Shock value is a wonderful thing, and Grammy-nominated insult-comic Lisa Lampanelli slings a nuclear power plant full of it. The nationally known comedienne, famous for her brutal roasts of celebrities such as Pamela Anderson and Flavor Flav, unleashed more than an hour of scathing one-liners and routine at the packed Orpheum Theater on Friday. The ?Lovable Queen of Mean? was just as biting as ever, and this weekend?s audience ? shocked or not ? loved every minute of it.
Sticking to the exceedingly politically incorrect brand of humor Lampanelli has perfected and used to launch her career, the Harvard-educated microphone of all things vile and bigoted steamrolled over not-so-unsuspecting audience members thrilled to be some of her next victims. In fact, those sitting in the front few rows seemed to know and expect Lampanelli?s routine to involve a fair amount of target practice involving their ethnicity, sexual orientation or general appearance.
But boy did they love it. And so did the rest of us.
Starting the show a disappointing half-hour after scheduled (well over an hour for the subsequently frozen souls who braved the Madison chill to be first in line), two accompanying comics opened for Lampanelli. Neither of them was for the weak of heart, but instead, they served as a bit of an appetizer for the foulmouthed entertainment to come.
In fact, parts of Lampanelli?s performance teetered over the line of decency one would expect at even the most raunchy of New York comedy clubs, but her audience couldn?t have laughed more. After designating a ?whore? in the audience, Lampanelli emphasized the woman?s raging libido saying, ?She would suck a dick for a Diet Coke!? But without skipping a beat, Lampanelli put herself in the line of fire explaining in hysterical seriousness, ?I just do it for the taste? ? a line first used referring to Courtney Love at Pamela Anderson?s roast. And this was the tradition for the night, making fun of the audience and herself in equal (and equally epic) proportions.
Exploiting numerous stereotypes in some hysterical ways that should never be put into print, Lampanelli?s act never lost momentum despite the unvarying topics of her firecracker ranting. In a bit playing off stereotypically ethnic names, she was really on a roll. In regard to an attendee named ?Trey,? she said, ?He has a normal white name but spells it wrong to screw with the ?whitey.? He?s like, ?My name?s Trey: that?s J-A-Y-S?A-E-I-O-U-Screw whitey dot com it?s your birthday [wooting noise].??
And all of this with a straight face.
Of course, Lampanelli wasn?t one to make fun of a single group of people more than another, and with every racist, sexist or homophobic barb, she would move on to another subject. It seems with the right crowd ? one neither sensitive nor unable to take a few good-natured (but scandalous) jabs ? Lampanelli?s rants can burn down the house, and Friday was no exception. The often repetitive negativity of her insults seems to have nothing to do with it.
But for longtime fans of the plaid-garbed ?roastess,? Lampanelli?s Madison tour stop might not have been perfect. Though she has perfected transforming verbal abuse and satirical bigotry into a top-notch performance, Lampanelli varies her routine very little from one show to the next, often recycling jokes from past acts. Unfortunately, much of Friday?s show came from Lampanelli?s celebrated roasts, which many of her fans would surely recall.
Lampanelli?s style also invites comparisons to Las Vegas legend Don Rickles. Critics suggest the standup veteran is sometimes more of an imitator than the innovative force of celebrity satire she?s praised for.
Regardless of whether she reuses a good amount of her material, Lampanelli?s Orpheum gig never let up and gave an uproarious crowd a laugh-filled evening.
Lampanelli is a comedic force to be reckoned with, and, despite her matronly appearance, she kept everyone in her audience ? including this writer ? scared to laugh too hard and become her next mark.
She even made a point of mentioning she would extend the show since the audience was laughing so hard: ?I?ve got nowhere better to be!?
Lisa Lampanelli put on a standout performance, and she is a genius of insult you can only love to hate.
