Alex Edelman stepped out on to the Menier stage almost with caution on the opening night of his show, Just For Us. There was a hint of a nervous stoop and a look of shock for the few seconds it took him to realise the theatre was full with American Jews, British Jews, New Yorkers, Bostonians, the curious and the press all applauding him. Within an instant he was fending off the cheers with mimed thank yous and hands that said, ‘please stop, I don’t deserve this’. By the end of the evening we all knew that he did, writes Michael Holland.
Halfway through the show I thought the title meant it was just for Jews, as he makes no excuse for the Jewishness of his act, that is liberally showered with Yiddish that he translates for the few Gentiles there, but Just For Us was actually what someone told him after he gatecrashed a meeting of white nationalists – A meeting which became the backbone of the evening as he took us from first seeing the ‘invite’ on Twitter, his journey to Queens in New York, the private apartment the gathering was held in, the people there and where they were sitting, and ultimately to his leaving.
But built in to the potential tale of terror amongst the ‘Nazis’ we were treated to diversions off to Coco the talking gorilla, a horse with eight legs, and his ultra-Jewish family that are the source for a good part of Edelman’s comedy – Much to our enjoyment – and having Christmas one year without having a clue how to celebrate the season of goodwill in his Jewish household.
He tells of growing up on the spectrum, his constant visits to child psychiatrists, and how his mother would change them if they didn’t find anything wrong and ‘cure’ him.
And after each diversion he would bring us back to the racist meeting where he would once again pick up the story and introduce us to another one of the other participants. He would pick away at their sad traits one by one as they thrived off lies and conspiracy theories. And all the while never letting us forget that, although he had turned it into comedy, he was very vulnerable in those surroundings.
Edelman does not keep still as he weaves in and out of the stools that depict the attendees, mimicking their vile words and actions. He shouts a lot. But he never loses the rhythm acquired from working this show around the world for quite a few years now – aided by the expert direction of Adam Brace.
Ultimately, he reveals that these Nazis he found himself amongst were ‘nowhere near as terrifying as my grandfather had told me’ but were merely ‘life’s losers’.
This dissection of the evil among us is sublime. And hilarious.
MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY, 53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU until 26 February. Times: 7.30pm, matinees at 3pm
Box Office: 020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)
Website: www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)
