When I told Hannah Einbinder at the start of our interview that I had seen her new comedy special, “ Everything Must Go ,” a look somewhere between terror and elation crossed her face, which momentarily turned bright red. “It feels like the most intimate extension of myself, being and soul that I am sharing,” she said when I asked what she was feeling. “So to hear you say that you’ve seen it is the first time I’ve heard someone say that they have seen it.
It filled me with joy and excitement and anticipation and a little shock.” At 29, she described the hour, premiering June 13 on Max, as her “very short” life’s work. “So,” she said, launching into a sarcastic tone, “no presh.
It’s casual.” Einbinder became known to audiences as the overworked comedy writer and underling Ava Daniels on “Hacks,” the Max series starring Jean Smart , which just wrapped up its third and most acclaimed season to date. However, stand-up has long been her main artistic passion and pursuit.
She remembers the exact date of her first open mic in Los Angeles — Jan. 3, 2018, at the Silverlake Lounge — and she considers this special the culmination of her entire time doing stand-up. It’s an hour that’s both deeply personal and couched in a performance style she has carefully crafted.
She wears a sleek, all-black look and an expertly cut bob, but she uses her body to both bare her innermost feelings and to become various characters ranging from a witch-like hypno.
