MANCHESTER, NH – When Howie Mandel steps onto the Palace Theatre stage next weekend, it will be a first for him. Although he’s toured through New Hampsnire before, he says, “it’s been a long time,” and never before has he performed before a Manchester audience.
He’ll be completely in – and out – of his comfort zone.
“I’m scared to death every time. It’s like a big surprise party and I never know exactly what’s going to happen, but that’s what makes every show unique. Whatever happens, that night will never happen again – from a technical failure or someone entering late – I’m not opposed to being taken off the beaten path,” Mandel says. “A big part of what I do is improv. I like that interacting and engagement. You don’t want to go to a party and tell people not to talk to you. It’s my party and I’m there for whatever happens.”
Despite his current reign as the longest-running judge on the wildly popular “America’s Got Talent” and his many side ventures, projects and investments, Mandel’s return to live stand-up is not so hard to understand. It’s what feeds his need to be the center of attention.
After a long pandemic pause, he’s finally back in circulation.
“I’ve been locked away like everyone else,” said Mandel during a recent phone interview while en route to the Aug. 30 “America’s Got Talent” qualifiers live show. “Up until three years ago I was doing 200 nights a year. My Manchester show is less than the tenth show I’ve done since getting back on the road.”
For decades Mandel has been riding a wave of popularity that began with his kinetic stand-up routine as a young Canadian “off-the-wall comedian,” as he was introduced by Tommy Smothers for a 1981 emerging comics TV special.
Back then Mandel relied on his quirky energy, props, and sight gags (remember the Latex glove pulled over his head that he inflated with his nostrils? It was a popular bit he abandoned more than 25 years ago after a trip to the emergency room for a perforated sinus.)
Today, he’s seemingly more comfortable in his own skin and focused on authenticity. He’s come out in recent years as a bona fide germaphobe who’s spent his life navigating OCD and ADHD, all of which he explores candidly in his 2019 book, “Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me.”
In addition to his regular AGT gig – where he has superseded Simon Cowell among fans as the “cranky” judge, Mandel also produces a podcast alongside his daughter, Jackelyn Shultz, “Howie Mandel Does Stuff,” an unintentional project that he says grew out of the boredom and isolation of the pandemic.
“That podcast came out of when we were locked down. My daughter and I were doing prank calls and calling friends and recording it, and then one day there happens to be cameras in the room and we’re still doing it,” Mandel says.
When asked about the evolution of Howie Mandel as a performer – from fresh-faced stand-up to his unintentional role in the medical drama “St. Elsewhere” (“I thought I was reading for a sit-com”) to countless movie stints and even a successful game show host run on “Deal or No Deal,” the comedian pushes back at the word “reinvention.”
“I’ve not really reinvented myself. People grow and change. I didn’t set out to be an actor, and doing stand-up was a dare and yet, that’s where my heart is. I’m the most natural doing stand-up and it’s where I’m more comfortable – and most uncomfortable,” Mandel says.
Being an entertainer in the digital age has given stars like Mandel new ways to connect with audiences and fans. He’s all over social media and yet, ever cognizant that along with the infinite power of the Internet comes great responsibility.
Including the ever-present threat of cancel culture.
“When first started out, if I wanted to make it I had to be seen on the stage at the Comedy Store in LA. I don’t need that now. The word is engagement. Not a day goes by I’m not on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat. They all have different audiences. I just like to be out there and engaged and have different places beyond one stage at 8 p.m. to engage an audience. In 2022, if I want to engage I can find an audience,” Mandel says.
“But yes, I worry about cancel culture each and every moment – and not just on the Internet. When I’m live on stage, on the podcast, in conversation with someone, it’s always there,” says Mandel.
“The beauty of stand-up is that I can lose myself in the moment. In Manchester I’ll walk off the stage and think ‘OMG did I say something off the cuff that someone filmed that will come back to haunt me?’ It’s the fear of saying or doing something and how it will be perceived, that’s the culture we live in. It takes some of the fun away,” Mandel says.
“While I’m there and performing, I’m not thinking about that. But in the moments after I say ‘good night,’ I’m struck – even after a podcast – by the thought of is there anythng I said that could be construed as offensive to someone? And on that note, it’s amazing what can me made from nothing these days,” he says.
Another reason seasoned comedians like Mandel – and even amateurs looking for that big break – are finding their audiences anywhere and everywhere these days is because it feels to Mandel like comedy has become the antidote for all the chaos of the last few years.
But don’t expect him to dwell on the state of the world in his live material.
“Right now I believe we have a need for laughter, a need to come together and laugh. That said, and I can only speak for myself, but there will be nothing that is from the news in my brand of comedy – I look at the people who show up. They come to escape, giggle and be silly, and I truly believe laughter is the best medicine. Those [comedians] who do talk about what’s going on, I think it’s a great unifier. Laughter is the best medicine and to share a sensibility about what’s going on in the world in a large group, I think we need that more than ever,” says Mandel.
“The reason the two masks of comedy and tragedy are together – the smile and the frown are so close – are because comedy comes from darkness. There’s such a thing as ‘too soon’ in this business. When someone gets a pie in face, or a clown falls down, we’re laughing at someone’s misfortune,” Mandel says. “Two guys walk into a bar and unless something awkward happens it’s not a joke. There was a time you could nullify something like that by saying ‘just joking’ but now it’s something that’s been weaponized by public.”
Forty years into his career, Mandel says his longevity is a direct result of his tenacity. “I am that guy. I don’t quit – others stopped, I just didn’t stop,” he says. And I’ll keep on doing it until they stop me.”
There are no signs of stopping for Mandel, who is living his best life right now and remains positive – and curious – to see what the future holds.
When asked, he says the greatest lesson his career – and his life, so far – has taught him is to listen.
“Listening is respectful and listening isn’t hearing, it’s understanding. Everybody’s different and every comedian has a different experience, but listening makes me a better comic,” and to that end, he says he pays close attention to what fans say to him across all platforms of social media.
Being honest and open about his personal foibles and hang-ups has made him more relatable as a human being, and in an April interview with People magazine, Mandel delved deeper into his ongoing mental health struggles, which were magnified by the pandemic.
He credits regular therapy and medication for allowing him to rise above the stigma of mental health issues. And of course, he follows his own prescription for the best medicine of all: plenty of laughter.
“I try to be authentic, and those who are authentic are inspiring. Everything I’ve ever gotten in trouble for or been expelled for is what I get paid for today and if you look at those filling arenas and theaters today, they’re not doing an act – they are being who they are, and people are relating to their stories and their brand. People are inspired by anybody willing to walk out on stage and do that,” Mandel says. “I feel blessed that more than two people will come out and laugh at what I have to say.”
Limited tickets remain for Howie Mandel Live at the Palace Theatre. The show is Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. Click here for more information or to reserve a seat.
