Katt Williams

Perhaps the most successful proudly permed male comedian ever, Katt Williams generally looks like a pimp. He wears nice suits accented by bling, and he's frequently gnawing a cigar. That illusion vanishes the second he opens his mouth. Williams's voice is a jagged, shrill noise that drops jokes about contemporary American culture. His standup draws comparisons to Richard Pryor for its shared understanding of society and its knack for ruthlessly shredding it. His material covers topics as wide as the lapels on his suits, and the word "standup" doesn't really do justice to Williams's high-energy, flailing stage presence. He bounces around, quipping about drugs, race, and the time he was shot. The style works for him; in 2007 he was the second-highest grossing comedian in the nation. Earlier this month he shared some of that wealth during a show at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles when he handed $100 bills to everybody in the audience. Williams's star also continues to rise away from the standup circuit. He hosted the inaugural BET Hip Hop Awards and appeared in Norbit with Eddie Murphy, the Christmas hit Perfect Holiday, and most recently the comedy First Sunday alongside Tracey Morgan and Ice Cube.
Feb. 28-29, 7:30 p.m., 2008