Coping with grief isn't typical fodder for a comedy show, but the topic plays a starring role in Rachel Bloom's one-woman musical comedy show,
Death, Let Me Do My Show
.
Directed by Seth Barrish, the show will debut at the Steppenwolf Theatre's Downstairs Theater Aug. 14 to 24. The show explores Bloom's longtime musical collaborator Adam Schlesinger's sudden death from COVID in 2020, which coincided with the birth and NICU stay of her first child.
The multi-talented Bloom is an actress, comedian, producer, singer/songwriter, and author. She is best known for co-creating and starring in her award-winning CW musical comedy-drama series
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
. The 2015 show chronicles the adventures of young, Jewish lawyer Rebecca Bunch, who embarks in search of her "happily ever after" with her old camp boyfriend.
More recently, she co-starred in the Hulu comedy series,
Reboot
, alongside Keegan Michael Key and others.
In addition to a long resume of theater and on-screen work, she published her 2020 book
I Want To Be Where the Normal People Are,
a compilation of personal essays and poems on the subject of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and more.
In a recent interview by email, Bloom discusses Jewish identity, finding humor in the darkest of times, and her dreams for her little girl.
Jewish Chicago:
Why did you create
Death, Let Me Do My Show
, and will I be happy, sad, or both after leaving the theater?
Rachel Bloom: I created this show to ask the question: 'How do you acknowledge death but continue to live?' I think your emotions leaving the theater will be dependent on who you are, and potentially how much death has affected your life.
What do you hope audiences take from the show?
I hope they think about the balance in their own lives of preparing for the worst, but not letting it stop them from feeling joy.
Does this show have a Jewish sensibility to it?
To think about death is, for me, inherently Jewish in a way because Judaism is all about questioning. More of the show is about my atheism and grappling with that when a crisis hits. Although, as some people would say, "to be an atheist is very Jewish."
Do you gravitate creatively toward Jewish-centered stories?
I gravitate toward stories that are specific and stories that I know to be true that I have not seen told before. So, often times, that overlaps with being Jewish because being Jewish is specific to who I am and my experience.
What does Israel mean to you?
I went with my husband in 2016. It's a beautiful country. Also, my husband's father is Israeli so my connection to Israel has obviously changed post-marriage.
What sort of Jewish values and rituals do you wish to transmit to your 4-year-old daughter? What, more broadly, do you wish for her?
I would like her to know…more of the songs, prayers, and traditions than I do so that when she celebrates Jewish holidays and goes to events she won't feel out of place. In general, my husband and I are trying to raise someone who has a healthy curiosity about the world and about who she is.
Death, Let Me Do My Show
will play at Steppenwolf Theatre's Downstairs Theater Aug. 14-24. To learn more or to buy tickets, visit
here
or call the box office at 312-335-1650.
The show has also been filmed for a Netflix special, which is slated to stream in the fall.
