Jo Firestone didn’t initially plan to produce a special starring the participants of her Greenwich House comedy workshop. But as circumstances brought on by the pandemic changed the setting and the attendance of the class, it was clear that plans had changed, on top of the fact that there was something special happening.
As shown in Good Timing with Jo Firestone, which premiered on Peacock this past Friday (October 15), the New York comedy vet leads a group of the city’s senior citizens through a crash course in stand-up, culminating into a concert featuring the comedic talents of all 16 participants. Along the way, stories and backgrounds, like that of Zygy Susser, were showcased to pull back the curtain on each of the students’ unique perspectives, and what came out as the end result is not only naturally heartwarming and sweet, but also sharp and funny.
We had the chance to sit down with Firestone and Susser to chat about the history of the workshop, the positive mental effect of stand-up comedy, and even how a group effort in reciting “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” really cemented the fact that there was something special at hand.
Check it out.
Jason Greenough: Starting out, we’re here for Good Timing with Jo Firestone, your new special on Peacock. For what it’s worth, I absolutely loved it, but how are you both feeling about it as it goes off into the world?
Jo Firestone: I was just asking Zygy that same thing before we started this chat.
Zygy Susser: It’s a dream come true to be on TV, one of my all-time goals, and I never really thought it would happen. It’s fantastic, and I’m excited, and it’s not like I’m a serial killer on TV. I’m there as a comic, so it’s definitely a feather in my cap.
Firestone: I’m excited too. I’m most excited for people to have 16 new favorite comics. If I had to pick a favorite, I honestly don’t think I could choose. I mean, obviously, Zygy, you’re up there for sure, but everyone involved is just so funny and unique. We really tried to showcase everyone and make sure they each had a special few moments. So, I’m really excited for people to get to know everybody.
Susser: I also just wanted to give so much credit to Jo for doing this. Her time, and her ideas about doing this, and then making it into a documentary, she’s just unbelievable. I give her all the credit. She’s incredible.
Right on! Now, there’s a bit of a backstory, or really a lot of a backstory to how this all came together. This special is the culmination of a workshop that started just before the pandemic. What was the inspiration to start the workshop to begin with, Jo?
Firestone: Well, I didn’t have a lot of work at the time, and I’ve taught before, so I thought maybe I’d teach, and there was a place nearby that was offering classes for senior citizens, so I thought it would be nice to teach a comedy class. So, I got in touch with Greenwich House, then the pandemic hit about three weeks into the course, and then we started doing it on Zoom. The class kind of changed, where there were a few people there from the very beginning, but like with Zygy, we got him through the Zoom class, and a few of the others joined through Zoom, as well, which was really fun.
For you Zygy, how did you come across this class?
Susser: Well, I have a friend, Helaine Witt, who I’ve done comedy with a little, and she told me about how she had been doing this Zoom class with Jo, and how fantastic it was, so I tried it out too, and it was great. Just a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to start your day. People come up with things that put your mind in a comedic way to try and write funny things. It helps write comedy, and it really just helps me as a human being, when I can start the day like that.
I couldn’t agree more. Comedy definitely does put you in a good brain space. Now, Jo, what was the driving force to turn this into a special? Was that part of the endgame all along?
Firestone: I didn’t really have an idea to make it into a special at the beginning, but the more I got to know everybody, and the more COVID seemed to be letting up and we could possibly make something in person together, where everyone is so funny and talented, it just felt like ‘of course we should make something here.’ We tried to make it in that window of where things were starting to let up, but then Delta came through. But I think we got it in just before it.
As a viewer, there were a lot of elements in this special that were rewarding for me. Obviously there’s comedy, but there are also a lot of heartwarming moments, and an element of history as you hear all the backstories from people, and it’s just such a special thing. But for both of you, what was the most rewarding aspect of first, doing the class, but also doing the big show at the end, and then ultimately the special?
Susser: The most rewarding thing for me was meeting Jo. I had never known her before, or even heard of her, but she’s so talented and nice, it’s just mind blowing. From following her, I started watching other comics like Joe Pera, and I watched Shrill. It really opened up me up to a bunch of new comics. Also, the other people in the workshop are just nice and friendly people. One of them came out to one of my comedy shows, which is really nice, so it was just a nice group of people.
Firestone: I think that maybe one of the more rewarding moments was when everyone went on the party bus before the big show starts. I had everyone do their own pump-up to get excited about the show, and one woman starts singing “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”. Now, that’s a song I haven’t heard in, like, 30 years, but then some people, both reluctantly and enthusiastically, started singing this really goofy song on a moving bus on the Lower East Side, and I couldn’t help but think to myself how it was really such a magical moment. You couldn’t plan something like that.
JG: That really is such a sweet, heartwarming part, and I think a lot of other people will gravitate towards the special for things like that. Now, you touched on how you’ve taught comedy before, and this special doesn’t necessarily highlight your comedic strength in the traditional sense. But it does show your expertise in the field through your guidance and direction. Do you feel the experience of teaching this class has affected your own approach to stand-up at all?
Firestone: I think just seeing everyone’s output, and how people are pretty prolific in the class, and not just in terms of what they say in the course of an hour, but also in terms of the assignments and stuff like that, but it made me want to be much more prolific and write more. I also think there’s this enthusiasm for comedy that sometimes has waned within me, and it’s really exciting to see people love comedy and enjoy it. I think that sometimes, I’ve been a little jaded, but this made me more excited about it.
JG: What are you hoping people take away from watching this special?
Firestone: I just hope people see that these 16 people have a lot of energy, are really funny, and smart. I think it’s pretty cool that everybody was so dedicated to this craft in the middle of a really scary pandemic. What about you, Zygy? Based on being in it, what are you hoping people get out of it?
Susser: Well, of course, I just hope it makes people happy and that they can laugh at it, and for me personally, whenever i do a comedy show, a lot of the time, I have to bring guests, so maybe this will allow some bookers to say ‘ you don’t have to bring anyone, just come to our show.’