   As you enter the Best Western Plus Hotel on O’Donnell Street, the box office window is located to the left. A few feet away from the box office is a flight of the stairs. Those stairs lead you to the gateway of laughter. Managed by Bert Borth, the Baltimore Comedy Factory has an intimate and unique ambiance. The way the tables are set up, it ensures all seating is good seating. They offer a variety of appetizing entrees and exotic mixed drinks.
   By virtue of the curtain opening, it was time for the comedic act to begin. The show got off to a great start, courtesy of some local flavor. Meshelle “The Indie-Mom of Comedy” was first up on stage. She took the temperature of the room by gauging what side of the room was ready to participate and be entertained. When a particular side of the room responded to her jokes, she acknowledged them. If a section of the room didn’t connect to one of her jokes, Meshelle immediately made note of it. Like a true emcee, the Baltimore native gained control of the entire crowd as she dove into the meat of her comedic performance. Meshelle focused on the challenges of being married to the same man for 19 years. She also detailed how the challenges are intensified when you add three kids to the mix. “I refuse to look like the wife, my goal is to look like the girlfriend,” Meshelle jokingly says.
   As she put the finishing touches on her performance, we were officially moments away from being entertained by the late night king. As the first Black late night talk show host, Arsenio Hall reigned supreme from 1989-1994.
He starred in the cult classic Coming to America alongside Eddie Murphy in 1988 and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990. In 2012, he was the winner of reality show Celebrity Apprentice. Now, we were seconds away from him taking the stage. Arsenio Hall was welcomed to the stage with a buzzing roar from the crowd. He started his routine by paying homage to his opening act. “Give it up for Meshelle. You know a lot of comedians try to find a opening act that ain’t s_ _ _. I chose her because she’s a great comedian and she keeps me sharp,” Hall admitted.
   The iconic talk show host started his star filled stand-up routine by mentioning how Roseanne Barr tried to blame her racist tweet on a sleeping aid known as Ambien. Arsenio has a smooth and subtle delivery which affords him the opportunity to talk about controversial subjects. He shared how he found out O.J. Simpson doesn’t like him and how he’s now afraid to do stand-up work in Las Vegas. The Simpson jokes continued as Hall insisted O.J. was no longer Orange Juice and we should now refer to him as Prune Juice. “I actually saw O.J. in a restaurant. Everywhere O.J. goes, he commands attention. Everybody in the restaurant was looking at O.J. One thing about O.J. is he knows how to get the attention off of him. O.J. looked up and started waving that steak knife, and the attention quickly went away,” Hall said. The joke produced a burst of laughter from the crowd.
   Arsenio then turned the focus to his comedic idol. He talked about his comedy hero advising him not to curse during his stand-up routine. With a big smile on his face, Hall revealed Bill Cosby was the person he idolized. Arsenio enlightened the audience as he spoke on Hollywood already knowing about Bill Cosby and his antics. He also shared a Bill Cosby story in reference to Cosby attempting to drug model Beverly Johnson, but the pills didn’t put her to sleep. Moving on, he spoke of his experience on Celebrity Apprentice. Hall revealed how Donald Trump liked him then, but he doesn’t like him now. “When I first met Donald Trump I thought we would be able to get along. Then I had lunch with him and I knew I might have trust issues. You can’t trust a man who eats chicken wings with a knife and fork,” Hall stated. Arsenio Hall was the eventual winner of the 2012 Celebrity Apprentice, but it didn’t occur without him having a bit of doubt. His biggest worry from a competition standpoint was former American Idol Clay Aiken. From a social standpoint, his biggest threat was Aubrey O’Day of the group Danity Kane. Hall said, “Aubrey was a concern for me because at night we use to see her sneaking out of the hotel with Donald Trump Jr.” Arsenio Hall tapped into how being out of the public eye can lead to mistaken identity. During his travels, Hall has been mistaken for Wesley Snipes, and his least favorite comparison, Dennis Rodman. As a big sports fan, the Cleveland native couldn’t resist indulging into the football issue. He confessed to having a love-hate relationship with the city of Baltimore. “For those of you too young to remember, the Baltimore Ravens use to be the old Cleveland Browns. Y’all stole our football team!” Hall shouted.
   After an 18 year absence from stand-up, Hall verbalized the fact he’s in love with stand-up comedy again. His words proved to be true as his performance was energetic and fluid. His show also included a major announcement. It’s been 30 years since the original, but Coming To America 2 is in the works. Kenya Barris, the writer from the TV show Black-ish and the movie Girls Trip, is on board with the sequel. With a re-energized passion for stand-up and an iconic sequel in the works, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Arsenio Hall.
-Urban Fiction Author Vince D’Writer
Vince D’Writer was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Purdue University. While working as a Sports Recruiter, Vince D’Writer wrote a how to guide that explain the recruiting process in reference to obtain an athletic scholarship. Developing a passion for writing, Vince D’Writer transitioned to urban fiction.
Web:Â www.amazon.com/author/vincedwriter
Instagram: @veedwriter
Vince D’Writer was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Purdue University. While working as a Sports Recruiter, Vince D’Writer wrote a how to guide that explain the recruiting process in reference to obtain an athletic scholarship. Developing a passion for writing, Vince D’Writer transitioned to urban fiction.
Web:Â www.amazon.com/author/vincedwriter
Instagram: @veedwriter
