Her new crowd work special lays out exactly why. She can find laughs in anything. Anything. There is seemingly no point of view, reality, ideology, or world view she can’t instantly unpeel, dissect and reveal the obvious humor and hilarity of. Sometimes watching her in this new special she doesn’t even seem human. There’s moments she’s seems like a great cartoon character standing onstage in front of a bunch of howling humans. I think this is really her best special. I love all of her stuff, her material is routinely sharp and she normally weaves it in and out of her crowd work so that it feels so much fresher than a standard routine. This one is different. This is Jessica just talking with the audience at the Comedy Cellar in New York, in two different performances, for fifty some minutes.

I have to say by and large I don’t really love crowd work specials or reels. They always seem to have a ‘guess you had to be there’ aftertaste to them. This one is different.

‘I USED TO BE A LITTLE BOY IN RICHMOND’

Whether she’s vamping a song born from an interview from an audience member at the side of the stage with her piano player in show 1 or singing about Sanitary pads in an improvised riff in show 2 she’s got an old fashioned Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett energy infused with a very modern point of view that could only be as bold as it is in today’s environment. She easily gets away with it all. She’s a woman, she’s gay, she’s Jewish, she’s a mother, she’s brutally honest about herself, and as a result, the audience will let her go anywhere. She comes off so brazen and bold, so angry, yet so damn nice. It’s just a great combination.

She tells an audience member. ‘I don’t have a cruel bone in my body. Unless someone is cruel to me. Then I will annihilate them.’ in a way that there is no doubt of the veracity. By the way, I feel the same way. I think all, or most of us do, which is probably why she’s so popular. I also have to say I get a vibe that in this special she’s really having fun on stage. Not that she isn’t in the stuff I’ve seen before, but there is a sweetness in this one that works for her, a pace and a pleasant pop that is pure joy in the work. She looks great and she’s got a light in her eyes that makes it so much fun to watch. If you haven’t seen her live this is the best thing next to it. It’s a great set.

Here it is;

Here’s her live dates coming up too. Go see her in person. She’s putting on some amazing shows. There’s nothing like laughing as hard she’s making people laugh. By the way, just so you know, because I talk a lot about my friends. I don’t even know Jessica. I’ve never met her. I’m not selling one of my buddies. I just love her. I’ve gone and seen her live a few times. She makes me laugh hard. You owe it to yourself to get out and see her, and if not, at least to watch this special. It’s perfect.

https://www.jessicakirson.com/