Just for You

Last year, a one-man show played in Los Angeles, called Alex Edelman:  Just for Us.  It got raves reviews, and friends who saw it said it was great.  I'd heard of it -- it began off-Broadway, and then transferred to Broadway, again to rave reviews.  But I didn't see it.  For several reasons, most notably because I'm still not going to the theater as much as before the pandemic.

I was sorry I didn't go -- but thrilled when I saw that HBO recorded the show, and is airing it now.  And for my taste, it was as terrific as its reputation. 

It’s very funny, but it’s not a comedy act.  Rather, it’s a long, true story (with him playing many characters) about the night he decided to go to a meeting of neo-Nazis in New York City, but with a great many, long diversions into him talking about his life growing up in a very Ashkenazi Jewish household, anti-Semitism and more.
 
I had heard Alex Edelman interviewed at length on the Naked Lunch podcast which I'd posted here, and he was funny and interesting.  So, I was very glad when I saw HBO had recorded the show.  (What I didn't realize until I tracked down the podcast, is that he briefly appeared on another of the Naked Lunch podcast.  That was the one with guest Hannah Einbinder, who starred in the excellent HBO Max series Hacks.  She and Edelman were dating at the time (and may still be, as far as I know -- or not), and host Phil Rosenthal called him up during the interview.)
 
The Just for Us special is available On Demand, and HBO will be airing it again.  At the moment, I counted 10 airings ahead. It runs about 85 minutes.
 
If you do decide to watch, my only recommendation is that Edelman talks very fast (which he actually addresses, having ADHD), so I put on close captions so I could check if I missed a laugh.  It’s not necessary, but it definitely helped.

If you're interested, whether before watching the special to help decide if you want to watch, or afterwards if you enjoyed the special, here's the link for hour-long interview he did for the Naked Lunch podcast.
 
This is the minute-long trailer, which will give you a very brief idea of the show, though it’s much more diverse and textured than this.