Last Saturday, Dec. 7, senior Noel B Doherty put on a comedy show as his capstone project for the Communication Department. A familiar face on campus, Doherty gained recognition on TikTok a few years ago for his interview videos and funny, easy-going personality. The show consisted of multiple sections, from standup to improv to a short film written completely by Doherty and his best friend Maggie Elder. The show clearly demonstrated his work and dedication to his craft, with the entire audience cracking up for nearly two hours straight.
“I am really grateful to be able to get academic credit for something I’m so passionate about,” Doherty said.
The show opened with standup sets from both Doherty and junior guest comedian Kevin Keane, which got the audience laughing right away. Their routines were engaging and the perfect way to set up the variety show to follow. There was another standup feature later in the show, freshman Dakshta Arora
“I enjoyed all the different parts of the show,” sophomore Abby Contessa said. “I liked the variety of different kinds of comedy, it was very funny.”
The next section of the show was in collaboration with Villanova’s improv club Ridiculum. Doherty has been a member of the group for years now, and it hosts shows regularly, playing off of each other to create hilarious scenes on stage. It played four games, coming up with scenes on the spot with input from the crowd to give them places, situations and relationships. The improv section really ramped the show up, with people actively shouting out parameters for the games.
“I really like the improv parts because I liked that Noel brought other people in to help with his project, and I really appreciated the different types of improv which included the crowd,” sophomore Skylar Wagner said.
The next part, the one that was most recognizable to many people, was the live interview segment. Doherty began the section with a disclaimer that these interviews were 100% genuine, with no audience plants. Then he called up a girl sitting in the center of the first row covered in leaves. Elder introduced herself as Trina, the literal audience plant.
After that bit, the actual interviews commenced, with Doherty asking the audience about their favorite holidays and what they wanted for Christmas.
“He was very good at interacting with the crowd,” sophomore Caitlyn Knowles said. “It brought a natural feel to the set that made it not feel super rigid or scripted, which made it funnier.”
The show concluded with the premiere of a “camp, horror parody short film,” as Doherty described it, entitled Ruckus. Doherty and Elder wrote this together in May while on a creative retreat in the Poconos.
“In August, we made two trips back to the same cabin in the Poconos to shoot the film,” Doherty explained. “I’ve been editing it over the course of the semester. In total, Ruckus took about 45 hours to edit.”
All of that work came through very clearly in the film once it was ready to be shared with the audience.
The film featured a comedically oblivious friend group on a cabin getaway, getting not-so-mysteriously picked off one by one by a killer in their midst. It was the perfect balance between straightforward, silly and incredible camp. The audience clearly loved every minute of it, and the laughs never stopped.
“[Ruckus] looked like a professional film,” Contessa said. “It was really silly, but all the camerawork made it look really professional.”
Overall, Noel B Live was a hit. Everyone got involved, warming up to the silliness of a variety comedy show and enjoying all the talent that Doherty had assembled for the show. The uniqueness of this capstone project is what made it truly special. It’s a feat that really only Doherty could pull off, using his experience, humor and popularity to make the show a reality.
“I was really happy to see everyone come,” Doherty said, reflecting on the show. “My biggest goal in life is to make as many people laugh as possible, and I want to do it in a variety of ways.”
