Only Whores Wear Purple
Comedy Central · 2016 · 58 min
A character-driven hour of sharp voices and relationship disasters.
Rachel Feinstein’s stage presence is built on a sharp ear for voices and a talent for morphing into the weirdest people she has ever met. She uses those voices to ground her absurd life experiences, whether she’s impersonating her overbearing mother or her terrifyingly intense middle-school classmates. Instead of delivering a standard set of observational dating jokes, she treats her romantic failures with a clinical, self-deprecating distance, explaining why a woman would stay in a miserable relationship just to finish watching Breaking Bad with a partner. Filmed at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York City, the special was produced and presented by Feinstein’s close friend Amy Schumer, who introduces her on stage after a pre-taped green-room bit. The 2016 release marked a career milestone for Feinstein, who was coming off writing and acting on Inside Amy Schumer and appearing in the film Trainwreck. Feinstein transitions effortlessly between high-status characters and her own chaotic reality, recounting a disastrous accidental sext sent to the wrong man, the unsolicited persistence of dick pics, and a surreal weekend in Buffalo where she crossed paths with porn star Jenna Jameson. The special’s title comes from a piece of rigid fashion advice given by her childhood nanny, a line that perfectly encapsulates the outdated, judgmental rules Feinstein spends the show systematically tearing down.
The set list
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Unnecessary nature of dick pics
Argues that women never expect or need unsolicited dick pics because men's anatomy is already everywhere and 'the street is littered with dicks.'
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Accidentally texting a nude photo to the wrong person
Feinstein recounts sending a nude photo to a man with the same name as her boyfriend, prompting Amy Schumer to offer to send one too in solidarity.
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Oversharing on Facebook
Mocks people who treat Facebook like a deity to broadcast their darkest secrets or relatives' medical issues, proposing new reaction buttons like 'I now think you're unstable.'
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Nanny's warning about the color purple
Recalls her nanny's absurd moral maxim that 'only whores wear purple', tying it to awkward adolescent advice and family eccentricities.
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The closer (spoiler). Show it
Meeting Jenna Jameson on the road
Recounts an absurd encounter in Buffalo with former adult film star Jenna Jameson, portraying Jameson viewing their respective touring careers as identical.
How it plays
- Tone
- Blunt, absurd, vulgar, and personal.
- On stage
- Blunt, vibrant, and expressive, known for seamlessly slipping into distinct character voices and impressions of family members and eccentric figures.
- Pace
- Fierily enthusiastic with rapid transitions into theatrical character act-outs and accents.
- About
- sex and foreplay, dating disasters and relationships, family relationships, social media and oversharing, life on the road
What the critics said
Received positive critical notice; Exclaim! rated it an 8/10, praising the polished writing, hyperbolic characters, and zany storytelling, while The Comedy Bureau deemed it her most personal and best special to date.
Backstory
Collaborative project presented and executive produced by close friend Amy Schumer, taped at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York City.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- 2015, Gerald W. Lynch Theater, New York
- Runtime
- 58 min
- Where
- Comedy Central
- Director
- Ryan Polito
- Topics
- Before
- The Half Hour (2014)
- After
- The Standups (2018)
More from Rachel Feinstein
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Big Guy
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The Standups
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The Half Hour
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Comedy Central Presents
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Premium Blend: Jamie Kennedy hosts (December 3)
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