Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Hebrew School Dropout
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Comedy Dynamics

Hebrew School Dropout

Ester Steinberg

Comedy Dynamics · Album · 2019 · 45 min

Debut stand-up audio hour on heritage, bad dating, and family guilt.

Listen on Apple Music(opens in a new tab)

Released , on Comedy Dynamics.

Ester Steinberg starts her debut album by claiming she is so Jewish that her name appears on Schindler’s list twice. That brand of unabashed cultural specificity anchors the set, setting the tone for jokes about overbearing parents, the pretension of NYU theater students, and why organizing a threesome in Los Angeles is primarily a logistical failure.

Released in April 2019 by Comedy Dynamics, the twenty-two-track record arrived while Steinberg was running a regular comedy showcase out of the Kibitz Room at Canter’s Deli. It captures a comic a decade into club work, leaning on a fast, conversational cadence to pick apart bad dating habits, male anatomy, weed, and the quiet irritation of working alongside other comedians.

Notable bits & set list

6 bits

  1. Being so Jewish her name is on Schindler's List

    Steinberg establishes her Jewish identity on the opening track by joking that her name appears on Schindler's list twice.

  2. Men and pee boners

    Expresses bewilderment and comedic insult at the concept of pee-induced boners.

  3. Feeling like a Bop It during oral sex

    Discusses feeling awkward and shy directing partners in bed, comparing the dynamic to the electronic game Bop It.

  4. Co-workers in stand-up comedy

    Explains why the worst aspect of working as a stand-up comic is dealing with fellow comedians.

  5. Threesomes in Los Angeles

    Points out that organizing a threesome in LA would primarily be a scheduling nightmare.

  6. Picasso's mother

    Questions whether Pablo Picasso's mother criticized his chosen career trajectory.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, candid, and humorous, blending sex jokes, weed humor, and familial shade.
On stage
Irreverent, edgy, and unabashedly Jewish, channeling a sexy Jewish schoolgirl aesthetic on the album artwork.
About
Jewish identity, Sex and intimacy, Weed and marijuana, Parents and family dynamics, Life as a stand-up comedian

What the critics said

Praised by Jewish Telegraphic Agency as 'the comedy album of our dreams' and '50-minutes of comedic gold.'

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, orcd.co, jta.org, jpost.com, thecomicscomic.libsyn.com.

Backstory

Released ahead of her wedding to Noah Gardenswartz, drawing from her upbringing in Tampa, attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts, her Jewish heritage, and her decade in stand-up comedy.

Details

Released
Runtime
45 min
Where
Comedy Dynamics (album)
Honors
Featured on Alma / Jewish Telegraphic Agency's list of rising Jewish comedians
Topics
After
Burning Bush (2021)

More from Ester Steinberg

Similar specials