Stand-up comedian Anjelah Johnson will perform live at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 at Magoffin Auditorium for the first time in El Paso.
She became an Internet sensation with her viral video “Nail Salon,” which reached four million views within the first four months of being posted, and surpassed 31 million views on YouTube as of Nov.
After Johnson’s “Nail Salon” performance, projects began to quickly appear on her path, which has led to other comedy performance opportunities, such as being a part of the “MADtv” series during its 13th season in 2007. In the series, she portrayed her own original character, Bon Qui Qui, a fast-food employee who is rude to her costumers. This performance led to Johnson’s nomination for an ALMA Award for Outstanding Female Performance in Comedy Television Series just a year after being part of the “MADtv” cast.
With only four months of stand-up comedy experience, Johnson recorded a one-hour special for Comedy Central and Warner Brothers Records.
“I took a joke-writing class—more like a stand-up comedy class in 2005,” Johnson said. “It was my first time doing it, but I had a lot of fun and it came natural to me.”
According to Johnson, El Paso should expect to hear a lot of her own personal stories along with real-life anecdotes that people can relate to.
“I like to share stories of my life and now that I just recently got married, the audience should expect new jokes about my life as a newlywed,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said that comedy is all about being observant—which jokes work and which don’t.
“I like to act out truth. I have been blessed with a great fan base that appreciate the jokes I put together and it has been a fun journey,” Johnson said.
Johnson will continue her Live Nation tour until April 2014, ending at Honolulu, Hawaii.
“Since this show is constantly on the road, I will, unfortunately, only be seeing the El Paso airport and the hotel I will be staying at and then taking off to my next show at McAllen, Texas,” Johnson said.
She previously starred in “Our Family Wedding,” “Marmaduke” and in “Alvin and the Chipmunks” alongside actors Emma Stone, Owen Wilson and Jeremy Piven. Johnson said she will continue her passion in acting and will soon be appearing in “Moms’ Night Out” with Sarah Drew, Trace Adkins and Sean Astin, which will be in theaters in 2014.
Gustavo Aguirre, senior multimedia journalism major, said he will be attending the show because of his little sister, who is a big fan of Johnson’s work.
“I’m most familiar through her Bon Qui Qui character. I thought that it was a pretty funny sketch. My sister showed me some more recent videos of her and thought they were hilarious,” Aguirre said. “Her dialects are spot on. I’m just looking forward to hearing more this Thursday.”
More than 100 tickets are still on sale at a price of $35 according to Ticketmaster. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com or call 747-5234.
Andrea Acosta may be reached at [email protected].
