You probably know him best as the host of “Deal or No Deal” or as one of four celebrity judges on “America’s Got Talent,” but Howie Mandel’s career started on the stage. As a comedian, Mandel still tours the country regularly, and he pulled into Caesars Windsor for a night of stand-up at The Colosseum on Sunday (July 21).
This is the fourth time he’s graced the stage in Windsor, but he can still pack the place. Although I’m sure some of this was pre-scripted, it appeared rather interactive and improvisational. In his bits, he mostly tackled issues of hygiene, doctor’s visits, and aging, but with the interactive tidbits from the crowd, including some advice from a local doctor, it was fresh, spontaneous, and quite funny.
Before Howie came out, the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder comedian shared an aged music video of long-passed Lawrence Welk Orchestra singer Larry Hooper singing the 1953 song “Oh Happy Day.” In its original form, it’s a 2-minute piece, but Mandel remixed it to repeat for at least 15 minutes before being rewound and started over again. It’s something he’s been doing for at least 11 years, according to posts on YouTube, but it still gets the crowd going no matter how many times they’ve seen it.
He’s a lovable guy with a silly funny bone and a burning desire to make people laugh.
Dan Savoie519 MagazineJuly 24, 2019
Howie’s success can be attributed to his personality. He’s a lovable guy with a silly funny bone and a burning desire to make people laugh. And if all else fails, all he needs to do is pull out a couple famous voices from his repertoire like Bobby from Bobby’s World or Gizmo from the 1984 movie Gremlins.
Howie’s support act, Adam Christie, was an interesting character and at times very funny. The Toronto-born comedian’s credits include a quick and very memorable stint on the popular CBC television show Schitt’s Creek, but he’s mostly known for his writing on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. His facial and body expressions were vibrant and the highlight of his show.
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