A review from the balcony
Comedian Brad Williams
CarolAnn and I went to the Brad Williams show in Fort Worth last night. You know Brad, the famously hilarious dwarf comedian who makes fun of his short stature and the life he lives as a little person. We had decent seats in the center balcony of the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium, but were too far away to enjoy Brad’s facial expressions. Still, he’s a bundle of energy with unique material, and he kept us laughing for the hour-plus that he held the stage
Some might wonder if Brad’s frequent use of the word midget is offensive to other little people. No, it’s not, just as some black comics seem to constantly employ the n-word while I cannot and would not under any circumstances. It’s a cultural thing, and Brad explains it quite reasonably, putting audience concerns at rest. In the process, he even makes loving jokes about his five-year-old daughter, who was born with the same achondroplasia dwarfism as her father. Brad’s wife is considerably taller than both of them.
The show ran for a couple of hours, counting the two opening acts, and we were concurrently entertained by the four people seated directly in front of us: two young women who couldn’t keep their hands off each other except when their male dates on either side smiled at them. The man on the far left had frisky hands with the lady he was with while she surreptitiously played touchy-feely with the girl next to her. The guy on the right end seemed totally oblivious to the subtle hanky panky going on between his three companions. Maybe he was the umpire. I wonder how their evening ended.
When the show was over, we made our way back to the car, talking about Brad and his opening acts, J.B. Ball, and a young woman whose name I didn’t catch because she was on first and I wasn’t taking notes. Also, there were no written programs for me to refer to, and today the search engines are no help.
As you would guess, the opening act in a standup show is somewhat less polished than the feature act and the headliner who would follow. It makes sense, and that was absolutely the case last night. I wish the young woman well, but we didn’t find her particularly funny, and we talked about that later.
I have a background that includes 20-some years of writing, acting, and directing contemporary comedy plays, the stuff of Neil Simon, British farceurs Ray Cooney and John Chapman, for example. I learned a lot about scripted set-ups, performance timing, and delivery. At its finest, it’s an art that feeds off each audience, and a craft that can only be learned over time with long, hard work and keen instincts that can’t be taught. Brad Williams’s timing and delivery are flawless, and so is his material. I mentioned all of that to my wife as we made our way back through the parking lot. She agreed.
CarolAnn made an interesting distinction that had never occurred to me for some reason, and she is dead right: all of the comedians last evening were true to the contemporary comedy template, meaning that there is shock value built into the language and subject matter. It doesn’t offend us, but we both notice a sharp difference between comics that can be “dirty” yet funny and those that are just dirty. As my perceptive wife put it, there is a difference between dirty and vulgar. It’s a line that’s crossed not purely by language and content but more specifically by timing, delivery, and intent that are all a bit off target.
That last one, intent, is a biggie.
Brad Williams’ intent is to inform while entertaining, sharpening each word into a fine point delivered with precise timing. But he also does one other thing that the best comedians always do: he allows us to laugh at things we know we shouldn’t and to be glad of it. He also weaves warmth and wisdom into his nonstop monologue. At 41 and four-feet-four, he is a master.
J.B. Ball is getting there. He’s a black comic who seems to have taken his style from Dave Chappelle's signature way of leaning forward with one foot on a speaker and sprinkling long, purposeful pauses throughout his performance. Chappelle is a great model to have, but I hope Mr. Ball finds his own posture and pacing. Still, his material is solid, and he’s confident in his delivery. He will do well.
I wish I could remember the young woman’s name. I would mention it, I really would, and not in scorn or derision — rather, in hope for her success in honing her craft and sharpening her material. Age will take care of some of it, and the subtlety employed by Brad’s mature understanding of his work can certainly only help as she watches and learns from the wings.
Catch Brad and his friends when they’re in your town. Here’s their 2025 tour schedule.