Last Sunday, comedian Joy Behar delivered her one-woman show at Fairfield Theatre Company, giving the audience a taste of her hilarious and captivating adventures which shaped her into the well-known comedian that she is today. From the story behind her nickname, “The Shirley Temple of Brooklyn,” to life as the worst secretary ever at “Good Morning America,” this woman has done it all.
The lights dimmed on Stage One and the audience, consisting of mainly New York travelers, roared with laughter from start to finish. Most of Behar’s act touched upon her real life experiences growing up as an Italian in Brooklyn, which included her unique family vacations to take photo shoots at grandma and grandpa’s grave and her family’s obsessions with funerals that were more like a four-act play.
“The Shirley Temple of Brooklyn” used to entertain people on the streets and dance on tables for her family as a young child. However, as a Catholic in her 20s, her biggest fear was “dying a virgin.” Behar grew up in a society where everyone was pressured to marry at a young age; she then showed the audience a picture of herself on her holy communion, as she appeared as a young bride holding a baby, already practicing for her days of motherhood.
Behar also mentions some heavy topics, such as suffering from depression – she blamed this on reading “The Bell Jar,” a novel written by Sylvia Plath (who committed suicide after its publication) and reading about a psycho murder mystery while alone at home.
However, the best and worst moment was the comedian’s near death experience after suffering an ectopic pregnancy. It was after this eye-opening event that Behar realized she wanted to be known for something important. Her horrifying experience became the catalyst that enabled her to divorce her husband and move closer to the city. She realized that she should become a comedian when one day her psychiatrist told her she “wasn’t crazy, she was an actress.”
As a struggling mom, however, she first had to make ends meet by going back to school to get a degree in teaching grammar to tough kids in Brooklyn and also taking a job as a secretary at “Good Morning America.” Although she claims herself to be the worst secretary ever, she began to use her funny experiences at her job to create scenarios and colorful characters based off of her real-life colleagues and experiences in the office.
Despite Behar’s obvious ability to make the audience laugh, she truly shined when she let her authentic self emerge as she retold battles she encountered as both an artist and a woman.
“I love what Behar said about regrets because it proves that just because you have money, doesn’t mean you’ll be happy,” said Tim Manning ’15. Behar, specifically, exemplifies the idea that although she had her equal share of mistakes and embarrassing moments, she never had regrets because she was able to laugh it off.
Behar’s show was a comedy act with a side of advice, as she proved herself not only as a worthy comedian, but as a person that is far from perfect; a powerful woman that has overcome struggles, but is content with the person that she is. Behar’s show was personal and intimate, as it was a comedy show that instead of focusing on making fun of others, taught us a message within ourselves: the importance of humor in the face of adversity.
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