By: Emi FeldmenSpecial to The Chronicle
Friday evening, Hofstra students gathered in the Netherlands’ complex for an evening of comedy and laughter. What they received, however, was nothing short of a disappointment. Junior, Bernie Crum, was the evening’s Master of Ceremony. His sarcastic humor had it’s lighthearted moments, yet as soon as the racist, constant use of foul language and anti-sematic jokes began to fly, a confused feeling swept over the 50 or so students in the room. Although entertaining and high-energy, the nature of his jokes left the audience feeling uncomfortable and slightly guilty. Members of the comedy club took turns performing their sets to the fairly responsive audience, made up of numerous students wearing their Halloween costumes. The “band of Indians” seated in the back left corner, became the running joke of the night and all the boys were extremely good sports. As each comedian took the stage, the audience became looser and more willing to laugh at their jokes. Sets ranged in everything from one line comedy to embarrassing personal stories; all unique and presenting a different spin on common occurrences, such as a crush or that infamous bad roommate. Josh Low and Mike Brafery made memorable appearances of the night. Low’s one liners and slightly awkward start soon progressed into an enjoyable five minutes in which he poked fun at his experiences while participating in high school football. Brafery managed to win the crowd over not only with the content of his material but through his body language. By constantly checking the notes he wrote on his arm, the audience was quick to laugh and encourage his comedy. Overall, the evening highlighted some extremely talented individuals, in regards to stand-up comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed some acts, however the use of racist and hateful language got old quickly and overstepped social boundaries to a level of inappropriateness. Although some acts were stronger than others, overall, the event was very enjoyable and the students seemed very well prepared. It was an interesting beginning to an interesting “Halloweekend.”