The actor and stand-up comic makes her way to The Wilbur this weekend as a part of her very first headlining tour
While she fully admits that she’s nervous about making her way to New England during the winter, Yvonne Orji is more than ready to bring the heat to the Theatre District.
Marking her very first headlining gig in Boston, Orji brings her Lagos to Laurel tour to The Wilbur on Friday (February 21). While she’s aware that some of those who are planning to attend may not know what to expect from her material, she’s not too worried about whether or not her jokes and stories will resonate with the audience.
“My humor is very observational,” Orji tells Vanyaland. “I talk a little bit about being a single girl in the city, being a child of immigrants, growing up with strict parents, having the dual lens of being both Nigerian and American and the things I’ve noticed and find funny in those two worlds. I think if you are just a fan of good humor, you will, for sure, get my jokes, and understand how relatable they are.”
With this being her very first headlining stand-up tour, Orji is quick to admit the surreal beauty of the opportunity. With that being said, going out on the road on your own for the first time may seem like a nerve-wracking experience from the outside, but she had one hell of a mentor to help her get ready for it.
In 2017, Orji had the chance to open for Chris Rock a number of times on his Total Blackout tour (unfortunately, not the Boston dates), and it was not only the offstage advice and encouragement he gave her that brought her to seeing the stand-up legend as her “big brother in comedy,” but also seeing a master in action helped Orji prepare for this milestone, in terms of her onstage performance. Seeing a genius like Rock at work only inspired her to do better, as it should for anyone, as well as showed her how to always put on a show she can be proud of.
That influence runs heavily through Orji’s comedy, as she looks to not only make the crowd laugh, of course, but to also make them feel like a part of the show.
“I love audience interaction, and getting down and getting to know the crowd,” says Orji. “One of my favorite parts of doing shows is meeting these people, and doing callbacks throughout the set, because it keeps the audience engaged and helps them feel like they’re a part of the show. My shows never leave you feeling uncomfortable where you think I’m picking on you. Even if you’re going to be a part of the joke, you’re going to be laughing at the same time. I also can’t fight, so if you want to meet in the parking lot, it’s going to be a problem for both of us.”
Orji’s comedic reach gathers fans from many different demographics, from college-aged students and first-generation Nigerian-Americans to fans of her podcast Jesus and Jollof, and her role as Molly on HBO’s Insecure. There’s a lot that Orji is looking forward to as she makes her way to Boston, but above everything, she’s excited to give fans more than just a comedy show. What she has in store is a full-on creative experience.
“A lot of my crowd is first-generation Nigerian, but we also have people who are just fans of stand-up comedy, and even people who didn’t really know that Molly from Insecure was a comedian,” says Orji. “For the people who don’t know what to expect from me, it’s up to me to set the tone for the show and show them that we’re going to have fun. There’s going to be music and dancing, and just a whole lot of fun. It’s more than just a show, it’s an experience.”
YVONNE ORJI :: Friday, February 21 at The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St. in Boston, MA :: 7:30 p.m., $37 :: Event Page :: Advance tickets