JOEL KIM BOOSTER at JFL42, September 22, 9 pm, at the Rivoli. More shows until September 25. Rating: NNNN
Joel Kim Booster’s popularity should get a big local spike after JFL42.
Last night at the Rivoli, the L.A.-based comic owned the stage as if he had played it dozens of times. He balanced one leg against a speaker, leaned against a wall, even sat on the lip of the stage.
Perhaps he felt at home with all the POCs in the house and in the streets.
“I’ve never been back to Asia,” he said, early on. “But being here feels close.”
Understandably, the queer, Korean-American comic (who grew up in a white adopted family) delivered lots of ethnic-themed material off the top, polling the audience on their various backgrounds, discussing things like fetishizing race and impersonating an earnest, serious audience member wanting to see their specific cultural experience reflected in his material.
That might sound like a lot to unpack, but Booster does it all with a light, casual touch, as if he’s quipping with good friends at brunch.
He’s very skillful about handling the audience. Near the beginning, he singled out two viewers whom he’d intermittently check in with to see how he was doing. He also combined his polished material with newer stuff, rating how well each joke did in a notebook: a smart way to make everyone feel relaxed.
Other subjects included why he’s a cat person, not a dog person his single status and the ethics of bringing children into a world that’s on the verge of dying out. He broadens each joke with audience questions, and his interest in what we think feels genuine, not just used for filler he’s curious about the world, and his perceptions about commenters how long they take to reply, for instance, or the tone of their voice are funny and accurate.
Booster is one of those comics who’s so appealing you just want to spend more time with him. And after hearing his irreverent analysis of the festival’s pre-recorded land acknowledgement followed by a sales pitch for its app, you’ll never be able to listen to it in the same way again.
Kim performs again Monday (September 23), 9 pm, Comedy Bar Main Space, 11 pm, Royal Tuesday (September 24), 7 pm, Rivoli, 11 pm, the Garrison Wednesday (September 25), 11 pm, the Garrison.
