Comedian Al Madrigal will host a stand-up comedy show March 14 and 15 on Comedy on State. Madrigal is known for his appearances and performances on series such as “The Daily Show,” “Lopez vs. Lopez” and “The Tonight Show.”

Madison is one of Madrigal’s favorite cities to perform in, he told The Badger Herald, but has not had the opportunity to entertain the city since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Madrigal has partially returned to comedy tours outside of his home in Los Angeles.

Madrigal’s interest in comedy began in a stroke of luck, thanks to growing up in San Francisco surrounded by other comedians — though he did not begin to pursue comedy professionally until a few years after his undergraduate career, he said. His style of comedy primarily revolves around story-telling, including observations from spoken stories.

“When I see just a joke, I want to make it more complex,” Madrigal said. “… I really do take a lot of care in making sure things flow together thematically.”

Story-based comedy can often include messaging on more complicated issues, according to Madrigal.

While messaging is difficult to incorporate, Madrigal hopes to leave audiences with a deeper meaning, he said. This objective can be accomplished through extensive research and a mixture of comedy and deeper emotions.

“I really do try to make people emotional, and I get emotional when I’m talking about [my jokes],” Madrigal said.

Despite the polarized nature of much of the world’s political environment, Madrigal said he does not intend to adapt his comedy to match different tastes. Entertainers cannot realistically expect to please their entire audience.

Similarly, entertainers must accept criticism and understand their work may be controversial. Madrigal attributes his self-confidence to allowing him to entertain without fear of not accommodating certain audiences.

Madrigal encourages students at the University of Wisconsin to take advantage of entertainment centers like Comedy on State, especially when they may not know a performer. Many college campuses do not have easy access to talented comedians and comedy shows, a feature of Madison often taken for granted.

In regards to potential comedians on campus, it is crucial to have ambition, reject procrastination and limit screen time. To increase productivity, Madrigal said he attempts to write down jokes and scripts before using his phone each day.

“This is advice for all things … start, start, start … get up [on] stage and do it,” Madrigal said.