Iliza Shlesinger is a Practiced, Potent Performer in “Confirmed Kills”, Even when Leaning on Past Material
Iliza Shlesinger, winner of the sixth season of NBC’ Last Comic Standing, released her third standup special on Netflix on September 23, Confirmed Kills. Those familiar with Shlesinger’s comedic style will recognize a common thread and theme to the special, but the comic’s rhetorical tendencies and performance strengths shine through as well.
Though the first 10 minutes of the show borrows heavily from her previous material, and a hashtag gimmick distracts more than anything else, this is still a complex and powerful hour-plus of comedy. Shlesinger’s performance skills are evident, especially in a wonderfully manic closing skit, and the feminist thematic leanings add an underlying method to Iliza’s madness. All told, Confirmed Kills is a strong third offering from the comic, and displays the requisite artistic growth to allay all fears that Shlesinger is merely a one-trick act.
Shlesinger has made her mark by exploiting the bizarre ways that women interact with each other, especially when alcohol and clubbing is involved. He also has impressive vocal control, and is able to shift between characters in a way that is slightly reminiscent of fellow comic Maria…show more content… For those hoping to see artistic growth from Shlesinger in her third special, these first ten minutes or so were awkward and worrying. Personally, I was concerned that this was going to be the way of the entire act, which would have been a real travesty. Fortunately, after these earlier hiccups, Iliza stops relying on past reference for laughs, and begins to build upon some of her past ideas, introducing a great deal of maturity into a contentious topic: feminism, and the way women are treated in the
