On Friday, June 17, comedian Kevin James of “The King of Queens” fame performed his touring stand-up set to a packed audience at the Riverside Theater (116 W. Wisconsin Ave.). James delivered the laughs throughout the show by touching on food allergies, Cinnabon (the sugary topic of choice among heavyset comics like Louis C.K. and Jim Gaffigan), raising his four kids, and getting in shape. He endeared himself to the crowd with his lovable persona, commitment to clean humor, and his inability to comprehend Wisconsin town names.
“These are my kind of people,” James said of the Milwaukee crowd when he came out to a standing ovation. “My big-ass people.” James also engaged with the audience in a discussion about tattoos, though he is ink-free. He found considerable amusement when a 20-year-old in the crowd shouted that he had 10 tattoos, two of which represented the movies Jurassic Park and Lilo & Stitch. “Just remember, man,” James advised, “when you’re 70 years old, you’re gonna be the one who has to explain why he has a Lilo & Stitch tattoo.”
That and other cracks went over well during the 90-minute show by James and his opening act, fellow comedian and older brother Gary Valentine (their real last name is Knipfing).
James has been active in film and television for the last 15 years, though fans might not remember his early career performing stand-up. His well-received Comedy Central special Sweat the Small Stuff premiered back in 2001 during his time on “The King of Queens,” and his film credits include the Paul Blart: Mall Cop franchise and two Grown Ups movies with Adam Sandler.
On top of this year’s tour, James is staying busy with an upcoming action-comedy film The True Memoirs of an International Assassin, which is in post-production. He returns to television this fall on CBS with his new sitcom “Kevin Can Wait.”
