Marcello Hernandez, a 28-year-old Cuban-Dominican stand-up comedian, writer and actor, performed at the Ryan Center on Sept. 9.
Hernandez came ready with new content and audience members were asked to lock their phones away to maintain the integrity of his set.
Hernandez is well known for his appearances on the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live”, as well as roles in films such as “Happy Gilmore 2,” “The Improvisor” and “72 Hours.”
He brought two openers: Teddy Winstone and Matt Rich.
Hernandez kicked off the night with a joke about being frequently asked if he “likes” being a comedian. From there, he humorously explored the difference between “fat” and “skinny” kids. He said that chubbier kids tend to be nicer and more polite, while skinny kids act like they are “on crack.” He reflected on his own childhood, characterizing himself as one of those skinny kids before moving into stories about his upbringing in a Cuban-Dominican household.
Hernandez joked about how he then realized figures like Santa Claus, “Spider-Man” and Super Mario were never really calling him. It was only a ploy his mother created to help his behavior. For some reason, Santa Claus and “Spider-Man” having Hispanic accents and ending their calls with, “I love you, Marcello,” never tipped him off.
Much of his set revolved around what his parents allowed him to do, including a humorous take on having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. He shared how his mother convinced him that Child Protective Services had been called on his family because he made up a lie to seem “cool” and avoid getting bullied. He went on believing this story for years.
Being raised in a Cuban-Dominican household meant that mental health issues, like anxiety and ADHD, didn’t exist. Despite his friends taking medication and being the sole reason his teacher believed in ADHD, his parents simply didn’t “believe” in those conditions, which became a recurring theme in his set.
When Hernandez sang his mother’s rap from when he and his sister thought they were depressed, the audience clapped and laughed.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself: my name is your mother, and your grandmother made me leave my country when I was eleven years old,” Hernandez said. “Then I went to school, then I got pregnant. You didn’t ruin my life, but you kind of did. You came out and didn’t even know how to use a spoon… Pick up, drop off, pick up, drop off, pick up, drop off. So if anyone in this family is gonna be depressed… It’s gonna be me.”
Throughout the show, Hernandez effortlessly connected each of his stories, weaving themes about ADHD and cultural values. He used impressions, accents and physical comedy – moving constantly across the stage, dancing and even screaming into the microphone at times.
When asked about favorite moments, first-year student Bella Lewin said she liked when Hernandez yelled.
“He would just scream into the mic,” Lewin said.
Audience members expressed their enthusiasm after the show.
“I wish there had been more people,” first-year student Lacey Boucher said. “It was a good show, but I feel like the turnout could have been better.”
Overall, the show was a hit with the audience; a “solid 9/10 because of his humor, energy, and storytelling,” according to Boucher
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