt grateful to sit next to a friend and laugh the whole night, as this show proved to be engaging, hilarious, welcoming, and giddy all at once; it balanced individual uniqueness with communal performances, and I felt lucky to be allowed into their world. 

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