late night comedy Tag

January 10, 2026 In Blog

Shapiro New OpenMic Night

Greg Shapiro Launches New Monthly Open Mic Night on VU Amsterdam campus at Bar Boele

10 Jan, 2026

There’s something lovely happening in Amsterdam’s English-language comedy scene, and I want to contribute. There are so many new voices coming up, but they need more opportunities to develop. Already there are open mic nights connected to the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam University College, but why not the VU Vrije University?

Bar Boele is the campus hangout for the cultural center at Theater Griffioen / Rialto. So why not have a Monday Open Mic Night there? That’s what I pitched, and that’s what we’re doing, starting January, 2026.

As of now, I’m programming and hosting a mix of New Talent and New Material (from existing talent). And it’s free, so you can’t not like it.

Click here for more:

https://griffioen.vu.nl/voorstellingen/open-mic-comedy-club-bar-boele-greg-shapiro-and-friends/19-01-2026-20-00

From the website:

Open Mic Comedy Club @ Bar Boele

Get your laughs on at Bar Boele at the Open Mic Comedy Club! Watch the comedians of the future take their first steps on stage, or maybe are you the one who takes the leap. The Open Mic has free entry, so you don’t need to buy a ticket. Performances are English spoken and take place every third Monday of the month. Gather your friends, grab a drink at Bar Boele, and enjoy a night of laughs!

Host: Greg Shapiro

Comedian, American, Dutchman. You may know Greg Shapiro from the Griffioen Comedy Club or as the voice behind the ‘Netherlands Second’ video, but he will also be hosting and performing at the Open Mic at Bar Boele! Greg Shapiro is Dutch enough to be proud of Dutch innovations and American enough to be loud about it. What does that look like? Come and find out!

Line-up: Mon 19th Jan (20:00)

Riddhi Tyagi (@riddhpiddh)
Zoe Ntonta (@embarrassing_diary)
Stio Ó Lorcàin (@stio_comedy)
Daniel Hillel-Tuch (@dhilleltuch)
Juan Francisco Moroder (@juanmoroder)
Stanley Searcher (@poop_snaps)
Andrei Turc (@andreicomedy)
Zazalie Currie (@zaz_currie)
Sharon Em (@sharon_emnem)

Bar Boele

Bar Boele is the lively heart of the VU campus. It’s the perfect place to unwind after a day of studying or work. Meet your friends, play some games, or enjoy a drink before heading to the VU Griffioen Theatre.

Save the date

Future Open Mics will take place on: Feb 16th, March 16th, April 20th, May 18th, June 15th.

See Greg Shapiro’s Upcoming Shows:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-upcoming-comedy-shows/

January 10, 2026 In Blog

Greg Shapiro Keynote Demo

GREG SHAPIRO Keynote Speaker DEMO (SEE ALSO: EVENT HOST DEMO)

10 January, 2026

In Corporate Speaking, there are two basic categories: Event Host and Keynote Speaker. Sometimes I’m hired to do both.

BUT for now I’ve now prepared two different video demo’s. Here is:

GREG SHAPIRO AS Keynote Speaker

Some case studies:

NL Foreign Ministry: “Summit for Democracy” Global Livestream

In 2023, the US State Department initiated a series of “Summit for Democracy” livestream events. The Netherlands was chosen to host the one about freedom of speech and journalism. I was hired by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to perform a short standup routine on the topic of the freedom of speech.

The Dutch Ministry encouraged me to say anything I wanted, as that was the point, But then we heard that US State Department would be using a slight delay, because they might want to edit some of the content. I teased the US that Americans still don’t understand the meaning of the word irony.

Expat Center Zeeland: “How to Be Dutch” Livestream.

Since I wrote my books How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales – I get requests to speak as an expert about cultural differences. I’ve spoken for Expat Centers in Amsterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Eindhoven, and Almere. This one for Zeeland was a livestream. Hence the video.

Google Netherlands: “Year in Search” Comedy Special.

Google Netherlands celebrates every year with an event to acknowledge their hottest search terms. Boom Chicago got the call to create a sort of Dutch oudejaarsconference, which I performed with Pep Rosenfeld. It became a standup special called The Year in Search. Included in the playlist is my take on the Netherlands in Eurovision.

Utrecht Int’l Comedy Festival: “Listpusher” Comedy Special.

In 2022 I was asked to be a “Lijstduwer” for a Dutch political party in the local elections. (but which one? You can watch the comedy special online.)

Radio 10 US Election Day: Trump Q&A with Gerard Ekdom

Since the ‘Netherlands Second’ video in 2017, I am regularly asked to perform my Trump imitation for live events, like this US Election Day special on Dutch Radio10.

TEDx Amsterdam VU: “An EU Late Night Comedy Show.”
I’ve hosted TEDx events, but this was a recording of my TED talk. I argue that the EU should have a continental version of an American style late night comedy show.

Book Launch “Total Action”: Tailored Standup.

25 years ago, I performed for a book launch for Dutch business guru and professor Peter Vervest. 25 years later, he released a follow-up book, and I was hired as a keynote speaker for the gala dinner. From the host Vincent Everts: “You didn’t just add humor to the evening – you elevated it. Your insight, your sharpness, your perfectly tailored jokes – and the way you connected it to the original Total Action book from 25 years ago – it was just masterful.”

Here you can see the longer videos + KEYNOTE SPEAKER – PLAYLIST

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLccmkVw5sINrdqU7IYqzF_gZogOwp9ySq&si=a-K16sjojICwYfQj

January 6, 2026 In Blog

Pep & Greg Political PubQuiz

Pep & Greg Political PubQuiz at Boom Chicago Monday, Monthly

6 January, 2026

Critics love our new political pub quiz show at Boom Chicago!
“Tremendous work. Really tremendous” – ArtsTalk Magazine

From boomchicago.nl:

“For 25 years, Boom founder Pep Rosenfeld (Emmy-nominated SNL writer) and Greg Shapiro (the famous ‘Netherlands Second’ Trump video) have been mixing comedy and current events. A master class in political comedy!

Now they’re back at Boom Chicago to skewer the latest from American and Dutch news in their newest edition: a comedy pub quiz.

★ ★ ★ ★ ‘Shapiro knows his stuff… [and] has a great Donald Trump impersonation’ — Joris Henquet, De Volkskrant

‘Sharp satire and world-class improvisation’ — De Volkskrant

‘★ ★ ★ ★ ★! Greg and Pep have an incredible charisma and are very funny….’ — D Robinson, TripAdvisor

WHAT TO EXPECT

Comedy show meets pub quiz meets a fun evening with friends – on a Monday night!
US news, Dutch news, culture news, silly news
Bring a team of 2-4

More at BOOM CHICAGO.nl
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-and-greg-politically-incorrect/

From the review in ARTS TALK MAGAZINE

Trivia, Trump, and Tremendous Timing (excerpt by Jay Mansilla, 4^th November 2025)

Political comedy is as hard as it can be good. …The premise of the show promised a mix of stand-up and a pub quiz, a sharp idea teetering on the edge of gimmickry.

The room buzzed with the familiar chaos of trivia night. Onto the stage strode Pep Rosenfeld and Greg Shapiro, stalwarts of Amsterdam’s comedy scene. …Together they created the volatile charm of two mischievous uncles, the kind who could start a dinner-table mutiny.

Their rhythm was elegantly elastic … the performance glowed.

…Greg’s Trump impression worked as collective release; the audience could finally laugh at the new president without bracing for the fallout of his next decree.
…Pep and Greg have the kind of chemistry and intellect that make risk feel right.

…Pep and Greg took the clamour of the present and, under the stage lights, they made an audience breathe again. The next day we’d return to the blizzard, but somehow steadier. Tremendous work. Really tremendous.

Read the full review:

https://artstalkmagazine.substack.com/p/pep-and-greg-politically-incorrect

Greg Shapiro Meral Polat Top 2000 a-gogo

December 30, 2025 In Blog

Shapiro Wins TV Quiz

30 December, 2025

In which I compete in a Dutch music quiz vs. Dutch speakers – and win! (even though the referee kept trying to get me drunk)

WATCH the EPISODE: https://npo.nl/npo3/top-2000-a-gogo/29-12-2025/VPWON_1365167/video

It’s the week after Christmas – and all through the Netherlands – every Dutch person is watching the Top2000. The list is compiled by the listeners with care (hoping Bohemian Rhapsody will again win fair & square). Seriously, every year there’s a Top 2000 song countdown. Every year it’s the same Number 1 song. And every year, it gets the best ratings. On radio – AND ON TV!

The TV quiz show “Top 2000 a-gogo” airs for the last week of the year. Every episode features 2 contestants. And on 29 December, 2025 – I was contestant Nr. 2. (side note: there’s a separate TV quiz show simply called “The Top 2000.” I’m not on that one.)

The quiz featured me vs. Dutch actress & singer Meral Polat.

The good news: the host is a fellow comedian, Diederik Ebbinge. The bad news: he’s already friends with Meral Polat, because they both played on the Dutch sitcom De Luizemoeder. We are big fans of that series (anyone who has had kids in Dutch schools must agree). So I was geeking out. (I even told Diederik that I mostly know him for his role as a parody TV host in Promenade. So it was fairly disconcerting to see him taking his job seriously.)

Soon I was answering questions about Dutch music – in Dutch. But luckily, MOST songs in the Dutch Top2000 are from the US / UK. And so many are OLD… which is my speciality. James Brown, Michael Jackson, Nirvana. Into The White Stripes, Eminem, and I surprised myself by recognizing a Dua Lipa song.

The final round involved live music being played by Dutch artist Bonno Getz. He took modern lyrics and sang them in the style of old school singers. I was so blown away by his – literally “in your face” performance – it was hard to guess anything. But I managed to get enough correct. And in the end – by a score of 21-17 – I won the Top2000 A-gogo music quiz.

Thanks to Producer Arjan Vlakveld for picking me!

See More Greg Upcoming Shows:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-upcoming-comedy-shows/

More Greg Quiz action? Watch the Pep & Greg Politically Incorrect Pub Quiz at Boom Chicago:
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-and-greg-politically-incorrect/

November 6, 2025 In Blog

Shapiro PePijn Host Review

Greg Shapiro – Pepijn’s Comedy Club Host – Reviewed by ArtsTalk Magazine

6 November, 2025

This season I’m returning as the programmer and host of PePijn’s Comedy Club in The Hague. And we just got another great review!

Some highlights from ArtsTalk Magazine:

“Comedy is a funny thing …This was demonstrated last night at the PePijn comedy club in The Hague.”

“The evening was MC’d by …the ever suave Greg Shapiro. …His relaxed, easy-going style got everyone in the mood.”

“There was a lot of interaction ..it was always good natured and created a really good, friendly atmosphere and everybody had a good night out.”

https://artstalkmagazine.substack.com/p/stand-up-comedy-in-english-at-theater

I’ve been doing this gig since 2022, and I think I’m getting good at it. But I can’t claim credit… There’s such a wealth of talented English language standup in the Netherlands! And more and more, there are professional traveling comedians passing through. It’s hard NOT to create an excellent lineup every month.

I try to aim for diversity in my lineups. When the host is always a white guy (me), it’s easy to fall into the trap of having yet another standup night dominated by white dudes. And if they’re funny, they’re funny. But why not look a little harder? There are a lot of diverse voices who are not only hilarious, but they bring this variety of perspectives and life experience to the show. To my mind, that is what makes it worthy of Theater PePijn.

In the past, I have had a bisexual Afghan/Dutch comedian (finalist of the Dutch Camaretten awards), an Egyptian woman who works for an EU think tank, a Ukrainian refugee, and a former dominatrix.

This past month I had Ram Adithya Arangi (India), Kaili Smith (Australia) and Sharon Em (Irish), whose solo show was nominated for best debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Our next show will be on 26 November. This time I do have another white American male on the lineup. But it’s Matt Castellvi, whose comedy chops are legendary. I also have Faris Abusada, who is Palestinian, Christian and hilarious. And then there’s the Persian-American Cid Clementine, who is also intrumental in creating an English-language scene in The Hague.

Want to come?

PEPIJN’S COMEDY CLUB IN ENGLISH

https://www.diligentia-pepijn.nl/theme/pepijns-comedy-club-t7gc

See our previous review from 2024:

Shapiro Comedy Review Pepijn

September 20, 2025 In Blog

Greg Shapiro, Kimmel & Self-Censorship

Dutch American Comedian Greg Shapiro on Dutch NOS Nieuws, reacting to US comedian Jimmy Kimmel being canceled
Interview by Joris Kreugel for NPO Radio 1, translated from the Dutch
18 September, 2025

[excerpt Jimmy Kimmel :
“We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them – and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”]

Greg:
“That wasn’t even the joke. I mean, being canceled for just the set-up? As a comedian, that’s the most painful part. But that’s the point. Those were just facts. And he was canceled, effective immediately. And (not ‘canceled next year’ like Colbert, but) immediately canceled? I must admit I was shaken.
It reverberates, even over here. It’s unsettling. Now is their big chance to go after all these left-wing voices and cancel them. And calling it freedom of speech. It’s Double-Think. We’re living in Putin’s playbook at this point.”

[excerpt Greg Shapiro ListPusher: “Greg Shapiro here, the “American Netherlander.” I am a little bit of both. A bit LOUD American, and a bit ‘doe normaal’ Nederlander geworden. trouwens ben ik tweetalig, but I don’t like to speak Dutch because it makes my mouth feel sad.”]

SELF-CENSORSHIP AT BOOM CHICAGO?

Q: How does this affect you as a comedian?
A: Right now, I’m definitely dealing with self-censorship. That’s a danger for us all. I mean, I’m doing a show next with Boom Chicago – about the upcoming Dutch election. And what exactly shall we joke about? What is tasteful enough, sharp enough – but also safe enough? There’s definitely a shift happening. Even for comedians here in the Netherlands. And that is scary. Next, I feel like – if you want to make a real joke – you’d better be ready to end up like Alexei Navalny.

Last year I was busy touring my solo show “Leaving Trumpland 2.0,” about the 2024 elections. …His first term was okay, “haha funny.”

[excerpt Greg Shapiro YouTube video: “Hi, I’m Greg Shapiro, the voice of that viral video. ‘can we just say The Netherlands Second?’ And it’s true. For 4 years I was nice and busy saying things like ‘you can ride them, you can date them, you can grab them by the pony.’]

Here in the Netherlands, it was easy to say, “Oh well, that’s happening over there.” But now – since the start of his second term – we’re all realizing “Oh dear, they really had a plan this time.” And we’re feeling it here in the Netherlands as well.

[excerpt from Leaving Trumpland: “I will say one positive thing about Donald Trump. He lied a lot. But he was consistently honest about one thing. He does not like people who are not the same color as he is. And that is technically all of us, because no one is the same color he is. He is not a naturally existing color.”]

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW :

Greg Shapiro quoted on NOS Nieuws about Jimmy Kimmel cancellation
https://nos.nl/artikel/2583049-jimmy-kimmel-van-het-scherm-in-de-vs-beangstigend-en-gevaarlijk

Greg Shapiro The Madness of King Donald Solo Show:
https://youtu.be/tlX2FUzXdT8?si=ei3FaEcAdZvRligb

February 25, 2025 In Blog

Shapiro ‘Europa Draait Door’

Greg Shapiro Trump Commentary for Amerika Draait Door Event at De Kleine Komedie (for Europa Draait Door)

event: 12 October, 2024

You may know Dutch journalists Tim de Wit & Arend Jan Boekestijn from their podcast ‘Europa Draait Door.’ (aka Europe is “going crazy.”) In the run-up to the craziest of US elections, they organized a one-off event called ‘Amerika Draait Door,’ aka “America Is Going Crazy.” And they invited me for some comedy commentary. Together with America correspondent Michiel Vos, they predicted it: Trump would win the 2024 election. I predicted Trump would get 20-24 years in prison. (I was wrong.)

The evening began at Amsterdam’s De Kleine Komedie with flags and campaign banners and the journalists’ advice: it’s never safe to bet against Donald Trump. Michiel Vos joined in to agree. Mind you, Michiel Vos is famously married to the daughter of Nancy Pelosi. Apparently he follows the family party line on politics. But boy does he get excited when he talks about Donald Trump’s star quality: “Trump is a bad ass. It’s like the bullets bounce off of him. Americans see him as invincible.” + “Too many Americans are struggling to get by. Living paycheck to paycheck, constantly shocked and upset at hidden costs for every little thing. Americans want a disruptor. They want someone who’s gonna tear it all down if necessary. That’s why they will vote for Donald Trump.”

Greg Goes Against the Grain

The panel predicted a Trump win. Arend-Jan made his prediction by putting on a Make America Great Again hat. (I couldn’t help feeling like that hat will at some point be seen as a symbol of hate. Like, if these guys had to predict “who would win World War II,” he’d be putting on a swastika hat.)

At the end, it was my turn – to make fun of all the candidates. I pointed out that Trump is now older than Joe Biden was when he started as president. Next, I talked about Project 2025 being written by a bunch of religious fanatics. When Dutch people ask me, “Where did they come from?” I say: “You sent them! The Pilgrims, in 1620!”

Dutch people keep asking me, “You don’t really think Trump will be a fascist – ?” And it’s true, the United States has never had fascists take over the country. …But in the Netherlands you have! Not that long ago. Thank goodness it was over quickly – and that’s the best hope I have for the US now.

I ended my bit by giving a fake Trump press conference. Taking questions and giving ridiculous answers. Most answers were simply me repeating Trump’s actual quotes.

I made my prediction by amending the Trump campaign sign from ‘Trump 2024’ to ‘Trump 20- 24’ years in prison. …It was a simpler time.

Of course, no one had thought to discuss the very end of the show. So I dragged everyone up front for a photo op and a big bow.

Full house! Great show. Accurate predictions and accurate title: America is going crazy.

Europa Draait Door
https://www.nporadio1.nl/podcasts/europa-draait-door

Read Reviews for Greg Shapiro’s Leaving Trumpland 2.0: No Country for Old Men
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/theater-reviews-leaving-trumpland/

February 20, 2025 In Blog

Greg Shapiro FD Persoonlijk

Greg Shapiro in FD Persoonlijk: “I’d Rather be Trump-free Than Wealthy.”
26 September, 2024

Interview: Els Quaegebeur, Photos: Yani (translation: Google)

The American Dutch comedian Greg Shapiro swore never to imitate Donald Trump again. Yet Trump is back, and Shapiro is now back on stage with a Trump show. For him, it helps to have an outlet.

The energy that the Dutch American Greg Shapiro spreads around on stage can also be seen when he’s in his Amsterdam kitchen. Fast talking, alternating between Dutch and English. Often laughing, even in the middle of a sentence. He displays a variety of facial expressions, from cartoonish to ironically amused – even about topics that are clearly going in a serious direction.

Shapiro’s striking Trump imitation – known from the ‘Netherlands Second’ viral video – pops up in conversation as he’s making coffee. Shapiro – who first came to Amsterdam in 1994 to join the Amsterdam-based comedy group Boom Chicago – hoped to be rid of Trump when he stood on stage for a small audience in 2020, due to the corona pandemic. With his solo show Leaving Trumpland. But Trump is back, and now comes the sequel, Leaving Trumpland 2.0: No Country for Old Men.

With the Democrats’ changing of the guard [from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris in July], Shapiro had to adapt and rewrite in a hurry. “Within a few weeks I had to write 60 minutes of new material. Constantly walking around with a voice recorder and a notebook. Trying a lot of material in open mics and self-booked tryouts. And also testing jokes at home.”

He looks at his wife, Inez de Goede (who is also the producer of the show and his tour manager) grinning “just ask her, haha.”

Q: Does Trump also have something that you find admirable?

“Trump is fundamentally an entertainer. You can’t underestimate how much that appeals to American voters. So yes, I give Trump credit for his qualities as basically a Roast Comedian. At an age when most people retire, he reinvented himself as this hateful, political-tirade live act. As a comedian, I recognize a few of his techniques: Storytelling, voice imitation, playing an audience. He is extremely good at it.”

Q: On stage, you’re always busy with Trump as the target, but you’re also an American citizen with the right to vote. How does that affect you?

“As a voter, comedy is a kind of therapy. Even though I’ve lived in the Netherlands for 30 years, I follow the elections closely. It helps to have an outlet, a platform where I’m together with an audience that is also a bit concerned. After a performance, I’ll go out and talk to the folks who saw the show. One guy just told tell me how he heard me doing my Trump imitation, making him look ridiculous – but then realized that’s an actual Trump quote. It helped him realize how insane it would be to put him back in power. That is therapeutic for me.”

Read the full interview here:
ttps://fd.nl/samenleving/1534765/greg-shapiro-ik-ben-trump-liever-kwijt-dan-rijk-ook-als-comedian

Theater Reviews for Shapiro’s Leaving Trumpland: No Country for Old Men:
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/theater-reviews-leaving-trumpland/

November 9, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Boom Chicago Review

Greg Shapiro Boom Chicago Review for “Pep and Greg Politically Incorrect – 2024 Election Edition”

4 November, 2024

(from Theaterkrant, translated from Dutch by Google / Shaprio)

ELECTION NERVES ARE RUNNING HIGH IN THE AUDIENCE AT BOOM CHICAGO

Patrick van den Hanenberg

(Seen on November 3, 2024, Boom Chicago, Amsterdam)

If Dutch voters would have their way, Kamala Harris would win the White House with a huge victory. Unfortunately, the Americans are in charge, and the Boom Chicago duo Pep Rosenfeld and Greg Shapiro are not reassured. It does make for a sweat-inducingly funny show.

Tuesday night, there will be tears of joy or sorrow at Boom Chicago. At 8 o’clock, Rosenfeld and Shapiro will first play their show in the former Rozentheater. And then, with the support of the international organization Democrats Abroad, the scores will be updated and commented on with clenched buttocks until well after midnight. At 4 o’clock in the morning, a victory or consolation breakfast will be served.

The ‘Election Edition’ of Pep and Greg Politically Incorrect will continue after the presidential election, but it remains to be seen in what atmosphere the ‘Post-Election Roundup Edition’ will be played. Rosenfeld and Shapiro are among the first Boom Chicago comedians and have experienced many presidential elections since the improv comedy company was founded in 1993. But the tension in the group has never been so great, now that Trump’s plans involve a real attack on democracy. Four years of Trump in the White House has yielded an overwhelming amount of satire. And in the minutes before the start of the show we are treated to a wonderful compilation of anti-Trump humor on the big screen. However, the question is whether there will be much to laugh about for America’s Democrats if Trump gets a second term.

Impressively Researched Piece

Rosenfeld and Shapiro’s election show is full of this doubt. In an impressively researched piece, we see that the Republicans have spent decades making it as difficult as possible for Democrats to vote. Also very strong and convincing is the game show Spot the Truth – with audience participation. In a witty and funny way, they show that even a well-informed citizen can no longer distinguish the truth from the fake. And in this shadowy area Trump is a great magician.

As usual with Boom Chicago, the scripted parts of the show are very good, also this time around. However, it is always a question of how the improvisations will go. These parts are not always as strong – but due to the enormous energy of Shapiro and Rosenfeld, they never fall too flat.

The ‘Second Harris-Trump Debate’ – which in reality never happened because Trump was afraid of being thrashed again – was the highlight of the evening. Rosenfeld and Shapiro proved to be absolute masters in answering questions from the audience. Shapiro not only controls Trump’s voice and intonation, but he also spouts the authentically dangerous nonsense that could only come from the mouth of the convicted liar.

And yet – as they mentioned at the beginning of the show – Dutch people maybe should not be so arrogant towards the Americans, because with ‘the blond leader of the PVV (Partij Vreemdelingen Verböden)’ we have our own Trump-wannabe currently in power.

Read the review in Dutch here:

https://www.theaterkrant.nl/recensie/pep-and-greg-politically-incorrect/pep-rosenfeld-en-greg-shapiro/

Read the review of Pep & Greg’s 2020 Election show Lock Him Up:

https://gregshapiro.nl/portfolio_page/boom-chicago-2020-election-show-lock-him-up/

October 28, 2024 In Blog

Greg Shapiro Playboy Interview

Dutch American Comedian Greg Shapiro PLAYBOY INTERVIEW – 20 Questions with the American Netherlander

28 October, 2024

This past summer, I got interviewed by the Dutch Playboy Magazine for my solo show LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0: No Country for Old Men. Here is an excerpt.
Interview by Femke Zijlema

When did you discover that you can imitate Trumps voice so well?

Yeah, why am I blessed with the voice of a man who is so bad for society? Back in 2016 at Boom Chicago, we did a show called Trump Up the Volume. We’d thought that I would imitate Hillary & my partner Pep Rosenfeld would do Trump. But Hillary reminded Pep of his mother, so he wanted to try her. As soon as I became Trump I guess something magical happened, I heard it myself. In 2018 I was in Theater Carré for the 25th anniversary of Boom Chicago – with Arjen Lubach doing a Q & A on stage, and I answered as Trump. Arjen said “it’s like Trump is here.” Weird.

Are you familiar with ADHD?

Everyone who has ever worked with me, they know that my brain is all over the place all the time. It’s been this way my whole life, but I’ve never been officially diagnosed with ADD or anything. Oddly enough this condition seems to help my brain improvise as Trump. Last year my colleague former colleague outed me as neurodivergent on stage. And it was Seth Meyers. Someone asked him what he remembers about his first day in Amsterdam in 1997. He said “I remember this guy Greg Shapiro picked me up from the airport, and he was supposed to give me a crash course in living and working in Amsterdam. But while he was good at telling me the first half of everything I needed to know, by the second half he would get distracted and talk about something totally different.”

What’s your connection to Playboy?

Playboy has its roots in my hometown of Chicago. I never was into nudie pics in Playboy magazine, but everyone knew that Hugh Hefner had his mansion on the Gold Coast. And his Playboy tower still stands right there by Oak St. Beach. Back in the day, my dad was a photographer, and he was invited to one of the parties at Hefner‘s mansion. Back in the 80s, when you would think I’d be looking at the magazine for the pictures, I was already aware that there was also comedy, essays. Comedians were getting hired to write for that magazine.

Home is?

Amsterdam. America not really.

Is your family in America already making plans to migrate?

When I first moved over here, my family kept asking, “when are you coming back to the United States?” Now that Donald Trump might become President again, they’re asking, “what is life like in the Netherlands? Is it affordable? Is there enough housing?” I tell them: “No! ‘Full is full’!”

Read the full interview here: (in Dutch)
https://playboy.nl/interviews

Tickets to Greg Shapiro’s LEAVING TRUMPLAND:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-theater-tour/