Comedian and political commentator Larry Wilmore performed at the Adams Playhouse on Sept. 24, as part of the lineup of events leading up to the presidential debate at Hofstra.
The show, titled “Making Sense Of The Nonsense,” reeled in over 700 members of the Hofstra community who gathered to see Wilmore, former host of “The Nightly Show,” as he talked about current events and added a little humor to the upcoming election. For the duration of the show, he conducted an interview as both the interviewer and the interviewee.
“People are going to tweet ‘Larry is out of his mind,’” Wilmore said. The audience was fully engaged in Wilmore’s interview, laughing and applauding throughout the entire show.
Athelene Collins, executive director of the Hofstra Cultural Center, was one of the event organizers that helped bring Wilmore to campus.
“We figured with all the serious lectures that happened before that we’d end with some entertainment,” Collins said. “And he is also political in his own right with his show.”
Though the show had plenty of lighthearted moments, Wilmore also talked about serious issues that he cared about, such as violence against minorities and women’s rights. He gave the audience advice on how to help.
“It’s good to start a conversation about something you are passionate about that most people don’t necessarily associate you with,” Wilmore said. “Be an ally for someone else.”
After the show, many audience members got the opportunity to ask Wilmore questions, which included what he thought of various events happening in the country, what advice he has for aspiring comedians and what Wilmore will be doing in the next step of his career.
“I think I want to get back into mentoring people,” Wilmore said. “And I will find a way to keep connecting with the audience because I enjoyed doing that.”
Many members of the audience also said how much they loved the show. They were glad he was able to talk about topics in a fun, yet informative manner.
“I’m a big fan of Larry Wilmore from his [TV] show,” said Mohammad Awais, a political science graduate from Stony Brook University. “I stopped watching but after seeing him in action again, he sort of reaffirmed my faith in his intellect, which I think is even greater than his comedy.”
“Every part of it was amazing,” said Rosheen Awais, a psychology and pre-med student at Hofstra and Mohammad’s sister. “I enjoy how he was able to break down parts of Black Lives Matter and police brutality. He broke that down so that everyone can understand it.”
Collins was especially happy about the successful turnout for the event.
“I think it was wonderful. I mean, for a Saturday night, where many students left campus because they have a long weekend with no classes on Monday, it was wonderful,” Collins said. “Faculty and staff, who usually don’t come out for weekend events, came out. I thought it was great.”
For Wilmore’s next project, he is working as co-creator and co-writer for a new HBO show called “Insecure,” which will premiere on Oct. 9.