Bryan Safi prances, swishes, and makes fun of how he’s often dressed shabbily—unlike the well-tailored blazer and black tuxedo pants he wears during Are You Mad At Me??, now playing Off-Broadway at HERE.
A keen observer, the Emmy winner is quick to skewer his floppy wrists and inability to walk out on stage with confidence. The delightfully neurotic charm of Safi’s one-person show (co-produced with Jennifer Love Hewitt) is further buoyed by his ability to engage the audience in his anxious shtick.
Blurring the line between scripted solo cabaret and stand-up one-liners, this self-avowed people pleaser doesn’t cringe at making his willing subjects squirm a bit.
It wants better content.
A people-pleaser’s confession booth
The interactive prelude (yes, there is audience participation, so sit in the back if you want to avoid being called on) is a game show–inspired segment titled ‘Homophobia or Serving?’ Safi delivers his waspish Texan mother’s catty comments and asks audience members to vote on which category each one lands.
Safi also often invades the audience, thrusting his mic in faces as if mimicking Billy Eichner’s combative street style and even managed to get a few folks to sing along (quite impressively) at the performance I attended.
After beginning the show singing Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted,” he returns to music throughout. It’s a way to deal with his anxiety, Safi explains—often with hilarious results.
The stories about dating apps, coming out, and struggling as an actor (maybe you’ve seen him as Josh Russo on 9-1-1?) may not feel especially novel at this point. But Safi’s surprisingly candid revelations and off-the-cuff banter add an unexpected layer of sizzle to what could be tired material, with a great payoff by the end.
Is ‘Are You Mad At Me??’ worth seeing?
In Are You Mad At Me??, Bryan Safi turns a lifetime of overthinking into a tight, anxious, audience-implicating hour that’s less therapy session than victory lap.
- HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue, New York City
- Notable performer: Bryan Safi
- Running time: 65 minutes, no intermission
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