From September 16 to September 22, comedian and former SNL writer John Mulaney performed nine sold-out concerts at the Coca-Cola Roxy and the Tabernacle venues in Atlanta, GA. Mulaney's "From Scratch" tour was launched on the heels of a year that can only be characterized as hectic for the stand-up comedian.
The 39-year-old, fresh off a divorce from his seven-year marriage, a rehab stint for alcohol and drug addiction, and the news of a kid with brand new girlfriend Olivia Munn ("X-Men: Apocalypse"), took the stage in his regular suit and tie.
While Mulaney attempted to play the stage as the same squeaky clean, put together version of himself we are used to seeing in his Netflix specials, it was apparent a few minutes into the performance that the John Mulaney standing in front of the audience was a changed man.
Mulaney established the tone for the night as he strode onto the Roxy stage, appealing with the audience to buy his stuff in the lobby, which included a shirt with the slogan "I saw him immediately after he got outta rehab" written across the breast. This shirt design communicated what everyone was there for: to delight in the tumultuous aspects of Mulaney's life during the previous year.
Mulaney began the show by addressing his most recent scandal, the reveal of his upcoming kid with Munn during an intimate interview on "Late Night with Seth Myers." He made light of the media's responses to his rushed timeline with Munn, stating, "you know you're problematic when you tell people you're expecting a baby and the reactions are mixed" and noting that the kids appreciate Bo Burnham more now since he is "less troublesome."
The rest of the episode went on to discuss his star-studded hybrid intervention, which took place at a friend's apartment, with several of Mulaney's west coast buddies tuning in via Zoom. Mulaney described the gathering as the "'We Are the World' of alternative comedians over 30," and described his following 60-day stay at a rehabilitation clinic in Pennsylvania.
While it was expected that Mulaney's issues with addiction would be addressed in the performance, no one expected it to be the subject of every joke of the night.
The confident, feisty Mulaney that the world had become accustomed to was no longer discernible behind this new comic, who spent part of his performance explaining to a thirteen-year-old in front of the audience how he began drinking at the age of five owing to his father's "European" perspective on alcohol.
As the performance progressed, it became obvious that Mulaney was utilizing the stage to process the events of the previous year. One of the most somber moments came when Mulaney broke through the facade and expressed his gratitude for being able to perform in front of an audience again.
To say Mulaney has a lot on his plate is an understatement. His anxieties, which derive from his fall from grace as America's poster child for on-demand comic relief, are made abundantly clear by the barrage of self-deprecating quips.
Mulaney is well aware that he has become public enemy number one as a result of his alleged adultery during the end of his marriage to his ex-wife and subsequent romance with Munn (an incredibly problematic character of her own due to past fatphobic, homophobic and generally terrible statements).
At the end of the day, Mulaney gains from something that only comedians can truly profit from: his representation of his lowest points over the past year. It's debatable whether Mulaney's position reflects the morbid nature of excellent stand-up comedy or the shamelessness of audiences who like laughing about the worst elements of someone's life.
In any other profession, Mulaney would be barred from making public appearances and pushed to the bottom of press lists across the country to recover from such a slash to his image, but because he is able to craft jokes around his struggles, he has sold out shows across the country and is once again rising to the top as America's favorite comedian.
