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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · christophertitustv

Born with a Defect

Christopher Titus

YouTube · 2016 · 1 h 46 min

A cynical stand-up set arguing against the merits of having children.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Instead of treating parenting as a miracle, Christopher Titus spends his seventh self-released special arguing that children are essentially a curse. His core thesis is that humans are the only species born with a design defect: a total lack of survival instinct. While a newborn dolphin immediately knows how to swim, a human baby requires years of constant vigilance just to avoid choking on a Cheerio. To Titus, bringing a newborn home is equivalent to buying an expensive laptop that refuses to turn on and constantly shits itself.

Filmed at the Center Theater in Escondido, California, the performance finds the former sitcom star leaning into the autobiographical storytelling that became his signature after his network television run. Released in late 2016 through his own production company, Combustion Films, the show spent multiple weeks on the Billboard Top Ten Comedy charts. Titus builds a case that childless couples are the actual winners of adulthood. He contrasts the lifetime cost of raising teenagers with buying a Lamborghini, eventually bringing the performance around to a concluding note on why surviving childhood at all is a minor miracle.

The set list

3 bits

  1. Humans being born with a defect compared to animals

    Argues that unlike animals born with programmed survival instincts, human children require constant adult supervision for years just to avoid choking on a Cheerio.

  2. Stopping at two children

    Jokes that he stopped at two kids because his wife's vagina had a guest list he wasn't on.

  3. Respecting your parents

    Brings the narrative around to emphasize the importance of respecting parents despite the chaos of parenthood.

How it plays

Tone
Darkly comedic, sarcastic, confessional, and therapeutic.
On stage
Storyteller with strong stage presence, dark comedic sensibility, and sharp sarcasm.
About
parenting, children, childlessness, dysfunction, mental illness, suicide

What the critics said

Praised for engaging storytelling, strong stage presence, sharp sarcasm, and humorous deconstruction of parenting and staying childless.

In the room: Captivated audience having a good time throughout the extended performance.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, cinetvlocations.com, imdb.com, medialib.net, forbes.com, newsreview.com, leoweekly.com, christophertitus.com.

Backstory

Titus's reflections on raising children, parenting struggles, and personal family dysfunction.

Details

Released
Taped
California Center for the Arts (Center Theater), Escondido
Runtime
1 h 46 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Christopher Titus
Honors
Billboard Top Ten Comedy Chart (4 consecutive weeks)
Topics
Before
The Angry Pursuit of Happiness (2015)

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