46 | FEBRUARY 1 • 2024 J
N
A
lex Edelman’s having a banner
year that’s wrapping up in Detroit
and Chicago. The comedian and
writer makes his second-to-last stop on the
national tour of his critically acclaimed solo
show, Just For Us, at the Fisher Theatre on
Saturday, Feb. 10.
“I’ve never been to Detroit. It’s known as
a pretty good theater city, so this is a must-
do for me,” says Edelman, 34.
The tour comes on the heels of his wildly
successful two-month Broadway run. Just For Us
was filmed live over the summer at the Hudson
Theatre in NYC and will come out on HBO
sometime this year. And, in another career highlight,
Edelman recently hosted the Norman Lear 100th
birthday special for ABC in September, just two-and-a-
half months before Lear passed away.
Flying into Detroit to support Edelman and take
him to some of her favorite haunts is Edelman’s good
friend and Just For Us producer, Rachel Sussman.
“I’m particularly excited because I grew up seeing
touring productions of Broadway shows at the Fisher
with my family. Just for Us will be the first time
that I’ll be back to witness a production that I had
a hand in producing here in my home state,” said
Sussman, who grew up in Bloomfield Township.
As a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer,
Sussman’s recent credits include Edelman’s
show, Parade, What the Constitution Means
to Me and, beginning on March 26 at the
Music Box Theatre on Broadway, the new
musical Suffs.
Edelman first met Sussman through
their mutual friend, Tony Award-winning
composer Benj Pasek, at the height of the
pandemic back in March 2020. Edelman
and Pasek were executive producers
and Edelman was also the head writer
of Saturday Night Seder, a virtual program
of comedy, music and sketches. Edelman
and Pasek brought Sussman on as a
co-producer for the grassroots
effort that raised over $3.5
million for the CDC
Foundation COVID-19
Emergency Response
Fund.
“During Saturday Night
Seder, Rachel became one of
my closest friends in the world.
She’s a really special part of my
life,” said Edelman, who grew up
Modern Orthodox in Brookline, just
ARTS&LIFE
THEATER
A comedic exploration
of Jewish identity.
JULIE SMITH YOLLES
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Tour with
Alex
Edelman
Alex Edelman
and Rachel
Sussman
EMILIO MADRID