DAVE CHAPPELLE
The Carolina Theatre, Durham
Dave Chappelle, arguably America’s most topical and controversial comedian, has announced a three-night stand next month at The Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham.
Chappelle will appear at the venue for weekend performances on December 7 and 8, followed by a Tuesday night performance on December 10.
Tickets, ranging in price from $79.50 to $99.50, go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this morning, but news about the comedian’s impending appearance in the Bull City has lit up the phone lines at The Carolina Theatre box office.
“Pretty much all day has been spent answering questions about tickets,” a Carolina Theatre spokesperson said yesterday.
Chappelle has been doing stand-comedy since he was fourteen. After graduating from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., he moved to New York City, where he became “that guy” on the stand-up comedy circuit.
Chappelle catapulted into the national consciousness in 2003, with his televised sketch-comedy show and its brand of racial humor, which was a source of discomfort for the faint at heart.
Notable excerpts from the show include “The First Black Man to Use a White Toilet,” “Dave Gets Oprah Pregnant,” “Negrodamus,” “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories,” “R Kelly Pee on You,” and “Tupac Is Still Alive.”
(Of course he is.)
Chappelle’s Show ended after a third season that featured “The Lost Episodes.” Chappelle’s decision to leave the show after he was offered a reported $50 million contract created buzz from Hollywood to the ‘hood.
Word was that Chappelle jetted from the Comedy Central series and millions in cash because the producers wanted him to wear a dress, à la Tyler Perry’s Medea character.
Chappelle resurfaced in South Africa, where he released a statement:
“Coming to here [South Africa], I don’t have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I’m interested in the kind of person I’ve got to become. I want to be well-rounded, and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced. I’ve got to check my intentions, man.”
Chappelle returned to stand-up and notched a quartet of Netflix performances on his belt, won a couple of Grammys, and won an Emmy.
When he received the Mark Twain Prize in October, Chappelle told the audience why he loves his art form.
“Every practitioner of my art form, whether I agree with them or not … They’ve got to be heard. They got something to say,” he said.
tmcdonald@indyweek.com