Louie Anderson: Larger than Life

By Mandy Hoskison

Las Vegas audiences are in for a treat with comedian Louie Anderson. With a casual delivery and loose, conversational style, it's like you've been invited for an evening in Anderson's living room to hear hilarious tales from his childhood, among other things. Focusing a good portion of his material on his experiences growing up in the Midwest with a wacky family, Anderson hits a nerve with everyone in the audience when he relays stories of his mom and dad's parenting skills.

One of 11 children, Anderson has plenty of material to draw from on the family front. Tales of dad's trips to the dump to "shop" and mom's bag saving and kleptomaniac ways at restaurants to score a little extra butter or creamer for home have the audience roaring with laughter.

Anderson also delves into issues that are larger than life like his own struggle with weight, smoking and growing older, but he tackles them in a sarcastic, yet jolly way. He is an endearing character, speaking of struggles and serious issues that most people can relate to and finding a way to laugh about them.

In his exhaustive manner, Anderson plays off the particular audience for that evening, inquiring into the lives of those in attendance and finding ways to weave it into his own storytelling, ensuring that no show is quite the same.

Along with working for many years as a stand-up comedian, Anderson also hosted the popular television game show "Family Feud" and developed the Saturday morning cartoon "Life With Louie." But don't let that fool you, Anderson has moved past his wholesome TV image, sometimes sprinkling his stories with obscenities and delving into grown-up subjects.

With a career that spans almost three decades, Anderson has fine-tuned his routine, where it's not so much routine but more like a night spent in the company of a very funny friend.