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Promotional art for Taking You Higher
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Prime Video

Taking You Higher

Cedric the Entertainer

HBO · 2006 · 56 min

Stand-up mixed with live music, impressions, and backup dancers.

Cedric the Entertainer treats his first solo HBO hour less like a typical stand-up routine and more like an old-school Vegas revue. Backed by an eight-piece band and a troupe of dancers he introduces as “the Cedibles,” he breaks up his time at the microphone with singing and choreographed musical numbers. The pageantry fits his persona. He pivots regularly into physical comedy, working through impressions that range from Serena Williams to James Brown.

Filmed at The Wiltern in Los Angeles in 2006, Taking You Higher caught the comic during a busy stretch of mainstream movies and voiceover roles. The production served as a reminder of his stage fundamentals, becoming HBO’s highest-rated comedy broadcast that year. He talks through the politics of the era, referencing gas prices, the War on Terror, and George W. Bush, who he clarifies is “the new president, not the one we like”. When he steps away from current events, he imagines the existence of a gay kangaroo, complains about the logistics of high-end dining, and admits to putting on a Jerry Rice jersey just to watch the wide receiver compete on Dancing with the Stars.

The set list

3 bits

  1. James Brown reality show

    Riffs on how classic icons would fare in modern reality television, breaking into a soulful James Brown performance about looking for a lost remote control.

  2. Countrified relatives

    Poking fun at his country family members, accompanied by a dead-on physical impersonation of walking like a chicken.

  3. Bantering with athletes in the crowd

    Off-the-cuff crowdwork riffing on audience members Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry Rice.

How it plays

Tone
Playful, observational, raunchy, and celebratory.
On stage
An all-around showman ('The Entertainer') blending stand-up with singing, dancing, and physical mimicry despite his 'less-than-lithe physique'.
Pace
Lively and dynamic, integrating live band musical breaks and high-energy choreographed routines.
About
fame, television, rap music, sports, diets, plastic surgery

What the critics said

Received three and a half stars from the New York Post, which praised Cedric's versatile physical comedy, vocal impressions, and ease on stage.

In the room: Enthusiastic theater crowd featuring celebrity attendees including Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry Rice.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, letterboxd.com, tviv.org, tv.apple.com, nypost.com, critifan.com, chron.com, thecomicscomic.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Cedric's first solo HBO comedy special; as Cedric noted, the overwhelming arena touring and box-office success of 'The Original Kings of Comedy' had previously caused him to skip the standard solo HBO special stage of a standup career.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wiltern LG, Los Angeles
Runtime
56 min
Where
HBO
Director
Stan Lathan
Honors
1 award nomination
Topics
Before
Cedric the Entertainer Presents: Starting Lineup (2002)
After
Live from the Ville (2016)

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