They’ve faced tough crowds before, but on Saturday night, Jim Norton, Keith Robinson and Robert Kelly will take the stage in the Schine Underground.

The trio will perform at 8 p.m., presented by University Union Comedy. Regulars of the New York City nightclub scene and TV’s ‘Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn,’ the three comedians promise to be different from the normal Syracuse University comedy show, said Jake Goldman, co-chairperson of UU Comedy.

‘It’ll be more of a club atmosphere,’ said Goldman, who is also a columnist for The Daily Orange. ‘With acts like Jim Breuer and Dane Cook, you get big, longer jokes. These guys are more rough and tumble and talk to the crowd a lot. Expect it to be PG-13- or R-rated.’

‘They have a very witty social commentary,’ said Dave Young, co-chairperson of UU Comedy. ‘I’d say they’re darker comedians. They talk about stuff that a lot of comedians are afraid to bring up onstage and give very skewed versions of relationships.’

The comedians are only beginning to break into fame. Norton’s TV highlights include ‘Premium Blend,’ ‘Ed’ and ‘The Jim Breuer Show.’ He toured with Quinn and comic Laurie Kilmartin as a part of the Persian Gulf USO tour last December. Kelly has appeared on ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent,’ ‘The Job’ and ‘Last Call with Carson Daly.’ Robinson appeared in the made-for-TV-movie ‘Rebound: The Legend of Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault.’

‘They’ve been touring a lot of colleges and are building a strong grassroots following,’ Young said. ‘I think it’s the beginning of a long career for all of them.’

Norton, Kelly and Robinson are three of Quinn’s most frequent guests, but it’s doubtful that Quinn himself will be present at the show.

‘I’d be very surprised if he showed up,’ Goldman said.

The comedians regularly tour colleges together and separately and will visit Marshall University in West Virginia later this month.

‘They’re the kind of guys who are working the comedy club every night in New York City,’ Goldman said. ‘If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll probably want to see them. If you’re not, it’s a great opportunity to come out and see them. They’re really good at working the crowd, talking to people and poking fun at them, but not in a mean way.’

‘We wanted a smattering of regulars from the show, and it just so happened that we could get these three together,’ Young said. ‘They have a pretty solid following even without the show, and there’s been a good buzz on campus.’

Published on April 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm