Tough-love comedy from Iliza Shlesinger as 'Back in Action' tour comes to Providence

Life is not always a joke, even for comedians like Iliza Shlesinger.

During a recent interview, the comic, whose “Back in Action” tour comes to the Providence Performing Arts Center on Sept. 24, was rushing in the stifling Southern California heat to grab medicine and food for her very sick husband, chef and food blogger Noah Galuten.

“This is not food I’m going to have to cook,” says Shlesinger, who provided the comic relief in the couple’s YouTube series during the early days of the pandemic, "Don't Panic Pantry."

Since moving to Los Angeles 20 years ago, she has been honing a brand of comedy she says revolves around honest but constructive criticism and observation. In 2008, Shlesinger became the first and only woman winner of the TV competition show “Last Comic Standing.”

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“It never occurred to me that people wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say,” she says. “That’s part of being a comedian!”

From chiding white women for not embracing thick thighs, to relationship foibles, to commiserating with anyone who has dated someone who is pretty yet dumb, Shlesinger zeroes in on what matters to audiences of all ages.

“I speak universal truths," she says. "Honesty knows no age.”

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Laughs with a purpose: Calling out female stereotypes

Her jokes — which are often accompanied by physical antics on stage — come “from a place of love, understanding and humor” while being wholly unafraid of brutal observations.

“I say things other people are often afraid to say, make fun of whatever needs to be made fun of, and try to make sense of female stereotypes in our society,” she says.

And, while laughter is always the goal, Shlesinger says she yearns to be “the voice in my generation.” She does that through tours, five standup specials on Netflix (she filmed the sixth this summer), a robust social media presence, a podcast and specials like her “fan-u-mentary” that brought viewers backstage to see her life on tour.

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Which topics are off-limits for her?

Even so, the self-proclaimed “elder millennial” understands that she is not everyone’s choice for laughs, especially given the increased access people have to video clips on the internet and live at various venues.

“It’s about getting out and finding what speaks to you,” Shlesinger says of the search for chuckles. No matter the choice, she offers assurances that “all comedy has a dark side. It’s about making something funny out of your pain.”

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Two things she said she will never include in her act — which is about 10% spontaneous and dependent on the audience — are jokes about the Holocaust or the transgender community.

“I just don’t see the point in that,” she says. “I always ask, ‘Is this coming from a place of love or a dogpile on a marginalized group?’”

If you go ...

What: Iliza Shlesinger: Back in Action Tour

When: Sept. 24, 7 p.m.

Where: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence

Tickets: $46.50

Info: ppacri.org, (401) 421-2787

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tough-love comedy from Iliza Shlesinger Sept. 24 in Providence