Daniel Franzese’s comedy tour hits the university

The famous quote, “You go, Glen Coco!” rang through Edinboro University’s gym Friday night. 

Students filled the venue to see actor Daniel Franzese, who most famously played Damien in “Mean Girls,” at Edinboro on his “Yass You’re Amaaazzzziinnnnggg” tour.

The actor, now 39 years old, brought lots of laughs to Edinboro’s “Mean Girls” fans. Some people even showed up in his iconic blue sweatshirt and sunglasses. 

Trepidation was in the air when Franzese walked on stage in Edinboro’s gym, though. The once young actor now had a beard and did not look like the Damien that everyone knew from the Tina Fey-penned movie. However, within the first five minutes, he had everyone in the audience in stitches. 

Franzese was cracking jokes left and right and found the perfect balance of storytelling and traditional stand-up. As the show progressed, he talked about his life after the movie and the small roles he played, as well as working alongside big name actors such as Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. 

Franzese talked about coming out as gay in real life. He joked around by saying, “Wow, imagine the headlines, what a shocker…gay guy from ‘Mean Girls’ is gay.” 

Franzese then spoke about his recent engagement to his boyfriend and how coming out, even though people knew he was gay, was one of the best things he had ever done with his life. 

Franzese was interactive with his audience. He even did a portion where the spectators got to ask him any questions they had. One of the audience members asked Daniel what he thought of “Mean Girls 2.” He said he did not like the remake, however, he wishes that they would do what he called a real “Mean Girls 2” with the original cast members. 

When the show wrapped up, there was a meet and greet afterwards. He even brought his own blue hoodie and sunglasses so you could don his famous look from the movie. 

“Mean Girls” is about a clique of high school girls — known as the “plastics” — who adopt the school’s most recent transfer student Cady Heron. Unbeknownst to the plastics, Cady is also friends with the school’s strange “art freaks.” Cady, along with the art students, come up with a plan to undermine the lead plastic Regina George. As Cady becomes closer to the plastics, she starts to realize she is turning into one herself. Franzese plays the school’s art kid who is one of Cady’s only true friends. 

Richard Gibson can be reached at eupnews.spectator@gmail.com.

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