On Saturday evening, November 14, Strolling of the Heifers proudly presents An Evening With Rabbi Bob Alper: Honorary Comedic Advisor to Pope Francis. The show begins at 8 p.m. at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, downtown Brattleboro. Seating is limited to 200 people, and all seats are $20.
Yes, you read that right.
Rabbi Bob Alper, a professional standup comic, recently beat out 4,000 fellow funny people in a joke-writing competition organized by the Pontifical Missions Society called Joke With the Pope. As winner, he gets to call himself Honorary Comedic Advisor to the Pope, and the right to direct a $10,000 donation from the Missions Society to one of three international charities. (He selected House the Homeless in Ethiopia.)
The winning joke? “My wife and I have been married for over 46 years, and our lives are totally in sync. For example, at the same time I got a hearing aid, she stopped mumbling.”
Tickets for Rabbi Alper’s Brattleboro appearance are available online at www.rabbialper.brownpapertickets.com, or in person at the River Garden, 157 Main St. in Brattleboro (cash, check or credit card). The show benefits Strolling of the Heifers’ ongoing renovations at the River Garden. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. For more information: 802- 246-0982.
Rabbi Alper is the world’s only practicing clergyman doing stand-up comedy…intentionally. Audiences adore him, from a standing-room-only crowd at the prestigious Montreal Comedy Festival to a standing ovation before 2,700 people at New York’s famed Chautauqua Institution. He’s even appeared at Hollywood’s Improv and The Comedy Store.
There’s a reason why Sirius/XM satellite radio plays Rabbi Bob Alper’s bits several times daily, often sandwiched between Bob Newhart and Jerry Seinfeld: Bob’s unique background (he is an ordained rabbi who served congregations for 14 years and holds a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary) prepared him well for a 27-year comedy career with wonderfully unique material presented in a way that’s intelligent, sophisticated, and 100 percent clean.
Bob performs all across North America and England, at corporate events, theaters, non-profits, conventions, private parties, churches, and, naturally, synagogues. And he’s done over 200 shows with his Arab and Muslim comedy partners, at a variety of venues, but primarily colleges and universities. About one of these shows, The New York Timesreported the comics “…had the audience convulsing.”
The rabbi-comedian draws tremendous media attention, and, among others, has been seen on The Early Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Showtime, the BBC, CNN, and was featured on Extra, TV’s top-rated entertainment program (immediately following a segment on the size of Jennifer Lopez’s buttocks).
In addition to being a full-time stand-up comic and conducting annual high holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Bob is the author of three books that further showcase his considerable talents: Life Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This, an inspirational collection that the Detroit Free Press called “a volume of spiritual gems;” the award-winning full-color cartoon book A Rabbi Confesses; and the recently- published Thanks. I Needed That, more stories that touch readers with their warmth, humor, and wisdom. In addition, he has produced two best-selling comedy CDs and a DVD.
Bob resides in rural Vermont with his wife Sherri, a psychotherapist. Professionally, he makes people laugh, while she helps people cry. Here’s a sample of Rabbi Alper onstage:
