David Rose Will Bring NEPO GREAT GRANDBABY to Sydney Comedy Festival
The Melbourne comedian brings his sell-out show to Bondi Pavilion Theatre, exploring Jewish identity and legacy
Direct from sell-out seasons at Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne comedian David Rose will bring his stand-up show to Sydney's Bondi Pavilion as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival. Performances will run Thurs 7 and Friday 8 May at 9pm.
In Nepo Great Grandbaby David traces the life of his great-grandfather, Julian Rose, a vaudeville comedian known as “Our Hebrew Friend” who performed in the early 20th century at - among other notable stages - the Royal Variety Show and on the BBC.
A hundred years later, and inspired by Julian's story, David muses on their shared vocation, the confusion that comes with Jewish identity, and what that means in 2026.
It's personal territory, told with warmth – and plenty of laughs!
“My great grandfather was a world-famous Jewish comedian in the early 20th century. That's him above right, in the photo next to me. A century later, here I am in the same job, asking the same questions. What does it mean to be a comedian, to be Jewish, and to be both at the same time? Everyone has their version of the same quest: legacy, identity and finding your place in the world.”
Brought up as atheist, educated at Catholic school and unaware of his Jewish roots until recently, David married a New Jersey Jew and began to dig deeper. “She took me to a synagogue and I enjoyed it,” says David. “But she said that ‘didn't count' - because apparently you have to suffer through a synagogue service!”
David tours internationally with his comedy and says he likes his to leave his audiences with something to chew on, beyond the laughs. (Ah… a food reference!)
“I think the shortest distance between two ideas is a joke. I'd love people to walk away feeling they've got a new perspective on a topic, or that they've learned something that they didn't know before.”
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