THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 18, 1996 TAG: 9603180078
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARSHA GILBERT
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
The realities of growing up poor, communicating with the other sex, having sex and suffering obvious human blunders sounded much funnier as related by comedians Bernie Mac and Ali LeRoi on Sunday at Chrysler Hall.
The nearly full theater seemed to shake as fans howled and stomped for joy at the adult humor from the two native Chicago quipsters, well-groomed in designer suits.
The largely African-American audience of mostly 20- to 40-year-olds began filling the lobby more than an hour before the performance.
The evening opened with a half-hour set of thought-provoking humor from LeRoi, 34, who has been refining his craft on the comedy circuit for 16 years.
``Regular things that should be clear that aren't, are funny to me,'' said LeRoi, as he stood to deliver his monologue. ``People who take themselves too seriously are funny to me. I try to get people to think about themselves and the things around them like relationships and religion.''
LeRoi is amused, for instance, when women complain about a shortage of ``good men.''
``They wouldn't know a good man if they tripped over him in the gutter,'' he quipped. ``Talking about waiting to exhale. Brothers need a movie called `Quit Breathin' Down My Neck.' ''
Complaining about crime, the revolving-door prison system and the way too much taxpayer money is spent to house criminals, LeRoi said: ``Death Row's got 200 cells. I'd change that to one cell called `On Deck, You're Next'.''
LeRoi has appeared on Evening at the Improv, Comic Justice, Comic View and on syndicated talk shows. He has opened for several recording artists, including Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin.
``I could say things in a serious context and be a good speaker, but I choose to make it funny,'' LeRoi said in an interview last week. ``I admire Dick Gregory and George Carlin.''
Mac's brash, anything-goes humor, comical expressions and gestures filled out the next hour and a half. His raspy voice and ribald style opened the blinds to the bedrooms of many audience members. Their shouts and applause showed they accepted Mac's unabashed interpretation.
Wearing a banana-colored suit and a mischievous smile, he seemed to enjoy himself as much as the audience. He imitated the trembling gospel songs of his grandmother, told of his childhood embarrassments and recreated his first experience smoking marijuana.
``To have good lovemaking,'' he said at one point, ``you have to be creative. I come to bed jingling like a janitor'' with a tool belt.
Mac has appeared in nine motion pictures, most recently ``Don't Be a Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.'' He also produced and was host of four HBO specials titled ``Midnight Mac Starring Bernie Mac.''
Mac's graphic, story-telling persona is reminiscent of comedians Richard Pryor and the late Robin Harris in their prime.
In a pre-concert interview, Mac said he doesn't speak graphically about sex or use profanity in his everyday dealings. But he said he uses that language in comedy to get his point across.
Younger comedians don't make the distinction between what's funny and what's crude, he said.
``The new jacks are doing it to get paid,'' said Mac, who struggled more than two decades ago to break color barriers in comedy clubs. ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD L. DUNSTON photos
The Virginian-Pilot
Comedian Bernie Mac's brash, anything-goes humor was the main act at
Chrysler Hall on Sunday evening.
Ali LeRoi takes aim at those who take life too seriously.
by CNB