ONE OF THE BEST JOKES OF THE FRINGE
Among the BEST JOKES AND FUNNIEST COMEDIANS: EDINBURGH FRINGE 2026
Michael John Ciszewski: MOTHER, SUPERIOR
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HB Playwrights Theatre
New York NY, United States · Accessibility info
THE EDINBURGH FRINGE HAS SPOKEN. THE VATICAN? NOT QUITE YET.
Fresh from an award-winning, critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run—with recognition from The Times and The Scotsman—MOTHER, SUPERIOR returns home to New York for one special encore performance to answer the one question the critics couldn’t:
DOES GOD TAKE CALLS FROM GAY GUYS!?
NYC comedian and award-thirsty Fringe favorite Michael John Ciszewski is on the line, desperate to make his mother proud of him. Join him in the ultimate act of diva worship: an attempt to canonize his living mother as an immortal saint in one hour... of comedy.
Will THAT do? Does the Pope shit in the woods!?
Hailed by critics as “stand-up at its most theatrical,” MOTHER, SUPERIOR is Ciszewski’s singular brand of comedy theatre AT FULL TILT: a five-act hero’s journey built from stand-up, storytelling, pop culture, papal bureaucracy, audience participation, and one increasingly consequential customer-service call.
Over the course of “a kaleidoscopic hour” (BingeFringe), childhood memories become evidence, audience is made congregation, and sainthood is rendered yet another order we demand status updates on before the clock runs out.
It’s high-concept, deeply personal, meticulously theatricalized, and profoundly stupid. the kind of comic spectacle that has become Ciszewski’s hallmark.
Beneath all the machinery is a surprisingly moving story about mothers and sons, queerness and faith, memory and legacy—and the impossible question of how you repay the person who made you who you are.
AND SOMEHOW, THE CAMPAIGN WORKED! (SORT OF.)
MOTHER, SUPERIOR left the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe a Fringe Theatre Award winner, a BingeFringe Queer Performer’s Award shortlistee, and a show selected for historic preservation by the National Library of Scotland! The Scotsman named the show among the Best Edinburgh Fringe Comedy of 2026, while The Times listed it and Michael John among its Best Jokes & Funniest Comedians of the Fringe.
Awards! Raves! Historic preservation! Surely that’s enough to get a woman canonized, right?
There’s only one way to find out. One night only. SEE YOU AT CHURCH.
MOTHER, SUPERIOR is presented by Play Your Part, LLC and Basement Theatrics with direction by Noah Simes and production management by Brian Dudley.
PRAISE for MOTHER, SUPERIOR
★★★★ A WINNINGLY SACRILEGIOUS HOUR
Among the BEST EDINBURGH FRINGE COMEDY 2026. "Ciszewski is in charismatic command throughout."
★★★★★ THE PERFECT SHOW
A masterclass of comedy and pathos! Ciszewski holds the audience in the palm of his hand.
★★★★½ DRAMATIC & HILARIOUS
Balances every sentimental moment with a delicious punchline…To call Ciszewski animated is like calling Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ a ‘good song’—true but it’s really not describing it adequately.
★★★★½ DELIGHTFULLY AMBITIOUS!
Highly engaging, funny, and entertaining... Ciszewski knows how to hold an audience!
★★★★ A KALEIDOSCOPIC HOUR!
Proud, particular, uninhibited and unbounding... Without pretence but high-concept, there’s no lack of joy on stage even in the weightiest of themes.
★★★★ TRIUMPH OF A SHOW
The ultimate mix up between storytelling and stand-up... Ciszewski is not afraid of tackling sensitive subjects, and does so with tact, humility, and a clear overarching sense of empathy.
★★★★ INGENIOUS!
Clever, heartarming, and stylish... I did not expect to feel so moved and at one point almost brought to tears by a show that elsewhere in its script contained the word ‘analingus.'
★★★★ A REAL DELIGHT!
The show that every gay man wants to create... A heartfelt and memorable show [and] a testament to passion, creativity and love for theatre.
FAQs
- When do doors open?
The lobby and house open 30 minutes before the scheduled performance time.
- Is the venue accessible?
HB Playwrights Theatre is accessible to patrons with mobility needs. Please contact the Production Manager at production@hbstudio.org with any accessibility questions.
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