REVIEW: Tsuris, Tequila and Terminal 3 – Zach Margs brings it to Leicester Square
A opening night of airport interrogations, dating disasters and back surgery. This writer loved it all
Zach Margs kicked off his European stand-up tour last night in London by sharing the tsuris of his recent back surgery (hello, clever tour name).
The miserable weather outside cried ‘London’, but the atmosphere inside the Leicester Square Theatre shouted ‘Israel’, with much hugging, waving and yehyoo’ing against a backdrop of Israeli music as revellers took their seats. This wasn’t just a comedy show; it was a gathering, a reconnection. Overheard in the ladies: “Oh my goodness, I remember you from Hillel!”
Readying audiences for Zach, Mark Maier opened with an unapologetic, “Good evening, Jews!”, which landed exactly as intended, followed by a ‘good evening non-Jews!’ — of which there was a decent contingent.
Zack took confidently to the stage, wasting no time getting to know the audience with a sneaky exercise to identify which ladies were single — a neat segue into his Israeli character, Tomer. Possibly not counting on a younger crowd than usual, he hesitated, then wisely decided the 16-year-old he picked on was off limits.
As the formal jacket was donned and his voice dropped an octave, insta-favourite ‘intense El Al Security guy’ took over. Working the room in full airport-interrogation mode, most sank deep into their seats as Zach prowled the theatre, hoping they wouldn’t be next. No such luck for the toilet roll king of Mill Hill, grilled on how he’s doing. “You have apartment in Herzliya? Business is good…” Cue a potential shidduch between two giggling teens on opposite sides of the auditorium — updates pending.
This being Zach’s first performance post-surgery, there was plenty of new material featuring his trademark self-deprecation: stocking up on US drugstore essentials (Gas-X, if you must know), and which coital technique his spine surgeon recommended for safe recovery — details strictly optional. At 31 and single, his colourful dating life provided ample fodder, including his conviction that the only explanation for a date not replying was that she must have died. Ghosting him was simply not an option.
Marg’s material naturally touched on world affairs — the return of the last hostage, the recent antisemitic harassment of Matt Lucas — before pivoting to the more urgent communal concern: is Hendon Wood Lane open yet?
Sitting next to my local pharmacist (who knows my address by heart), I found comfort in being surrounded by my community, and strength in knowing that ‘Bring Them Home’ posters no longer greet passengers landing in Israel. A comedy night it may have been, but mention of Israel and the freed hostages brought rousing cheers and sustained applause.
For more European tour dates, including Tel Aviv (yalla) visit:
http://zachmargs.comzachmargs.com
@zachmargs
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