Best known for his role as Frank Rossitano, the hilarious screen writer from the hit NBC comedy show “30 Rock” and as best supporting actor nominee for his role in “American Splendor,” Judah Friedlander came to Clemson to give a free standup comedy show Friday night in Tillman auditorium.
This event was sponsored by TigerPaw Productions, U-NITES! and CLEMSONLiVE.
Despite the wind and the cold, by 9:30 a line of students extended all the way out the door and around the corner of Tillman Hall. Over 300 students waited in line outside to see Judah perform.
To kick off the show, two Clemson students hit the stage first to warm up the crowd. Jimmy and Alison Tanzy were both met with loud applause and continuously pulled massive laughs from the crowd, prepping the large audience for Judah to take the stage.
Judah has often referred to himself as a “World Champion” and he did not fail to deliver.
With his signature American flag trucker hat, World Champion jacket and t-shirt, Judah took over the entire stage. His main topics included plans for his presidential campaign as well as how he, as World Champion, would handle major issues such as immigration, taxes, gun control and foreign policy. After hearing his ideas, it seems crazy that he isn’t in the running for real.
Cody Hosek, a junior English major said, “I’m a huge fan of ’30 Rock’ and Judah played one of my favorite characters. It was great to see the world champion in person and hear his standup. I thought the opening acts were super great as well and it was cool to see student talent on campus.”
Judah’s style of standup was also very refreshing. Instead of just talking at the crowd for two hours, he offered audience chances to interact with and ask him questions about his campaign plans. This helped maintain an open conversation and helped everyone feel comfortable and involved in his comedy. Friedlander’s standup became even more impressive, as he came up with material on the spot from the comments made by the audience. Overall, it was almost as if he spectacularly improved the whole show.
Judah Friedlander put on a great show which led to a very engaging and hilarious evening. Hopefully the World Champion will return to Clemson again soon.
