Though he's critically acclaimed as a writer for Inside Amy Schumer, Kurt Metzger is underrated as a stand-up comedian. Metzger's hour was as irreverent as it was funny, and it was polished yet delivered with spontaneity. Similarly, his three openers were also enjoyable.
Host Tyler Morrison got laughs from the crowd with his well-written comedy about ordinary life. His series of rhyming punch lines as he joked about adding bars at the back of craft stores was an especially memorable highlight among the opening sets. Following him, Amanda Day wittily made a Holocaust joke about her mother's obsession with knowing which celebrities are Jewish. Additionally, she delivered some material about sex including a quip about a poorly taken nude picture she was sent, and a pithy joke about smelling like sex at work. Rob Mailloux continued the trend of bold material by questioning why Banana Republic costs so much more than Old Navy despite the fact that their clothes are both made in the same child sweatshop.
Metzger was definitely a fitting headliner choice for the Dark Comedy Festival. Over the course of his hour, he talked about everything from prison rape to how he was surprised that Jared Fogle wasn't caught sooner because he looks like the stereotype of a pedophile. Metzger delved into the sick behaviour of Jeffrey Dahmer with ease, somehow discussing everything from Dahmer's murders to his sexual fetishes without ever overwhelming the crowd with the horror of the subject. He also went on to discuss the absurdity of the fact that Dahmer technically would go to heaven because he repented and embraced God. This potentially controversial material was embraced wholeheartedly with solid laughs throughout.
On the other hand, not all of his material was edgy. Metzger hilariously suggested that Subway would be very successful if they changed their entire marketing campaign to just be "We're not McDonald's." Also, he admitted he occasionally says he accepts Jesus as his Lord and Saviour to maintain his wavering subscription to religion "just in case."
However, Metzger's strength was undoubtedly his ability to approach taboo subjects with elegance. His joke about the ridiculously high value of the anal virginity of a straight man was fantastic, and his meticulously constructed closer about delaying teen suicides with heroine was a spectacular, smart and hard-hitting ending for his wonderful hour.
Host Tyler Morrison got laughs from the crowd with his well-written comedy about ordinary life. His series of rhyming punch lines as he joked about adding bars at the back of craft stores was an especially memorable highlight among the opening sets. Following him, Amanda Day wittily made a Holocaust joke about her mother's obsession with knowing which celebrities are Jewish. Additionally, she delivered some material about sex including a quip about a poorly taken nude picture she was sent, and a pithy joke about smelling like sex at work. Rob Mailloux continued the trend of bold material by questioning why Banana Republic costs so much more than Old Navy despite the fact that their clothes are both made in the same child sweatshop.
Metzger was definitely a fitting headliner choice for the Dark Comedy Festival. Over the course of his hour, he talked about everything from prison rape to how he was surprised that Jared Fogle wasn't caught sooner because he looks like the stereotype of a pedophile. Metzger delved into the sick behaviour of Jeffrey Dahmer with ease, somehow discussing everything from Dahmer's murders to his sexual fetishes without ever overwhelming the crowd with the horror of the subject. He also went on to discuss the absurdity of the fact that Dahmer technically would go to heaven because he repented and embraced God. This potentially controversial material was embraced wholeheartedly with solid laughs throughout.
On the other hand, not all of his material was edgy. Metzger hilariously suggested that Subway would be very successful if they changed their entire marketing campaign to just be "We're not McDonald's." Also, he admitted he occasionally says he accepts Jesus as his Lord and Saviour to maintain his wavering subscription to religion "just in case."
However, Metzger's strength was undoubtedly his ability to approach taboo subjects with elegance. His joke about the ridiculously high value of the anal virginity of a straight man was fantastic, and his meticulously constructed closer about delaying teen suicides with heroine was a spectacular, smart and hard-hitting ending for his wonderful hour.
