Daniel Tosh At The Orpheum Review

Story by Mitch McCann 

| Published Nov 23, 2010

Omaha’s Orpheum Theatre is a majestic, truly awe-inspiring spectacle. Broadway performances often make a point of stopping by The Orpheum between coasts. Even after having been there over a dozen times, I still gawk at it’s vaulted dome ceilings and the grand work of art that is the building

In other words, not the place you’d expect to find a sarcastic 20-something cracking racy jokes, let alone to a full house.

“Have you heard about this morning-after pill? Or as I like to call it ‘Breakfast in Bed’.”

The foil of Daniel Tosh and the Orpheum seems laughable at first, he even poked fun at it, claiming the 50-foot curtains were “too wrinkled” for his taste. As his show progressed, joke after joke, hit after hit, it dawns on you that Tosh belongs here. He may not be as tenured as some comedians, but his talent is undeniable. His brand of stand-up comedy, while somewhat similar, is much more traditional than his hit Comedy Central show “Tosh.0.” Tosh's routine takes a natural rhythm, as if there were no routine at all, he responds and interacts with the audience, all in his own way.

“My girlfriend's Korean for this next joke...”

Openers Jasper Red and Matt Fulchiron, while not showstoppers, were talented enough to keep a packed Orpheum laughing and not twisting in their seats waiting for the big finale. Red shared his musings on everyone’s favorite McDonald’s crew member, Grimace. Fulchiron instead opted to focus more on past relationships and his ex-girlfriends attempts to “legally acquire half his debt” as well as the finer points of getting f**ked up on mini vodka.

“And let’s not pretend that anyone in here likes Nebraska. Have you ever wondered why they’re ‘Stormchasers’? An hour in Omaha and I’m looking for a tornado to take me any place.”

Daniel Tosh offers more than most comedians, his eclectic mix of high-end low-brow jokes, observational comedy, exquisitely random one-liners, and his signature style of, as Tosh explains it, “starting a joke with mass appeal and continuing until only six people have a clue what he’s talking about” all with his merciless delivery allows him to thrive in an industry where being alternative and innovative is necessary to survive.