It was Jim Jeffries's funniest show in Israel, and it was still ripping

Of the three times the Australian-American comedian came here, it was the weakest show. Jeffries himself still submits the material perfectly and exhibits rare comedic timing, but this time he seemed to rely more on his natural ability to simply stand on stage and make people laugh, and less invested in the material himself

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Toward the end of his performance at the Drive Inn in Tel Aviv, Jim Jefferies held his microphone to the back of his black trousers, releasing a luscious, loud puff to the air of the auditorium. The speakers echoed the sounds of the whistle in the ears of thousands of viewers, who responded with rapturous applause and long bursts of laughter. Jefferies was pleased with the reaction of the audience, but suddenly, as if recognizing me from our shared days in the Irgun, Jefferies turned to the stand where I was sitting and said: "If there is anyone here who is going to write a review about the show, please do not write that I have stuck a plotter on stage" .

However, Jeffries's vocal intestinal activity may have been improvised and one-off, but on the other hand it was also very appropriate for status. Just as Gabriel Garcia Marx's masterpiece "The Chronicle of a Known Death" reveals a cruel spoiler already in the story, so too does Jeffreys current stand-up show read "The Known Fook Chronicle" without really telling the true story of the evening . In fact, almost the entire Jefferies show was devoted to Jefferies' digestive problems, his sensitivity to dairy and his horrible date of ending up in his pants. It may sound vulgar and low-key, mainly because it is vulgar and low-key, but Jefferies ’rare comic abilities make his show grow out of all its parts, probably with most of it being cocky-pee jokes.

Inside our face: Jim Jeffries' performance is one of the best in Israel

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This is Jim Jeffries' third time in Israel in three years, and laughter aside - that's exciting. An artist at the height of his fame and success who repeatedly chooses to come to Israel is no big deal. In criticizing his previous performance in Israel, I have made an unfair comparison between him and other great comedians who have come to Israel in the last decade such as Jerry Seinfeld, Louis CK, Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman. I have noted that his career seems to be a tad over historical, but his place in the top with the biggest is already almost guaranteed. It was an understatement, the specific show that Jim Jeffries put up in 2018 in Yad Eliyahu was one of the biggest comedy shows ever staged in Israel.

Not to mention that Jeffries himself felt it too, so it was important for him to come back here again. More than that, he chose to sign his current tour of Israel. Like last time, he tailored the show to the local audience. It included jokes about the local currency ("shekel sounds like something to do in the bathroom"), the Hebrew spelling ("your shitty letters"), a story about his embarrassing meeting with Gal Gadot at his son's school ("I told her I was no longer with his mother" ) And the taxi convoy he left from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea on his previous night in Tel Aviv - only to find that after a minute you float in the water, it gets boring.

In an impromptu section, he asked the audience what the word "peace" means, and after several attempts to get the answer he wanted someone shouted to him that it was the Hebrew word for "peace". Then Jeffries shot, as if from the sleeve, "What do you understand about that at all?" It was funny, very, but it's hard to follow Jeffries' career and believe that only for his third time in Israel, where he also filmed snippets for his television series, he decided to find out the meaning of the only word he knew in Hebrew. Except, it was the kind of case where the purpose is sanctifying the means. The stand-up comedians who come to Israel give their set, do their best and move on - while Jefferies, time after time, adjusts his performances to the local audience. The man came to work. It is entirely to his credit.

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Of the three times he came here, it was the worst show - at least in terms of comic material. Not to mention it's his weakest show since his first special on HBO. That in itself does not mean that the show is not excellent. Jefferies himself still submits the material perfectly, and his rare comic timing still makes his every stop here an unmissable experience - but this time Jefferies relied more on his natural ability to simply stand on stage and make people laugh, and less invested in the material himself.

Of all the comedians working today, Jeffries is probably the best storyteller of all. However, his phenomenal ability to tell a personal story while plunging a few sub-narratives into a humorous crescendo cannot capture the volume of an entire show. And so in fact his least serious show was born. It should be remembered that Jeffries' most famous section, and the one that opened the door to enormous popularity in the liberal United States, is a poignant political section against the American obsession with firearms. On his previous show in Israel, he spent at least ten minutes trying to understand how Donald Trump perceives women in their genitals, and any "serious" reference has disappeared from Jeffreys current show.

And it's not just topical issues, but personal issues as well. Jefferies has spoken openly in previous shows about his coping with depression and his problematic family relationships. It made him a lot more exposed and vulnerable, and at the same time - it also made him funnier. And this time? Much more poop jokes, much less depth. It was still funny, even tearing, but he couldn't keep up with what he set for himself.

We haven't seen such a bad show in a long time, where viewers wait for it to just end