Gad Elmaleh, The French Jerry Seinfeld, Makes American TV Debut
Could you be as funny as you are now, in a different language? That is the task that Gad Elmaleh signed up for when accepting his residency at Joe’s pub. Oh My Gad is the French comedians new English speaking show that begins it’s run at Joe’s on Jan 21st. Elmaleh made his US television debut last night on Late Night with Seth Meyers. On Seth, he taught Americans to say his name correctly, taught Meyers a French phrase, and told a story about embarassing himself in front of Jerry Seinfeld when he met Seinfeld while dubbing Jerry’s role in B Movie into French.
While Elmaleh is arguably the most widely known and beloved comedian in Europe, he has now embarked on the newest chapter of his career: breaking through to the American audience. For this, he has crafted a stand-up show entirely in English, building upon the jokes that made him famous overseas and including new observations on life in America.
Gad debuted his first show entirely in English in a sold-out ten-night run at Joe’s Pub at The Public last year, which introduced his singular humor and insight to a new audience. In the upcoming performances, he will continue the enormous task not just of speaking a new language fluently, but of using it with the timing, nuance and syntax required for great stand-up comedy.
Why would a comedian make the conscience decision to go from filling stadiums in France to playing clubs in America? Elmaleh tells The New York Times, in a recent profile, “As a joke and as an exaggerated impression of Americans, I say ‘I need to challenge myself.’ But to be honest with you, it’s true.”
In addition to the residency, appearances on “the Nightly Show”, “Late night with Trevor Noah” and opening for Jerry Seinfeld at the Beacon Theater are just a few of the other things Gah has planned for his stay stateside. Talk about coming to the land of opportunity!
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