Comedy Review: Nikki Glazer at Helium

St. Louis native Nikki Glaser, known for her quick wit and savage comedy, performed her first show post-quarantine at Helium Comedy Club this week in Richmond Heights.

Glaser, who has numerous hours of standup available on Netflix (including her own special “Bangin,” and television series “Not Safe with Nikki Glaser”) has branded her own style of comedy – often referred to as NSFW. She delivers all the laughs and gut punches you want from a standup show. Whether you know her from her standup, her cameo roles in films such as “Trainwreck” and “I Feel Pretty,” her own series, or that one time she was a participant of the brutal roast of Rob Lowe (but really Anne Coulter), Glaser proves to be relatable, sleek, and unforgiving when it comes to performing.

Not only was this the performer’s first time on stage since early March, but it was a new atmosphere for Helium – with limited capacity and some new regulations in place to adhere to social distancing and promoting a healthy environment for both the guests and employees. That being said, the best thing about the set was how relatable the material was. Most people have had similar experiences, hardships, and unusual circumstances given the recent ‘Shelter-in-Place’ orders, meaning audience members and comics are coming out of this thing with much more in common. With that commonality, it was refreshing to see Glaser reflect on her own experiences during the Pandemic, such as moving back in with her parents and a plethora of jokes that seem to be much needed. While it was fun to share some laughs about how staying in affected both performers and show-goers alike, it was great to breach that material with some new jokes.

There were laughs from beginning to end, with Glaser covering topics such as dating apps, rape culture, her recent move home, as well as experience with giving up her dogs (the story is truly hilarious, and my stomach literally hurt from laughing too hard). As usual, the delivery was done the Glaser-way with attitude, sass, a lack of filter, and much needed deadpan one-liners. In any circumstance, if you were to take the material or context of Glaser’s comedy and set it outside her set, it would seem bizarre, offensive, and possibly cringe-worthy. However, it’s because of her quip that you find yourself laughing at jokes about dead parents, defensive weapons used by women to battle rape, and other shocking material normally deemed too sensitive in any other context.

With the new guidelines, Helium Comedy Club is functioning at a smaller percentage of capacity than normal, so it is no surprise that both shows sold out quite quickly for Glaser. However, before leaving the stage, Glaser promised to do many more shows like this – delivering new material and a different experience each time. Keep an eye out for her next performance, because I can assure you that you won’t want to miss it.

For those of you who aren’t able to make one of Glaser’s shows, you can always choke down a dose of the NSFW style with Nikki’s podcast “You Up with Nikki Glaser,” with new episodes Monday through Friday, or revisiting one of her specials (I highly recommend her set in “Women Who Kill”).

In the meantime, I highly encourage any fans of standup to take a glance at upcoming events at Helium, as I’m sure a night out is as much needed as it was for me. Check out the roster of upcoming events and performers at st-louis.heliumcomedy.com.  Keep an eye out for a performance near you, and stay safe! Remember to laugh and enjoy each experience, and find the comedy in the underlying circumstances.

The show was absolutely superb! A+

See Nikki Glaser at Helium Wednesday and Thursday night. Grab tickets here before they sell out.