My wife and I recently went to see the Martin Lawrence comedy show. Performing with him on this show were comedians Chico Bean and Ms. Pat. It’s been a few years since we have attended a live comedy show. I love comedy and really enjoy supporting live comedy. The show overall was good, there weren’t a lot of the “side-splitting” laughing moments, but the show did provide a few chuckles.

The opening act, Chico Bean, was funny. He was able to blend his style of humor with things about the local area that would resonate with the audience. I would rate his performance a B+. Ms. Pat on the other hand was a different story. Prior to her coming on stage, the people who were sitting near me were singing praises about her comic genius. I’m sorry to have to say, at least on this night, her comedy just felt flat. She had a couple of humorous moments early on that made you smile, but those moments were few and far between. Towards the end of her set, I felt things went “south” quickly. For some reason, that I wasn’t aware of, she started berating a gentleman who was sitting on the front row. I don’t know if he said something or if it was part of the act, but nothing about the interaction was funny. Her attack just seemed “nasty”. She tried to clean it up a little before she left stage, but the damage at least for me had been done. It was not a good look for the show and put a slight damper on what was supposed to be a night of fun. I would give Ms. Pat’s performance D.

After about 90 minutes the one we came to see, whose name was on the ticket, finally took the stage. Right before he came out, we were treated to a montage of his earlier work on the video screens. He came out and the crowd in attendance went wild giving him a well-deserved standing ovation for all his career accomplishments. Martin, or Marty Mar to some of us, displayed the humor and charm that we have come to expect. His physical movements were slower, and he was quick to dispel the rumors that he may have had a stroke. For me he was just showing his age a bit. He was funny and blended many of his past characters in his performance. We got a little Roscoe, Sheneneh, Jerome and Otis to name a few. His performance brought back a lot of fun memories from his sitcom and past on-stage performances. He saved the night for me, and I would give his performance an A-.

Overall, it was a fun night, and I would recommend the show. As his tour continues, he has a variety comedians lined up to be his opening acts. This will keep the show fresh and worth seeing more than once.