Alex Edelman’s most typical order at Barney Greengrass is a whitefish on a bagel with scrambled eggs. The Upper West Side institution is not his local hangout – he currently lives off a blue Samsonite bag – but this New York deli attracts the Boston-born comic. “This is where my friends eat and argue,” he explains. “This is where ideas start to take root. Oh, and since the show did well, I can all the time get a table.
Just like that, Only for us, is the Jewish author’s famous story about the infamous night when he attended a white nationalist meeting in an apartment in Queens. An prolonged run around the city center led to performances on Broadway and around the world. A recent return to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles (March 25-31) and an HBO special (April 6) is his grand finale, an advanced one for the 35-year-old. Last April, Only for us director and Edelman confidant Adam Brace died suddenly of a stroke. Then got here the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the resulting conflict in Gaza, which added recent depth to the show’s laugh-out-loud evaluation of anti-Semitism. “I’m really proud of it,” he says via Zoom, “but it comes with a lot of baggage – good and bad.”
You paint such a warm portrait of your parents on this show. How did they react to you going undercover with white supremacists?
My father said, “Oh, that sounds interesting.” The very first thing my mom said was, “You need a fucking job.” (Laughter.) They are very supportive, they all the time have been. But I had just come back from working in the newsroom and they loved it. “Wait, do you have health insurance? Can you just do this from now on?” When is the series? [The Great Indoors] was canceled, for six months I used to be saying things like, “I’m going to the conference on nuclear Iran,” and my mom was similar to, “Why?”
The first edition of this program dates back to 2018. Where are you at – mentally and emotionally – now that you just’re finally closing the book?
The material has modified rather a lot. In 2018, I wasn’t even Jewish on the show! So the original version was created, which I returned to at the starting of 2020, at the encouragement of Mike Birbiglia. It was 2021 when the show began in earnest. We had an enormous run in New York [at the Cherry Lane] that we didn’t expect. Then the opportunity to go to Broadway got here up, which I turned down several times until the right people got here up with the right idea. The thing is…during each of those phases I assumed it was over. Now it’s really time. Partly because I just need to eliminate these complex emotions – hopefully making room for other complex emotions.
Wait. Why did you say no to Broadway?
Is this a foul deal? (Laughter.) There are plenty of beautiful things on Broadway and some things, wherever I’m going, they are saying, “I don’t know if this has to be there.” Plus, I take Broadway seriously. It’s a phenomenal community, so I used to be slightly afraid of the risk. I didn’t want to destroy a successful off-Broadway show with a crappy Broadway show that was really expensive to see. Comedy and theater tickets must be reasonable. So after they got here up with the business model of putting it in a theater that was sufficiently small to still provide an intimate atmosphere but large enough to make economic sense, we did it.
Tell me about a few of the conversations you’ve got had with more conservative audiences after your shows.
It’s weird to talk grandiosely about stand-up, but I believe there is a binary approach to each side. This program is suspicious by way of binary files. Some people feel strongly that Jews are by no means white – and there are those that think, “How dare you question that Jews are white?” I had several conversations about the pro-vaccination a part of the program. Anti-vaxxers are really touchy.
What were the most unexpected opinions?
There is a story about how my family spent Christmas for a non-Jewish friend and you would not imagine what number of Christians and Jews disagree with that. There are Christians who think, “It wasn’t a holiday you were supposed to celebrate.” Then some Jews will say, “I don’t think it’s ever appropriate to bring Christmas home.” This is my favorite a part of the show! I do not like it when comedians laugh at their very own jokes, but I’m really moved since it’s such a pleasant family memory.
Was this the inspiration for the film you propose to write and direct?
Yes, it relies on a Christmas story from the show. I’m really excited. I’m doing this with Mark Platt and Adam Siegel.
You just called it a stand-up comedy, but it surely’s marketed as a one-man show. As an artist, do you see a difference between the two labels – or is it just semantics?
Really good programs should give you the option to do two things without delay. They must be entertaining, but at the same time artistic and high in calories. They must be driving, but not feel rushed. They must be something that may appeal to each the critic and the viewer. When Nanette got here out, everyone was like, “This isn’t a comedy!” If Hannah Gatsby says it is a comedy, it is a comedy. You may not like all of her work, but she is totally a humorist. These binaries have never had much meaning to me apart from the indisputable fact that I even have all the time wanted to expand the definitions of each. I might love to have a more interesting buffet of options in stand-up comedy. I might love to do more solo theater shows. I’m a shameless humorist, so it took me some time to come to terms with the concept that this show was theater.
You called it a program about assimilation, not anti-Semitism. Have recent events modified your perception of this job?
Hiding my identity means something different to me now. Like everyone else, I even have complicated feelings about what is occurring in Israel, Gaza and Palestine. This is a disaster. But yes, I even have come to a more coherent understanding of the relationship between assimilation and anti-Semitism. I still think the show is about assimilation. I still think the message of the show is that for those who hide an element of yourself to slot in, you can pay the price.
Some of the press called you “the next Jerry Seinfeld.” It should be flattering, but your styles are so different that I’m wondering if the comparison relies on anything apart from the indisputable fact that you are Jewish and you recognize how to joke. What’s your reading?
I do not see it either. Many of those comparisons come from the UK, where it could possibly be said that “the American Jew loves to do punch lines!” The worst thing is when someone compares me to Jackie Mason, who I could not be more different from if he were a Martian. I like Jackie Mason for some things…probably not others. I’m heavily influenced by Seinfeld and its writing and ethos. I like that each line must be a punchline, his “very few extra words” philosophy, and this material must be as timeless as possible. But when people indicate this similarity, they’re declaring the fallacious thing. I’d say I’m much more influenced by individuals who were influenced by him, like Mike Birbiglia and Jim Gaffigan.
Before October 7, you worked on a program about Israel and Palestine. Are you reviewing this again??
Complexity is generally good in comedy. With this conflict, it’s hard to synthesize every little thing into punch lines that may make people joyful. I attempted out a number of jokes on this topic at the Comedy Cellar. Audiences seem to like them, but it surely’s not convenient. I’m not logged in enough. I actually miss Adam here because he helped put the wand in the right place. But funnily enough, I’ve done rather a lot more work on this concept between October seventh and now. I’ll probably do a 60-90 minute show about it in the next two years, but in some distant corner of the UK where there isn’t any press.
No matter the way you do it, it should piss off more people than a Jewish Christmas in your loved ones.
When I told my old agent in the UK about this concept, he said, “Oh, great. We should name it Career suicideand then I can drop you off. But don’t you’re thinking that comedy about difficult issues is vital? You do not have to swing? I never want to offend anyone, but all the power is in the third rail. You have to get in there since it helps you reckon with things. This program has been a lifesaver for me these past few months. Talking about essential things heals you a bit. That’s why therapy is great.
There is a few debate about exaggeration or lying in comedy. You once joked about your twin brother Conan. You quickly explained that you just just look alike, but the clip still appears. What are your current protective barriers?
I said we were like twins. Then a comic book I actually respect told me, “Just say you are twins! Who cares?” My material back then was more surreal and less autobiographical. I care rather a lot more about truth in my shows now than I did six years ago. Things vary depending on the medium. The funniest thing about stand-up is that the statement that we were twins was just for fun. This show was based on a gathering I attended. I remember plenty of what happened in that room, but a few of the characters are complex. I used to be very open about it. Every selection the curator’s selection is to tell the story. And in a way, I like the sense of distance.
Tell me more about this.
If I could change one thing about stand-up and autobiographical art, it’s that the mystique is gone. We have completely gotten rid of mysticism towards public figures. We have to get it back. By the way, there’s something mysterious about Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Even Taylor Swift stays mysterious in her vastness. This show asks me some ambiguous questions: “What do I really think about political issues? How is my personality different from the one you experience on stage?” I believe rather a lot about truth in comedy, but it could possibly be truths apart from factual ones.
If something is so successful, the offers should be coming in. Which was the strangest thing?
People ask me to reboot things that I do not think must be rebooted. For example: “Would you like to try creating Rocket power into an action-packed and immersive experience?” There are also proposals for adaptations of books from the Seventies that, for my part, were never suitable for adaptation. I also got plenty of offers to play rabbis in movies. I all the time read scripts, hoping they’ll be cool. I actually need the role of rabbi. They just have to be Normal the role of a rabbi.
Credit : www.hollywoodreporter.com