Laughter. The sweet sound of joy floating through the air. The clenching pains that cause bodies to fold in half. The coolness of tears flowing down the face. It's what we're all looking for, and on Friday evening, Boris' Kitchen gave it to us. The Old Sh*t Show is a Brandeis tradition, giving all the freshmen and transfers a peek at what Boris' Kitchen has offered in the past, while giving upperclassmen the chance to relive old routines. Ranging in conception from 1992 to last year, these classic skits give only a tiny peek of the hilarity Boris' Kitchen has to offer. The evening started off with Boris' Kitchen's oldest skit, "Dog," from 1992. Most of the audience seemed puzzled to see a man being led onto the "stage" area on a leash, but the skit was so well-written that all discomfort was quickly forgotten and replaced with amusement. All the actors displayed excelent timing - a skill that is difficult to learn - and thankfully the ability to keep a straight face throughout their performances. Often, even professional comedians will not be able to keep a straight face during the funniest parts of sketch comedy, and the entire sketch can be ruined by it. Boris' Kitchen has none of these problems.

Most sketches that Boris' Kitchen presented were based around student life, but some strayed from the environment that all students know so well. "Dog" dealt with a man attempting to become a dog by the old adage, "mind over matter." When met with opposition, however, his faith is shaken to the point of almost giving up his dream, until he decides (after his "owner" leaves him) to be a cat. "Random 8-Ball" is about how stupid a Magic 8-Ball is, how it never provides real answers, and wouldn't it be better if you just had a non-sequitur 8-Ball instead? "Random 8-Ball" was one of the funnier sketches of the evening, drawing almost hysterical laughter from the crowd.

But, the ones that really got us going were the sketches about campus life. "This Is Alwina's Job," written in 1998, details a poor Brandeis Policeman's night dealing with two quarreling roommates who are attempting to make legal "complaints" against one another for being selfish, fat, ugly, annoying, bitchy, and everything else under the sun. The audience was laughing so hard they were holding onto each other for support.

The series of "Practical After School Specials" were equally as hilarious. Dealing with a college student's everyday problems, including such dilemmas as, "No matter how nice you are, she will not sleep with you," and "Your hair looks awful and you are ugly," Boris' Kitchen again whipped the audience into hysterics. One of the best moments in the series was the girl's response in "Practical After School Specials #3" to a friend's allegation that her hair was awful and she was ugly: "And you know what? I'm not ugly. I'm punk!"

Not all the sketches were as good, though. "Anarchy in Westchester Part 2: Electric Boogaloo" dealt with a heroin addicted soccer mom. Where the material could have been funny, it just seemed contrived and the writing was stiff. Likewise, "Celebrate the Journey," written in 2001 as a take-off on "I Know What You Did Last Summer," had equally stilted writing and forced delivery. While neither skit was not received well, it was more forced and less enthusiastic that the others. These sketches seemed to rely heavily on contrived, overused comedic ploys - a college student's hidden obsession with Journey, for example, in "Celebrate the Journey" - instead of the creativity and reality that made sketches like "This Is Alwina's Job" so utterly hilarious.

Despite it's ups and downs, however, The Old Sh*t Show was enjoyed by many. Most freshmen left eager to catch the troupe's next show, and everyone in attendance, even some alumni, were still giggling about what they'd just seen as they headed out. There's no doubt Boris' Kitchen made a big splash as they proudly quipped their way back onto the campus scene.