Scrappy Travels

In 2023, I had the pleasure of witnessing Alex Edelman perform live on stage. He was opening for Ted Lasso ’s Nick Mohammed who was playing his character Mr. Swallow, at New York City’s Town Hall. He was so funny, and so relatable. He was nothing like the main event, but from his work in England, he had a similar sensibility. A few weeks later, he announced his solo show Just for Us would be premiering for a limited engagement on Broadway, after touring for more than a year in the US and the UK. I needed to be there.  I knew very little going in, but was excited to see him perform again. If you know nothing about J ust for Us , it’s a difficult premise to wrap your head around. Roughly Just for Us is the story of a conservative Jewish man who decides to attend a meeting of white nationalists. Jokes ensue. The idea seems almost inconceivable. Why would anyone choose to walk into a group of humans who are primed to hate him strictly because they don’t fit into their reprehensible ...

  Let’s be clear. You can’t really top the magic of live theater. One specific set of people witnessing a performance that will never be exactly the same again is a concept that’s hard to explain to non-theater-lovers. Anything is possible. An actor could flub a line. A prop could break. An ensemble may nail the complex choreography for the very first time. Whatever happens, it’ll be memorable for sure.  In the last few years, the powers that be in the entertainment industry, hoped to harness a little of that magic by filming these incredible productions and streaming them across networks and movie houses to mixed reviews. I always think that more theater is a good thing. But, I’ve learned there are some exceptions to this rule. Some productions don’t need to be filmed, and some productions, no matter how incredible they are live, just don’t translate to a television screen.  In House Seats , I’ll explore these productions to determine what makes a production fabulous in ...