Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Solo shows that go beyond tickling the funny bone: Jeff Ross’s TAKE A BANANA FOR THE RIDE and Morgan Bassichis’ CAN I BE FRANK?

• By drediman
• August 28, 2025
• No Comments

I recently had the opportunity to take in a pair of (ultimately) introspective solo shows that go beyond simply tickling the funny bone. As always, read on below for my thoughts.

TAKE A BANANA FOR THE RIDE
Nederlander Theater
Through September 28

First up on the Great White Way is Jeff Ross’s one man show Take a Banana for the Ride (RECOMMENDED) at the Nederlander Theatre. Over the years, Ross has made a name for himself as a master “roaster”, taking down everyone in his path — including himself — with ferocious aggression and slicing incisiveness. That being said, he does it all with a devilish kind of charm that’s often irresistible. Admittedly, building a full length Broadway show solely around roasting — even as skillful as Ross’s — would eventually become tedious. Thankfully, Take a Banana for the Ride is first and foremost a candid and heartfelt theatrical memoir, chronicling the comedian’s life from his childhood, to his experience during the pandemic, and lastly to his recent bout with cancer. As a love letter to the people who have nurtured and supported him over the years, the show is in refreshing contrast to the ruthlessness of his roasting. That doesn’t mean that audiences are in the clear. Towards the end of the evening, Ross literally breaks the fourth to pick on us. To be sure, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

CAN I BE FRANK?
SoHo Playhouse
Through September 13

Then downtown at the SoHo Playhouse, you’ll find Morgan Bassichis’s solo show Can I Be Frank? (RECOMMENDED). Directed by Sam Pinkleton (a Tony-winner for his spot-on work helming Cole Escola’s runaway hit Oh, Mary!), the production has been essentially designed as a tribute to Frank Maya, a gay comedian and performance artist whose imminent rise to mainstream fame was tragically cut short by his passing in the mid-90s due to AIDS-related complications. In a nice change of pace, Bassichis’s very funny show is much more than an excuse to display the comedian’s supreme wit; it’s also an unabashedly deep embrace of Maya’s legacy and undeniable influence on gay culture. As such, Can I Be Frank? turns out to be a satisfying theatrical experience, resistering much more substantially than your typical stand-up performance. Pinkleton’s staging is as sharp as you’d expect from the director, who also scored big this summer with another gay-themed Off-Broadway solo show — Josh Sharp’s wonderful ta-da!, which is currently running at the Greenwich House Theater.