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
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
