Also this issue: Stepping Through The Ashes -Juliet Fletcher World AIDS Day -Kristina Weise Fairies, Brownies and Trolls -Paul Burress

November 27-December 3, 2002

mixpicks

Bill Cosby

He's just like your own dad, only more stylish. And he has more sophisticated taste in music. And he's way more easy-going. And he puts together extravagant lip-synch numbers for special occasions. Oh, and he makes you pee your pants laughing just by looking at you. Before he became every kid's dream dad, Bill Cosby was busy creating Fat Albert, winning Emmys for I Spy and nabbing several Grammys for both comedy albums and children's educational ones, all while being an ardent supporter of African-American education. Think of Bill Cosby this way, and forget about his forays into advertising Jell-O and his cutesy Kids Say the Darndest Things, because these are among only a very few scratches on an otherwise unblemished, nearly-40-year comedic record. Seriously, The Cosby Show was always funny -- even after Rudy got awkward, Raven-Simone sang "Blue Suede Shoes" (more than once) and Cousin Pam and her pals became the focal point. And remember Bill Cosby, Himself? Still, 21 years later, the catchy "Dad is great!/ Give us chocolate cake!" song runs through the heads of serious comedy-lovers. The man is a riot. Why else would younger, hipper, raunchier comedians like Chris Rock and Chris Tucker continue to pay homage?

Sat., Nov. 30, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., $52.50-$62.50, The Keswick Theatre, Easton Rd. and Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650.

—Nancy Armstrong