Los Angeles-based comedian and podcaster Antonia Lassar brings The Best Jew to Vancouver Performing Stars\u2019 theatre on Nov. 30. <\/i>(photo by Xander DePascale)<\/i><\/p>\n
Ever wonder how Sarah might have welcomed back Abraham and Isaac from their \u201ccamping trip\u201d? Who\u2019s the biggest diva in the Hebrew Bible? What elements an interior designer for synagogues considers? These are just a few of the questions comedian Antonia Lassar answers in recent social media posts.<\/p>\n
On Nov. 30, Vancouverites can see the Canadian debut of Lassar\u2019s The Best Jew<\/i>, in which she shares anecdotes about her Reform Judaism upbringing, contemplates questions like whether the late Debbie Friedman is the Messiah, and much more. Music and singing play a big part in the show, which will be opened by the Klezbians, a band from Victoria.<\/p>\n
Lassar draws her inspiration from the Jewish communities she\u2019s lived in, in Boston, New York and Los Angeles. \u201cIt\u2019s sometimes brutal to be sitting in shul and not be able to pull out my phone to take notes, because I just noticed something hilarious that I need to write about,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m constantly having great ideas in places where I\u2019m not allowed to write anything down!\u201d<\/p>\n
Lassar grew up in Newton, Mass., and attended theatre school before moving to New York City. Two years ago, she relocated to Los Angeles to focus on film and television. \u201cI\u2019ve known since I was a kid that I wanted to perform, but I didn\u2019t pinpoint comedy as my strong suit until I got out of college,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Today, she describes herself as being deeply immersed in the Jewish community, but, for many years, Lassar found her Jewish life uninspiring. \u201cI didn\u2019t like Judaism growing up,\u201d she admitted. \u201cIt felt like an afterschool activity I was forced to do, in the same way I was forced to take piano lessons. I thought both were useless and probably just child abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n It took a foray into other religions before Lassar returned to Judaism with genuine interest and curiosity. For that, she thanks Chabad in Brooklyn. \u201cThey sucked me in and gave me a great love for Judaism,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t call myself Reform or Chabad. Like many Jews of my generation, I feel like I\u2019m between denominations.\u201d<\/p>\n When it came to writing comedy, Lassar turned to what she knew best, and that was Judaism. \u201cMost Jewish comedy stays at the level of cultural Ashkenazi stereotypes of bagels and overbearing mothers,\u201d she said. \u201cThis never felt representative of my experience. I wanted to write comedy for Jews that went beyond stereotypes and that shows a different side to Judaism, one that\u2019s not commonly portrayed in comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n She wrote The Best Jew<\/i> for a pluralistic Jewish audience and has performed it for a wide range of Jews, from Reform to Hassidic. \u201cMy material is very clean, and any passing reference to controversial subjects like the Holocaust is extremely respectful,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is an 18+ show, but it won\u2019t offend anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n In the show, Lassar jokes about the Reform movement\u2019s obsession with the word \u201cmeaningful,\u201d and Chabad\u2019s distribution of menorahs, among many other subjects. \u201cIt\u2019s so much more fun performing for Jewish communities than at comedy clubs, where you\u2019re just another comedian,\u201d she reflected. \u201cWhen I perform at a synagogue, they treat you like you\u2019re Moshiach! It\u2019s a dream job to travel around the country and meet amazing Jewish communities who are so diverse and so welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n Lassar comes to Vancouver as a guest of JQT Vancouver, a volunteer-run Jewish, queer and trans nonprofit, and Jewish Family Services Vancouver, as part of the organizations\u2019 Mental Health Support Series. While Lassar\u2019s queer identity does come up, \u201cit\u2019s not a huge part of the show,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time in very Orthodox spaces, where the question of queerness is unavoidable. And I\u2019m proud to be a queer Jew who is deeply engaged in Judaism.\u201d<\/p>\n To get an idea of Lassar\u2019s comedy, check out her sketches on Instagram and TikTok. She also co-hosts, with comedian Raye Schiller, Yenta Pod<\/i>, a weekly podcast with the tagline \u201cSometimes funny, sometimes Jewish, always gossip.\u201d<\/p>\n