A&O Productions announced its spring speaker Wednesday: 19-year-old “rising star” Bo Burnham.
The singing and songwriting YouTube comedian will perform at 7 p.m. on May 16 in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
“He gained a lot of success virally, putting out these really funny songs and videos,” said Sierra Tishgart, A&O co-director for promotions and public relations. “(The videos) were really creative and really energetic and upbeat, and we think his stand-up is the same.”
Michael Ward, a member of A&O’s speakers and special events committee, said Burnham’s style is similar to that of comedian Demetri Martin, who performed at Northwestern last year.
“He doesn’t do one-liners, but it’s more of a musical vibe,” the Weinberg junior said. “He has songs and some stand-up too, but it’s more playing songs on piano and guitar.”
In his popular YouTube hit “New Math,” which has received more than 5 million hits, Burnham jokes about Lance Armstrong and compares sex to quadratic expansion.
Non-YouTube aficionados might recognize Burnham from his performances on Comedy Central’s Stand-Up Showdown, said Tishgart, a Medill sophomore.
“He is the youngest comedian to perform on Comedy Central,” she said. “He has a really extensive fan base, but we also think he’s a rising star. Entertainment Weekly named him one of the rising stars of comedy, so they agree.”
Burnham’s style is different from past performers’ because of the clean quality of his material, said Max Brawer, a member of the A&O speakers and special events committee.
“He rarely has to touch any sort of R-rated subject matter to be funny,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “He’s got a sense of quirk to him. A lot of times the stuff he does tends to be about relevant issues to people this age.”
A&O’s Winter Quarter speaker, comedian Tracy Morgan, was non-musical and featured raunchy stories on controversial topics ranging from Michael Jackson to the earthquake in Haiti. The show sold out in about half an hour.
Choosing a cleaner comedian was not a response to Morgan’s performance, Communication junior Alex Leibowich said.
“It was simply a matter of what we thought the student body would want,” said Leibowich, a member of A&O speakers and special events. “It’ll be cool to see someone performing who is just like us.”
Burnham was one of the most-demanded comedians on campus, according to an A&O poll, and his age may play a role in his appeal, Tishgart said.
“(The audience) should expect a fun, lively, energetic show from a comedian who gets the students,” she said. “We think he has a solid fan base at Northwestern, but for students who aren’t familiar, we hope they give him a chance.”
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday via the online Norris Box Office. The cost is $5 for undergraduates and $10 for graduate students.[email protected]
