In his newest stand-up show, John Mulaney debuts his most self-aware, layered and darkest comedy show yet.
Coming from quite a whirlwind of a year, the comedian took the night to make fun of himself and make light of everything he’s been through, from divorce, to intervention, to rehab, to relapse, rehab again, and finally having a child on the way. Seeing that he has never been more hated and had more eyes on him, he wasn’t shying away from most of the scandals. This was best exhibited by his opening line, “Hi I’m John Mulaney. No one likes my baby, and I’m not on cocaine anymore,”.
He opened with his colorful retelling of his star studded intervention with remarks from the likes of Nick Kroll, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader. He pointed out very quickly that he was retelling this story from the point of view of a man strung out on narcotics because, well… it’s more fun that way. He then went on to explain his time in rehab, time out of rehab, and then into rehab again. The crowd was on board with the self-deprecating, ultra-self-aware jokes at his own expense. He did include some sort of unnecessary monologue about him not believing science which – while hilarious – felt very out of place along with the rest of his vulnerable show.
The one most characteristic aspect of this show that no other show had ever showcased was when he cut the jokes and stood in front of the fully sold-out Philadelphia Academy of Music and told the audience how thankful he was, how scared he was of coming back, and how he never took his fans for granted. This show was hilarious, heartfelt, honest, and his funniest yet. He stood tall, handled the situation the best he could and had everyone remembering why we care so much about the inner workings of his life and why we all keep going back for more stand up every time.