Review: COMEDIANS EARNESTLY SINGING MUSICAL THEATRE Is Still Going Strong

Comedians Earnestly Singing Musical Theatre celebrated its fifth anniversary with a Friday February 27, 2026 show at Joe’s Pub. Hosts and producers Zach Schiffman and Reid Pope have a simple, engaging premise: take a handful of former theater kids-turned-comedians and give them the chance to do their best performing one number front of a sold-out audience. The only rule of the night? "Absolutely no bits."

The vocals on some of the comedians were very impressive – who knew Josh Gondelman (a regular on NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me) could sing like that? It was a fun night featuring seasoned performers gleefully showcasing a different side of themselves. Schiffman and Pope kicked off the show with a tongue-in-cheek “I’m Still Here” (Follies). I saw an earlier edition of the show in 2023, and I was struck by how much their show has matured and smoothed out since that one. I enjoyed the 2023 show, but it had a bit of an air of a super insider theatre kid hangout I’d walked into. At that show, for example, they repeatedly referenced the Jimmy Awards, and I don’t recall them ever explaining what it was. This time, they explained that it was a high school musical theater award show that served as the inspiration for what turned into CESMT. They served as charming hosts for the evening, leading us through 12 acts as varied and diverse as the performers themselves, choosing songs that played to their strengths.

Edy Modica played up the character in “Dance 10 Looks Three” (A Chorus Line), attired in dance gear fitting the part and with some fun moves to go along with the song. Josh Gondelman proved himself a worthy adversary of Stubby Kaye in “Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat” (Guys & Dolls).

One of the sweeter moments of the show came when Chandler Dean (host of Abolish Everything at Caveat) explained that he’d played Nicky in a high school production of Avenue Q opposite Fernell Hogan, who went on to become a Broadway actor while Dean... did not. He opined how cool it would have been to have Hogan join him onstage in a reenactment of that show – but “surely he has better things to do.” A voice came out from backstage: “Whatchoo talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” Hogan and Dean dueted on “Schadenfreude,” complete with Dean holding a Nicky lookalike puppet and doing the voice.

Reid Pope and Ryan Kristopik did a quiet rendition of William Finn’s sweet “Sailing” (A New Brain), with Kristopik taking the harmony part. Taylor Garron nailed the subtle satire in Frank Loesser’s very funny “Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm” (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), while showing off her real-life wedding ring and pregnancy bump. Garrett Williams and Allison O'Conor showed off their masterful cockney accents and rapid-fire patter in “Master Of The House” (Les Misérables). Sydney Duncan did a sincere, heartfelt, vocally impressive rendition of “Home” (The Wiz). Schiffman did a magnetic performance of a song I hadn’t heard before, “Thin Air” from Amélie.

Before bringing up Grace Johnson, Schiffman and Reed explained that they’d asked her to do the show immediately after learning that she could sing. Her response? “I’ll be singing ‘My Husband Makes Movies’ from Nine.” She was mesmerizing during the song, capturing the complex feelings of Guido’s wife and nailing the music with powerful vocals.

A trio of Jessie Lee, Bridget Foley and Maggie Olmsted played Fiona at different stages of her life in “I Know It’s Today” (Shrek), doing an impressive job with the three-part harmony on that song. All three had been involved in a high school production of Shrek, from stage hand to one playing Lord Farquaad. All three gave the part their all.

Michael Cruz Kayne was next, with a vulnerable “I’m Not Afraid Of Anything” from Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World. The night closed with a very fun all-blonde Legally Blonde medley, with Annabel Meschke, Sabina Meschke, Tessa Belle, Rachel Coster, Esther Fallick, Danielle Clarke Fisher and Jamie Linn Watson all stepping into various roles as needed. They sped through most of the score, with snippets from all of the major songs. The exuberant ensemble of Elle Woods brought down the house.

For more on Schiffman and Pope, visit their websites at www.zachschiffman.me and www.reidpope.com.

Visit the Joe’s Pub website for more shows at the venue.

All photos by Arin Sang-urai (@Photojuice).