Saturday Night Live alum Seth Meyers, best known for his current talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers, just made his Netflix stand-up comedy special debut with Lobby Baby. The show features anecdotes from his life as a father, husband, and professional comedian. Meyers emphasized that it was a new setting for him; the comedian’s promotional video included an action figure of himself as “Stand-up Seth.” Seeing Meyers in a new setting was enjoyable and entertaining, but perhaps it’s presenting comedy behind a desk where Meyers truly shines.
The special starts off slow, mostly due to Meyers’s casual energy. He talks about a common misconception of himself as Jewish, but the material strikes a very similar tone to that of his friend and fellow comedian John Mulaney, who often waxes on his own wife’s Jewish-ness.
However, his jokes are funny enough to warrant a chuckle or two. His set includes lots of material regarding his wife Alexi Ashe Meyers, who is an accomplished lawyer and the mother of their two toddlers. At the end of the special, Meyers adopts his wife’s persona for an impressive and innovative long-form joke, discussing her life and himself through her eyes.
Lobby Baby is a great way to get to know Seth as a person—he talks extensively about his life as a father. Of course, the story behind the title makes it into the special, but he had already told this anecdote multiple times before Lobby Baby aired. The material lacks novelty for those already familiar with him, but it’s entertaining enough to hear again.
The special is generally gratifying, but nothing is rib-breaking hilarious, which leads to sort of a disappointment. That’s not to say that the material itself is bad—it’s well-written, but the delivery is sometimes not as pleasing. Meyers already has an established persona as a news-reporting comedian and talk show host. While his performance has the experience of a professional comedian, the promotional Stand-up Seth action figure doesn’t fully reference an on-stage persona.
Political material is perhaps the most strongly familiar area for Meyers. He caters to the Netflix-watching audience by jokingly including a “Skip Politics” button for those sensitive, non-interested souls. The bit is the most comforting area to hear and enjoy; Meyers’s impression of Canadians waiting at the border for all their new, formerly American friends to join them after the 2016 election is sadly funny, at the expense of the poor, friendly Canadians.
All in all, if you’ve got some downtime, I’d recommend Lobby Baby. While the special doesn’t reach the penthouse, it certainly is far from entry level.
