It’s not often that you hear about celebrities making their way up to Plymouth. PSU always gets the occasional presidential candidate or New Hampshire congressman. Also, Spring Fling always features an artist of a certain level of status and notoriety for the yearly concert. But, what really shakes up the status quo of PSU visitors is a comedian who has been in a recent, high-grossing comedy film, has been on multiple television programs doing stand-up and opens her show asking if “there are any black people in Plymouth.”
On Tuesday, February 27, comedian Marina Franklin entertained an intimately-sized crowd in Smith Recital Hall within the Silver Center. The event was sponsored by the PSU student organization PACE.
Franklin, a Chicago native who currently resides in New York City, is regularly seen on Comedy Central, and has also been on widely-viewed shows, such as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “CONAN.” She played a small role in Judd Apatow’s 2015 comedy “Trainwreck” (starring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader), and has been doing comedy for years.
Her routine contained varied subject matter. Franklin described nearly every facet of her life, from growing up as an African-American in a white neighborhood, to her hilariously-portrayed sex life, to the eccentric people one runs into on the street while living in New York City.
Franklin’s performance was extremely interactive, which worked phenomenally with the amount of students in attendance. She often asked and answered questions from the crowd. At the show’s end, Franklin even took the opportunity to ask if anyone had questions about the comedy business.
One student asked about political correctness, and how she gauges what will be deemed “alright” for certain audiences. Franklin responded by saying that she does the same act, regardless of where she is. She made a point to express how she stays true to herself, and if others don’t like it or agree with how she performs her routine, it’s alright.
Franklin’s performance certainly seemed to be true to her, and that made it all the more refreshing. You can follow her on Twitter, or visit her website at http://marinafranklin.com/.