Liz Miele: 2025 Tour – Review

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Details

• Language: English
• Performance Date: February 15, 2025
• Venue URL: https://www.bananascomedyclub.com/
• Tickets Starting At: $30.00
• Theatre Name: Bananas Comedy Club
• Address of Theater: 801 Rutherford Ave, Rutherford, NJ 07070
• Genre(s): Stand Up Comedy

Summary

Liz Miele, with her opener Neil Rubenstein, are both an odd match and also odd as individuals – but in the best way. Neil, despite being tattoos and fully knowing he seems like he’d be a bouncer at a rough and tumble, but popular, bar, is actually a sweetheart. One with dark, sometimes left of center humor, but he’s aware of his jokes not being for everyone, but hitting hard for those who get it.

As for the headliner? Liz is balanced between everyday topics like dating and family, but like Neil, as normal as she can appear, or despite how easy it could be to make assumptions, she does not ultimately fit into what you may think. She talks about her boyfriend, who sounds like he is similar to Neil, but to be clear isn’t, which is a interesting juxtaposition. Alongside that, she talks about her life with her cats, including sometimes not being a great cat mom, but mainly because one cat is notable dumb.

But, generally speaking, from awkward conversations with her family, dealing with her fellow comedians, especially those who run clubs, and even her brother, who has been through some things, the combination leads to a fun night out – especially if you came to laugh.

Review

Highlight(s)

How Both Handled a Heckler [85/100]

For both sets there was a heckler, the same person, and while the intensity of the interactions was far more severe for Liz’s set, Niel got a bit of the action too. With him, he was able to keep the jokes going and even make some at the guy’s expense, which were comical.

Liz on the other hand showed she is a veteran. One of her jokes, of which autism is the topic [in by no means a disparaging way may I add], set off an audience member who seemingly found just the setup or mention of people with autism offensive. The couple, who seemingly are still struggling with having a child with autism, escalated things past what happened with Neil, who made a political joke, and completely disrupted things.

For me, this was the first time I’ve experienced a heckler vs. someone who didn’t understand there is only so much back and forth between the audience and comedian, while they are doing crowd work, before you should be quiet. But, despite the man getting aggressive with someone, even being kicked out, Liz handled it with some ease. Was she shaken a bit, especially since the venue didn’t have security that looked like Neil? Yes. However, she was able to make light of the situation and easily transition back into her planned set as if nothing happened.

Strange But Not Off-Putting Pair Who Seem To Flow Naturally From One Set To Another [83/100]

One of the things which make Liz and Neil stand out for me is that they aren’t polar opposites. For a lot of the stand up comedy I’ve seen thus far, it has been people who were jarring opposites mainly due to culture, with the only exception being seeing Hasan Minhaj perform. But with Neil and Liz, they are the kind of weird that you can imagine were friends in high school, laughing notably in the lunch room together.

For with Neil, his dark humor, which includes a decent amount of jokes about death, goes well with Liz talking about one of her cats dying, or almost dying in another case. Even in terms of things that can be seen as a bit more PG-13, like porn recommendations from Neil or Liz talking about her boyfriend, there might be different topics, but they meld well together. Ultimately making it so, if you can get through Neil with a few chuckles, you will audibly laugh when it comes to Liz.

Generally, Avoid Politics And Keeps Things Outside Of Current Events [82/100]

While Neil did do a political joke which riled up the heckler, generally speaking, neither Neil or Liz got political or heavy into current events. Liz’s topics are almost entirely personal, dealing with her pets, her relationship, and her family. Neil talks about death, things Jewish people have gone through – like explaining why you’ll find so many Rubensteins out there, and he likes to dabble into wordplay comedy. But as for things the majority of people may find to be topics that require you to have a really specific voice to not say what many have heard already? They avoid those topics which can lead to overdone jokes and takes.

On The Fence

For Neil, It Can Feel Like His Set Is His Set – He Isn’t Adapting For His Audience [73/100]

I wouldn’t say Neil bombed, but he made it appear that, outside of a few in the front row, the rest of the crowd wasn’t feeling him. To me, part of the reason is he dug into his heels and what was his set was his set, and he’d rather power through what he already had than try to adapt to the crowd. To me, this kind of took away from the experience for, while I smiled and chuckled, him outright making it seem he is going to focus on the few and abandon the majority didn’t necessarily sit right.

You Can Still Tell Things Are Being Polished [77/100]

The plus and minus of almost all live comedy is that it isn’t like stage plays or musicals in that it hasn’t been perfected. With that, you may hear jokes that don’t make the eventual special because they could be controversial, are just ponderings of the comic, or might not fit their brand. But, the negative is, the reason some of the jokes don’t hit is because they are still working on timing, the punch line and if you are early on their tour, while they may have their set and feel it is a solid hour, it is still subject to change.

Now, when we saw Ali Wong, it definitely felt like the ticket price was just to watch what she would eventually put on Netflix early and while Liz releases many of her specials on YouTube, I would submit there was a balance here. For the price of admission, you can be fine if some of the jokes are works in progress because they are still funny. May she punch them up or replace them at later dates? Maybe. But I wouldn’t say you feel like you are paying for a sneak peak.

If anything, I would say Liz’s jokes feel like they are well-crafted, not her venting and having the audience pay to be her therapist or confidant, and at a price where you can be more forgiving regarding jokes that may not work for you.

Overall

Our Rating (80/100): Positive (See Live)

Neil, for me, is a taste I don’t see myself acquiring, but when it comes to Liz, especially considering the stage of her career she is at, where ticket prices are affordable, I would consider myself willing to see her live again. Heck, I’ve only watched her latest special on YouTube, but even though I know the work will be different, I can fully imagine while doing a mundane task listening to her to keep myself from feeling like a cog ready to give up on turning.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Nothing Notable
• Sexual Content: Talking About Porn and Testicles
• Miscellaneous: Jokes, Stories and Comments on Mental Health, Autism, and Death

What To Check Out Next

External Links

• Official Site Link (Liz Miele) and (Neil Rubenstein)
• Check out our Live Performance page for our latest reviews and recommendations.