INTERVIEW: A Digital Pint with… Michael John Ciszewski, on Canonising His Mother As a Saint

Does God take calls from gay guys? New York City comedian Michael John Ciszewski is asking this Edinburgh Festival Fringe in his upcoming comedy hour Mother, Superior. We first caught Michael John performing in Edinburgh in 2024, and now he’s returning back across the Atlantic with an all-new show sacrilegious, sentimental show. We caught up with him for a pixelated pint to find out more about what he’s been up to since we last saw him.

You can catch Michael John Ciszewski: Mother, Superior at Bedlam Theatre from 14:00 (60mins) on August 7th – 30th (not the 17th or 24th). Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Shay: Hi Michael John Ciszewski, tell us about Mother, Superior and why you have decided to bring this to the stage now?

Michael John: HELLO SHAY!!! So excited to share another Fringe together. MOTHER, SUPERIOR is my sacrilegious new solo spectacular—and the follow up to my 2024’s Fringe debut IF MEMORY SERVES—in which I petition God themself and the literal Vatican to canonize my (very living) mother as A SAINT in one hour… of comedy, of course. It’s a massive effort to finally make her proud of her big gay idiot comedian son, but it’s the least I can do considering all I’ve made her put up with across my [REDACTED] years on Earth, including but not limited to: making room for the Glass Closet I kept in my childhood home, no fewer than three (3) Lady Gaga concerts, listening to me run my mouth about Men in front of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, distressing Parents Nights chats with my beleaguered schoolteachers, and The Devil Wears Prada 2.

I am doing this now because I am not getting any younger despite still claiming to be ‘early career’, and—in all seriousness—we need to tell those we love them (and the World at Large) how we feel while we can. Not to be a bit “love and light,” but I vehemently believe that playful earnestness is a potent antidote to the cynicism that rots not only so much comedy but society’s ability to build a world that cherishes and affirms our humanity and not the pockets of billionaires. Insane connection to make? I’m an American doing my second Fringe with nary a Netflix special nor podcast to my name; I haven’t claimed a shred of sanity since Kamala was brat. And even then…

Shay: Tell us about your process for putting together this hour – what do you do to get yourself motivated and what challenges have you found with this material?

Michael John: I get motivated by listening to hit songs from 2011 like “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO, and “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” by Enrique Iglesias—that’s the CENSORED TITLE, might I remind!—to reconnect with a wide-eyed millennial optimism I once held. I compare myself to others. I stare my demons in their soulless eyes and laugh at their ugliness. And then I am ready to produce a few excellent jokes about rimming.

I began working on material for MOTHER, SUPERIOR in stand-up sets of mine immediately after returning to New York from Fringe 2024, but I’ve been my mother’s son for roughly 33 years—give or take. I’ve always known she’s the proper icon of our us-against-the-world, two blonde family unit, and I have so relished the delight that audiences take in hearing about her quiet campaign to make me a gay menace from birth, i.e. extraordinary parenting. The thing is she’s my favorite person and our relationship is the most important thing in my life, so it’s been quite the challenge to vulnerably admit to that in my actual comedy. Integrating and theatricalizing moments of real stakes and tenderness about this thing that matters to me so much has been an extraordinary ask in building a zany hour of comedy. But thanks to the persistence and care afforded me by my long-time director Noah Simes (SH!T-FACED SHAKESPEARE), I am beyond grateful to say I think we’ve made something only I could do.

Shay: Tell us about your comedy icons – who are they, and how have they influenced your work?

Michael John: My comedy icons are Rita Ora and Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig. What are their jobs? They will do anything for the bit. Collab WHEN?

I’ll be honest—my true icons are my pop girls. Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Charli xcx and Mariah Carey—mothers, the lot of them! These are artists who relentlessly pursue their muse, are often incredibly funny, and who caretake for their sizable audiences by affording us their vulnerability in sweet, shiny, profound little packages. I think punchlines are the hooks of the comedy world. A great set is a hit single. And my hours are my albums. Lady Gaga teaches me confidence and craft. Madonna teaches me tenacity and curiosity. Beyoncé has inspired me to take pride in my communities and our history. Charli teaches me fearlessness. Mariah teaches me to center myself during the holidays. As a queer man, I didn’t necessarily have many icons like me to look up to on television, but I had these superwomen who showed me the way to make art that moved people.

All said, Conan O’Brien is my hero. I know his UK recognition may be a bit limited, but perhaps his hosting the Oscars the last few years has (re-)introduced people to him internationally. As a kid, my mother and I would stay up to watch his late night chat show, and the way he balanced genuine affection for his audience and guests with smart, self-deprecating absurdity is everything I aspire to be in my work.

Shay: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Michael John: I like to break a sweat and powerfully connect with what a f*ggot I am, so I have my partner and production manager Brian Dudley—the range; get you a man who can do both!—play pop songs loud throughout our venue to which I can shake my ass. If you hear the uncensored version of “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” by Enrique Iglesias blasting from literal church Bedlam Theatre, know I am fortifying myself for battle and feel free to join.

Shay: What do you do when you’re faced with writer’s block?

Michael John: I compare myself to others.

Shay: Has/will the show be performed anywhere ahead of EdFringe?

Michael John: I’ve workshopped material for the show across my monthly New York City residency TGIF (TESTING GAY IDEAS, FUNNY) and then performed it in full a handful of times in New York City before a final preview at London’s Hope Theatre on 31 July before the full run at the festival. As an international performer without a wealthy benefactor, it’s quite a commitment to come to the Fringe, financially and spiritually. So, I work-in-progress at home to make sure I’m bringing my best stuff to a platform like the Fringe. Imagine spending all that travel/lodging money to flop with an underbaked show!? I have and I do. Every waking moment and through many a fitful night’s sleep. It keeps me honest.

Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?

Michael John: This Fringe, I am partnering with Waverley Care, Scotland’s leading HIV and Hepatitis C charity, to raise money at performances of MOTHER, SUPERIOR in support of their mission to bring an end to HIV inequality and stigma. I’m just a wee dumb gay guy comedian, but my mother’s life’s work as a nurse has primarily been caretaking for people living with HIV. MOTHER, SUPERIOR discusses her commitment to this work throughout the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the New York City area in the early 1980s. I feel so indebted to caretakers like her and my forebears who fought not only the virus but the ineffective, bigoted response of leaders in medicine, government, and media, who were content to let us die. It means the world to me that I can honor and continue that fight in a small way by supporting Waverley Care’s incredible work and storytelling our collective community history.

Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?

Michael John: A communion wine spritzer—you’re unsure about its very premise but it’s guaranteed to bring you closer to God and with sweetness and effervescence to boot.

A reminder, you can catch Michael John Ciszewski: Mother, Superior at Bedlam Theatre from 14:00 (60mins) on August 7th – 30th (not the 17th or 24th).. Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.