The PIT Chapel Hill is hosting a Comedy Central-style roast of the X-Men characters put on by local comedy group, Attention Horse, on Feb. 7.
The event epitomizes Attention Horse Comedy, a group that formed through their shared passion for comic conventions. In this specific roast, members personify X-Men characters participating in a classic style roast led by Wolverine, played by Reid Pegram, the self-proclaimed "roast master."
The event begins with Wolverine being introduced to the stage as the host and introduces an assortment of other X-Men characters through a variety of jokes. The characters in turn roast each other and Wolverine, with the central purpose of honoring Professor X, the leader of the X-Men forces and the guest of honor.
"It's always fun to play the curmudgeon. He's like the real cankerous geezer," Pegram said about playing Wolverine. "There's a lot of history, there's a lot of stuff you can pull joke ideas from."
The performers spend time reading into the extensive background of X-Men characters that has been developed through television, movies and the original comic books created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They use this knowledge to develop roasts or insults geared toward the variety of diverse X-Men characters.
"You don't have to be a huge comic book fan to enjoy the roast," comic Tyler Wood said. "There's something in it for everybody."
Will Purpura, the booker at The PIT discussed how the roast of X-Men is exactly what they look for when booking events.
"We look for originality, fresh ideas, things that are not being done in other places." Purpura said, when discussing why he booked this particular act.
In addition to their excitement for the X-Men theme, comic Dusty Cagle emphasized the importance of bringing positivity to the world through comedy.
