In stand-up comedy, as in life, timing is everything. No matter how hilarious a punchline may be on paper, its punch will fall flat on delivery if the rhythm is off.
But even comedic masters of timing don’t stand a chance if their set is interrupted by air raid sirens.
That happens all too often at Anonymous Comedy TLV’s “Live from the Mamad” series. And yet a loyal retinue of mostly 20- and 30-somethings packs the shows, held in the basement of the Alpaca Bar in Tel Aviv’s Florentin neighborhood. Come hell or high water.
At one recent show, Anonymous Comedy co-founder Martin Winiar was warming up the audience with a routine about Israel’s exploding beeper operation in Lebanon when the familiar wail indicating an incoming missile – maybe from Lebanon, maybe from Iran – cut him short.
“I could have finished my joke, but no. Safety first!” he commented, after reminding patrons to stay calm and follow Anonymous Comedy partner Moe Braun to the public shelter (miklat) next door.
“For everyone’s safety, during a siren Moe – I mean Moshe – will guide the Jewish people to the promised land – a miklat 50 meters from here,” he said.
Technically speaking, “Live from the Mamad” is a misnomer. The stage is not in a mamad, a residential protected room, but rather in a venue next to a miklat. But the catchy name conveys the point that people can go out for some fun in a reasonably safe manner, even under threat of missiles.
Show sells out all 50 tickets
“Live from the Mamad” consistently sells out the 50 tickets per show permitted by Home Front Command guidelines regarding crowd capacity. And if a siren sends the attendees into the miklat for a few minutes, they go right back to enjoy the rest of the set.
“At one recent show, I was in the middle of a joke when everyone’s phones blew up,” said Winiar, who made aliyah from Buenos Aires in 2015 and is juggling his job as an economist with stand-up comedy and new fatherhood.
“Upsetting as it was, I was happy to see the reaction of the audience. Everyone was calm and knew what to do to reach the shelter because we had explained it at the beginning. We all went together, and nearly everyone came back through the bar, where they bought more food and drink.”
Winiar, Braun, and fellow comedian Ana Vincenti launched Anonymous Comedy TLV after the first Iran war last summer. They saw a need for more consistency in the English-language stand-up comedy scene in Israel, inspired by the highly successful Funny Monday enterprise headlined by Yohay Sponder and Shahar Hason – both Sabras who perform domestically and internationally in English.
“We started with pro shows every other week, and on the in-between weeks we ran open mic shows as a way for us to discover new talent,” Braun said.
It soon became apparent that not only did the fledgling effort fill a need for comic relief in difficult times, but it could also provide material relief. When some local businesses were damaged by Iranian bombs last summer, the partners began charging admission and donated profits to the struggling entrepreneurs.
Anonymous Comedy TLV now encompasses three layers: regular shows from which profits are divided among the guest comics, the venue, and the organization toward overhead expenses; wartime shows like “Live from the Mamad,” where ticket prices are reduced and cover only drinks at the venue, without any compensation for performers; and private charity shows at a higher ticket price, with all profits donated to the cause.
“We’ve raised NIS 180,000 through our charity shows,” said Braun, a native New Yorker who made aliyah from Aventura, Florida, in December 2024.
They have expanded the base of beneficiaries to include, among others, Druze residents of the North; Chaiyanu Israel; an army reserve unit; and Shelter4all, an organization Braun founded to foot the bill for emergency accommodations for people lacking adequate shelter during wartime.
Braun, an exited start-up founder turned start-up consultant, did some stand-up in New York 15 years ago, then took an 11-year hiatus while growing his business. “After I came to Israel, I won the ‘Last Laugh’ comedy competition in Season 3 and got back into it,” he said.
Vincenti moved to Tel Aviv a year and a half ago from London, recently completed ulpan, and is seeking employment in workshop design, facilitation, and event hosting.
“I started doing comedy in 2021 when I was living in North Carolina,” Vincenti said. “After making aliyah, I wanted to get back into stand-up. I was introduced to Moe at a housewarming party, and we got to talking. We did an open mic together, and there I met Martin, a veteran on the scene. So we started working together.”
Anonymous Comedy TLV utilized various venues until Braun discovered Alpaca.
It seems to be a winning formula on both sides of the footlights.
“I’ve been to at least 20 or 30 Anonymous Comedy shows,” said Tel Aviv resident Stav Setty, who made aliyah six years ago from Atlanta, Georgia, and works for a cybersecurity company.
“Laughing in a roomful of people feels therapeutic. Every time I leave, I feel lighter. During the war, it feels even more meaningful because it reminds me that life continues and community matters. It’s really special to be there together. A lot of times I bring friends, and everyone I’ve brought loves it.”
Braun estimates that repeat customers account for 20% to 30% of the audience. The trio welcomes native Israeli English speakers and performers, as well as Anglo immigrants.
Some Israeli stand-up personalities who usually perform in their native tongue have done English-language gigs there, such as Matan Peretz and Ben Ben Baruch. The latter has become a regular and lent his own studio to Anonymous Comedy on March 19 for a show featuring guests that included Sponder, Peretz, Guri Alfi, and Deb Kaye.
Eitan Levine, an American comedian and Internet personality known for his man-on-the-street interview series “Jewish or Antisemitic?” was visiting Israel when the current Iran war started. Unable to leave the country, he agreed to Anonymous Comedy TLV’s request that he perform in “Live from the Mamad.” “How’s everyone’s war going?” Levine greeted the crowd.
Naturally, everyone’s onstage routine includes a humorous look at the current situation.
“There isn’t a comic who doesn’t mention something about the war. Nobody wants to come to a show where the comic is disconnected from what’s going on,” said Winiar.
One of Winiar’s recent quips is this: “Another crazy thing about this war is that you know in a couple of generations, at least some kids will think we eat matzah on Passover to commemorate the death of the cardboard ayatollah,” referring to a possibly fake and definitely funny video of Iranian officials displaying a cardboard cutout of new missing-in-action leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei.
From the beginning of the current war until shortly before Passover, the team was staging doubleheader shows three nights a week. After a holiday break, the schedule will revert to every other Sunday (interspersed with open mic nights) at the Alpaca Bar, 40 Florentin Street. The schedule, posted on Instagram @AnonymousComedyTLV, will include occasional pop-up shows on other nights as well.
Anonymous TLV’s crew is open to organizing private benefit performances. “If you’re involved in any charity that wants to raise money, we’ll happily do a show for free if you take care of the venue and the marketing,” Braun said.
Ticket prices vary, depending on circumstances; but Vincenti emphasized, “Anyone who cannot afford a ticket, we will give them a discount or a free ticket. We try not to gatekeep laughter.”
She observed that as long as war and missile threats continue, “people want to cope together and laugh about life. Everyone is tired but also so ready to connect, as more official forms of entertainment have been canceled. They don’t want to forget, but it’s really cathartic just to be able to laugh together at the situation,” she said.