Bill Maher put on a terrific show at the Shubert Theater in New Haven Saturday night, surprising those who only know him as a TV host with a powerhouse stand-up act.
The theater was packed and I only noticed a few walk-outs — during a longish section on religion.
Maher has been traveling the country honing a comedy special that will be broadcast live on HBO next month — his talk-show “Real Time” will also return in February.
Although he started in stand-up, Maher’s three talk-shows — on Comedy Central, ABC and HBO — have overshadowed his comedy career.
It was great to see the smart and funny man unencumbered by guests (and the need to be semi-civil to those with whom he disagrees). Maher was also able to get into sexual issues that would no doubt embarrass and or enrage most TV watchers.
Like a latter day Mort Sahl, Maher had some notes on a music stand that kept the show focused, but it was clear he was working up new material on the spot.
Maher was still able to score laughs at the expense of the last president (he spoke of the global shame Americans felt from 2001 to 2009 with “the star of Toy Story 1 & 2 in the White House”).
He also made a good offer to Lou Dobbs and the other “birthers” who want to see Barack Obama’s U.S. birth certificate — “You show us Sarah Palin’s high school diploma and we’ll show you his birth certificate!”
Maher is a very gutsy comic, displaying his clear anti-religious stance in a potent section of the show where he equated the Xenu origin story from Scientology with the virgin birth of Christianity. You could feel the nervousness in the house when Maher dared to make blasphemy so funny.
Judging by the Shubert show Saturday night, the HBO special next month will be must-see-TV for cable subscribers.
