Dylan Adler is a Los Angeles based comedian, actor, writer, and musician, who’s credits include The Late Late Show with James Corden, After Midnight and Comedy Central. His new show, coming to 2025’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe is called Haus of Dylan. It is about growing up, getting bullied and screaming at your therapist, all to some jaunty musical themes. We caught up with to find out more.
Introduce yourself please.
I am a mentally ill gay Asian musical comedian ready to sing for you! I was a former classical musician and composer but then fell in love with comedy and world has never recovered.
How would you pitch Haus of Dy-lan to a fan of slapstick comedy?
Come see a Gay Asian bitch throw himself around the stage for an hour! He will move around so much that by the end of the show he will be drenched in sweat. At some points he will contort his face to make himself look like the devil. He will also do a backflip and if you’re lucky he will fall on his ass. Pleasance Beside at 19:30!
And how would you pitch it to someone who is into Star Trek?
Come see George Takei’s Grandson perform his gay comedy show at Pleasance Beside at 19:30!
How personal do you get with this show?
The show gets uncomfortably personal. I talk about being a bedwetter until age seventeen, my Japanese grandpa signing up to be a Kamikaze pilot, and wanting to get peed on. Sorry mom.
Where do you get your sense of humour from?
I get my sense of humor from my mom. The Japanese side of my family is very funny and loud. My mom is very loud and the majority of her jokes are delivered through a scream which is something I have inherited. Pretty much every one of my moms friends have told me that she should’ve gone into comedy but my mom says “At office I’m always cracking jokes so I basically do comedy and get paid”. My mom is also a fag hag and she introduced me and my gay twin brother to “Project Runway” and drove us two hours to get our book signed by Tim Gunn. Her humor is very gay and so am I!
Is everything better when it’s set to music?
Not always! As a musical theatre bitch I’m always tempted to add music to a comedic premise or underscore a joke to music. There are cases where a joke is comedically enhanced by music. Music can inject energy into a joke, add comedic tension, and help move a story along. But oftentimes music can actually undercut the punchline of a joke or distract from the comedy of a story. I personally don’t think music should be added to a comedic premise for the music’s sake. The music should always be serving the comedic premise in some way. The only thing that’s always better set to music is anal.
What does your twin think about all this?
My twin brother is actually starting stand up comedy which I feel very mixed about. Comedy was “MY THING” and he just has to swoop in and take it!! I will uplift queer Asian voices but not his voice! But, honestly a part of me is happy he’s doing comedy so now we can talk about comedy together. Whenever I tell a joke about my brother I run it by him beforehand. Most of the time he approves but there have been times he has made me make adjustments.
What do you think “a ‘theatre kid who escaped Alcatraz’” means?
A mean teenager on Tik Tok commented on one of my videos that my energy is “theatre kid who escaped Alcatraz” and unfortunately I think he’s correct. My energy onstage does give “Theatre kid, but something is off”. My onstage persona is very flamboyant and theatrical but also a little demonic and twisted. I think Jacob2749 honestly hit it right on the money.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s been a dream of mine to bring my solo show but I’ve never been able to afford it until recently! Edinburgh is all end be all of comedy festivals and I want the experience of performing my show consecutively for a month. I want to be able to sell my show as a special and tour it around the U.K. and the U.S. I’m ready to experience a mental breakdown at the festival but then come out it stronger, wiser, and even gayer.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
My favorite moment in the show is near the end when I sing a song about my experience touring the American South for the first time called “In the Heartland”. It’s a newer song and it’s always exciting to perform something that feels fresh. In the song I try to emulate the storytelling elements of my favorite country songs and I feel like the audience goes on a satisfying journey. I based the song’s melody off of my favorite “Chicks” song “Wide Open Spaces”. And I’ll admit I love doing a country accent.
Where else can we see you?
I’m planning to tour the U.S. and U.K. after Edinburgh Fringe and eventually tape my show as a special. My Late Night set on James Corden is on YouTube! You can also listen to me and my friend Kelly Bachman’s comedy album “R*pe Victims are Horny Too” on Spotify and Apple Music. We wrote a musical comedy hour about our experiences healing from rape trauma and we’re very proud of it.
What’s next?
Filler and Botox! Just kidding. I definitely would love to have a comedy special and sell my TV Show and Feature. I also want to continue touring around the U.S. and U.K.
Sondheim or Webber?
Don’t make a theatre f*ggot choose! I love them both. When it comes to music I can play that my whole family can sing along to I go with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I love me some Phantom of the Opera even though the movie permanently traumatized me as an eight year old. I pick Sondheim when it comes to music and lyrics that continues to captivate and surprise me even after playing it for years. Sondheim songs are very intricate and complex which can make them difficult to learn, but I enjoy the challenge. My favorite Sondheim song is “Send in the Clowns”. The best performance of it in my opinion is from Dame Judi Dench.
Pirates or Ninjas?
I’ve been called a “Butt Pirate” before but that’s neither here nor there. I am embracing my Japanese heritage and choosing Ninjas! I could never have been ninja because I’m too loud and have IBS but I respect their hustle!
Truth or Beauty?
BEAUTY PLEASE! The truth is hard and scary and I will gladly take beauty over truth. Take me to Disneyland and let me dissociate while eating a Mickey Mouse creamsicle. Thank you.
Dylan Adler’s debut comedy show ‘Haus Of Dylan’ will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Beside for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
Check out our features on 2025’s Top Returning shows, and our keenly anticipated picks of new shows.
