This article was first published in the Sun Herald. Please see here for the detail.
Comedian John Mulaney roasts Biloxi in a new Netflix show that was partially filmed when he played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in December.
He was not impressed with the city or the casino.
And apparently he and David Letterman, who was in the audience for the Dec. 8 show, didn't spend enough time in the city learning how to pronounce Biloxi.
Mulaney is a stand-up comedian and actor who spent four seasons writing for Saturday Night Live. Letterman interviewed him for his Netflix show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” which included a portion of his performance in Biloxi.
“I watched it on Netflix last night,” Coast Coliseum Executive Director Matt McDonnell said Tuesday. He said he hadn't heard Mulaney's show begin when he was on stage at the Coast Coliseum, but didn't think it was harsh or critical.
What John Mulaney said about MS Coast
The Chicago Sun-Times reviewed the Netflix show and reported that Mulaney created 15 minutes of “instant material” during his first visit to Biloxi.
“Many towns have casinos,” he said.[but] We have more casinos than most cities famous for having casinos, yet we don't have a dime in our city, Jesus Christ. Show me the book, show me the book…”
“I thought that was totally inaccurate,” McDonnell said of Biloxi's eight casinos not giving back to the community.
“Biloxi is a haunted place,” Mulaney also told Letterman. McDonnell said the Biloxi portion of the interview will be at the end of the show.
Biloxi audience criticizes John Mulaney's performance
Mulaney's performance in Biloxi received mixed reviews.
“That Biloxi bite alone was worth the ticket,” one person commented on Reddit.
Most were critical of the opening act, who made jokes about stabbing children. That may have made them uncomfortable at the headline show.
One commenter on Reddit said, “My friend and I were really looking forward to it, but we were so disappointed.” “This was one of the worst comedy shows I've ever seen. He seemed exhausted and was frequently muttering incoherently.”
McDonnell said the Coliseum was set up in a theater style and ticket sales were good.
“Everyone has their own opinion and taste,” he said in response to a review.
It's unclear whether Ma Rainey will return to the Mississippi Coast for the show.