Josh Tantalizing ‘Ta-da!’ Interview: Are One-Man Presentations Correct?

Ta-da!
Photo: Emilio Madrid

On its face, Josh Tantalizing’s recent recent Ta-da!, which is at recent taking half in Off Broadway on the Greenwich Home Theater, follows the one-man recent formula to a tee. It begins with some ghastly-out intercourse comedy about Tantalizing’s childhood, transitions to his mom dying when he turned into as soon as 22, then ends with a piece about his have attain-loss of life abilities when a wave knocked him out in Mexico in 2024. Nonetheless then there’s what’s going on on the merit of him onstage — particularly, the PowerPoint presentation. One day of the recent, Tantalizing runs via a total of 2,000 textual squawk material-primarily primarily primarily based slides, cuing every body up in trusty time with a clicker in his hand. What begins as an opportunity to encompass extra sorts of jokes (the discover cum will also be written in so many different methods) evolves into the recent’s total belief: that folk are gloriously able to mentally juggling two issues straight away. In this case, that refers to each what Tantalizing is asserting and what the viewers is studying on the show cloak on the merit of him. And, via that, Tantalizing bucks the formula — a one-man recent is supposed to luxuriate in one obvious belief, and Tantalizing is presenting two.

Tantalizing has lengthy been one of Fresh York’s filthiest comedians. His most distinguished work, until now, is 2023’s Dicks: The Musical, an A24-produced musical parody of The Mother or father Entice, which he co-created alongside with his frequent collaborator Aaron Jackson. It has incest, a flying pussy, and a pair of grotesque puppets known because the Sewer Boys that Nathan Lane feeds cherish a mom fowl. Sooner than Ta-da!, no person would place aside a question to Tantalizing to originate a recent in what’s maybe primarily the most staid trend in Fresh York. In a publish–Mike Birbiglia world, per annum sees extra comics turning their trauma into fodder for beautiful-ample one-man exhibits that luxuriate in spruce arcs and are ideal for taking your dad to when he’s on the city. So what’s Tantalizing — a particular person who as soon as wrote the phrases “God is a faggot and all relish is relish” — doing making a mode of?

What turned into as soon as the impetus to secure a one-man recent?
I favor to secure stand-up, however coming out of COVID instances, when we all stopped doing stand-up for a year and a half of, I wished to originate it extra exciting for myself. I turned into as soon as utilizing slides in my stand-up as a ten-minute bit, then it grew to alter into a 20-minute bit, and that grew to alter into a 30-minute bit. The “two straight away” of all of it turned into as soon as exciting to play with, each as squawk material meeting make, and as something I hadn’t seen comedically. I will highlight language that I favor you to seek written in front of you. I will also be asserting one joke and bury a 2nd joke on the merit of me, or I will shoot a scrutinize and designate it and secure fun off of nothing. There’s something exciting about PowerPoint as a percussion instrument.

How did you make Ta-da!?
A year and swap ago, I finally did the hourlong model. After that, I turned into as soon as cherish, Girl, I own you originate this a one-particular person recent. So I did it in Washington, D.C. — an even looking city, nonetheless it felt cherish a safe dwelling to secure it in case I flopped — and I folded in the mom stuff and a rudimentary model of the accident, which had took establish correct form three months earlier than. That felt honest ample that I turned into as soon as cherish, I will secure this in Fresh York. I did it just a few instances that summer season, and by tumble, Sam Pinkleton, Mike Lavoie, and Carlee Briglia came to seek it. Chums who’d worked with Mike and Carlee cherished them because the rare producers who’re genuinely supportive of artists.

Sam and I were pleasant, however I invited him attributable to I turned into as soon as cherish. I’d relish his thoughts, however he’s surely too busy to secure this. Then we talked for an hour or two, and on the terminate of the conversation, I turned into as soon as cherish, “Wait, I genuinely want to vibe overview: Enact you surely must divulge this?” And he did.

How has the collaboration been?
He’s the splendid. For months earlier than the bustle, he turned into as soon as a sounding board, and I would focus on shit out with him. I had a honest take hold of of the comedic stuff, however we talked loads about the storytelling and theater pieces. I will’t take into consideration doing it with out the group of workers he built.

Why did you pick to secure a one-man recent and never a stand-up recent?
There turned into as soon as an facet of, If I’m going to be at this theater talking to a microphone, and as well you all paid money to be here, I favor you to seek at every 2nd how inviting I’ve worked for this. That is the least sluggish model of a recent I will take into consideration. I forced myself to memorize all these cues, and as well you’ll know when I fuck up. Whereas you strip away the PowerPoint, it’s the canonical one-man recent: It’s a stand-up who goes downtown and tells his jokes and his stories, however there’s story afoot.

What were your preconceived notions of a one-man recent?
I cherished Jacqueline Novak’s Internet On Your Knees and Kate and Birbiglia’s work. I secure disclose there’s a model of this recent that’s achieved downtown in lesser arms that is correct form make of solipsistic: Here are the stories about why I moved to Fresh York and started in the arts. I secure why of us abhor that. You’re paying theater costs for a stand-up recent. Which isn’t to divulge stand-up isn’t a sound art make, however I secure why an viewers says, “My price turned into as soon as excessive, so where are the items?” Even when I turned into as soon as doing this recent in comedy golf equipment, I wished to resolve out the trend to originate a one-man recent a stunty, cunty production.

I confess to being suspicious of the make. To me, it seems cherish one-man exhibits require a pat narrativizing of the teller’s lifestyles, with a clear factual, and that spruce of an arc generally feels dishonest.
We tried to leave in trusty lifestyles’s mess. We had to secure WNYC this morning, and Sam and I were talking about how we’ve got anxiousness pitching the recent attributable to it’s inviting to enable you to know what it’s about. Even the pitch of “Guy does comedy with a bunch of slides” is now not if truth be told what the recent is, nonetheless it’s a tool we’re taking half in with. I educated him from the beginning, “I’d relish it to be a thing that does a glorious deal of issues, and yet all is wise collectively as what comes from my mind.”

There’s a 2nd in the recent whereas you converse, “My director, Sam, educated me ‘Don’t be panicked to originate this recent about something.’” Why did you would also be feeling the must give him that credit in the textual squawk material, in want to correct form making the recent luxuriate in a degree?
There were drafts where I correct form tried to secure that, however then we realized this recent desires me to contain the principle that that something else may perchance be going on on the merit of “the point” that every undercuts it and additionally says a particular thing. Some of that is the dystopic nature of where we’re at in media: Every person’s staring at TV whereas they’re on their phones. Folks are ready to absorb two streams straight away. So, in that 2nd, the issues which are coming out of my mouth are now not dishonest. I wrote the splendid model of me touchdown the plane, one-man recent trend. Nonetheless if truth be told, the message is the make, and isn’t it cool that every these issues are honest?

When you figured out the make of the PowerPoint, how did you pick on the squawk material?
The epic about my mom turned into as soon as first, and then I turned into as soon as fleshing out the recent and I practically died, and that felt price folding in. I first did a model where I touched on the attain-loss of life abilities earlier than Sam came on, however I didn’t know how they were linked. It felt different attributable to a mode of reports is something I’ve sat with for a whereas and revel in perspective on, and the plenty of is cherish, Girl, I’m peaceful on this. After I crossed the precipice from That is an mesmerizing mechanism for stand-up into “one-man recent,” I knew the epic of my mom would be in there. The epic of mom is what allowed for the Half-hour of cum jokes. One is a bit extra Bell Home, and the plenty of is a bit extra This American Life.

Whereas you were on StraightioLab, you asked a hypothetical ask about the recent that I’d favor to ask now: “How grand are you looking to detect an unexplored dwelling, and how grand are you correct form standing in the kind of your have success?”
Whereas you’re concocting these items which are niche or wild or recount, you would also be always interrogating your self: Is that this my notify, or is that this me correct form looking to silo this thing away in notify that I’ll luxuriate in a cause no person ever loves it? Nonetheless I no longer if truth be told feel that system about this recent. I acknowledged that earlier than I turned into as soon as doing it in the theater context. Now that we’ve place aside it in front of an viewers, I don’t must ask my therapist if I’m correct form making issues inviting on myself for no cause. Or, if I’m, isn’t that make of fun most frequently? Isn’t it cool my mind can secure this? So, let’s let her bustle.

Enact you would also be feeling you’ve beforehand stood in the kind of your have success?
No longer if truth be told, honestly. I own that’s deep-seated fear stuff. Successfully, I disclose most productive if we clarify success as being purely on commercial phrases. Nonetheless is that what we’re in it for?

What are you in it for?
I own one of primarily the most easy pleasures in lifestyles is correct form making cool shit alongside with your company. That I will secure paid for that the least bit principles. So some of it’s that, and then some of it’s about making stuff that I wish I saw in the landscape. It’s about looking to originate something that is recount to me.

I secure disclose the one-man recent, even supposing, is most frequently a reasonably bare ploy by comedians for increased success.
That’s why I’m elated we’re doing it where we’re doing it in the trend we’re doing it. Can I secure “woo-woo” with you? Hollywood, publish the epic strikes, is peaceful in a peculiar dwelling that’s sorting itself out. This may perchance in time — that is the history of showbiz — however to search out myself in a theater 2nd correct form now may perchance be witchy. In rehearsals, in tech, and now in exhibits, I if truth be told feel cherish I built a coven. With theater — especially this make of theater that’s noteworthy, when in contrast to me doing it alone in Gowanus — you genuinely are in that room, chasing the splendid model of the present. That process arrangement extra to me than how correctly this recent goes.

So what does primarily the most winning model of this recent’s future scrutinize cherish?
You and my WNYC interviewer are on the identical page. She turned into as soon as cherish, “So, I luxuriate in to take into consideration you’re interested in a particular.” And, reasonably honestly, I turned into as soon as cherish, “No.”

HBO comes. You’re cherish, “Boo”?
If HBO came to me correct form now and turned into as soon as cherish, “Would you shut down this bustle earlier to tape it?”, I’d be cherish, “No.” It is some distance a theatrical portion, and I luxuriate in to scramble down the lifetime of it as a thing we all secure collectively in a room. Whereas I’m bringing the stand-up portion into this theater dwelling, the fragment that feels if truth be told fun is that I will survey every single particular person’s face. I’m attuned to the energy of this dwelling. I’m tightly tethered, however I’m peaceful looking to secure the stand-up snarl of asking, How secure I play it for you of us?

I’m doing this live as grand as I will. May perchance perchance I secure it in other cities in a in the same arrangement theatrical sit down-down system? That feels extra fun to me. I’d reasonably converse these stories to as many folk as I will earlier than my body gets too drained, then disclose it’s achieved, and then revisit the principle that of if it may perchance perchance also unbiased peaceful ever be on movie.

How did you regulate your self to performing “theater” versus “comedy”?
The recent peaceful exists on that tightrope. Nonetheless I did disclose it will likely be a comedy recent, and the recent is studying extra as theater. I’m cherish Wait, y’all are coming for a theater abilities? Damage, let’s secure that then. Sam had a noteworthy recent where he turned into as soon as cherish, “In the merit half of, you don’t survey how grand the viewers is with you.” It shifted how I converse these stories. Now, I’m fully taking a bath. I will also be inner of this epic. There’s instances where the stand-up and the actress are at war, and I don’t know which one may perchance well also unbiased peaceful receive. When it gets to the merit half of, I’m cherish, How can I converse this epic from inner of it and never from birth air commenting on it? Then I realized the slides on the merit of me can touch upon it. It feels cherish a two-man recent with me and the PowerPoint. I will also be in it and let her secure the work of asserting “lol faggot.”

In conversation, I procure you to be grand extra earnest than you normally are onstage. This recent is the first time that I’ve seen these issues combined. How does that genuinely feel?
I cherish earnestness. I own it’s fun to dispute, and I favor to talk about my emotions, and a glorious deal of that is tied into my mom dying when I turned into as soon as 22, which is in the fucking textual squawk material. Nonetheless I own there is a model of honesty that surpasses earnestness that is about being entirely honest to your sensibilities in an unfettered system. My crassness or nihilism or absurdity is trusty. There’s this principle that correct form being “susceptible” onstage is one of the best make of honesty. And I own it can be a make of honesty, however I additionally disclose that after Aaron and I are improvising because the witches who did 9/11, that, to me, feels so good. I’m letting you in here (faucets mind), and I’m now not if truth be told giving belief to the trend you may perchance receive it.

One thing I felt in the viewers turned into as soon as that some of us there were correct form theater of us that didn’t know your form of comedy, and they were a bit horrified by the quantity of attain talked about. Others were very much very much surprised by the theater facet. What’s that bifurcation cherish for you?
On Saturday night, the five o’clock recent turned into as soon as all theater of us, and the eight o’clock recent turned into as soon as all below the influence of alcohol comedy of us. Every performed titanic however vastly differently. The comedy of us are going so buck wild for the first half of-hour, and then when there’s a turn and it turns into about storytelling, I’m cherish, You’re so very much very much surprised it went here and as well you’re loving it. The theater crowd, for the first half of-hour, is smiling and most frequently laughing, however I’m now not positive they know they’re allowed to chortle. They’re perplexed. When the turn occurs there, it’s correct form a theater of of us crying. There are aspects where it’s, cherish, tubby “sad,” however I’ve snuck three injurious jokes in. So most frequently the theater crowd obtained’t chortle at these, however you would also converse they must. In the comedy crowd, I’ll survey a girl crying who then will bust up at a line in the center.

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