What an absolute joy it is to watch Jes Tom “become,” navigating a gender transition with incisive and approachable jokes (“A few years ago I started testosterone, which is why I have the mustache of the coolest boy in eighth grade”). Tom’s Off-Broadway solo show “Less Lonely” probed not only at the uncertainty we all encountered during the Covid pandemic, but also the personal isolation that can accompany personal growth. The latest outing, “Work in Progress,” acknowledges that continual work. Folks who learned of Tom from Hannah Gadsby’s “Gender Agenda” showcase on Netflix will find plenty of evolution – and new things to laugh about – even since that 2024 special’s release. Much like their work on Max’s “Our Flag Means Death” and for the online satirical magazine Reductress, Tom’s comedy delights in subverting assumptions: about the world, about relationships, about Tom. Appearing alongside Tom is local musical comic and host of Roslindale’s Queer Comedy Night, Nora Panahi.
“Jes Tom: A Work In Progress” at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Feb. 7 at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $30.
A stronger
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