Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press Dave Chappelle in 2008.A live appearance by Dave Chappelle can be an unpredictable affair, promising either brilliance or petulance, and audiences who saw him perform Thursday night got a little bit of both, when this one-time Comedy Central star halted his standup act in mid-performance and proceeded to run out the clock.
Mr. Chappelle, who in 2005 withdrew from his popular Comedy Central series, “Chappelle’s Show,†amid its runaway success and his concerns about how its provocative racial satire was being received, has been a headliner on the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival, a national tour presented by the Web site Funny Or Die.
At Thursday’s stop at the Comcast Theater in Hartford, Conn., Mr. Chappelle performed about 10 minutes of his set when he became frustrated by audience members who were shouting at him and interrupting his routine.
In video of Mr. Chappelle’s set that was posted to YouTube, he is seen urging his fans to cease the heckling, and finally conceding defeat.
Mr. Chappelle said in the video that he messed up “when I left my show, you know why?â€
“Because,†he continued, “my show only has to be 22 minutes on television. I could have went on television, I could have read the phone book for 22 minutes, and I would have got $50 million.â€
Mr. Chappelle added that his live standup show was different. “Tonight my contract says 25 minutes,†he said. “And I have 3 minutes left.†When that time is up, he added: “ I’m going straight to the bank and doing a night deposit.â€
As the boos and jeers persisted, Mr. Chappelle said, “You’re booing yourself,†to little avail.
As of Friday afternoon, Mr. Chappelle was still scheduled to perform 11 more shows on the Oddball festival between Friday and Sept. 22.
Lesli-ann Lewis, who reviewed Mr. Chappelle’s performance for the Ebony.com Web site, wrote, “Chappelle wasn’t having a meltdown. This was a Black artist shrugging the weight of White consumption, deciding when enough was enough.â€
