French Comedian Gad Elmaleh Debuts New English-Language Show at Joe's Pub Tonight

French comedian and actor Gad Elmaleh will debut his new, English-language stand-up show with a ten-night run at Joe's Pub at The Public, tonight, September 26-October 7, 2015.

Gad Elmaleh is arguably the most widely known and beloved comedian in France. He's a three-time host of the Ceremonies de Cesar (French Oscars), made history with seven consecutive sold-out weeks at the prestigious L'Olympia (Paris' Carnegie Hall) and has been voted "The Funniest Person in France" by TF1. But his audience extends well beyond the borders of the country where he lives; he has performed in recent years to capacity audiences in Miami, Los Angeles and New York, where he sold out the 3,000-seat Beacon Theater this June. American audiences may best know him from his starring roles in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris and Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin, or from his popular appearance with his friend Jerry Seinfeld on Seinfeld's web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." (http://www.crackle.com/comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee)

For the past few years, Gad has been crafting a stand-up show entirely in English, building upon the occasional jokes thrown in during his French-speaking engagements, and including a brief performance in English at the Los Angeles Comedy Club in 2014. This work culminates in a ten-night run at Joe's Pub at The Public, September 25­-October 7. Performed entirely in English, the shows promise to bring Elmaleh's singular humor and insight to a new demographic.

Elmaleh's recent performance at the Beacon Theater was billed as his last U.S. performance in French.

The leap to English is about challenging himself, rather than achieving fame as an American celebrity. "At some point you start to feel like you've done it all," he says. "I'm so grateful to my thousands of French fans, but now I need to live a bit dangerously." While doing comedy in another language may not be considered physically dangerous, it requires courage and skill not only to translate the jokes, but also adapt them to the right pacing and nuance in order to keep this new audience engaged. Both at home in France and in his trips to the U.S. for recent shows, he has been focusing on what makes Americans laugh and perfecting the rhythm and syntax of the English language. "I just want to feel alive," he says, "I wanted to get excited about a new project."

Elmaleh is often called the "Jerry Seinfeld of France," an apt comparison not just because of his observational material, but also because he provided the voice of Barry B. Benson in the French adaptation of the 2007 animated film Bee Movie, a role originated in English by Seinfeld.

The son of a mime, Elmaleh rose to fame in France with his autobiographical 1997 one-man show Décalages. He cemented his reputation in French comedy three years later with his second one-man show La Vie Normale. His prolific career in French film and television includes notable performances starring opposite Gerard Depardieu in 2004's Ole! and opposite Audrey Tautou in 2006's Priceless. That same year, Gad was awarded the "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" by France's Minister of Culture. Shortly thereafter, he followed up with his fifth one-man show Papa est en Haut, which premiered at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Immediately following his historic stint at the Olympia, Elmaleh performed for another seven sold-out weeks at Le Palais des Sports, a 3,800-seat venue.

Tickets for the engagement are $25 (plus a $12 food or two drink minimum per person) and are available online by visiting www.joespub.com or by phone by calling 212-967-7555.

Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space and superior acoustics to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub consistently presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. In addition, Joe's Pub features seasonal dinner and bar menus from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. As part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. In alignment with The Public's mission, Joe's also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians like Allen Toussaint, Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon and Bridget Everett resources and collaborators to develop new theatrical works; and PUB CLUB, the venue's new artist development program.

To post a comment, you must register and login.