Bo Burnham pokes fun at Columbus, OSU in Capitol Theatre show

T. J. McGarry
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 01:45:05 +0000
Campus, bo burnham, capitol theatre, comedian, comedy, what.

Bo Burnham performed at Capitol Theatre Oct. 19.
Credit: Courtesy of Chance Bone

“How Columbus of us, taking other people’s s—,” comedian Bo Burnham said while escorting two of his audience members to an open front row seat.

Burnham’s quips about Columbus and Ohio State didn’t stop there during his show at the Capitol Theatre Saturday night. The show, titled “what.” featured stand-up comedy as well as humorous music from the 23-year-old Internet star and comedian.

Burnham’s routine started with a song and dance routine and then transitioned back and forth from stand-up comedy bits to his comedy songs.

“Never waste a moment, any moment can become a comedic moment,” Burnham said while doing an impromptu dance as he walked from his piano to his stool.

He performed several songs from his new album, also titled “what.” as well as some of his older hits that made him a YouTube sensation such as “Love is…” from his 2009 self-titled album.

Besides being a musician and comedian, Burnham is also a published poet. His first book of poetry, “Egghead: Or, You Can’t Survive on Ideas Alone” released on Oct. 1.
Burnham read some of his poems during the show, the subjects of which ranged from what crazy thing he did last night to girls of questionable moral character.

He established early on in the show that he can and will make fun of anything during his performance.

“I hope you like poop-based puns. That’s the majority of the show,” Burnham said during his opening bit.

Besides fecal matter jokes, the comedian also made sure to poke fun at gay people, women, religious people, his relationship with his father and things he considers to be depressing.

“Sad things will be exclusively joked about because my empathy is bumming me out,” sang Burnham during his new song “Sad” before launching into the next verse concerning an elderly man being hit by a train.

Burnham also took the opportunity to make fun of the OSU students in the audience.

“O-H … kill yourself,” Burnham said when some audience members attempted to start the chant during his set.

Despite him making fun of their school, some OSU students in the audience didn’t seem fazed by Burnham taking jabs at them.

“I mean he’s a comedian … I find it amusing. I don’t really think he’s trying to be offensive,” said Ariana Goffe, a first-year in exploration who attended the show.

Making fun of OSU was one of many ways Burnham interacted with the audience, which he did several times throughout the show. He yelled at a girl to stop texting and threw playing cards at a gentleman in the front row.

Burnham ended his show in a manner more like a concert than a comedy show, going so far as to have a two-song encore after he initially left the stage.

Burnham’s next show is scheduled for Monday at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland.