Hopes were high for headliner Erik Rivera of Thursday’s two-man comedy show event featuring Rivera and opener Vlaadimir Caamano. Billed as “one of New York’s fastest-rising young comedians” on his website biography, Rivera was booked by Union Latina and College Union Board (CUB) to celebrate the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“We wanted to do something pretty big to close out Hispanic Heritage Month, which is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15,” said president of Union Latina Xavier Roque, “We had done a lot of academic events before that and we wanted to do something more social.”
Performing before a crowd eager students, Erik Rivera more than fulfilled the high expectations set for him when he appeared on the Mayo Concert Hall stage. Rivera, a charismatic stage presence with an offbeat charm and natural rapport with the audience, delivered consistent laughs as he told jokes both universal and cultural throughout the night.
“You know what the best part of dating white girls is?” Rivera cracked. “You can translate Marc Anthony songs to him and say you wrote it for them. They have no idea that it wasn’t you. You try to show a Latina girl your poem, and they’re like, ‘Uh-uh, I have that CD.’”
Caamano delivered a similar style of comedy, covering the full comedic spectrum of cultural, sexual, and prop-assisted humor, at one point picking up an imaginary banana and warning of the perils associated with eating one among friends.
Throughout the night, he regaled the audience with stories of failed blind dates, unfortunate run-ins on Facebook and hitchhiking to booty calls.
“Ever hitchhiked to a booty call?” he asked the audience. “I’ll tell you one thing - it’s embarrassing.”
Members of the audience greatly enjoyed the eccentric blend of humor that characterized the night.
“I was very impressed,” said freshman biology major Amanda Costanzo. “Both exceeded my expectations.”
Roque wholeheartedly echoed the sentiment. “I thought he was freaking hilarious. I had seen some of his show online, but i didn’t expect him to be so funny in person. It was great,” he said.
Roque also noted that the show was a great way to close a month dedicated to commemorating the history and achievements of Hispanics.
“We wanted to bring a guest speaker or entertainer to campus and show people a Latino in a career he usually wouldn’t be seen in. I think we did that with this comedy show.”
