Do you remember that point in the Shakespeare tragedy King Lear where you know that the King has truly gone insane because the Fool is making all the sense in the world? Well it seems that, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, this is the chapter that America has reached today.

Recently I have found myself reading far more accurate and inspiring political commentary from the likes of Sarah Silverman, Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert than I have from the country’s duly elected officials… and Dave Chappelle just took that baton and ran!

I have been hesitant to watch the comedy shows that clowns have been screening live without an audience during this pandemic. For me great stand-up comedy is all about the atmosphere. You can see a clown get charged off an audience as if they are building up to a Ka-me-ha-me-ha (or, for non Dragon Ball fans, a knock-out climax). It’s electric, and I struggle to imagine stand-up without it.

That being said, I was coming round to the idea. Laughter is like a drug and I was craving a fix, so when I heard that Dave Chappelle was planning to drop a live Netflix special with the title ‘8:46’ I knew that we had to be front and centre.

The special is filmed outside on private land in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Unlike the other shows I mentioned there is an audience but all of them are wearing masks and each set of chairs is arranged according to strict social distancing guidelines. The stage appears to be a sort of  bandstand which is tastefully styled and offers the simple raised platform our clown needs.

Our clown is dressed in all-black casual wear and has a notebook with him which instantly reminds you that this is not material that he has spent months crafting – this set will be reactionary and from the heart.

Early on in the set Dave tells a story of experiencing the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 first hand. It’s the closest he believes he has come to death, the most terrifying moment of his life… and it lasted just 35 seconds. The conclusion to this anecdote is obvious – can you honestly imagine how it must feel to know that you are going to die for 8 minutes and 46 seconds?

I don’t want to review this show’s content in detail because I want to invite you to watch it. I must warn you that it isn’t exactly belly laughs throughout – but it is raw, poignant, powerful and it deserves half an hour of your time 

If you would like to find out more about how you can support the Equal Justice Initiative visit: support.eji.org/chappelle

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@Yellow Springs, Ohio