Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is Marvelous

One of the best written, best acted, best produced shows is “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

Miriam Maisel is a young, New York, Jewish, mother of two, who has a gift for being funny. The show follows her from her first, accidental, stand-up comedy performances, to her rise in the Greenwich Village club scene, and beyond.

Set in 1958, 1959, and 1960 (so far), a big part of the show is about how this woman, played by Rachel Brosnahan, breaks into a man’s world. Very, very few women were stand-up comics at that time.

The show is also about her vulgar and hilarious friend and manager, played by Alex Borstein.

It is also about Miriam’s nutty family: her ex-husband, played by Michael Zegen; her father, played by Tony Shalhoub; her mother, played by Marin Hinkle; her ex-father-in law, played by Kevin Pollak; and her ex-mother-in law, played by Caroline Aaron. Viewers will get to know them all and more.

There is also the mysterious recurring character of  real-life comedian Lenny Bruce, played by Luke Kirby.

Every episode is fast and funny, and for all of us here, hunkered down at home, it is a great break from crisis around us.

Check it out. (But be warned, the language is rough and definitely not for the kiddies.)

4 comments:

  1. I love it too although I thought the third season was showing a bit of wear on it. Still more fun than almost any other show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The third season was different from the first two – not as frantic, a little more serious. But the danger Miriam and her improvising pose each time she goes on stage still creates tension.

      Delete
  2. What network airs it? I'll have to see if it's available in the UK.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amazon produced it and we streamed it through Amazon Prime.

      Delete