We talked with Dylan Adler growing up 'Jewpanese' and his comedy.
'Jewpanese' means I look Asian while being extremely hairy and have IBS and anxiety.
Dylan you refer to yourself as ‘Jewpanese’, so let’s start with how your parents met and what that mix of cultures meant for you growing up.
So my mom is Japanese and my dad is Jewish. My parents met at UC Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area. I joke that UC Berkeley is actually where all Jews and Asians procreate. It's their migratory breeding ground to make kids like me who put on one man shows about being Biracial.
My mom was born in Tokyo but my Ojichan (Grandpa) moved the family to California when she was an infant because she and her sister had asthma. My Obachan (Grandma) and her family experienced Japanese Internment during World War II. After that experience a lot of Japanese Americans didn't want to teach their kids Japanese in order to prove their patriotism. Because of this my mom doesn't speak much Japanese and neither do I. I speak more Spanish than Japanese, to be honest. But I did grow up around Japanese culture and my mom is an amazing cook who would make Sushi and Donburi for us. But we did keep our shoes on in the house. My dad is Jewish but extremely reform. We celebrate Hanukkah, Passover, and Roshashannah but I didn't have to do a Bar Mitzvah. For me 'Jewpanese' means I look Asian while being extremely hairy and have IBS and anxiety.
What does your twin do?
My twin brother is the Principal oboe player for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. He has a real job. But one year ago he started doing stand up comedy in Tucson, to my dismay! I'm like "Get your own thing! Stop copying me!" I might try to pick up oboe just to spite him. I am honestly happy that he's doing comedy, but we did grow up doing all of the same activities like classical piano, gymnastics, and mathletes. We were constantly compared to one another so it was nice to have something like comedy that made me feel distinguished from my brother. But I also do like to include my twin brother in comedy videos that I post online. We really are best friends and call each other every day. And thank goodness he's also gay otherwise we would have nothing to talk about. No more talks about Drag Race, Grindr, poppers, flaky gay men, or Mariah Carey.
You trained as a classical pianist. How much has that background influenced your show and what other outlets has it given you?
Classical piano was my first introduction into music. My mom forced me and my brother to take lessons when we were six, but we then immediately fell in love with it. Our piano teacher, Sally Christian, had an immense influence on us. She encouraged us to really engage with the emotion of the pieces and what they invoked inside of us. She opened doorways when it came to interpreting art and allowing it to be a true form of catharsis and freedom. She taught us that music was more than notes on a page. I've kept those lessons with me my whole life. I definitely took those lessons with me when I pursued musical theatre composition in college. I also take those lessons with me in my comedy and musical comedy. How much rhythm, timing, and intention play into how a joke will land.
You also have interesting stories about your grandfather, your ex-boyfriend, your therapist and sexual trauma. All of that you’ve told us forms the basis of your show. What's the secret of putting it all together as entertainment?
It's definitely a process, but some of my favorite humor is dark humor. I love to turn something that feels very dark and heavy into something that brings levity and joy. I love to talk about experiences that were difficult for me in a comedic and approachable way in order to dissolve the tension. I talk about these subjects as I see fit to serve the show.
You’ve toured extensively, but how do you feel about coming to Edinburgh?
I am both incredibly excited and nervous. I had the amazing opportunity to open for Atsuko Okatsuka this year in February in fourteen European countries. I'd never been out of the country before that and was nervous my material wouldn't translate. Some jokes did not translate but to my surprise most of my material did. I would add some slight alterations and context to certain jokes but I was pleasantly surprised for the most part. Also our show in Glasgow was one of our favorite shows because the crowd had a great energy. I'm curious to see how Edinburgh Fringe audiences will receive my hour. I've been working very hard with my director Sam Blumenfeld on making the show as strong as possible. I've always wanted to go to the Fringe and am so excited to perform and see as many shows as I can! I heard Edinburgh Fringe is like theatre camp which is a dream for a theatre kid like me.
What would you like the audience to take away from your show?
I want the audience to be fully entertained. I really try to entertain the audience as much as I can, no matter how many people there are. My favorite comedians are people who fully physically commit to their material and that's something I try to do. My show is autobiographical and has moments of hard comedy and moments of sincerity. I hope people feel they went on a journey with me and perhaps laughed, cried, or did both at the same time.
