Natalie K. Levant performs.

Photos courtesy of Natalie K. Levant
Natalie K. Levant
Brings the Laughs
at 88
ERIC SCHUCHT | JE STAFF
S he’s the silver vixen of the stand-up — the comedic grandmother audiences wished they had.

“They used to say mother,” Natalie K. Levant laments.

While others may be slowing down at 88, Levant is just getting started.

In the last seven years she has made a name for herself in the local comedy scene, as the East Oak
Lane resident has performed at clubs, restaurants and dive bars throughout the Delaware Valley and
beyond. “I always loved show business,” Levant said. “When I was born and the doctor did that little
spanking, I really thought he was applauding. And ever since I’ve been out there as an enormous fan
of theater, comedy, musicals, dramas, everything.”
Levant started pursuing standup at 81. The catalysis for the lifestyle change was the passing of
Bob, her husband of 55 years. The two met in Atlantic City when Levant was 18 and married in
14 MAY 14, 2020
THE GOOD LIFE
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



1954. From there, the couple settled in
Philadelphia and raised three sons and
an adoptive daughter from Korea. Her
husband worked as an attorney while
Levant was a stay-at-home mother.

Once her daughter turned 16, Levant
began working, fi rst as a medical
secretary at an OB-GYN offi ce, followed
by an administrative assistant position at
a psychiatric practice.

But Levant was at a loss when her
husband died of a heart attack in 2009.

“Aft er my husband passed away, I really
didn’t know what to do with myself. It
wasn’t that my husband was my identity.

It’s just that the house was empty with me
and our pets. And when I was out in this
new world that I found myself in, it even
more so felt that I had no identity as a
woman who was recently widowed.”
“I always loved show
business ... I’ve been out
there as an enormous
fan of theater, comedy,
musicals, dramas,
everything.” NATALIE LEVANT
So Levant began volunteering and
eventually ended up at the Siloam
Wellness Center. One day, a colleague
asked if she had ever considered stand-up
and handed her the business card of
Alejandro Morales. Th e Philadelphia
comedian was producing a comedy show
at Tabu Lounge in the Gayborhood and,
aft er their introduction, agreed to put
Levant on stage.

“I went, and I felt nothing but love
in that room. I sometimes wonder if the
folks at Tabu had not embraced me as
warmly as they did if I ever would have
stuck with it, but they did and I did and
the rest is history.”
Most of Levant’s material comes from
real-life experiences. She prioritizes
honesty and authenticity above all else.

See Comic, Page 16
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