John Mulaney performs a stand-up routine in the Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom on April 18. Credit: Courtesy of Anne Hohler.
Comedian John Mulaney said “Oh, Hello” to a sold-out crowd of Ohio State students.
OSU’s OUAB welcomed the comedian on Monday night, who performed his stand-up routine titled “Oh, Hello.”
Mulaney has a long resume, including multiple specials on Netflix and writing on “Saturday Night Live.” One of Mulaney’s most beloved characters is Stefon, played by Bill Hader and featured on “Weekend Update.”
Seaton Smith, a fellow comedian who starred in the headliner’s TV show “Mulaney,” opened the night by warming up the crowd with a few jokes.
Mulaney studied English at Georgetown University, but he said he always knew that he wanted a career in comedy.
“I wanted to be a comedian from a very early age. I didn’t know if it was sketch comedy or stand up comedy but, I realized I wanted to be a comedian from like 5,” Mulaney said in an interview with The Lantern.
Mulaney came onto stage with a copy of The Lantern and used it to poke fun at events going on around campus.
“I read it every week,” said Mulaney as he joked that he had it sent to him in Los Angeles, and called the paper “nine pages of wonder.”
Both Mulaney and Smith said that they enjoy performing at colleges.
“It’s a lot looser for me because there is kind of like a different energy than when you’re in a theatre of just people in a city,” Mulaney said. “Because everyone here has one shared experience that they are at OSU, or whatever college they are at, and when you address that, it’s more fun to learn about your world because it’s all one world.”
Smith added that college students make a good audience because they stay focused better. Both Mulaney and Smith said that because students are used to sitting and listening to professors in class, they make a more captive audience.
“You piece things together well, so I can make a big point and y’all (sic) will follow me,” Smith said in an interview with The Lantern.
Emily Aulby, a fourth-year in biomedical engineering, went to the show with her friends, although she did not know much about Mulaney before going.
“He blew my mind,” Aulby said. “I really liked that he had a lot of audience interaction, like he called out a lot of people.”
