They’re all bit parts!
Fifty female comedians will crack jokes about their junk at the Bell House on July 23, for the comedy show “50 Lady Bits.” The organizers of the private part punchline-up say they were inspired to create the show after comedienne and talk show host Iliza Shlesinger criticized other female stand-ups for making too many jokes about their vaginas. The incident caused an uproar in the comic community, but lit a light bulb for hosts Sachi Ezura and Halle Kiefer, the creators of the annual “50 First Jokes” New Year’s Day joke marathon.
The show is not meant as an attack on Shlesinger, said Ezura — instead, it is a light-hearted opportunity to change the way people view women in comedy and the kind of jokes they tell.
“I’m big fan of Iliza’s comedy, and we really wanted to show that there’s nothing wrong with making jokes about our bodies and sexuality,” said Ezura.
Each of the 50 comics will get two minutes to share her routine the female experience, using musical performances, short sketches, or a variety of comedy styles. Some comics might literally reference their vaginas, while others might just talk about their dating lives, said Ezura.
“I’m sure some are going to be raunchy and some people will be clean — personally I take it as a fun assignment to see what they do with it — but it’s not a show for the faint of heart,” said Ezura. “It’s definitely going to be sex-positive and trans-inclusive and poke fun at the idea of what female comics can talk about.”
The Williamsburg comedienne hopes that the night will free help women talk about sex on stage with the same freedom as male comics.
“De-stigmatizing women talking about sex is important to me, a lot of kinds of women are scared to talk about being sexual and there’s a lot of stigma around vagina in general,” she said. “Guys have been talking about their dicks on stage for decades, but it’s still a worry with what we have going on in our underpants.”
All proceeds from the event will go to Planned Parenthood.
“50 Lady Bits” at Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643–6510, www.thebe
