Dave Chappelle proved again Tuesday night that he is today’s funniest comedian, showing his “A” game in front of a “C-” crowd at the sold-out Comedy Works in Larimer Square.
You couldn’t have shoehorned even another small person into the club at the first of two shows.
But unfortunately too many in the mostly white, capacity crowd of 280 people seemed more interested in hearing their own voices than in listening to Chappelle.
But the comedian didn’t let that throw him as he gave his take on the usual suspects: sex, race in America, marriage and popular culture.
He offered his less-than-enthusiastic take on the movie “Brokeback Mountain.” Using a newscasterlike voice, he intoned, “You can’t knock this movie until you’ve seen it.”
“Sure I can,” he continued. “What I want to know is who the (expletive) goes to this movie and then talks about it?”
He also had some words about Mel Gibson’s 2004 blockbuster, “The Passion of The Christ.” Chappelle noted that the actor who portrayed Jesus was struck by lightning twice during the filming.
“That made me think one of two things,” he said. “Either God didn’t like who was playing Jesus or the Jews have a weather machine.”
Chappelle is in Denver mainly for a sold-out show at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Paramount Theatre.
After that show, he will appear at the Comedy Works at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 and are sold only at the door, beginning an hour before showtime.
Chappelle is still on a bit of a comeback after he left his popular cable-TV show in May during production of its third season. He walked out on what was reportedly a $50 million contract and spent several months in Africa.
At the time, he gave no reason for leaving, setting off rumors that the pressure of a hit show had made him go crazy or that maybe he was addicted to crack cocaine.
When he was at the Comedy Works in November, he worked the whole mess into this act.
This time out, he ignored the subject until hecklers brought it up late in the show.
Staff writer Ed Will can be reached at 303-820-1694 or ewill@denverpost.com.
