Ever heard of the male version of Beyoncé? Ron Funches wants you to know it’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. And then he would probably giggle. Funches, an actor, writer and comedian, shared thoughts on “The Rock,” favorite television shows and family members in a stand-up comedy act at the Performing Arts Center Friday, Feb. 10. Associated Students Productions hosted the event. Western student Carly Lant, recent winner of Western’s “Last Comic Standing,” started the show. After she warmed up the audience with some of her own stand-up, Funches took the stage. “[Carly] is awesome and so brave; she goes to school here. If I don’t do well here, I still get to take the check and fly home,” Funches joked. Funches has a regular role on NBC’s “Undateable” and has appeared on Comedy Central’s “@Midnight,” “Kroll Show,” “Drunk History” and others. Funches’ style “sounds the way fresh chocolate chip cookies taste,” according to his website. Though sometimes sporadic, Funches’ stand-up style – a combination of swearing, sophisticated language and stories – worked with the college attendees, junior Riley Brown said. “The fact that [Funches] involves a lot of social media terms and gets the memes, I enjoy that,” Brown said. “It’s really relatable for college students.” Around 100 people attended the act, in which Funches weaved between a variety of topics, like his love of “The Great British Bakeoff.” The contestants participate just for the love of cake, Funches said. “You know it’s British because if a competitor finishes their cake early, they go help the other competitor,” Funches said with a long pause. “That wouldn’t happen in America.” Brown was also interested in Funches’s gaming preferences. “I want to know what kind of video games he’s playing,” Brown said. “He made a few references and you can tell he’s a nerdy guy.” Jeremy Galvez, Brown’s roommate, was left with a question after the performance. “What type of weed does he smoke?” Galvez said, laughing. “Because he does a lot of stoner jokes.” Sophomore Sam Forbes said Funches connected with the crowd. “I’d love to talk to [Funches],” Forbes said. “[It] would be pretty weird, but probably pretty funny. I think we could connect on a personal level.” Upcoming AS Productions events are available on the group’s website.
