Corsets & Clown Suits

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.