A night of stand-up comedy had the Cat in the Cream rolling with laughter on Friday night.

Five performers and their emcee received a standing ovation from no fewer than 100 enthusiastic listeners. The evening featured a diverse variety of topics, including trying to look cool while standing in line for the bathroom at the Feve, attending to patients on PCP and working as an emergency medical technician. The show even poked fun at the United States military’s blundering search for Osama bin Laden.

The show brilliantly connected Oberlin-specific humor to international political quandaries.

“There is nothing more hipster than knowing some [stuff] that nobody else knows. So, nothing could be more hipster than knowing the secret location of Osama bin Laden’s hideout,” said senior Sam George.

Oberlin’s new “Fearless” recruiting campaign also came under constant fire.

Junior Mike McGee claimed that the former slogan, “Think one person can change the world? So do we,” had inspired his “hippie sensibilities.”

George noted that the administration’s decision was based on the observation that the Fearless campaign was the most well-received idea by high school seniors. Claiming that Oberlin should represent the opinions of its students and faculty, George asked, “Since when do we let the opinions of high school students dictate Oberlin policy? Pretty soon we’ll have [American Top 40 host] Ryan Seacrest teaching history. ‘Today we’re counting down the top ten revolutions in history!’”

Senior Paul Gibson opened the night, successfully performing the difficult task of breaking the ice.

Senior Paul McKenney’s piece, by far the longest of the night, received fits of laughter at every turn.

“I always knew I was different,” he explained, “but until I came out of the closet, I just assumed I was retarded.”

The Cat show was every performer’s first stand-up appearance.

Senior emcee Quentin Jones admitted as much, telling the audience that organizer and promoter George had to convince him to play the part of emcee over drinks at the Feve. He couldn’t back down from the gig the next day, however, because George had already coated campus with fliers announcing the show with Jones as the emcee.

Senior Josh Raskin also voiced his initial hesitation, but had a change of heart. “Honestly, I had a blast. I’m just glad I could turn all those awkward sex moments in my life into making people laugh,” said Raskin.

The audience’s reaction seemed overwhelmingly positive and most left the Cat with a smile as wide as a grand piano.

Asked if stand-up comedy will happen again in the future, George said, “I’ve got the venue for three Mondays in April.”

Stand-up comedy has never been a recurring attraction at Oberlin, but the show seems to have ignited interest within the student body. I heard at least one person approach George after the show, informing him that she would like to be in the next show. For the time being, Oberlin has six new stars of stand-up comedy: Eddie Murphy, watch your back!