Kevin Smith is no stranger to the one-man stage show, having taken over college auditoriums, iconic theaters such as Red Bank’s Count Basie, even international venues. However, when the man walked onstage last night at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, one of the most famous stages in the world, the crowd knew this was going to be a special moment, and a special evening.
Following a charming introduction by his daughter, Smith triumphantly took to the stage and immediately got up close and personal with it, by literally rolling around and then just taking it all in. The crowd roared with appreciation. Before speaking a word, Kevin revealed he was wearing a New York Yankees jersey under his trademark trench coat, and under that, one for the New Jersey devils. Both shirts were met with a mix of cheers and boos. This is the tough crowd of New York City, after all.
The show, clocking in at around 2 hours and 45 minutes, featured a perfect blend of ingredients that make an evening with the guy so unique. In the opening kickoff, where Kevin usually monologues a bit before turning the crowd mics on, he discussed the monumental occasion and history of Carnegie, as well as confirming the tone for the evening. Since so many of the family and friends he cared about in his life had made the journey to sit in the audience, he felt pressured to deliver material to a crowd that, more than likely, were intimately familiar with many aspects of his life before he even walked through the stage door. A true challenge.
The remaining 2 hours of the evening found a mix of stories old and new. Some questions that were asked led to classic tales being weaved once again, including his encounter with a wall mounted toilet (almost becoming a signature bit) that somehow manages to get better and more vivid every time I hear it. There was also a rarely heard story regarding his experiences acting in “Catch and Release”.
For the most part, the Carnegie show featured quite a few shorter, rapid fire answers, including several “Would you rather” type questions, along with a handful of new extended tales — A detailed recollection of his experiences writing (and seeing published) his piece on hockey for Time Magazine. Some back story on his friendship and first encounter with his pal Malcolm Ingram. When questioned about his dating past, Smith even called back to classic bits such as the story of his first sexual encounter with wife Jen, even going as far back as a high school relationship, a callback to a tale he told to Playboy Magazine over 10 years ago. Freshest of all, a new story from the set of “A Couple of Dicks”, whose crew was in attendance to enjoy.
Still, for this author, the best moments involve those one on one exchanges with the other “star” of the show – the audience. Easily this reviewer’s favorite moments are those unique to each show alone — the encounters with some of the wacky, weird characters who enjoy a few moments in the spotlight as they pose their own queries to Smith. Sometimes, he simply answers. Sometimes, it’s something completely unexpected.
Carnegie organized this in a way never seen before, but that seemed to work quite well. Audience members who wanted to contribute a question did so prior to the show, and then were selected and randomly pulled then escorted to one of 2 mics on the floor, just below stage right and stage left, by staff members. “Can you just follow me around everywhere?”, Kevin quipped to one of the staff, who wore bright yellow shirts that read “Ask Kevin A Question”.
Most audience members had well thought out queries, or at least things original enough to score an answer. Still, a couple took the opportunity to push their own agenda, always leading to wacky, unique moments. One fan fell in love with his own voice and found Kevin dimming the lights and having the spotlight follow him. A local female journalist took a serious tone when asking Kevin for dating tips, only to be led down a lurid path of sexual topics, including the aforementioned dating tale.
It was the very first questioner who was the most memorable – A strange little guy who nervously took to a paper of handwritten notes (including one to remind him to complement Smith’s work before he asked his question). Before it was over, Kevin had brought the kid onstage, sharing with him the feeling of being in front of the Carnegie crowd. It didn’t get quite that crazy for the rest of the evening, but perhaps that was a good thing.
Book-ending the show, the man of the hour left the stage near 11 PM as suddenly as he dove in, with a fantastic off the cuff one-liner too good to repeat here. As the loudest roar of the night filled the space of the auditorium, he was strolling through the stage right door, having done it once again. Kevin Smith had conquered Carnegie Hall.
In keeping with the strong hockey theme that’s been permeating his life lately, Carnegie Hall represents yet another shoot and score for Kevin Smith. He’d taken a crowd and a venue and found the perfect way to put together a show for everyone – friends, family, fans, and first-timers. During the performance, Smith joked that this would be his “first and only” appearance at Carnegie Hall, but I can only hope that this beautiful venue will have him back again someday, for another shot at witnessing a great stage presence taking on one of America’s greatest stages.
Special thanks go out to Ming and Robb for their assistance in getting me in and out of the city in quick order, allowing me to catch a few hours of sleep before having to catch a plane out of the country (hence the delay in this posting). Thanks again, guys. And of course, thanks to Kevin for having me up for the show.
