Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: News

Comedian Eric Blake imitates a grizzly bear during his performance in 7th Street Underground on Friday. The show featured improvisational comedy and audience participation in his act. Blake said he liked the room right away. "I saw the energy was trapped in here and that the show would be a lot of fun," he said. (Karolina Strack | Daily Eastern News)

Eric Blake, proclaimed one of the eight most up-and-coming comedians in the country by HBO, performed Friday night at 7th Street Underground.

"What kind of animal are you in bed?" Blake asked the males in the audience. Students shouted out common answers like "tiger," "stallion" and "jaguar."

One brave student shouted out "Cow!''

"Cow?" Blake asked. "I've never heard that one before."

The audience exploded into a loud laughter, something that was heard often during the show.

"College students laugh really, really loud," Blake said. "It makes you feel good, like you're doing your job."

The 7th Street Underground was so packed that some students had to sit on the floor.

Matt Caponera, the comedy coordinator of University Board, said he chose Blake because he is a big fan of his work, and some students wanted more diversity.

"I saw his stand-up material," Caponera said. "I thought he was a perfect fit for Eastern."

Blake has jokes about topics including race and kids to animals and Disneyland.

"$59.95?" he asked, astonished at the ticket prices to get into Disneyland. "Per person?"

Blake not only entertained the audience by himself, he also interacted with the students.

He also likes to do improvisation as part of his routine.

Students were asked before the show to write sentences on scraps of paper and put them into a bucket. At the end of the show, Blake picked volunteers from the audience and acted out movies with the given sentences.

Alexis Evans, a freshman undecided major, went last. She was told to stand behind him and make hand gestures to his conversation.

The act got loud applause and big laughs from the audience.

"It was surprising how comfortable I was on stage," Evans said. "He just made me feel very comfortable and chill."

She said she liked how at the end he did not have a plan.

"It made the audience feel like they were more involved in the show," Evans said.

Free pizza and a keg of root beer also added to the uniqueness of the night.

"This was different from the other comedy shows at Eastern," said Wayne Weimer, a freshman chemical engineering major. "It was awesome."

Born in south-central Los Angeles, Blake is a regular on BET's Comic View, and a regular headliner at comedy clubs around the nation.

Even though Blake is well known, he said college students are the purest comedy fans.

"They're very open-minded," Blake said. "And it's like I'm giving them my first impression."



Cyndi Francois can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENnewsdesk@gmail.com.

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