Relative Stranger Is a One- Woman Play Full of Surprises

It doesn’t necessarily sound funny: foster care, schizophrenia, lost family members. But In Relative Stranger, comedian Chanel Ali delivers a tale that blends the subjects of identity, family, and survival into a bold and clever theatrical event. This one-woman piece details Chanel’s tumultuous childhood, her mother’s untimely slip into schizophrenia, and a court-ordered paternity test that led her to meet her real dad when she was 18 years old. You couldn’t make this up, and she didn’t.

Kevin Hart gets some credit here. In 2023, Chanel starred in a commercial produced by Hart for 23andMe, then a popular DNA and genetics company. That experience led her to a shocking revelation: She had a 30-year-old brother she had never known. After connecting with her new sibling, Chanel realized they have the same father, a handsome, award-winning police officer who seems wholly unable to accept the idea that his past has caught up to him.

Relative Stranger, which opens Sept. 17 at the Soho Playhouse, aims to answer Chanel’s own questions and more. For example: When will older generations accept accountability for their mistakes? The show’s executive producer, the comedian and writer Sarah Cooper, believes the show will matter. ”The word I’d use to describe Chanel as a writer and performer is empathy; empathy for herself and her audience,” she says. “Chanel does what the best performers do: She makes you see her, but also see yourself. She’s funny, but pulls no punches; she’s vulnerable but never withering. She builds and releases tension, moves us from laughter to tears and back again, in one seamless hour.”

I went directly to this highly unique, 37-year-old, performer for some of her thoughts.

What spurred your interest in doing this show?

I’ve been a standup for 12 years, and I’ve always been inspired by one-person shows, the autobiographical narratives. But I always felt my life wasn’t interesting enough. Then in 2023 I booked that commercial and found out I didn’t know I had a brother. I didn’t meet my father till I was 18, after the court demanded a paternity test. And more.

So, things got more interesting if painful?

When you don’t have the information, it makes you feel crazy, but I learned to trust my instincts. As a comedian they always wanted me to make up stories, and then one day I realized I never heard a crazier story than mine

How long did this show take to put together?

It’s been about a year from the original idea. I took it to Edinburgh and Australia for comedy festivals and a New York Black comedy festival. Then Sarah Cooper saw it and emailed that she was up all night thinking of this story. She signed on to be executive producer.

So, how would you describe the show?

I would say it is, yes, a performance, but also a love letter to younger Chanels. I feel confident that I can help others to find strength in their traumatic stories, to get to the end of lying and the façades and the beginning of truth. A new version of what it means to be a healthy, happy person.

Among your childhood traumas, there was schizophrenia. Your mother’s, I believe?

I was 2 when she was diagnosed and I was taken away and placed with my grandmother, who unfortunately was doing drugs. Then I was in the foster system for many years.

And not joyful, I presume?

We love orphan stories like Annie and Matilda. Those kids who had all these things against them and had to grow up so fast, to find emotional discipline once they can tap into their fields of interest. Many people seem to care about adopting pets more than children. Hey, I love a good pit bull, but we can change the fabric and course of kids’ lives. I hope to show how much strength they have. And how much we are a mirror to society.

What was your last creative outing before this?

I had two comedy specials. I was on a Netflix show called Dash and Lily. But I do think this show is my masterpiece. People laugh, they cry, they heal. It’s about identity and what you’re made of.

Does Kevin Hart know what started with that commercial?

He does know about it and supposedly was blown away by the idea that this started with that, which was about genetic traits. They did have to test our DNA. I figured, What’s the worst that can happen? Kevin Hart steals my DNA?

You have a nice group of fans coming for this?

Yes, some of the SNL alums and NYC comedy greats are coming.

Would that be a dream, to work on SNL?

I auditioned twice and now am trying as a writer. I’d love to be part of that.

So, the key takeaway for those who see Relative Stranger?

How’s this? From heartbreaking to hilarious.

That works.

Relative Stranger, Sept. 17 to Sept. 28, Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam St.; sohoplayhouse.com