To celebrate the annual tradition of FebFest, a time where various student organizations host events during the month of February to bring the community together, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) Comedy and the Social Traditions committee will bring three comedians to campus: duo and twin act The Lucas Bros as well as opener Mookie Thompson.
The Lucas Bros, otherwise known as identical twins Kenny and Keith Lucas, were born in raised in New Jersey. Having graduated with honors in philosophy from the College of New Jersey, the two also went to law school but dropped out in the middle of their third year to pursue comedy full-time. The brothers had increasing roles to showcase their comedy in stand-up, film, and television, and have increased in popularity and success ever since.
In beginning the acting component of their careers, The Lucas Bros’ first official appearance was on Fox’s
Arrested Development
in 2013 where they played one of the many set of twins in that episode. They then moved on to write and produce their own show called
Lucas Bros. Moving Co.
that ran for two seasons on Fox as a comedic animated television series, where the twins run a moving company out of their van. They also played roles on Fox’s
The Grinder
alongside actors Rob Lowe and Fred Savage as well as Netflix series
Lady Dynamite
based off of the life of fellow comedian Maria Bamford.
Most notable is their role in
22 Jump Street
, where they played the endearing Kenny and Keith Yang who lived in the dorm across the hall from the main protagonists, who were played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. In their first scene, the two would constantly find themselves mimicking each other’s movements and speaking at the same time. They would constantly be surprised by their connection, at one point both saying, “Oh snap, man, we’re still saying the same thing. Carrots. Pumpernickel. Glow sticks. Twins!” Even after the film revealed that they were part of a drug dealing business and almost set to die by the hands of their ringleader, they still held their casual, comedic personalities, playing jinx with guns pointed to their faces.
Their references to drugs didn’t end in 2017. In the same year, the two released the Netflix special
Lucas Brothers: On Drugs.
In addition to mentioning their roles in the popular
22 Jump Street
comedy, The Lucas Bros focused on stories of race, the police, and of course, drugs. With their easygoing and casual attitude, they manage to present a political satire in a witty and amusing way. The success of the special even earned it the title of “ninth best comedy special of 2017” by music and entertainment publication
Paste Magazine
.
One might wonder: how do they do it? How do siblings (who probably also fight over sharing food, sharing clothes, sharing personal belongings, sharing drugs) manage to share the stage in front of hundreds of audience members at every venue and thousands of viewers every video? The Lucas Bros portray them- selves as edgy — not only because of their unique choice to show up on stage together rather than try pursuing separate careers, which is rare in comedy, but also because they do choose to talk about topics like race, the police, and other controversial topics of society so bluntly. Even when they aren’t talking about more serious issues, they still make every story sound interesting and unexpected. Most notably, their ability to bounce off each other so quickly and smoothly (it’s that twin connection) is what audience members should really watch out for during their show, as it’s rare to have a pair of comedians and rare to have that pair present so well.
Audience members will also be able to witness the hilarity of Mookie Thompson, a native New Yorker who will be opening for The Lucas Bros. Having worked alongside them in the previously mentioned
Lucas Bros Moving Co.
, Thompson jokes about a similar appreciation for drugs as he “embraces a weed-fueled slacker lifestyle to give audiences a look at life with no responsibilities,” a description he was given to promote his headlining role at the McGuire’s Comedy Club.
Thompson has also been featured on MTV’s
Worldstar TV
with his comedy, and was recognized with “Best Stand Up” at the LA Comedy Festival in 2015. He has also performed on FXX,
Friends of the People
on Tru TV, and at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Anyone interested in witnessing these two incredible acts should at- tend the CAB Comedy event with The Lucas Bros and Mookie Thompson on Monday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. in Wellin Hall. Admission is free.
