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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Corsets & Clown Suits
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Prime Video

Corsets & Clown Suits

Alex Borstein

Prime Video · 2023 · 81 min

A raunchy musical cabaret about divorce and middle age.

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Instead of a standard mic and a brick wall, Alex Borstein takes the stage in a sequined, clown-patterned skirt and a velvet corset, backed by two Spanish musicians and a sign language interpreter. It is a cabaret-style production that acts like a filthy TED Talk, blending musical parodies, dirty confessions, and physical theater. Rather than sticking to traditional joke-setup structures, she uses the space to mock the absurdities of aging, the loss of her identity after a sudden divorce, and the strange pressure on women to shrink themselves to be noticed.\n\nFilmed at the Wolford Theatre in New York City (the fictional burlesque club set from season four of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), the 2023 special leverages the Emmy-winning show’s actual production crew, including director Scott Ellis. Borstein, hot off her success as Susie Myerson in Maisel and her long-running voice work as Lois Griffin on Family Guy, uses the stylized environment to frame her personal crisis of perception. She sings original, wildly inappropriate songs (including one about Adolf Hitler’s maid) and covers artists like David Bowie, occasionally pausing to address her own parents sitting awkwardly in the front row. The production deliberately leans into its own chaos, prioritizing musical character work and self-deprecation over tight punchlines.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Celebrities who document their weight loss online

    Borstein jokes about celebrities who dislike being asked about their weight loss journey after making followers watch it on social media.

  2. A celibacy patch for women

    Employs a prop bit suggesting a patch women could wear on their cheeks when they choose to be celibate.

  3. Organizing a lobby for women's bodies like the NRA

    Compares the need for women to organize, lobby, and fund protection for their bodies to gun conventions and the NRA.

  4. Living in a clown suit and balancing perceptions

    Borstein reflects on spending 40 years in a 'clown suit' and 20 years in a marriage, only to realize her perception was off and she must re-enter the world as a divorced person.

How it plays

Tone
Deeply personal, provocative, whimsical, introspective, and raunchy.
On stage
Described as a ringmaster of comedy delivering a 'filthy TED Talk'; vulnerable, provocative, whimsical, and raunchy.
Pace
Commanding and charismatic, blending music, storytelling, and comedic routines.
About
dating after divorce, perception and self-perception, femininity vs. humor ('corset vs. clown suit'), women's rights and bodily autonomy, sex and relationships

What the critics said

Praised as a creative, funny, and uniquely brilliant special that adeptly merges humor with musical performances while showcasing Borstein's vulnerable, authentic writing and commanding stage presence.

In the room: Intimate live theater atmosphere; included Borstein's parents in the audience whom she directly addressed.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, themoviedb.org, thefutoncritic.com, bbfc.co.uk, variety.com, readysteadycut.com, thewrap.com, movieweb.com, imdb.com, primevideo.com.

Backstory

Filmed on the set of The Wolford Theatre (the fictional burlesque club from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) right after the series wrapped and before the set was demolished; personal backdrop centered on processing the end of her 20-year marriage and navigating life as a divorced mother of two.

Details

Released
Taped
The Wolford Theatre, Brooklyn
Runtime
81 min
Where
Prime Video
Director
Scott Ellis
Honors
1 nomination total
Topics

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