JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
There's truth to some of Kevin Hughes' stand-up act. The comedian has a Master's degree in psychology.
CATCH SOME LAUGHS
» Place: Sharkey's Comedy Club, 99-016 Kamehameha Highway, Aiea
» Time: 8 p.m. today through Saturday
» Admission: $15
» Call: 531-4242 or online at sharkeyscomedyclub.com
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Love & laughter
An insightful comic mixes good advice with jokes about sex and relationships for couples
MANY COMEDIANS talk about the differences between men and women. Kevin Hughes, self-styled "Stand-Up Sex & Relationship Therapist," explained the reasons for those differences in a concise and entertaining way as he opened a two-week engagement at Sharkey's Comedy Club last week.
While Hughes hasn't done a show here since the late '90s, he lived up to expectations in all respects.
Hughes used to introduce himself with a cheery and self-deprecating "Makes you wonder what God was thinking that day," referring to his own ungainly appearance. He still manages to look like a goof, dressed in a very loud shirt, tuxedo pants and tennis shoes. The attire was extreme, even by stand-up standards. But by the time he was done, it was easy to take his advice seriously.
Hughes' opening comments last week -- about surfing, Samoans, traffic problems and Hawaii's high cost of living -- responded to the changes that have taken place since he was last here. His overall assessment of the situation? It's gotten worse, but it's still better than some of the places he's been on the mainland.
Hughes joked about the need to have "a load limit for swimwear," and recalled his experiences with some of the local delicacies at a local party. Balut, anyone?
The show became more than just comic stand-up when Hughes got into sex and relationships. Keep in mind that he has a master's degree in psychology, so when he talks about, for example, the differences in the way men and women process information, this isn't stuff he made up just to get a laugh. Some of it can be a little discouraging -- at least if you're trying to maintain a successful relationship -- but counseling, when Hughes does it, has never been more fun or entertaining.
Hughes kept his audience engaged. He told the women in the crowd to "stop buying romance novels" and instead start "teaching us (men) how to romance you." How's a man to know what a woman wants if she doesn't tell him?
And for the guys, it's a good idea to "buy small amounts of chocolate" lest the woman you're trying to win -- or appease -- resents you for tempting her with that 44-pound, super-size box of delicious but potentially diet-busting delicacies.
Hughes warns both sexes that scientific studies show that women can use as many as 25,000 words a day whereas some men reach their daily maximum at a measly 1,500, and that women are much more attuned to what other people are feeling.
His comments on how to fight with your partner in constructive ways should be taught in schools. His observations on the right and wrong ways to kiss are also worth hearing by anyone who's reached the age at which that information becomes relevant.
Hughes was on stage for more than an hour and it never dragged, not even when the loudmouths behind the curtain partition got him to do some improv than wasn't part of the show. He could have done another half-hour and the crowd would still have wanted more.
Laughter is almost always beneficial, and Hughes made the comic experience educational as well.