When Elon Gold started doing standup, he didn’t want to talk about his Judaism. Now he can’t stop.
Elon Gold will perform his one-man show Half Jewish, Half Very Jewish at the Toronto Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. (video)
Gold, a comedian and actor who currently has a role on the TV show Bones, was 16 when he first started performing.
“When I first started comedy, I was frightened to be on stage, so I hid behind all these impressions… The goal was to entertain, kill and get off stage,” said Gold, who will be bringing his one-man show, Half Jewish, Half Very Jewish, to the Toronto Just For Laughs Festival this July.
“Then I started speaking as myself. Then I started opening up about being Jewish.”
While Gold’s one-man show – which, he says, may not be suitable for gentiles and is closed captioned for the Hebrew impaired, – premièred last year at the Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, it’s been in the making for about a decade.
“I’ve been working on it by accident. As a comedian, I have two acts – my regular, secular act and then my Jewish act,” he said.
“There’s no off switch when you’re a comedian. Everything you observe goes through a comedic filter. You want to have an outlet to take those observations and share them with people. I have observations… sitting at a Passover table or in shul.”
The show, which Gold describes as a “Jewtopia,” is basically an hour and a half of these observations. It covers everything from his zaide – “my zaide was so religious, he had two toilets, one for meat, one for dairy,” he says during his act – to Jews not proselytizing.
“Judaism is the only religion that doesn’t recruit new members, because we know we can’t get any. What’s our selling point? ‘Tired of that excess flap of skin on your penis?’”
For Gold, Half Jewish, Half Very Jewish is the ultimate outlet. And the ultimate challenge.
“I’m more proud of this show than anything I’ve ever done, any of my failed sitcoms, any appearances I’ve made,” he said.
“Jewish audiences are the toughest audiences, because they think they’ve thought of everything already.”
Even so, Gold loves performing for Jewish crowds.
“I feel a connection to them I don’t feel with others. There’s an understanding. We’re on the same page,” he said.
“When [Jewish audiences] hear something they didn’t think of, they get thoroughly excited. That’s how you come at Jewish audiences – you have to wow them with your brilliant insight.”
Even then, you’re not going to get big laughs, Gold said. But you will get a silent appreciation. Which makes it worthwhile.
“When you say something funny, they sort of sit back and just think, ‘He’d be good at my fundraiser.’ They don’t give it up really.”
Since his show’s run in Montreal, Gold has taken Half Jewish, Half Very Jewish on the road, where he was surprised when non-Jews showed up to laugh.
“I’ve been everywhere, from Dallas, Texas to Tampa, Florida… I’m always shocked when gentiles show up and love it,” he said.
“I think, in a way, it’s nice when a group of people can come see someone they can relate to on a very deep level. At the same time, it’s nice when other people… come and see what other races and religions are talking about… Funny is funny.”
While Gold continues to act, he prefers standup, which he finds both scary and satisfying.
“Acting is just a hundred times easier than standup. The hardest part of acting is memorizing… whereas standup is so challenging. Every single time I go on stage… I’m nervous,” he said. “An audience is waiting to eat you up alive if you start sucking. You’re up there for over an hour, and it’s just all you.”
Half Jewish, Half Very Jewish will run from July 6 to 11 at the Berkeley Street Theatre. For more information or tickets, visit www.toronto.hahaha.come/shows.
