Amy Schumer opens her first HBO special by noting “this has been an insane year for me.”
It’s true, 2015 saw her pick up an Emmy nomination for her sketch comedy series, score a box office and critical hit with which she wrote and starred in, lead a national standup tour in support of the movie, and generally win notice for being the most “of the moment” comedic voice on the scene.
Her ascent has been amazingly rapid and politically tinged: at the moment, she is the best spokesperson for an edgy next-wave feminism. It’s often dominated by frank, raunchy sex talk. But she has serious reasons for pushing the graphic anatomical and orgasmic observations.
In the HBO hour, “Live at the Apollo,” debuting Oct. 17, she tackles her reputation as a “sex comic” directly. It’s different for men in the business, she says. “If a male comedian came onstage holding his penis, people would call him ‘a thinker.’ “
After a particularly crass bit, she finds the humanity in the situation, a trick which applies to her material overall. “I’m just reminding you that we’re all disgusting,” she says.
The hour, directed by Chris Rock, further cements her status as an all-medium power player.
By turns coy, insecure, dramatic and challenging, Schumer has the flexibility to make her conversation both intimate and grandstanding. Whether pondering the mysteries of skinny women in Los Angeles or her own urinary tract infection, she laces her observations with bad-girl zings.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or @ostrowdp
