If there was one thing Vince Vaughn proved during his "Wild West Comedy Show" Sunday at the Pabst Theater, it would be that he is larger than life.
Not only did his imposing 6-foot-5-inch stature help him tower over the other comedians and guests, but it was obvious this A-list movie star is at the height of his popularity. If Vaughn had stood on stage and read from the phone book, the audience would have been absolutely riveted and hung on his every word.
The show took up a simple format: a comedian came out, then a skit was performed and then another comedian.
The first time Vaughn handed off the microphone, it went to Ahmed Ahmed, whose material mostly consisted of what it is like being of Middle Eastern descent in a post 9/11 society. Whether or not the crowd remembered some of the material from Ahmed's appearance in the documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" didn't seem to matter. Ahmed later touched on how the ladies treat him when they find out he's Egyptian. He said one even asked him to make her his Egyptian princess.
"Okay, throw a towel over your head and be quiet," was his response. With this, Vaughn — the man the crowd obviously paid to see — returned to the stage.
He brought out "A Christmas Story" star Peter Billingsley for a skit which was based on an "After-School Special" they were in during the 1980s. Although the sketch lacked any real comedy or spontaneity (both actors read from scripts), the audience didn't seem to mind, laughing every time Vaughn raised an eyebrow.
The skits generally failed to bring any excitement to the standing-room only show.
Justin Long, who played the dorky high-school kid in "Dodgeball," was trotted out so two audience members could throw dodgeballs at him, even though he basically begged to run through scenes with Vaughn.
Keir O'Donnell, who played the gay painter in "Wedding Crashers," made an appearance to draw pictures based on audience suggestions. However, it became apparent the pictures were pre-drawn and the banter seemed forced. It would have been better if the show had directly ripped off "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and actually performed improvisational skits.
Whether it was because of the amount of alcohol being consumed as the night went on or the material of the comics, the audience was rocking back and forth in their seats during the sets.
No one had the crowd eating out of his hand more than closing comic John Caparulo. He let loose a near constant stream of profanity and stories about his failed attempts at holding fast-food jobs.
"You want cookies on the sandwich too?" Caparulo asked a rather large man ordering a no-holds-barred sandwich at the Subway he worked at. "You know, you don't need everything — you're going to eat three hours from now," was his considerate advice.
The other two comics were well above average as well. Sebastian Maniscalco did a good job covering the absurdity of "text-message wars" and did a better job pondering why women wear "Little Slut" shirts out to the club. Bret Ernst took a more frat boy approach with topics ranging from stupid friends to gay jokes and back again.
The show closed with Vince Vaughn belting out "Sweet Caroline," yet the moment was almost ruined due to an overzealous female in the crowd and the inept and ill-prepared Pabst security. Earlier in the show, the woman made it all the way to Vaughn on the stage before security gently returned her to her seat. The second time, right before the song started, she made it to the steps where the obviously annoyed Vaughn quipped, "I remember my first beer too. It was great."
Grade: B
This story was published as a Marquette Tribune Online exclusive on October 11, 2005.