Tickets remain for tonight's comedy act

Hammond

By Sarah Szczepanski
Assistant Features Editor

For the first time in four years a major comedian will perform at Purdue.

Darrel Hammond, known for his celebrity impersonations on Saturday Night Live, will perform at 8 p.m. tonight in Loeb Playhouse as a part of the ComedyLab's College Comic Attack Tour.

Hammond is the first major comedian to visit Purdue since Adam Sandler, who also acted on Saturday Night Live, performed on campus four years ago.

So far around 800 tickets have been sold, but there are still more available at the Purdue Box Office.

Jeff Heiliger, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts, is a fan of Hammond’s impressions. His favorite impression is one where Hammond says, "I am bullet-proof" as he is depicting Clinton speaking to the press after the Monica Lewinski scandal. "He’s pretty funny," said Heiliger.

In 1997, Hammond actually did one of his famous Clinton impersonations with the former president at an event where there were several thousand government officials present.

Hammond, who has been doing impressions since he was a child, has received much acclamation for his depictions, and he has performed throughout the country.

Five Purdue students will be opening for Hammond’s performance. After they each do their own stand-up comedy routine, the audience will decide which one of them is the "funniest person on the Purdue campus." The student winner will also receive a trophy and a T-shirt.

In addition to Hammond’s performance, the ComedyLab tour will present an activity village, sponsored by Pontiac Sunfire, College Television Network, Salon Selectives, Coty Rimmel London and the Purdue Student Union Board, in the Memorial Mall, where there will be free samples and different interactive games.

One of the activities of the village is "Hairlarious Highlights Awards," where contestants will talk about their worst "bad hair day." The top 25 winning stories will be posted on the ComedyLab’s Web site, http://www.thecomedylab.com.

Although it was not designed expressly for the Grand Prix, the activity village fits in with it, said Sara Solloway, program director for Purdue Student Union Board.

She said one of the good things about the day is that it offers some alcohol-free alternatives.

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