(Jewish Group) Alex Borstein's New Comedy Special Is So Jewish and Utterly Delightful [View all]
After watching her comedy special, “Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits,” I have to say, I kind of want to be Alex Borstein when I grow up.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star isn’t that much older than me, to be fair. She’s 52, which, according to most pop culture, is when you’re supposed to become invisible as a woman. In the recently released musical special on Amazon prime, Borstein jokes about how actresses are made to “disappear” in their middle age, and that’s why she always sleeps with one eye open and has “rubbed some lamb blood’s on the door jamb, it’s an old Jewish Jedi trick.”
Where the average middle-aged woman may be invisible in pop culture, the middle-aged Jewish mom has a fate possibly worse — desexed and unbearable, loud and nagging. Yet in this special, Borstein, who is a mom to two young kids, is not just sexy in her sequined clown-patterned skirt and velvety black corset, she is also a sexual being — one who talks about reproductive rights, abortions and menstruating right alongside having sex after her divorce and looking at porn — or as she calls it, sex documentaries.
Borstein’s special is all about being perceived. She talks about spending her life in a “clown suit” as a famous funny lady. She was the iconic voice of Lois Griffin from “Family Guy.” She made her mark on MadTV and the dark HBO comedy “Getting On.” And if you’re a reader of this particluar publication, chances are you know her as Susie Myerson from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” who gave us all (OK, me) the butch Jewish icon we needed. And while I personally think Susie is a hottie, none of these roles demanded of Borstein the kind of traditionally accepted ideals of attractiveness and sensuality that we are used to seeing on TV.
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Husband and I watched this tonight. HOLY FUCKING SHIT! It was really funny!
"It's just chicken!" -- from the rousing rendition sung by "Jew-mangi"!
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