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Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby is a 2019 stand-up comedy special written by and starring American comedian Seth Meyers. His debut stand-up special, directed by Neal Brennan and filmed at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, was released on the streaming service Netflix on November 5, 2019. The title of the special refers to the birth of Meyers and his wife's second child in their apartment lobby.

Background
Include information that would be related to this special only, e.g. his family and career.

Seth Meyers is an American comedian who became the host of Late Night with Seth Meyers, the fourth iteration of NBC's long-running Late Night franchise, in 2014. The show gained recognition for the host's decision to begin doing his monologue sitting down as opposed to the traditional method of standing up in 2015, and later for its approach of employing comedy to tackle current events through segments such as "A Closer Look" and "The Check In". Before hosting Late Night, Meyers performed at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2011, an event which has often been credited as the reason why Donald Trump ran for president in 2016.

Meyers became engaged to his long-time girlfriend, lawyer Alexi Ashe, in 2013,  and the pair welcomed their first child in 2016. Meyers revealed on Late Night in April 2018 that their second child was born in the lobby of their apartment building, recounting the circumstances.

Sypnosis
40 minutes in

notes for sypnosis, not all will be used. The more secondary sources, the better, but it's not needed. Reference articles such as Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, Bo Burnham: Inside and London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck. Currently 6 minutes in... sweating


 * The special begins with Meyers already on stage wearing casual clothes, joke comparing Minneapolis to St. Paul, joke about how most people are used to seeing Meyers in a suit behind a desk (a la Late Night) and remarks on how weird it is for people to see his legs
 * Remarks on the assumption that Meyers is Jewish and talks about his Jewish ancestry. Talks about how his wife's parents, who are Jewish, were happy for her to meet a Jewish person, only for Meyers to reveal that he is not Jewish. Talks about how he later became "Jewish enough" to his in-laws, remarking that it's the only religion where it could happen.
 * Reminisces his fourth year of dating his wife, when he proposed going to Prague for her birthday. She suggests Paris instead, and the first night after they arrive in Paris, Meyers observed that his wife is unhappy. When asked why, she answered that her friends said if a man brings his girlfriend to Paris for her birthday, he is going to propose. He responded by asking if she told her friends about his original proposal to go to Prague, a place he remarked that "famously, no one gets engaged" at. Reminisces another event during their trip in Paris, where Meyers's passport fell out of his pocket while they were crossing a bridge going over the river Seine, where he realized that it would be easier to kick the passport into the river and get a new one than to propose in Paris without an engagement ring.
 * Following up with the event of finally proposing to his wife after five years of dating and the planning behind their wedding.

Production
While doing stand-up comedy in Oslo, Norway, Seth Meyers experimented with a comedy bit in which he played his wife, Alexi Ashe, to mock himself. The bit was well received, and Meyers showed a recording of it to Ashe when he returned to America. Meyers considered turning the piece into a stand-up comedy special after receiving feedback from her, noting that it pushed him to be more innovative in the special rather than one-sided.

Meyers spent four months preparing for the special, filming his performances for evaluation and generally avoiding more heated humor. The end of the special included a bit similar to what Meyers performed in Oslo; he explained that the bit "tied [the special] together, and put it together in a way that essentially called back earlier material." The special was filmed at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis  in June 2019, with Neal Brennan serving as director. The special's soundtrack, "Meet Me In The Lobby", was written and performed by rock band The Hold Steady.

On October 23, the streaming service Netflix announced the release of Meyers's debut stand-up comedy special, titled Lobby Baby, scheduled for November 5. Accompanying the announcement, a promotional video featuring a faux commercial for an action figure called "Standup Seth" was unveiled. The title is a reference to Meyers's second child, who was born in the lobby of his apartment building.

In an interview with CNN Business in November, Meyers revealed that he had asked Netflix to include a button that skips a portion of the special where he discussed politics, similar to the streaming service's "skip intro" button. He explained that the button was in reaction to people who protested his political humor on Late Night and also served as an inside joke for people who did not click it. The idea for the button came from interactive films such as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and engineers at Netflix spent more than a month working on the button's implementation. Upon the reveal, the button received media attention, having become the subject of think pieces and memes. Meyers stated in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he did not expect the button to become popular and had not mean to utilize it as a marketing tool.

today interviews

Themes
Laura Bradley of Vanity Fair observed the style as differing from his previous works, as shown on Late Night with Seth Meyers or the White House Correspondents' dinner that he hosted.

Kathryn VanArendonk of Vulture and Clare Martin of Paste described Meyers in this special as a "wife guy", men who constantly compliment their spouses. Both noted that this aspect appeared more sweet than cunning, with Martin noting that Meyers used the stories to deprecate himself.

Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut noted a frequently repeated joke in the special, where Meyers explained the meaning of "mansplaining", as "a stab at the misogynistic men out there".

Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe described Meyers as "Domestic Seth".

"Skip Politics" button
Maybe?

Ashlie D. Stevens of Salon.com believed that the option alluded to the tone of the special, which is largely apolitical.

Jason Zinoman of The New York Times described the button as something one could not achieve on a traditional medium such as television, as well as a scheme that corresponds to the audience's desire to ignore politics.

Reception
Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby received generally positive reviews from critics, add here. Kathryn VanArendonk of Vulture complimented the special, describing it as "tightly wound, carefully observed, well-shot, and snappy". Salon.com Ashlie D. Stevens found the personal stories to be the most interesting aspect, characterizing them as something rarely seen on Late Night but equally compact. Matt Goldberg of Collider said that while themes such as marriage were not new in comedy, Meyers had homogenized them with quality jokes. Jason Zinoman of The New York Times observed that Meyers seemed more unrestricted in the special, revealing his more language-oriented comedic style. Sean L. McCarthy of Decider remarked that the special will alter people's perceptions of Meyers, but for the better. Clare Martin of Paste applauded his commendable charm and steadiness, while Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut commenting that it "will keep your attention for 60 minutes." L. S. Miller of Consequence wrote, "Beyond just being a very smart, personal, and entertaining hour of stand-up, the Late Night host’s sole Netflix special to date played with Netflix technology in a surprising and wonderfully funny way."

Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast observed that, while politics accounted for only a small portion of the show, the issues discussed were more refreshing. Conversely, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe expressed disdain over the option to skip politics, arguing that "[t]he opportunity to select which topics you prefer — particularly in a stand-up performance — cheapens the whole endeavor, makes it less of a creative dish served by an entertainer and more of a buffet."

Martin noted that the special's simple visual elements compared to other Netflix specials, such as the lucid staging and the lack of an introductory clip, felt unique and straightforward rather than barren. VanArendonk considered Neal Brennan's directing, "which frequently positions Meyers as literally off-center in the frame", to have reflected the themes of the special.