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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

The Heist

Ian Abramson

YouTube · 2024 · 55 min

A manic, prop-fueled stand-up hour framed around a bank robbery.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Ian Abramson has less than an hour to keep an audience in their seats so his criminal crew, which includes a cyborg named Azok, can rob a bank. This cinematic framing device drives the Chicago-based comedian’s debut special, turning a stand-up set into a theatrical comedy of distractions. Filmed at the Lincoln Lodge in Chicago, the performance plays out as a frantic, prop-heavy showcase of alternative comedy.

The stage work matches the absurdity of the plot. Abramson opens by swallowing a lit match and quickly pivots to a variety of oddball bits: a time-travel sequence, a full-body impression of an umbrella turning inside out, and an imitation of an auctioneer on his deathbed. At one point, he straps on a dog shock collar and hands the remote to an audience member, inviting them to zap him if a joke fails to register. He also shaves part of his head onstage, reads sci-fi scenes from oversized cue cards, and pulls an endless string of paper from his mouth.

Released in April 2024 by Comedy Dynamics, the special showcases the vaudevillian style Abramson spent years honing in Chicago and Los Angeles. While many of the bits rely on physical gimmicks and rapid-fire one-liners, the set is technically clean, a constraint he highlights during a bit involving balloon animals. Critics praised the hour for its uncompromising commitment and inventive structure, placing it on several list rankings of the year’s best comedy releases.

The set list

8 bits

  1. Swallowing fire opening

    Opens the special by swallowing a match's worth of fire on stage.

  2. Time travel routine

    Inverts joke structures with wordplay, escalating repetition, and verbal reshuffling.

  3. Shock collar one-liners

    Wears a shock collar on stage and hands the remote to an audience member, instructing them to zap him if a joke does not land.

  4. Audience cue card script read

    Has audience members read lines from sci-fi film scenes using cue cards.

  5. Auctioneer on his deathbed

    Delivers an impression using rapid-fire auctioneer cadence in a dying dramatic scenario.

  6. ATM monologue

    Performs an impassioned theatrical monologue from the perspective of an automated teller machine.

  7. Inanimate object physical impressions

    Performs full-body impressions of an umbrella blowing inside out and a match being lit.

  8. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Closing stunt joke closer

    A high-stakes closing joke demonstrating total physical commitment to getting a laugh regardless of the cost.

How it plays

Tone
Absurd, silly, avant-garde, and deconstructive.
On stage
Idiosyncratic, high-commitment performer sporting a signature drawn-on mustache, blending avant-garde anti-humor with theatrical flair.
Pace
Off-the-wall and kinetic, punctuated by intricate wordplay, verbal reshuffling, and full-body physical comedy.
About
Heist parody, Time travel, Absurdity, Deconstruction of standup

What the critics said

Praised as a winning, weird, and delightfully absurd debut special that expertly satirizes heist movie conventions while highlighting Abramson's sheer commitment to performance.

In the room: Interactive and participatory, with audience members actively reading lines and administering electric shocks via remote.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, tv.apple.com, justwatch.com, pastemagazine.com, letterboxd.com, podcasts.apple.com, primevideo.com, pro.imdb.com.

Backstory

Framed around a cinematic spoof premise where Abramson has less than an hour to distract an audience with stand-up comedy while his accomplices rob a bank.

Details

Released
Runtime
55 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Jay Chapman
Honors
Paste Magazine's The 10 Best Comedy Specials of 2024 (So Far) (#9)
Topics

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