By Jude Cramer
Comedian Gianmarco Soresi is a people person. Maybe you’ve seen his viral TikTok clips, asking audiences about their antics in employment, from ex-Disney Princesses spilling behind-the-scenes theme park secrets to airline employees transporting whales by plane. But at his recurring show Theater Adult, Soresi isn’t interested in audience members’ current professions. Instead, he wants to know what they used to do, especially if it involved showtunes.
Theater Adult is a cabaret for theater kids in recovery, those who may not be performers anymore but who grew up living and breathing musical theater. He recently brought the show to Joe’s Pub in New York City, where he expertly blended traditional stand-up with an interactive experience. Amid asking audience members about their own histories with theater, Soresi invited two onstage to perform impromptu numbers from their pasts: one who’d given up on their theatrical dreams and one who’s still plugging away in the industry.
Every Theater Adult performance also features a surprise guest interviewee. At the evening I attended, that guest was Tony winner Ben Platt, whose own stories about growing up in theater were interspersed with hits from Pippin, Hairspray, and Into the Woods. To close the show, he joined Soresi for a duet from City of Angels. Every one of the night’s performers, from random crowd members to a Broadway icon to Soresi himself, proved that whether you’re still on stage or have taken your final bow, the theater kid inside you can still be a star.
Catch Gianmarco Soresi on tour
Though Soresi only has one currently scheduled performance of Theater Adult (and it’s already sold out), he’s been performing the show on and off since 2024, so it’ll no doubt make its way back onto stages in NYC and elsewhere.
In the meantime, he’s on the road, bringing his unique flavor of stand-up and iconic crowd work to venues across America, including stops in Houston, Chicago, and San Jose throughout March and April.
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More to see at Joe’s Pub
- SNL breakout Jane Wickline and comedian Liva Pierce bring their musical comedy sketch show Dukes to Joe’s Pub on Saturday, March 28
- Playwright and performance artist Taylor Mac performs a new show at Joe’s Pub, March 26–April 18
- Award-winning NYC drag queen Kiki Ball-Change presents Are You Having Any Fun?, a new musical comedy cabaret, on Thursday, April 2
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