Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central · 2000 · 25 min
A former accountant delivers tightly constructed observations on family and religion.
René Hicks leans into her strict Pentecostal upbringing and pitches racially sensitive snack foods in her 2000 half-hour set. A former accountant who quit her day job after a successful open mic dare, Hicks performs with the steady, practiced cadence of a road comic who knows exactly how to read a room. Her material is tightly constructed, relying on quiet tension and sharp setups rather than frantic energy.
The television set tackles her homophobic grandfather, breastfeeding on a jumbotron, and practical advice for gang members. She jokes about the realities of family reunions, observing that they are the time you face your family tree and realize a few branches need cutting. By the time she compares her strict, pop-culture-free childhood to being a lightbulb and a car away from the Amish, Hicks demonstrates the pacing that made her a dominant act on the college comedy circuit.
The set list
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Trips to England, Mississippi, and visiting her homophobic grandfather
Recounts travel experiences and overcoming her family's dysfunction.
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Plans for racially-sensitive snack food
Proposes culturally conscious snack food ideas.
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Breastfeeding on a jumbotron
Reflects humorously on an incident involving public exposure on an arena screen.
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Advice and tips for gang members
Offers humorous guidance and commentary directed at gang members.
How it plays
- Tone
- Intelligent, realistic, and socially conscious.
- On stage
- Dubbed the 'Nubian Powerhouse' and recognized as a comic with a social conscience practicing 'comedy activism' with intelligent, universally appealing humor.
- About
- family dysfunction, travel stories, race and racially-sensitive snack food, parenting, gang members, homophobia
Backstory
Aired as part of Comedy Central Presents, a half-hour showcase series highlighting up-and-coming stand-up comedians.
Details
- Released
- Runtime
- 25 min
- Where
- Comedy Central
- Director
- Paul Miller
- Topics
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