Former broadcaster left her career in journalism for the word “moist” and a comedy club stage

Abby Feldman wants to know why the word moist makes everyone so uncomfortable. “Everything good is moist,” Feldman said.

Feldman – clad in nothing but a bikini, a pair of winter boots, and a black down coat – stood in front of a kiddie pool at The Creek and the Cave comedy club Thursday, Feb. 1 and performed her love-and-romance-themed set “Moist.”

The set was an in-person spin-off of Feldman’s live, bathtub-shot web series by the same name. Prior to the show, Feldman polled audience members on what made them uncomfortable in relationships and used the content on stage.

Ben Gordon, technical director of The Creek and the Cave, said Feldman’s comedy was unlike anything he usually sees at the club. “[Feldman] takes a real personal angle, asking people what makes them uncomfortable, and tries to find funny ways to spin it,” Gordon said.

Audience members Madeleine Goldsmith and Brandon Garner said the experience made them feel like “naughty children.”

“The idea of having a show talking about stuff that makes you uncomfortable is really fun,” Goldsmith said.

But Feldman is relatively new to the comedy profession, only becoming a professional comedian after a stint in journalism.

While creating a documentary about individuals living in an Argentinian psychiatric facility on a Fulbright fellowship in 2012, Feldman said she realized she was no longer interested in journalism.

“It’s irresponsible to be constantly pumping out all of this negative information and filling people with fear,” she said and continued, “I didn’t want to be objective.”

Feldman said she wanted to make people laugh.

And she said she plans to continue to do so, using taboo and uncomfortable topics in her comedy.

Feldman said she would eventually like to trade in her kiddie pool for something better: a beveled, jade tub, with a steam room made of Himalayan salt, infused with eucalyptus and covered in crystals.