Judy Gold tells it like it is
Chatting with Judy Gold is like chatting with a good friend who you know is always going to tell it like it is and it’s for this reason (and the fact that she’s hilarious) that audiences have been loving her comedy for years. The outspoken lesbian mother of two is an Emmy winner (for writer/producer of Rosie O’Donnell’s daytime talk show), author (25 Questions for a Jewish Mother), acts frequently in comedies and dramas and still finds time to perform her stand-up act, which she’ll be doing at the Art House in Provincetown through September 2nd.
EDGE’s Jim Halterman talked to Gold from Ptown about the show, how her kids respond to having two Moms and what The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck is really like.
Her a-ha moment
EDGE: Did you always know that stand-up was what you were going to do or did you have an a-ha moment somewhere along the way?
Judy Gold: Kinda both. I knew I wanted to be a performer but I didn’t know in what capacity but - this might be shocking - I don’t think a 6 ft, 3-inch Jewess is going to be an ingénue but I always knew I wanted to perform. It wasn’t until I went to college and someone dared me to do stand-up. That was, to me, the a-ha moment. I did it and I got high like I had never gotten high before.
EDGE: Do you still get that buzz after all these years?
JG No. [laughs] I do when all the stars are aligned and I’m in the zone and the audience is with me and we go on that ride together; there’s nothing like it.
EDGE: You’re doing your stand-up act in Ptown. Is there a theme to the show or do you just get up there and wing it?
JG You know, everyone kind of names their shows here but I was too tired. Judy Gold. That’s it. I couldn’t think of anything. I guess when you name a show and you’re doing stand-up, I think people expect more than stand-up, you know what I mean? But that’s just me. Provincetown is where I developed so much of my material and myself as a human being. It’s an amazing place to work and to always come back to.
EDGE: What’s your process for developing your show? Do you write everything out or just do it off the top of your head?
JG I do both. I do prepare, I do write out what I want to talk about but I definitely take more risks here. I write a lot of material while I’m here. The audiences are so giving and they’re on vacation. They don’t have to go to a show; they chose it. It’s really a good place to take those risks and I feel safe here.
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Watch Judy Gold on How Two Jewish Mothers Have a Baby.
