Arts & Entertainment

Seriously Funny

Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News

D

ylan Mandlsohn gets
into some serious stuff
in his job as a come-
dian — controversial issues of
daily life, emotional problems,
behavioral matters and social
commentary in general.
In fact, when he crosses the
border to the United States and
immigration officials ask him
what he's bringing, he usually
answers: "Shame and guilt."
That's the Toronto native's
brand of humor, and he'll bring
it to Michigan Wednesday-
Saturday, June 14-17, at Joey's
Comedy Club in Livonia.
Mandlsohn, 25 and single,
doesn't appear to fit the mold of
the average freewheeling come-
dian. He lives at home and is a
substitute teacher in Toronto's
elementary-school system. He
also is a serious student of the
history of comedy.
At this point in his career, he
plays nearly 300 gigs a year in
Canada, the United States and
England, including some Las
Vegas hotels and topnotch com-
edy festivals in Montreal and
Boston. At the age of 21, he was
named one of Canada's funniest
new standup comics.
"I seem to have a reputation
for being pretty controversial
on stage, but that's why I draw
big audiences," says Mandlsohn,
whose parents named him for
Bob Dylan, the famous Jewish
singer-songwriter.
"I do a lot of observational
humor, deep-meaning social
commentary, satire and even
some impressions of famous
celebrities. I fashion myself as
being a facial contortionist?'
Mandlsohn began his comedy
career doing impersonations,
strongly influenced by his idol,
impressionist-comedian Rich
Little, with whom he has since
worked in Las Vegas.
He also admires two widely

44

June 8 0 2006

Jewish
Canadian
comic Dylan
Mandlsohn
crosses the
border for
laughs.

Teacher, Too
The young comic grew up in
Toronto in a household that
wasn't particularly religious.
"My family is Reform and we
observed the major Jewish
holidays, but I didn't have a bar
mitzvah," he says. He went on to
earn a double degree in drama
and education at the University
of Windsor.
"I'm the token entertainer of
the family," says Mandlsohn. "I
was always sort of the class clown
and kept everyone laughing in
high school and college. I per-
formed in high-school shows and
local coffeehouses around town?'
The double degree pleased
Mandlsohn's parents, who aren't
exactly keen about his choice of
careers.
"They've watched me perform,
but not too often:' he muses. "But
my father really likes the fact I
have the double degree in drama
and education, and that I'm a
substitute teacher. Teaching pays
a lot of bills. My students often
try to goad me into performing
in school, but I resist the tempta-
tion?'
Living at home also helps his
financial picture, but Mandlsohn
is anxious to "get out on my own."
Meanwhile, his home life pro-
vides fodder for one of his com-
edy routines.
"When they ask me at the air-
port if I packed my own bag:' he
notes, "I just say,`No, my mother
did.'"

❑

Dylan Mandlsohn: A student of the comedy game.

diverse comics — Jim Carrey
and Bill Maher. The former is
known for his wild antics on
screen, while the latter is a stand-
up political humorist.
But Mandlsohn also has
thoroughly studied vintage
Jewish comedians like Henny
Youngman, Jackie Mason,
Rodney Dangerfield and Woody
Allen, plus black comics Bill

Cosby and Richard Pryor, watch-
ing their videotapes and listening
to their CDs.
"I'm a real student of the
comedy game," he says. "Being
on stage puts you in a powerful
position; it's a great feeling that
all of the old pro comics have
experienced over the years. I
believe they're very important to
comedy history and should never

be forgotten?'
Mandlsohn writes his own
material, often on motel scratch
pads while passing the time
of day waiting to go onstage at
small-town comedy clubs.
"Coincidentally, I used that
same type of motel scratch pads
to write essays for college while I
was performing my way through
school:' he says.

Dylan Mandlsohn performs 8
p.m. Wednesday and Thursday
and 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday
and Saturday, June 14-17, at
Joey's Comedy Club, Kickers
Entertainment Complex,
36091 Plymouth Road, in Livonia.
Cost: Wednesday and Thursday
— $5 show only, $20.50 dinner
show; Friday and Saturday — $12
show only, $27.50 dinner show.
(734) 261-5500.