These days he does most of his show from a comfortable chair at center stage, with only a bottle of water and a box of tissues as his props. At 76, he jokes during his act, he has reached the age where "when you stand up, people clap."

But Cosby who will perform at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach on Thursday night has also figured out that a subtle and clever bit of understanding can be just as enjoyable as a big, boisterous belly laugh.

"The last 20 (years) has been the appreciation of a smile," http://www.philliesofficialauthentic.com/Authentic-Chase-Utley-Jersey Cosby told The Roanoke Times earlier this year, "and what the smile can do to the condition of the listener."

Cosby has been as influential as any American entertainer of his generation. He was the first black actor to star in a network TV drama ("I Spy"), and his "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" was the iconic Ryan Howard Jersey Saturday morning cartoon of the 1970s. In the 1980s, he developed "The Cosby Show," which became perhaps the most popular show of the decade. He has written best selling books and recorded hit albums.

As a philanthropist, he is a generous supporter of higher education, and he has been an outspoken social activist who occasionally makes headlines with his sharp criticism of the youth culture among African Americans. He still gets asked about speeches he made in 2004, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, in which he challenged black parents and churches to do a better job of instilling morals in their children at an early age.

But he is most famous for his comedy and that is what he will be doing next week in Virginia Beach. The show at the Sandler Center falls just two days before the premiere of his first television concert philliesofficialauthentic.com/Authentic-Ryan-Howard-Jersey special in 30 years. 23.

In that special, Cosby does all new material but still focuses on familiar themes marriage, family, friends and stories from his own life that he believes will resonate with his audience.

In describing his show to the Richfield (Utah) Reaper, Cosby explained: "I have to get the listener to understand the picture I'm painting and have them recognize that that in some way happened to them as well."

He also told the Richfield Reaper that he changes things up on stage to make each show fresh.

Cosby said: "A person asked me one time, 'When you walk out there, do you have a plan?' I said, 'Well, of course.' And he said, 'What is it?' I said 'Whatever I feel like doing.' So I don't know. I just don't know. I'll take a look and feel the audience and work from there.

"All I know is Youth Chase Utley Jersey that my job is to connect with them. If I get a feeling from them that there is a comfort level on a certain subject, then I'll bang away at it. My job is to cause them to smile and laugh."