I wasn’t wild about going to see Bill Cosby. Let me be clear: I’m a big fan. He’s contributed as much to television as anyone and his comedy albums helped keep me sane in my youth when the rest of my parents’ record collection consisted primarily of Hindi songs and John Denver. But I figured, at the age of 71, the Coz would simply coast on “greatest hits” and give a show strictly for long-time fans who would be thrilled just to see him stumble out on stage.

Boy, was I wrong. Cosby’s matinee performance on Saturday was not only one of the best comedy shows I’ve ever seen. It was one of the best theatrical productions I’ve ever seen. Period. A show billed as 90 minutes stretched to nearly two-and-a-half hours -without a break. (The 8 p.m. show lasted two hours and was radically different from the matinee; my colleague Rohan Preston will have a review on that performance in Tuesday’s paper and at startribune.com) Based on his account, sounds like they were radically different (except that both ended with his classic riff on going to the dentist).

The bulk of the early show was about his long-time marriage to Camille and it had an arc and depth that made the case that Cosby is STILL the best stand-up in the business. Coz gets more out of long silent pauses and facial expressions than anyone since the heyday of silent film. This was primarily fresh, inventive material - and hilarious. Based on what I’ve read online, these concerts were extra special. (He’s been clocking in at 85 or 90 minutes in other cities). Don’t know what inspired him to give an extra effort in the Twin Cities; whatever the reason, those of us who went were darn lucky.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.