Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust

Watching this reminds me of tracking young artists in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area (DFW) years ago. Yes, I'm aware that the real action was happening elsewhere (like Austin); don't lord it over me. But it'll suffice to make my point.

Checking in with talented folks (wherever you may be) should be like this: It should be possible to see the performers mutate, morph, and transform--every show should be different.

A Speck of Dust felt like this. Sarah's still Sarah... but she's changing. And that's so welcome and refreshing to see. She's taking her time... it's like she's becoming more "folksy"... like a (only slightly) edgier Garrison Keillor--side note: People who actually tuned in Keillor know how truly edgy he could be!

Anyway: In this show, Sarah's a standing, gesticulating, slow-turning comic kaleidoscope! Loved her stories; touched by her occasional insights; in awe of her moxie.

Check it out.

I usually avoid Sarah Silverman. I appreciate her as comic most of the time, but I just don't agree with her opinions. This was Sarah at her best. I laughed out loud, cringed slightly at her mostly-toned-down crudeness, and she didn't upset me with her opinions once. But the part I enjoyed the most was the credits. Here, I think we saw the real Sarah Silverman and I found her to be a delightful, warm-hearted, intrinsically funny and wise lady.

I'm a fan of Sarah Silverman. She's funny, knows how to make jokes about herself or/and her backgrounds, and she's not afraid of making fun of delicate subjects. I wouldn't say this was her best show but to me it was funny enough to be entertained and that's the only thing I want when watching a stand-up comedian. I'm not a big fan of the pausing she does alot. It looks too much like she's thinking about her lines and so it doesn't seem very natural to me. A little pause everynow and then is fine, to make a point, but with her it sometimes looks too forced and she doesn't need that. For the rest I think she has a good stage presence. Maybe she's not in my top of stand-up comedians but I still enjoy watching her.

Sarah Silverman delivers a compelling, funny routine which closes with her personal medical emergency. First, she starts off the show with metal detectors and death threat. While the audience laughed heartily, I felt a little discombobulated. It's the times we live in and that particular issue is hard to laugh at. Although if I was in the audience, the laughing could be quite cathartic. Anyways, she quickly moves on. With complaining Jew and laser hair removal, the routine builds up well. There is good flow and consistent laughs. Of course, there is plenty of abortion jokes amid the present political climate. At one point, she asks for any religious audience members and only one Lutheran volunteered. The medical emergency is quite funny and there is a fun video proof of its reality to close out the special. In the end, this is standard Silverman comedy with her deadpan delivery and outrageous material. It is a solid one hour show.

This was pretty much word for word the same as the show I saw. It was great the second time too! I don't get the negative reviews from Silverman's fans. There is still vulgarity. Maybe not enough for them? Maybe there is too much social commentary in the jokes. I think she is going in the right direction.