Junior Jonthan London used personal anecdotes in his one-man show Most men don't find stories about ex-girlfriends very funny. At least one Penn student, however, does. That student is College junior Jonathan London, who delivered a one-man comedy performance entitled "Love Sucks 101," before a small group of about 30 students at the Kelly Writers House. During the hour-long show, London took the audience on a tour of his own romantic mishaps, including the time when he tried to soften the blow of a break-up by telling his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend that she reminded him of Harry from the 1980s movie Harry and the Hendersons. All of the material for the performance came from London's own life. London wrote and performed the entire show by himself. He had been planning it for six months. "Back in September, I said, 'I've got all these ex-girlfriend stories -- what do I have to lose?'" London recalled after the show. The audience was largely composed of London's friends, but there were also some complete strangers -- a fact that did not escape London's attention, as much of the show's content was personal and risque. "There's going to be some obscenities, and there's going to be some sex," London warned the audience near the beginning of the performance. After the performance, London said he was relieved that nobody was overtly offended. "I expected everyone to be like, 'What'd he say about his butt?" he admitted. Despite London's expectations, the small audience was thoroughly entertained as he recounted some of the less glamorous moments of his first true romance. Later in the performance, while recalling some less-than-friendly looks he got while checking out girls on the Penn campus, London quipped that quite a few girls seem to take offense at a man with "eyes and a neck that moves." The show focused almost exclusively on the darker moments of past relationships, but concluded with London presenting his current girlfriend, who was in the audience, with a gift of two pet hamsters. "Somebody's getting laid tonight," he joked. Although last night's performance marked the first time London has put on a one-man show, he has already established himself as a comedic figure on Penn's campus through a radio show he hosts on WQHS and guest appearances on UTV13 television shows. London has thus far shied away from Penn's organized comedy troupes. "I can't sing, and I can't dance, so I can't do Mask and Wig," London said. Regardless of his self-admitted shortcomings, London said he hopes to pursue a career in television. Though many might believe that going in front of an audience to reveal the details of one's romantic life would be a stressful experience, London said his performance was anything but. "These are totally personal experiences," he said, "but I do this stuff for expression. Comedy allows me to let it out."
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