David Ellis is a terrible Jew. Just the worst. He doesn’t keep kosher, He couldn’t tell you the last time he set foot inside a synagogue and he frequently forgets how to spell Chanukah.

All that said, being Jewish is still a huge part of what makes him who he is. In this 45 minute show David will take you on a journey; from bagels to the Bris, from Seinfeld to shivas, from Haroset to the house of bondage. David won’t look at any of this and instead will tell you humiliating stories, petty victories and tales of woefully tragic social ineptitude which he hopes he can somehow tie into his cultural heritage.

David is a Jewish actor, writer and comedian originally from Bedford. He’s played to sold out crowds in London, Edinburgh, Off-Broadway, Toronto and across Australia. He’s performed with long running comedy shows NewsRevue, Shit-faced Shakespeare, Potted Potter and The Reduced Shakespeare Company. David’s production company Underground Treehouse produces award winning short films and has frequently had films accepted into BAFTA qualifying festivals. He is a graduate of the Royal Court Writers Programme. In 2015 his show Checkpoint 22 transferred from Edinburgh for a run at the Kings’s Head Theatre. His work has also been seen at New Diorama, Old Red Lion and Arcola.

August 28, 2024    Jewish Renaissance

The quick-witted Brit takes audiences on a personal journey via identity, self-discovery and a very un-PC pudding
In the mid-2020s, Jewish actor and comedian David Ellis auditioned for Joshua Harmon’s soon-to-be-hit play Bad Jews. He didn’t get the part, but questioning the reasons why led him to this very stage in a room in Edinburgh, which looks like a budget airline – complete with actual plane seats, cramped leg room and zero storage – mourning a role he never played.

“Maybe you don’t look Jewish enough,” suggested a friend. Ellis responded flabbergasted, insisting that he looks like Woody Allen shtupped the entire cast of the Big Bang Theory. What is Jewish enough anyway? And is David Ellis it? Is he a ‘bad Jew’? Perhaps he’s the worst Jew? Thus sets up his latest show, a journey in observational comedy about identity and heritage.

Delivered in an erratic outpouring of amusing anecdotes, Ellis proceeds to weave a personal history that involves an abusive relationship, racist desserts, reasons why there’s never a good time to watch Schindler’s List, and the day he inadvertently disrupted the Queen Mother’s memorial service. It’s quick, it’s funny and whatever you consider Ellis’s Jewish credentials to be, The Worst Jew is certainly worth an hour of your time. Click Here For Review