Theresa Dunne
Contributing Writer
On March 6, comedian Aziz Ansari released his fourth standup special, Live from Madison Square Garden, exclusively on Netflix. Diverging from his usual celebrity-filled anecdotes and pop culture driven one-liners, in his new special, Ansari tackles important and relevant topics such as immigration with a mature sense of humor.
Known for playing the eccentric but lovable Tom Haverford on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, Ansari flashes his standup skills once again. In his new special, he takes on an observational approach. Throughout his last special, Buried Alive, viewers began to see Ansari experiment with this new method, though that seemed to be merely a trial run. Live from Madison Square Garden shows Ansari’s polished sense of humor, establishing himself amongst other great observational comics such as Louis C.K. and Robin Williams. By analyzing relationships and the oddities of life, Ansari connects with his audience through his observations. In doing so, Ansari strays from his previous style, which primarily consisted of stories from his life as a celebrity comic, making his humor more relatable to his viewers. This departure from his former approach, evident in Live from Madison Square Garden displays his improved material as an observational comedian.
Although Ansari presents refined material, he does not completely stray from his earlier styles. He still sporadically includes pop culture references (for fans of millennial hip-hop sensation Ja Rule, he will not disappoint), and remains energetic. Part of the comic’s appeal is his on-stage vibrancy, which he constantly displays throughout the special. As he tells his jokes, he bounces around, running from one end of the stage to the other, capturing the audience’s attention and leaving them anticipating his next acts.
For comedians, playing Madison Square Garden is a great achievement. The ability to sell out an entire arena confirms the success and popularity of the comedian. However, such a large arena also depersonalizes the content of the show. Typically, standup has a reputation for taking place in small, dingy nightclubs, away from the outside world. It is supposed to be dark and grungy. Such a setting intensifies the audience’s relationship with the comedian.
However, Live from Madison Square Garden rejects this approach to comedy. The large venue removes Ansari’s personal connection with the audience and instead, replaces it with forced laughter. While unlikely to bomb with such a wide-ranging crowd, Madison Square Garden ultimately detracts from Ansari’s material.
Despite a few setbacks, Ansari’s fourth standup special speaks to his development as a comedian. His newfound ability to dissect the human condition through his analysis of current events proves he has the potential to affirm his place as an observational comic. In his next special, I hope to see Ansari further his role as commentator on real-world events. Ansari’s material in Live from Madison Square Garden touches on a variety of hot topics, which I would like to see him continually explore in the future. While pleased with his latest special, I believe Ansari has the potential to further develop into the next up-and-coming funnyman.