Imagine being Jewish and attending a White Nationalists meeting undercover. Sounds crazy, right? In the award-winning comedian Alex Edelman’s acclaimed Broadway Solo Show, Just for Us you get to hear the story of how Edelman does the unthinkable by putting himself in an extremely uncomfortable situation among White Supremacists. It seems very serious but happens to work perfectly for this comedy show.
The show begins with a few cheesy jokes about gorillas and horses, and how Edelman is dedicated to his craft by spending $800 on sign language classes. Things quickly take a dramatic turn when Edelman shares the blatant anti-Semitism he began to face on Twitter years ago. The scenario gets even more interesting when he finds out there’s a meeting for White Nationalists seeking to “answer questions about their whiteness”. This finding leads to Edelman making a brave and possibly stupid decision to attend the meeting in an apartment located in Queens, New York.
Edelman’s experience attending the meeting carries through the rest of the show as he weaves in childhood stories and random funny lines about our society today. His jokes and anecdotes are brilliantly written with clever punchlines that even made himself laugh. This show is disturbingly relevant to the events unfolding in the world today. And as Jew, who was raised Orthodox, Edelman gives you an inside look of his life experience grappling with his Jewish identity and the hardships of anti-Semitism.
Alex Edelman is a stand-out comedian and is entertaining to watch on stage. He is actively moving around and has quirky movements as he shares his strange experiences and ridiculous thoughts. Comedy seems to come naturally to him as he quickly delivers joke after joke. Edelman did an amazing job engaging the crowd and made us feel like we were a part of his story. He even added a few quiet moments for us to feel how uncomfortable it was for him to be in the room full of anti-Semites at the White Nationalist meeting.
Throughout the show the crowd was on the edge of their seats as laughter echoed in the packed theater. Edelman keeps the audience hooked through ups and downs of laughter and intense silence as he unpacks the depths of serious topics of racism, anti-Semitism, and sheer ignorance. Following the show, audience members were raving with a standing ovation, clapping and cheering.
I spoke with a few of them, and many loved the show. A young man named Asher said, “The show was funny, but relatable, especially if you have experienced any form of being different.”
Another crowd member named Margo said, “It was surprisingly hilarious, endearing and came full circle in the end.” She continued, “It was universal for everybody, something we will take with us and carry from here on out.”
“Just For Us” directed by Adam Brace is hilarious and thoughtfully pieced together with each joke. It’s easily one of the best comedy shows I have seen in a long time. I highly recommend everyone attend this show, no matter your background. The jaw-dropping ending is worth every penny.
The Steppenwolf Theatre was the perfect setting for the comedy show. The theater was sold out and offered a variety of drinks at the bar. The Downstairs Theater has two levels of seating including main floor and balcony areas. The theater is accessible for everyone and is intimate enough so that you don’t feel like you are miles away from the stage.
The Just for Us show runs from Thursday, February 15 to Saturday February 24, 2024. The running time is a quick 85 minutes with no intermission. Showtimes vary day to day from 3:00 pm to 7:30 pm. It’s located in the Downstairs Theater at Steppenwolf Theatre Co. located on 1650 N. Halstead St. in Chicago. Tickets start at $52 and are on sale now at steppenwolf.org/justforus or at the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Make sure to get your tickets soon as they are selling out fast!
