‘Our Hebrew Friend’ comes to Bondi

There’s something poetic about a comedian whose great-grandfather was a famous Jewish comic finding himself, a century later, asking the exact same questions about identity and belonging, and turning it into a show.

David Rose will bring Nepo Great Grandbaby to the Bondi Pavilion Theatre as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival, tracing the life of his great-grandfather, Julian Rose, a vaudeville comedian known as “Our Hebrew Friend” who performed at the Royal Variety Show and on the BBC in the early 20th century.

“The show is about my great-grandfather, the vaudeville comedian Julian Rose. Julian was a ‘Hebrew comic’ in the early days of stand-up comedy and the show is about his life, our shared vocation, and the confusion that comes with Jewish identity generally, as well as how that represents itself in 2026,” Rose told The AJN.

It’s personal territory, but Rose navigates it with warmth.

As explained to The AJN, he didn’t grow up religiously or culturally Jewish, but his wife opened that door for him.

“She took me to a synagogue and I enjoyed it, and she says that ‘doesn’t count’ because apparently Jewish identity requires you to suffer through a synagogue service. I hope the same rules don’t apply to comedy. Please don’t suffer through my jokes!”

Rose’s own comedy journey started young. He first recalls trying to get a laugh at year 3 camp, when he performed a joke from a Dave Allen routine. As for the first time he did stand-up, Rose recalls shaking at the microphone at a Raw Comedy competition at 18, when he had to withstand three minutes of, by his own admission, “extremely under-prepared comedy.” It earned him moderate chuckles and a spot in the preliminary finals. Thirteen years and a pandemic later, he’s carved out a career.

For Rose, what keeps him coming back to the stage is the unique permission comedy seems to grant.

“I think the shortest distance between two ideas is a joke. I’ve noticed that I can have discussions onstage that I can’t have very easily offstage, and that’s a real privilege,” he pointed out, saying he also tends to process his emotions through stand-up. “If you watch me year on year, you’ll notice that I’m sort of keeping a diary in real time. It’s nice to check back in with people once a year and see what they’re up to.”

When asked what he hopes audiences get from the show, Rose said he’s hoping audiences leave with something to chew on, beyond just the laughs.

“I’d love people to walk away feeling like they’ve got a new perspective on a topic, or that they’ve learned something that they didn’t know before.”

Nepo Great Grandbaby is at Bondi Pavilion Theatre on May 7-8. For tickets, visit sydneycomedyfest.com.au/event/david-rose-our-hebrew-friend/