Berkeley Rep To Present Alex Edelman's JUST FOR US in January

Following critically-acclaimed engagements on Broadway and in San Francisco, OBIE Award–winning writer and performer Alex Edelman will bring his award–winning solo show, JUST FOR US, to Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Peet's Theatre for a limited engagement. Directed by Adam Brace (Liz Kingsman's One Woman Show, Leo Reich's Literally Who Cares?!), JUST FOR US will begin performances on Tuesday, January 9 and run through Sunday, January 21, 2024. Press night will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Tickets are on sale to subscribers (10% discount) now, and on sale to non-subscribers ($49-$99) starting November 3 at www.berkeleyrep.org or by phone at 510-647-2949 (Tue–Sun, 12–7 p.m.). Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.
 
“There has never been a better or more important time to be in the presence of Alex Edelman,” said Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. “His brilliantly clear-eyed, deeply personal examination of contemporary anti-Semitism somehow manages to be both edifying and hilarious.  It takes a rare talent to walk that tightrope, and he does it with panache.”

Expertly crafted by one of comedy's most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy. In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise JUST FOR US.

JUST FOR US landed on Broadway this summer following acclaimed international runs in London, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Boston, and Washington D.C., as well as a six-time extended off-Broadway engagement across three venues in New York City, which earned a “Critic's Pick” from The New York Times, a 2023 Obie Award, and Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. The New Yorker raved that JUST FOR US is “Uproarious & tremendously entertaining! Edelman skewers to perfection and has an exceptional eye for the absurd.” The Washington Post proclaimed, “It's the summer of Alex! The superb JUST FOR US has been chiseled to diamond-cut perfection. It's a joyous, uproarious 90-minute show from one of the funniest minds of this generation – or any generation.” The New York Times described the show as a “cultural phenomenon,” and “a brisk, smart provocation of a monologue,” and Time Out hailed the show as, “A portrait of the entertainer as a young Jewish man in a polarized society…without pulling any punchlines. Despite the incendiary issues lurking at the edges of his tale, JUST FOR US is focused on comedy. The laughs are plentiful.” The Guardian deemed the show “Exquisitely crafted and deliciously funny,” and the Telegraph exalted that Edelman is, “one of the most distinctive comic voices of his generation. This is funny, often charmingly self-deprecating writing, delivered with infectious confidence and exuberance and building to a real cracker of a last line. Highly recommended.”
 
JUST FOR US was originally produced Off-Broadway by Mike Birbiglia in association with Mike Lavoie, Carlee Briglia, and Joseph Birbiglia.

www.JustForUsBroadway.com
 

Alex Edelman 

is a comedian, actor, and writer. He is known both for his solo shows - three, all award-winning, sell-out hits in London's West End and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - and for his TV writing. His first solo show, Millennial, won the 2014 Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer, the first American show to do so since 1997. Edelman has appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," "Late Night with Seth Meyers," and "Conan," and written on shows like “The Great Indoors” (CBS) and Jenji Kohan's “Teenage Bounty Hunters” for Netflix. He is the creator of Peer Group – a show about young people – on Radio 4 and his special “Live From The BBC” is available on Netflix internationally. At the start of the pandemic, he served as the head writer and executive producer of “Saturday Night Seder,” a star-studded 70-minute special, posted on YouTube, that has so far raised $3.5 million for the CDC Foundation (COVID-19) Emergency Response Fund. His comedy album "Until Now" was named one of the best comedy albums of 2020 by NPR's Bullseye. He has two differently sized feet.
 

Adam Brace

(Director) was Associate Director at Soho Theatre, London where he worked across comedy, theatre, and performance art, and in roles spanning dramaturg, director, and writer. In comedy, he developed a varied range of work including eight Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated shows, two Herald Angel Award-winners, two nominees for the Melbourne Barry Award and two Southbank Sky Arts Awards. Directing credits include all of Alex Edelman's shows, most recently JUST FOR US (2023 Obie Award winner, 2022 Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Nominee); Leo Reich's Literally Who Cares?! Off-Broadway, Haley McGee's Age is a Feeling (Fringe First 2022, Soho Theatre); all of Sh!t Theatre's multi-award-winning international shows. Other credits include Ahir Shah's HBO Max special Dots and Creative Supervisor on two series of “Soho Theatre Live” on Amazon Prime. Previously, he was a playwright and was produced by Almeida Theatre, The National Theatre, and The Donmar Warehouse; his plays are published by Faber and Faber.
 

ABOUT BERKELEY REP

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its ambition, relevance, and excellence, as well as its adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. Over 5.5 million people have enjoyed nearly 500 shows at Berkeley Rep, which have gone on to win six Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, one Pulitzer Prize, and many other honors. Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. To formalize, enhance, and expand the processes by which Berkeley Rep makes theatre, The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work was launched in 2012. The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre engages and educates some 20,000 people a year and helps build the audiences of tomorrow with its nationally recognized teen programs. Berkeley Rep's bustling facilities — which also include the 400-seat Peet's Theatre, the 600-seat Roda Theatre, and a spacious campus in West Berkeley — are helping revitalize a renowned city. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

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