Students laugh it up for charity stand up comedy

As a homeless man lay huddled over a warm vent outside Irvine Auditorium last night, the people inside laughed. But they weren't laughing at him -- they were laughing for him. About 450 people crowded into Irvine to watch two comedians perform for more than two hours -- all in the name of supporting the homeless. The fourth annual Stand-Up Against Homelessness show was sponsored by the Tau Epsilon Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities, the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the University's Central Development Office. The event started with comedian Jeff Lifschultz, who has previously appeared on A&E;'s Caroline's Comedy Hour and MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour. Lifschultz began by joking about Irvine -- "Look at that organ! You guys have Mass in here or something like that?" -- and his past -- "I went to Boston University, and you can see what a great job placement service they have." Lifschultz's wry and sometimes raunchy humor kept the audience laughing for almost 45 minutes. In an interview before the show, Lifschultz said he would "stay away from marriage and that kind of stuff" in his routine and talk more about "growing up," since it was a young audience. Accordingly, students related well to his stories of summer camp, Valentine's Day and blind dates. One of his blind dates, he said, "looked like Dr. Ruth -- but not as tall and pretty." Lifschultz was followed by headliner Dave Chappelle, who has been seen on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and in Mel Brooks' recent movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Chappelle joked about everything from Southern fried chicken to fire alarms and reproductive organs. "Our balls are weather-sensitive," he explained to the women in the audience. "You don't even have to listen to the weatherman -- just put your nuts on the window sill." He then told the women that "women's bodies are too complicated -- you guys have too many?places." Chappelle was also a bit vulgar at times, but he focused more on social problems -- most notably, racism. He complained of the tough time blacks have catching cabs, and about the lack of black superheros. "I would love to see Batman in the Projects," he said. He went on to say that his favorite childhood super hero was the Incredible Hulk. "I figured, 'he's green and I'm black -- fuck it, it's close enough,'" Chappelle said, to the roar of the crowd. Both comedians said they were happy to perform for a good cause. "These things are important," Chappelle said after the show. "That's the best thing -- to use your talent to the benefit of someone besides yourself." The comics also noted that a college student audience is much different from the typical night club crowd. "[Students] are usually sober -- in a night club people are drinking and eating," Lifschultz said. "Here's they're in a beautiful theater, and they're educated -- hipper [and] smarter." Organizers of the show were also happy, after spending more than three months preparing for it. "It was a great turnout," said Wharton junior and TEP brother Andrew Mathias. "We're really pleased with the way the show went." Mathias said the event raised more than $6,000 for the Philadelphia Health Care for the Homeless Program, an organization which sends nurses, doctors and social workers onto the street to help homeless people.