Howie Mandel is known for being a bit of an oddball — and it shows. The funnyman performed at the Vilar Performing Arts Center on Sunday, and while the show featured some great laughs (as Mandel is also known for), it was one of the most weirdly unique comedy shows that I’ve ever seen.
In an exclusive interview before the performance, Mandel explained that his shows are largely improvisational and that he crafts them right on stage, under the lights. Often, he noted, it’s about what’s happening to him that day, maybe even in that room.
As is the case with many improvisation-based shows, Mandel would interact with the audience, consulting a pediatrician about a recent rectal exam and a brush with athlete’s foot. Mandel told the story of pulling a prank on a doctor that he knew that went too far when the doctor was listening intensely for a high-pitched noise from below Mandel’s belt.
He also poked fun at employees at Starbucks and the Eagle County Landfill — all in good fun, of course.
Among his funnier bits, Mandel told the story of wearing his wife’s estrogen patch after rolling over it in bed.
“I was crying at commercials and stuff,” Mandel said. “She was like ‘what is wrong with you?'”
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Where the show got odd was when Mandel ran out of material. Several times, he’d rub his bald head and say out loud “what else can I tell you guys,” and then tell us a story that he admitted didn’t have any joke tied to it.
At one point, Mandel even pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket to read notes that he’d written before the show.
Lastly, rather than finishing off the show, Mandel showed a clip of a singing act on “America’s Got Talent” before saying goodnight.
For all of the oddities, the show seemed to present, it wasn’t unfunny. Mandel was able to bring his jokes full circle as is the standard in comedy shows, proving that despite any lulls, the man knows how to improvise.
Arts & Entertainment Editor Nate Day can be reached at nday@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2932.