Aziz Ansari, comedian and star of NBC’s critically acclaimed Parks and Recreation, will headline this fall’s Homecoming Comedy Show, Student Entertainment Events announced yesterday.
Ansari, who starred in this summer’s 30 Minutes or Less and hosted the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, will perform in Cole Field House on Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.
SEE board members said they were thrilled to secure Ansari as this year’s lead performer.
“We’re really excited we were able to get [Ansari] for our comedy show this year,” said Liz Blackwood, SEE’s public relations director. “He’s definitely a rising star in the comedy industry, and so far response has been very positive.”
Eric Feldman, SEE’s director of comedy, said student polls have consistently positioned Ansari as one of students’ top choices for the annual comedy show, which motivated SEE members to find a way to bring him to this university.
Although SEE’s initial bid to host Ansari was denied when it could not meet his asking price, other student groups chipped in to bring the coveted star to the campus; Blackwood declined to comment on the final cost. Ansari will be supplying his own opening act, who has not yet been disclosed, Blackwood said.
Even though SEE was prepared to bring in another performer — B.J. Novak and Craig Robinson of The Office were among the possibilities — the organization found out an hour before its June 2 deadline that Ansari would be paying this university’s students a visit.
“I was really not looking forward to having to find another performer, because he was the person people wanted to see,” Feldman said.
Feldman said SEE hopes to sell 10,000 tickets to the comedy show this year — 4,000 more than were sold for Dimitri Martin last year and 2,000 more than for Russell Peters in 2009. Feldman said he’s confident SEE can sell out the venue based on student response to yesterday’s announcement.
Many students said they will buy tickets to the comedy show because of Ansari’s widely acclaimed roles on television and in movies. Ansari plays Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation, which will begin its fourth season later this month.
“I watch Parks and Recreation religiously, and Aziz is by far the funniest on the show,” said freshman marketing major Ross Aroyo. “I can’t wait to see him; he’s hilarious.”
Others said they are excited to see a comedian whose name they recognize, unlike others who have performed in the annual show in recent years.
“I like that it’s someone I’ve heard of,” said senior musical engineering major Rachel Lader. “I feel like in the past few years I haven’t heard of the performers, but Parks and Recreation is a popular show so I’ll definitely be there.”
Although SEE hasn’t always seen enthusiastic student response to the performers it books — the organization was criticized for bringing Nelly, who many deemed an outdated artist, to headline last year’s Art Attack show in Byrd Stadium — Feldman said he’s grateful most people on the campus are excited for this year’s show.
“We definitely had a few bumps along the way,” he said. “But I’m just happy it worked out.”
israel at umdbk dot com
