Bill Cosby turned in a comic tour de force Saturday night at a packed Buell Theater, rocking the audience back and forth in its seats for two hours.
Cosby, 68, showed that comedy is not just a young person’s game. His stories, all of which contained almost too many punch lines to count, perfectly played everyone’s funny bones.
Elderly women laughed as loud as middle-aged men, who shared the show with their teenage children. Even young children found plenty to laugh about as Cosby showed he has not lost touch with the foibles of childhood.
In one of the best bits of the night, Cosby shared a story about his daughter potty training his granddaughter. The toddler ends up doing a “perfect jackknife” into the commode when the training stool slips.
No one but Cosby knew if it was true. But it pulled out several minutes of belly laughs because everyone knew it could have happened.
Cosby spent most of the show, the first of two Saturday night, sitting on a chair placed in the middle of a rug, occasionally standing to act out parts of a story.
Other than the chair and rug, the stage was bare expect for a large video screen hanging behind the comedian.
The screen was a great idea, because Cosby’s comedy depends as much on his facial expressions as it does his words.
The setting and his clothing made for a more intimate night than one would expect in a theater the size of the Buell.
Cosby wore white sweatpants and a white T-shirt with a picture of four armed Native Americans and the legend, “Homeland Security” above the picture and “Fighting Terrorism Since 1492.”
But there was no political humor this night. Instead, Cosby talked about growing old, friendship, marriage, mothers and fathers and children.
Cosby is as good as ever, and comedy fans owe it to themselves to catch one of his shows.
Staff Writer Ed Will can be reached at 303-820-1694 or ewill@denverpost.com.
