Mario Cantone: Laugh Whore (2005 TV Special) User Reviews

Laugh riot

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 16 July 2005]

Mario Cantone, the amazing comedian, is a talented man who brought his own brand of comedy to Broadway in 2004. This presentation was an amazing triumph for the actor, who has not had the recognition he deserves. His one man show was originally directed by one of the best directors working in the theater today: Joe Mantello.

Showtime ought to be complimented for bringing Mr. Cantone's act for all those unfortunate fans that couldn't get in his sold out show, one of the brightest things on the New York stage, last year. We were fortunate in attending one of the performances at the Cort theater, but couldn't resist watching the comedian again.

Mr. Cantone is a man who has a fast delivery. His take on Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland was hysterical. His take in his own family is funny. The material is excellent and it made ninety minutes go by so quickly, we don't realize it's time to say good bye to Mr. Cantone and hope he will return with another show.

Got to have the DVD!

[lajlmt · 8/10 · 18 January 2006]

Mario Cantone is a riot. We showed Laugh Whore to many factions of population here in Hawaii and only the gay population really got most of it, the straight people chuckled. It is a big city show for sure. Mario is definitely a Saggitarian! He is so off the wall and the last spot in this Showtime presentation is a scream. His impersonations are uncanny and always funny. The energy of the show almost never falters, two of the segments run a little slow but end very funny! You really must see this, have a drink or two and bring some straights over for an immersion session! Wear black, carry a boa and drink a martini for Laugh Whore.

Prepare to be blown away - and then some!

[gregcouture · 30 May 2005]

Just saw Mario Cantone frenetically fill very close to ninety minutes with his manic one-man Broadway show (on a Showtime cable TV broadcast) and, while I personally enjoyed it all, I can well imagine he'd be more than a bit too much for some. This is one performer whose energy is close to exhausting, although he himself seems to have a limitless well of the stuff. He's a shamelessly funny comic genius who can be foul-mouthed and genuinely sentimental at one and the same time (talking about his extended Italian-American family, for instance) and he's pretty close to the male equal of Tracey Ullman in his ability to mimic famous personalities and others, with an amazingly flexible countenance and a vocal instrument that's frequently uncanny. He can sing pretty well, too, and his last act impersonation of Judy Garland is one of the best I've ever seen. He's quite merciless with his incarnations of some (his Julia Child had me in stitches), but one comes away with the feeling that he has a deep affection for all that is worthwhile in people and for the joy of living, as well.

Be forewarned, if you haven't ever been exposed to him before, you may find him more than over-the-top, but if you like an entertainer who has never heard of such a thing as an inhibition, then you might just be fabulously entertained.

Excruciating hilarity

[sissypower · 10/10 · 30 May 2005]

Showtime captured Mario Cantone's one-man comedic tour DE force on Broadway at the Court theater flawlessly in HD.

Countless popular icons & family members are impersonated,seemingly channeled at staggering lengths, one forgets it's all but one man on stage. And Cantone can sing!

Director Joe Mantello's efforts are deftly unobtrusive in this apparent improvisation borne free-flow of movement & voice. Lighting and set design are brilliantly adaptive.

This is classic homo-socio insight, performed with such precision and stunning energy and invention, one is left quite literally exhausted from laughter.

one word hilarious

[waterchick8189 · 9/10 · 22 July 2006]

First of all I love Mario! and when i heard about this I had to see it ( I mean come on it's called laugh whore) and i watched like 5-6 times when it was on show time and I like almost went to the bathroom on myself like 8 times there is not one part that isn't funny like some stand up shows have like that one part that isn't funny but this is non stop hilarious from beginning to end when your finished your stomach hurts and Mario shows you how cabaret should be great voice but yes if you don't know who he is or if you don't like gay people (homophobes suck hag for life) you may not wanna see it because he is a little over the top but its so great!

The Best

[mghealyjr · 10/10 · 7 July 2006]

I love the feature of the Time Warner DVR that lets you keep things forever. The first time I used it was on Mario Cantone's "Laugh Whore." This is probably a typical story, but before I saw it, my opinion of Mario was that he was fun but mostly abrasive. I also have friends who share this view of him, and most of them are gay.

Friends, this is genius comedy. I knew it was true when my straight 40 year-old brother called me from Alabama (where he opened and runs two NYC-style pizzerias), to ask me if I'd heard Mario's impression of Jim Morrison. That is one of the truly genius moments of the show, among others.

I am a fan of mimics, and Mario is one of the best. This is such a great variety show, and the music is really great too. I can't think of a moment where I would delete this from DVR, until it malfunctions.

Get it! -Michael