Julie Kendall
Sports Editor
Comedian Rob O’Reilly performed at the UG on Monday, kicking off W.A.C. Week with a humorous set that combined funny life stories, silly one-liners and groan-worthy puns. He performed for a small student crowd, but thanked those in attendance for braving the miserable Ohio weather and venturing out of their dorms. Having forgotten to pack a coat when he left his home in L.A., the Cleveland native sported his high-school era Ohio State University sweatshirt and regretted the audience’s decision to attend college in the Buckeye State.
The 26-year-old stand-up has been getting some national attention lately, as he was recently named one of LA Weekly’s Top 10 Comedy Acts to Watch in 2012 and one of Funny or Die’s 30 Under 30: Comedians to Watch. Known as the “Campus Comic,” O’Reilly has toured over 100 college campuses in the past year, and has made appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. He has served as a correspondent for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. His latest album, “Don’t Sioux Me” is available on iTunes, Amazon or through streaming on Spotify.
Looking like Michael Showalter circa Wet Hot American Summer with ill-fitting clothes and uncut hair, O’Reilly brought a youthful appeal and relatable ’90s nostalgia to the receptive college crowd. He threw out some observational humor about the weird things people say about air travel, pointed out that many racial stereotypes are actually quite flattering, and delighted the crowd with an impression of Barack Obama talking dirty (making several references to the President’s “stimulus package”). As a bachelor on Valentine’s Day, he lamented the way that the Twilight films frame love as a choice between bestiality and necrophilia. Most delightfully, he showcased his affinity for puns in an eleven-part bit about Native Americans.
O’Reilley’s set was sponsored by W.A.C., and ASA as part of their monthly comedy series.