Comedian Louis Ramey gets crazy on stage for Marines, sailors and civilians during a show at Reasoner Hall at Camp Barrett on Jan. 27.
The Single Marine Program sponsored two free comedy shows last week here.
Comedian Louis Ramey performed for military and civilian crowds at The Clubs At Quantico and Reasoner Hall at Camp Barrett on Jan. 27.
Ramey, who first appeared in the early-2000s in a TV special on Comedy Central and later went on to become a finalist on NBC’s ‘‘Last Comic Standing,” brought down both venues with laughter.
At Camp Barrett he quipped that it wasn’t every day he got to perform in a bomb shelter, referring to the inside of Reasoner Hall.
The comedian’s act was marked by relationship humor. He attempted a few jokes about the base, saying Camp Barrett is so isolated it would be easy to hide a few bodies in the area.
‘‘It was awesome,” said Sgt. Blake Brassfield, who attended the show with his wife, Heather. ‘‘I would definitely go to something like this again if the SMP hosted it.”
The program has hosted similar events in the past, featuring lesser known comedians, at the officer and enlisted clubs. The idea grew by popular demand.
‘‘I’ve never really been to any [SMP events] before,” said Heather. ‘‘But Louis Ramey was going to be here, and we’d seen him on TV. He was hilarious.”
Ramey is not a stranger to military audiences. His experience showed in his ability to connect with the crowd.
‘‘I do a lot of college shows, and those audiences are around the same age,” said Ramey. ‘‘They’re about the same. They just drag their butts in here, and they all look like they’re too cool to laugh at first, and 10 minutes into it they’re enjoying it.”
After a few early run-ins, he perfected his act in front of service members.
‘‘The words are the hardest part of doing a show on a military base,” he said. ‘‘You don’t want to say ‘hat’ instead of ‘cover’ or ‘gun’instead of ‘rifle.’”
Words and titles are so unique to Marine Corps culture that they leave the uninitiated plenty of room for error. Ramey’s worst faux pas was at a show at Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he addressed an audience of Marinesas soldiers.
‘‘You say, ‘Hey, how are you soldiers doing?’ and then you end up with a crowd going, ‘Boo!’” said Ramey. ‘‘And you’re like, ‘Why are they booing? I don’t know why.’ It’s the words.”
Marines prove to be a tough crowd, even for the most seasoned entertainers.
‘‘As a comic, you have to appear bullet-proof at all times,” said Ramey. ‘‘When a crowd boos, you have to move on, because if you don’t, you show a little weakness and they lose a little respect for you.”
For additional information on upcoming SMP events, visit http:⁄⁄www.quantico.usmc-mccs.org⁄SMP⁄Single_Marine_Program.htm or call 703-432-0363.
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