Hoffman happy to be 'Whining in the Windy City'
Watch out Windy City! Jackie Hoffman is in town with some serious comedy kvetching. And no one is safe in her adults-only cabaret show "Jackie Hoffman Whining in the Windy City: Holiday Edition."
"I bite the hand that feeds me and hopefully make it funny enough so that everyone loves it," says Hoffman, who performs her own show on her days off from playing Grandma in "The Addams Family."
"For legal reasons (the producers) couldn't get access to the term 'Grandmama,' so now I'm called 'Grandma,'" Hoffman said, guessing it might have to do with the late actress Carolyn Jones coining it as Morticia in the 1960s TV series. "Maybe (the producers) stopped spending money by the time they got to my role."
(It's interesting to note that the 1990s animated series and film versions of "The Addams Family" also didn't use the name "Grandmama.")
The fact of Hoffman doing a cabaret show on top of her Broadway job has precedent, going back to 2002 when she was in the original cast of "Hairspray" and recently in 2007 with "Xanadu."
Along with agitating her employers, Hoffman sings original songs about how she hates doing benefits, why children annoy her and of the alienation that Jews feel around Christmas.
"I do a bit about every time I happen to be passing by carolers, they're always singing 'Christ the Lord' and it feels like it's aimed just at me," said Hoffman, who is Jewish.
"There's also an obscure Hanukkah song sung like a lounge medley," Hoffman added, pointing out that fellow Jews also don't escape unscathed.
Hoffman performed at Chicago's Second City from 1987 to 1994 alongside comedy notables like Tina Fey's husband Jeff Richmond and Steve Carell of the "The Office" fame. ("Yeah, him, whatever.")
In addition to her stage work, Hoffman is known for making memorable TV cameo appearances. She recently starred as a murderous boss on "30 Rock" and an anti-gay marriage protester on the soap opera "One Life to Life." Hoffman also had a prominent co-starring role in the critically acclaimed 2001 lesbian film comedy "Kissing Jessica Stein."
"Lesbians in New York really go crazy when they see me - and it's always the more feminine lesbians," Hoffman said. "It's too bad I'm not gay because I'd be a lesbian magnet."
Hoffman is glad to be back in the Windy City, especially during prime shopping season.
"I love doing a show around the holidays because I peddle my album ('Jackie Hoffman: Live at Joe's Pub') shamelessly throughout the body of the show."
And though she may knock her employers, Hoffman said she is truly excited to be back in Chicago as part of "The Addams Family" and to be performing her own material. She hopes both shows will be hits.
"I think we can feed off each other - like sharks."
"Jackie Hoffman Whining in the Windy City: Holiday Edition"
Where: Royal George Theatre Center, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Mondays from Nov. 30 to Dec. 21; for mature audiences only. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com
Tickets: $25