Binghamton University welcomed Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker at the Osterhout Concert Theater on Thursday, March 16, for the Student Association Programming Board’s (SAPB) annual comedy show. The two received major laughs from the audience as they discussed a variety of topics ranging from the meaning of life to what Colin Jost smells like.
The two comedians are relatively new to “Saturday Night Live,” with their most notable contributions being their segments on Weekend Update where they tell anecdotes about their life or their opinions on certain topics. Prior to “Saturday Night Live,” Longfellow was featured in the “Netflix is a Joke” Festival, and Walker was a writer for the animated series “Big Mouth” and Freeform’s “Everything’s Trash.”
Victoria Manfredi, SAPB Comedy Chair and a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, described how the show came to be.
“I discovered [Longfellow] and [Walker] when they debuted on ‘Saturday Night Live’ this season and thought they were hilarious and would be a great act to bring to campus,” Manfredi wrote in an email. “I think bringing comedy to campus is important to give people a chance to experience a type of show they might not have seen before.”
Manfredi introduced the show and apologized for the late delay as the two comedians were stuck in traffic. Despite the delay, the audience warmly welcomed them as they came on stage and acknowledged the mishap.
The show began with a coin toss to decide whether Longfellow or Walker would start, which resulted in Longfellow reluctantly going first. His deadpan and muted comedic style were reminiscent of the late “Saturday Night Live” alum Norm Macdonald, whom he later mentioned was a source of inspiration for him. His jokes revolved around stories from his childhood and his time at Arizona State University. The most notable part of his set was his discussion of his relationship with his stepfather, Terry, whom he’s also mentioned on Weekend Update and other stand-ups online.
Longfellow also interacted with the audience by inquiring about BU’s most interesting aspects, also talking about his own school experience. He half-jokingly said he went to Arizona State University because it had a 99.8 percent acceptance rate and was basically his only option since he was never very school-oriented.
“I thought the Great Depression was a magician until I was like 15,” Longfellow said.
Walker’s comedic style greatly contrasted with Longfellow’s by being more upbeat and animated. He began his set by facetiously becoming emotional about how many people say he looks like Pete Davidson, and also talking about his relationship with his father. The latter topic often fell short in terms of comedy due to its bittersweet nature, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
He also expressed his feelings about Justin Bieber’s ability to “successfully” appropriate every culture, and asked the audience a variety of questions — ranging from students’ majors to how much people love their fathers. Toward the end of his set, he decided to proclaim something that he felt college students need to hear but no one will say.
“Some of you are supposed to be carpenters,” Walker said. “Some of you are supposed to be fitness instructors. Just drop out of school!”
Both comedians in different instances shouted for the student journalist to reveal themselves and then went on to read previous articles from other school newspapers about their performance. Based on the excerpts they chose, the reviews appeared to be backhanded yet complementary. In this show, however, the reviews seemed predominantly positive.
Audience member Emily Goldberg, a sophomore majoring in psychology, said she and her friends enjoyed the show.
“I don’t really watch [“Saturday Night Live”] so I didn’t know who they were, but my friends asked me to go,” Goldberg said. “I thought they were pretty funny though. I actually laughed at their jokes.”
The show ended with a Q&A with the audience, where the two comedians indulged about what occurs at “Saturday Night Live” and what the auditioning process was like, also offering a demonstration of their Lorne Michaels impressions. The two were asked what the meaning of life was, and Longfellow responded quickly.
“Smoke weed everyday, get bitches, get money,” Longfellow said.
The two ended the show saying they may or may not explore what the bars of Binghamton have to offer, before thanking the audience and saying their goodbyes.