Legendary comic Jeff Ross returns home for his long-awaited Broadway debut in TAKE A BANANA FOR THE RIDE — a hilarious, heartfelt one-man show about laughing through the pain, the importance of having thick skin, and the vengeful pleasures of a Jewish comic owning a German dog. This 90-minute performance is the result of a 30-year journey in comedy: a cathartic mix of dangerous jokes, touching family stories, songs that stay with you long after the curtain falls — plus live audience roasting from the Roastmaster General himself. No two shows are exactly alike, but each reveals the Roastmaster General at his most unguarded — raw, reflective, and ridiculously funny. It’ll be your most emotional night at the theater since Mufasa died in The Lion King! (Oh no, did we ruin it?)
He typically punctuates his death-focused anecdotes with punchlines, but there’s an overriding melancholy here that dampens the overall mood. The writing is not as strong as Crystal’s, alas, and the jokes don’t land with the frequency you’d expect. (He scores some of his biggest laughs early on when poking fun at his own alopecia-induced baldness, comparing himself to a “Jeff Bezos blow-up doll” or “Pitbull if he was attacked by a pit bull.”)
“Take a Banana” is, however, a willfully upbeat show; whenever it gets too dark, Ross detonates another joke. In his banana-yellow suit (by Toni-Leslie James), he takes us on a tour of his family and childhood, with the help of old photos and home videos projected inside the many large, ornate frames on Beowulf Boritt’s handsome, curve-walled set. (Projection design is by Stefania Bulbarella.)
| 2025 | Broadway |
Broadway |
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