Our scars tell a story

A comedy show based on scars should certainly leave you in stitches — figuratively, that is. At least that’s Ophira Eisenberg’s plan with her “Leaving a Mark” comedy show coming to Iowa City on Thursday evening at The James Theater.

“I’ve been developing this show for a while, and I can tell you it’s the biggest story from my life,” said Eisenberg, comedian and host of NPR’s “Ask Me Another.” “It has a ton of heart, and I’ll make you laugh.”

“Lucky for me, I have a lot of scars,” she adds. “I’m talking about the ones on my body from numerous life-saving surgeries, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at me. I’ve had some of these scars most of my life, and they’ve really shaped my identity and my relationship with risk-taking, resilience and danger. I told one of these stories at a Moth show years ago, and afterward, people came up to me wanting to share their own scar stories. I realized I had struck a chord, so I kept developing it into the larger piece it is today.”

Eisenberg said the show has a fun twist as well. Not only will audience members hear Eisenberg’s story, but they may also get to participate.

“In a segment I like to call ‘Scar Talk,’ I invite a small number of people in the audience to share their scar story — and there are prizes.”

Eisenberg said it’s one of her favorite parts of the show.

“On one hand, people tell hilarious stories about bike stunts, animal encounters and silly accidents. On the other, I’ve had people share stories about major surgeries or harrowing incidents. I even had an ex-rodeo clown show me a scar that almost traced his entire body. And just to be clear – I never ask anyone to show their scar, but if they want to, I’m not going to say no.”

“It’s incredible, uplifting and really life-affirming to know that we all walk around with these marks from enduring and bouncing back from so much,” she added.

Of course, Eisenberg says no scars are required to attend the show.

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“Even if you have zero scars, you’ll enjoy this show — it’s also about the absurdity of being alive in this wild, messy world. Although I will say, you might be surprised,” she said. “Someone once told me after a show that they had completely forgotten about a scar on their forearm from climbing a fence as a kid.”

“This piece is a celebration of every scar, screw-up, and survival story we carry, so it might just spark a memory of your own ... and we can all laugh about it together.”

No stranger to making people laugh, Eisenberg has not only performed her comedy live on stages all over the world, but also has hosting and writing credits to boot. Through hosting “Ask Me Another” for the past decade, she has interviewed and played silly games with hundreds of celebrities including Sir Patrick Stewart, Awkwafina, Rosie Perez, Yo-Yo Ma, Bob The Drag Queen, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Handler, Jim Gaffigan, Michael C. Hall and so many others. She’s also hosted “The Moth,” appeared on dozens of comedy specials, created comedy albums and written several comedy books. She now also hosts her own comedy podcast “Parenting is a Joke.”

“But there is nothing like live performance – the energy, the rhythm, the dialogue you get into with your audience,” she said. “And every live show is different because every audience is different, and that’s what makes it so exciting.”

“Leaving a Mark” has garnered many accolades since debuting off-Broadway (to a sold-out run) and receiving the New York Time’s Critics Pick.

“Listen, any time someone buys a ticket to see my show, I’m flattered and honored, and to be able to put my show in places where I can reach more audiences makes me so happy,” said Eisenberg. “As a creative, if any gatekeeper or stage says yes, this is what we’d like, you feel like you must be on the right track.”

When she’s not on tour, Eisenberg is likely home being entertained and inspired by her son.

“I have a very precocious 9-year-old child, and he has a lot to say,” she said with a laugh. “He’s a pretty great conversationalist, and the stuff he comes up with as he forms his own thoughts about the world keeps me laughing and inspires me every day. This morning when I dropped him off at school, he said, ‘Love you but leave you, mom!’ and I thought that was hilarious.”

The Canadian-born, now Brooklyn, New York based comedian said what keeps her going on the road is coffee, of course.

“I truly love coffee, and I always seek out the independent coffee shops that people love and support. If I have time, I’ll grab a cup, maybe visit more than one spot, and sit down to write for a little while.”