10 years ago, a rabbi asked Lily Blumkin to tell him a joke… during her grandmother’s funeral. She was taken aback, and perhaps as a result, can’t remember what she said to get him (yes, him) off her back.
Flash forward to now, however, and the the 28-year-old comedian and writers’ assistant at “The Daily Show” is getting the last laugh. Literally. Her lively and well-crafted solo character show “Nice Try,” which features a rabbi not unlike the one at her grandmother’s funeral, is running at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival starting tomorrow.
Through Lily (the character who happens to be played by Lily Blumkin), the audience meets a coterie of idiosyncratic characters who spring forth via objects she finds as she cleans out her childhood bedroom. There’s Tyler, the bar mitzvah boy’s best friend who wishes he and Jeffrey could be something more; a Jewish-coded dad desperately trying to be supportive while meeting Lily’s girlfriend for the first time; a bubbly yet causticly mean Lush employee; the rabbi using the bimah as a stage for a stand-up set; and my personal favorite, a lock of Lily’s hair left on the shower wall who also happens to be a manic pixie dream girl.
When we chatted via Zoom a few weeks ago, Lily told me that the show initially started to come together during the 2023 WGA writers’ strike. She was temporarily out of work at “The Daily Show,” so she started to work on a project of her own. Together with friend and collaborator Ariel Gitlin, Blumkin began assembling scripts of standalone characters she had created and performed in New York since 2019. (For example, the character of the Bar Mitzvah Boy’s Best Friend was one she conceived of for a bar mitzvah-themed show at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective in 2021.) They sent scripts back and forth, punching them up the characters that Blumkin created via heightening observations she’s made about the people own life. (See: Funeral rabbi.) Blumkin then workshopped them at open mics through 2024. The end result was “Nice Try,” which premiered at Caveat NYC this past January.
“Nice Try” is a charming and hilarious exploration both of what our past selves can offer us and the state of comedy at large. As Lily sorts through her childhood belongings she places emphasis on shitty trinkets and tchotchkes where there is really none. She hopes that one day, after she’s made it big in the comedy world via artless TikToks and reels, her Dave & Buster’s coozie and clump of hair will be worthy enough for display at a museum. It’s an incisive jab at the current economy of comedy, which urges stand-ups and influencers to post as many 10-second clips of uninteresting crowd work or man-on-the-street conversations or the first thought that pops into their heads as possible in hopes of elusive brand deals and streamers’ attention.
It would be so easy for Lily to attack other comedians, but tactfully and perhaps more engagingly, she directs the laughs at the version of herself that wants to take that route towards a big break as opposed to honing a specific comedic point of view. In turn, Lily Blumkin, the performer, does in fact manifest her own perspective, and it’s an undeniably Jewish one. Not just because of the Jewish characters — though they certainly help. But also because of the show’s inward slant, reflecting a charming self-deprecation most evident in an ending scene where past Lily confronts present-day Lily. “But you were miserable during most of these memories,” past Lily chides present-day Lily. “You were miserable for most of your childhood.”
“I’m Jewish, what’s your point?” present-day Lily scoffs.
As Lily tells me, her Jewish comedic sensibility is a direct result of her upbringing. Whether at home or at an event like a b-mitzvah, wedding or yes, even funeral, her Jewish family’s love language is razzing one another. On another level, it’s also due to working with one of the greatest Jewish comedians of our lifetime, Jon Stewart. “The way he like thinks about the world and is able to communicate and really hook the audience with his argument is always so impressive to me,” she said, explaining that she aspires to that with her characters. “He still has that, no BS, get straight to the point clarity.”
All in all, “Nice Try” is even more than what its title would have you think. It’s a worthy showing from a Jewish comedian who clearly has a future and plenty to say. For her part, Blumkin sees the Fringe as an opportunity to see other comedians like Nick Hornedo and Liz Coin (aka Lizzy Sunshine), and as powerful testament to her commitment to her craft.
“This is the first thing that I’m doing as an artistic challenge and as an artistic endeavor, that I don’t need anybody else’s permission for,” she told me. “I have spent the entirety of my comedy career in New York wanting approval and admission to all of these comedy institutions. It’s really gratifying to be able to do something that I’m like, I had this idea. I’m making it happen, thanks to a ton of collaborators.”
“I’m learn about myself as a performer and as a writer. I’m really hoping this is a month of growth and hopefully some achievements, but primarily growth,” she added. “If nothing comes of this, it will still have been worth it.”
Oh, and what is her comedic wisdom for rabbis trying to be funny, you ask?
“My advice is,” she said, laughing: “Don’t.”
“Nice Try” is on at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival from July 30 – August 25.
