Much of Alex Edelman’s comedy springs from his Jewish upbringing. He takes on Jewish identity, bigotry and ignorance in his performances — but there’s no malice in his material. Instead, the Brookline native uses humor to process and even dismantle the complexities and the hate that plague our world.

His recent Broadway hit, “Just for Us,” was inspired by his experience of attending a white nationalists meeting. Amid a surge in antisemitism and discrimination, “Just for Us” has a new urgency. But the laughs come just as hard — maybe even harder. Edelman joins The Culture Show ahead of his performances at the Emerson Colonial Theater this weekend.

From there, it's time to hit the pause button on the Santaland soundtrack to make room for Blue Heron. The vocal ensemble takes us back to 15th century England with medieval music that will put you in the holiday spirit of yore.

Finally,ImprovBoston will literally have the last laugh at the end of the month. After 40 years, the comedy colossus is closing up shop. ImprovBoston's Matt Laidlaw joins the show to talk about the news of the organization's closure.

It's all on The Culture Show. Listen to the full episode above for more.