Laughter rippled across Northwestern’s McCormick Auditorium as Jeff Garlin, co-star of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” cracked jokes and even talked to his mom on the phone.
Garlin performed stand-up comedy for an audience of more than 100 people in Norris University Center on Wednesday night. Although largely attended by students, the event, “Northwestern Hillel Presents: An Evening with Jeff Garlin,” was also open to faculty and staff members.
College students can connect with Garlin’s sense of humor, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is popular among NU students, said Weinberg senior Josh Bernick, a member of the Hillel Speakers Committee.
“We thought that ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ which is kind of what he’s most known for, was a very culturally-relevant college show,” Bernick said. “We thought that he’d be a crowd-bringer.”
Garlin said he doesn’t have “an act” and typically enjoys improvising.
“I just rely on being funny,” he said jokingly.
Garlin’s stand-up lasted for about 30 minutes, and he answered audience questions for more than 40 minutes. In addition to talking to his mom, later during the question-and-answer session, Garlin conversed with Communication senior Alex Raynor’s father, a “Curb” fan, via phone as well. Raynor said her father had called her several times during the show, and she asked Garlin if he would talk with him.
“It was a cool situation that I never thought would happen,” Raynor, a Daily staffer, said.
Garlin answered many questions about “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” including ones regarding his background with co-star Larry David, his favorite episode and plans for the show.
After an audience member asked if Garlin thought “Curb” was popular because of, or in spite of, its references to Judaism, Garlin said, “I think it’s kind of fun for Jews because it is uniquely Jewish.”
McCormick senior Jonathan Miller, who attended the event, said he liked how Garlin improvised.
“He’s good at keeping people just entertained and engaged without a set script,” Miller said.
Garlin, who is an executive producer for “Curb” as well as a co-star, used to be a member of sketch comedy group “The Second City” in Chicago. His voice was featured in “Toy Story 3” and “WALL-E.”
NU student sketch and improvisational comedy group Mee-Ow opened the event, and comedian Mat Edgar performed before Garlin.
Hillel features a speaker every year, but Wednesday’s format deviated from the on-stage interview and audience question-and-answer structure used in the past, said Lauren Printz, Communication senior and president of the Hillel Speakers Committee.
The annual event helps Hillel reach out to NU, Bernick said.
“We can get Hillel’s brand name out there and show that Hillel isn’t necessarily just a Jewish outlet on campus, but it also interacts with the whole school,” he said.
