Fans may know Alex Edelman best as one of the stars and writers of The Paper, Peacock’s mockumentary sitcom and spin-off of The Office, which is currently in its second season. But Edelman has made a name for himself as a stand-up comic for years, especially with one-man shows like Just for Us, which the New Jewish Theatre is staging at the Jewish Community Center Staenberg Family Complex October 1–18.
Directed by Alan Knoll and starring Jacob Flekier as Edelman, the play describes Edelman’s experience attending a meeting of white supremacists in Queens, New York, which leads him to reflect on his Jewish upbringing and the role of religion in his life. He touches on not only topics such as racism and white privilege, but Jewish identity, assimilation and humanizing people who belong to radical fringe groups.
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“The theme of the show is of having empathy and trying to understand other people,” Knoll says. “As Alex tells it in his script, that’s very much a prominent fixture of the Jewish faith.”
Edelman was born and raised in Boston and lives in New York City. As a comedian, he has opened for Ricky Gervais, Patton Oswalt, and Eddie Izzard. He has written the one-man shows Millennial, Everything Handed to You, and Just for Us. Additionally, he has also written for TV shows and the 2020 virtual Passover seder, Saturday Night Seder, which aired during the COVID-19 lockdown and starred big-name Jewish actors and celebrities, including Bette Midler, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Fran Drescher, Sarah Silverman, and Andy Cohen.
Just for Us debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018 and later on Broadway in 2023, followed by the film version on HBO in 2024. The special earned Edelman both Tony and Emmy awards.
In the show, Edelman recounts receiving a flood of anti-semitic tweets in 2016. After compiling a list of the Twitter handles into a master Twitter list, he noticed one tweet that read, “If you have questions about your whiteness, go to this bar in Queens.” So Edelman crashes the meeting and ingratiates himself with white nationalists, who complain about DEI, white confederate statues, racism against white people, Harry and Meghan, and President Trump’s Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
“He was really brave to do that,” says Knoll. “I feel nervous just going into a room full of people at a party, let alone with people you know intrinsically would detest you if they knew who you were. It’s a great set up for comedy. He knows his skills. He’s a great observer of people.”
Edelman then shares stories and anecdotes about his own childhood and being raised Orthodox. He grew up observant and studied at a yeshiva. His brother, Adam, competed for Israel in the skeleton competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He was so religious that he recalls not being able to eat a pepperoni pizza at a children’s birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. He calls Judaism “a mailing list which you can never unsubscribe from,” and even pokes fun at his birth name, which is Dovid Yosef Shimon ben Elazer Reuven Alexander Halevi Edelman.
NJT artistic director Rebekah Skallet cast Flekier, who was born in Kansas City and lives in New York, after he appeared in previous plays for the company, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
“I love his comedy because it touches on thought-provoking things, especially about Judaism and the way Jewish people are melded into culture,” says Flekier, who saw Just for Us on Broadway. “He has so many hilarious, insightful and punchy thoughts. He’s found and honed this Jewish humor. It’s funny to Jewish people, but it’s also funny to non-Jewish people. They can also relate and find joy from the comedy. He has the ability to bring people together using what might be considered historically as uncomfortable subject matter. It’s easy to reach across the aisle and reach people you wouldn’t historically agree with when you bring comedy into it. It lets ideas flow more easily and with a lot less intimidation.”
Though Knoll calls the play “very New York-ish,” he says he and Flekier only slightly adjusted the show to St. Louis audiences, keeping its original premise and message.
“I want people to learn that having a conversation is better than not having a conversation, even if it’s an unapproachable subject matter,” Flekier says. “Giving yourself and the other person a chance to have a conversation is gonna be the most beneficial thing for our world right now. We can’t expect all of our problems to disappear, but if we talk about them, then we can ultimately get to a better place.”
Alex Edelman’s Just for Us runs October 1–18 at the Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center Staenberg Family Complex (2 Millstone Campus). Tickets are $29.19-$60.54 and available online.
