Comedian Hannibal Buress performs live at Brewsky’s Tuesday night for the Hattiesburg community.- Aaron J. Stewart
Hub City Comedy presented comedian and writer Hannibal Buress for a one-hour stand-up comedy routine at Brewsky’s March 3. Three acts preceded Buress and saw a turnout of roughly 200 patrons, with only limited seating available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The headcount was favorable among the comedians. Brandon Phillips, the second of the preceding acts, expressed enthusiasm regarding crowd reactions.
“It was amazing,” Phillips said. “It was great. I’m glad everyone came out and enjoyed it.”
Phillips graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in 2009 and receives regular fanfare during performances in New Orleans. His subsequent performances can be tracked via his Facebook page and Twitter profile.
The event’s reception as a whole was generally positive. Alex Royals, Southern Miss graduate assistant for Union and Programs, said he particularly enjoyed stand-up comedian Brittany Purvis, the final act of the preceding stand-up routines.
Buress was the night’s fourth and final act, ending the show with a comedic musical number, during which an unidentified dancer from the audience improvised a short ballet performance.
The comedian’s subject matter ranged from police encounters to unprofessional babies, and the crowd was highly amiable throughout the routine.
Miriam Featherston, a junior nursing major at Southern Miss, said Buress made the greatest impact on the audience.
“He was good at reading the crowd,” Featherston said. “He knew when to segue and to spin a joke differently when the audience wasn’t receptive. He did it perfectly and delivered his jokes at a rapid-fire speed. If you kept yourself tuned in, the payoff was excellent.”
Over the last several years, Buress has made contributions across the entertainment spectrum, from television writing to voice acting.
His stand-up comedy has been featured on popular late-night television programs such as “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Conan.”
Buress appeared alongside Seth Rogen and Zac Efron in the 2014 comedy feature “Neighbors.” Future films with performances by Buress include “Daddy’s Home,” which will additionally star Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and “Angry Birds,” which is expected to have a 2016 release.
Buress is a series regular on “The Eric Andre Show” and is a contributing voice actor on “Bob’s Burgers.” He is also featured weekly on Comedy Central’s series “Broad City.”
In October 2014, Buress catalyzed a mass controversy concerning Bill Cosby’s rape allegations by mentioning the allegations on stage in Philadelphia.
Cosby’s dubious history was known only to a slight degree among mainstream media, according to news sources; Buress’ statements brought the accusations to widespread attention. On “The Howard Stern Show,” Buress said that he had not intended his statements to go viral.
Buress’ future routines, as well as incoming projects, can be followed via his website, hannibalburess.com, and his Facebook and Twitter accounts.
