Comedian Bill Cosby had the people in the sold-out Landmark Theatre clutching their sides with his stand-up routine Friday night, but his jokes also critiqued American society.

The audience, composed of mostly Syracuse University students, saw and heard Cosby perform his relaxed act sitting on a chair in sweatpants and an SU Orangemen jacket with ‘The Cos’ printed on it.

A headset held a microphone to Cosby’s mouth and two large screens behind the comedian focused on his face so the entire audience could see the facial expressions and body gestures that made him so funny in ‘The Cosby Show.’

Cosby kicked off his sandals less than a minute into the two-hour routine, and proceeded to tell anecdotes about his grandchildren, his wife and his daughter’s college experience.

‘You have to study, to build upon your life,’ Cosby said he told his daughter.

But when her grades suffered in high school, Cosby found himself negotiating with the college about how nice a hospital he would have to build for her to be admitted.

Students say they go to college for independence and to ‘find themselves,’ Cosby said. But after graduation, they return home.

‘So is it possible that the kid had four years to find herself, and never found herself?’ he asked. ‘(She) must not be at school!’

Cosby commented on the drinking and lack of studying on college campuses when he said he confused the students’ vomiting with bellows from a pipe organ at his daughter’s graduation.

He also said not one student from the United States graduated with honors, but, in one of the few times he got out of his chair, Cosby mimicked their excitement, despite having earned only mediocre grades.

Cosby also spoke out against smoking marijuana. A person can get the same high from simply performing the actions, he said.

‘Those of you who smoke-don’t,’ he said.

The audience erupted in laughter at Cosby’s facial expressions as he put his fingers to his mouth, inhaled, held his breath and finally coughed, exhaling.

If you do that 10 times, Cosby said, you’ll even get hungry and start having dumb ideas.

Cosby’s act was formed as a coherent story, said Joey Costa, a sophomore Italian language and international relations major. Cosby used situations from his life, but, especially in the case of Cosby’s daughter at college, was able to relate them to his audience.

‘Even though he’s not our age, he was able to get everyone involved,’ Costa said.

Somebody should teach kids about sex and hygiene, Cosby said, so they don’t end up like him and his friends at age 10: talking about ‘it’ and getting ‘some,’ without really knowing what those words meant.

Cosby, 69, admitted to losing his train of thought several times and joked about his age.

‘People tell me I’m having a senior moment,’ he said. ‘Moment? Some of this lasts four or five days.’

Daniel Elmore, a sophomore architecture student, said he could tell Cosby strayed from his plan at times, but it didn’t matter.

‘He’s naturally funny,’ Elmore said.

Much of the comedian’s routine dealt with his relationship with his wife and family, which he interpreted with a comical rendition of the book of Genesis.

The term ‘woman’ came when Adam saw Eve’s naked body and said, ‘Whoa, man!’ Cosby said.

He then stood and impersonated Eve with her hand on her hip informing Adam of her name.

The comedian’s impersonations of his wife and daughter showed the characters of ‘The Cosby Show’ were inspired by his life, said Jessica Nichols, a freshman entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises student.

Cosby brought his wife into the show via a chess analogy.

‘Chess is not a game of war,’ he said. ‘It is a game of marriage.’

The queen goes all over the board taking all the king’s friends, while the king moves only one square at a time, hiding and cowering, he said.

When Eve ate the apple, Adam could have told her to go ahead because he had other ribs, Cosby said. Instead they decided to hide from God in God’s own garden.

Cosby’s stand-up performance was the largest in UU Comedy history, said Laura Garrison, co-director of UU comedy, before the show.

The event was co-sponsored by UU, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Division of Student Affairs and Pulse.

Four brothers from SU’s Omega Psi Phi chapter performed a step-dance to introduce Cosby, who was a member of the fraternity’s Temple University chapter.

The audience appreciated the truth in Cosby’s humor, said Clarence Cross III, president of University Union.

‘They see that in everyday life,’ he said. ‘But they don’t notice it.’

Published on November 11, 2006 at 12:00 pm