–as seen in Asheville Citizen Times / Scene, April 26, 2024.
Jesus of Nazareth returns after 2,000 years, but this time he’s no carpenter: He’s a stand-up comedian — one who, strangely, bears a striking resemblance to writer, actor and comic Robert Dubac.
Asheville audiences may remember Dubac from his previous performance, “The Book of Moron,” a stand-up-meets-theater roast of modern society, which the comic brought to downtown’s Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in 2022. Now, much like Jesus, Dubac is back with a brand-new act — descending from the heavens to help people understand what they’ve misinterpreted about Jesus’ original teachings for the last two millennia.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated? Too complicated,” Dubac said. “We have the 10 commandments, but that’s obviously 10 too many. So, Jesus is bringing you a new religion: The religion of humor. And there’s only one commandment: If something’s funny, you laugh.”
Shining the light of truth on false prophets, duplicitous politicians and immoral sheeple, J.C.’s razor-sharp satire has been intelligently designed to redeem sinners of all faiths, channeling what God created on the eighth day: comedy.
“People try to fit religion into black and white instead of it being something that is supposed to instill ideas,” Dubac said. “So, I thought: Let’s bring Jesus back and have him explain how everyone’s got it all wrong. If Jesus returned as a stand-up comedian, what would he be talking about today?”
As an angsty preteen, however, the creator and star of “Stand-Up Jesus” likely would have never imagined that he’d one day portray the Son of God, himself, on stage. In fact, in a very un-Jesus-like move, Dubac was kicked out of Catholic school in the seventh grade.
“It was Halloween, and I decided not to wear my uniform: I came to school dressed as Spock from ‘Star Trek’ — you know, eyebrows pointed up, turtleneck with the starfleet insignia,” Dubac explained. “Well, the nuns obviously never watched television. They freaked out. They thought I came to school dressed up as the devil. And that was that.” From there on out, it was public school for the young sci-fi fan.
Despite this childhood beef with religious institutions, Dubac’s Jesus hasn’t returned to spread sacrilege — not in a serious way, anyway. In fact, his show is popular among people of all faiths (and with those who subscribe to none), poking fun at the obscure, absurd and misconstrued teachings present in all beliefs.
“You know, it’s funny: I’ve been picketed (on this tour) already, but if I could just get them to come in and see it, they might not think it’s so bad after all,” Dubac explained. “I’ve had Rabbis see the show and ask me to come perform it at the temple. I’ve had deacons come up to me after and tell me how much they loved it. I’m sure there’s certain people that just can’t get past the idea of somebody impersonating Jesus. But once you do, I mean, you’ll realize that laughter is really a minor miracle.”
IF YOU GO
What: Robert Dubac’s “Stand-Up Jesus”
When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4
Where: Diana Wortham Theatre at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Asheville
Tickets: $32 — call 828-257-4530 x1 with questions
