Robin Williams's Surprise Sets

By Margaret Lyons in Arts & Entertainment on May 5, 2008 5:23PM

Robin Williams, in town to tape an episode of Ellen, also performed a few impromptu stand-up sets over the weekend. He dropped by the Lakeshore Theater Friday and Saturday nights and the under-the-radar venue Town Hall Pub on Sunday for what one audience member tells us was "great shit."

Williams was apparently a fan of local comedian Jena Friedman's work on Friday night, came back to see her on Saturday, and performed at her weekly Town Hall Pub show Entertaining Julia Sunday night for a crowd of about 50. Dan Cooper (of The Gentlemen's Club), who shot the video above, says the sets on Saturday and Sunday were totally different, and that Williams riffed new material for about 40 minutes.

FotS and Red Eye columnist Mark Bazer was at the Saturday night show, and he sums up the performance this way: "When you see anyone famous on TV, who knows if he or she really wants to be there, or he or she's just doing it to promote something, or how real it is? But you knew, here, Williams was at the Lakeshore because he wanted, I don't know, maybe needed to be, up there, and it was a lot of fun to see. Also, the young comics seemed really excited to be on a bill with him, and that was also cool to witness."