The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Chelsea Handler’s personal ‘Evolution’ inspires new special
When Chelsea Handler decided to pursue therapy, the comic may not have realized the level of introspection she’d encounter.
“I think the gift of self-awareness through therapy is one of the best gifts you can ever receive because there is no price tag for that, and it puts you in your place. It humbles you” said the comedian.
Therapy is one of the many subjects Handler tackles in her new stand up, “Evolution,” on HBO Max. It’s a personally ambitious project for both its content and logistical creation. Filmed at the Central Railroad Station in her home state of New Jersey, it’s one of the only major comedy specials filmed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Handler says she sought therapy after constantly feeling outraged about Presi
dent Donald Trump, which strained some relationships with family and friends. But while she doesn’t shy away from her disdain for the commander in chief, political jokes are a small footnote of the performance. She uses her humor to touch on timely issues like racism, social injustice and white privilege, specifically targeting her heat-seeking messaging.
The 45-year-old worked out her set about 20 times in modest clubs in small East Coast cities like Providence, Rhode Island, and New Brunswick, New Jersey, beginning with audiences of about 20 and gradually increasing. She continuously refined her content, making it as fresh as possible. (Her Andrew Cuomo bit was originally about Robert Mueller.)
The final product includes an audience of 150, all socially distanced with some wearing masks, visually marking the time period of the production.
“There was a deep sense of accomplishment to be able to pull something like that off, and now we get calls from all the studios asking how we did it because they want to shoot specials,” said the former late night host. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know, I just did what I said and got a nasal swab every 20 minutes.’”
“I’ve always been very personal. Whatever I put out there is always kind of what I’m going through at the time,” said Handler. “I can make things funny. I wanted to have a little bit more heft than what I had previously put out there standup-wise. So it was a challenge.”