"I love seeing her shine," said stand-up comedian Wendy Liebman/. "Honestly, you laugh until you can't breathe. It's that funny. And you also feel deeply emotional."
Liebman is cheering on Piper as her best friend prepares to take the stage at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills with her one-woman autobiographical show, "Not That Jewish." Liebman will be her special opening act!
The off-Broadway hit is a fundraiser for the Temple of the Arts, which has its home at the theater, in association with The Braid, a nonprofit group involved in preserving Jewish stories. Piper says if you're not Jewish, that's not a problem.
"You will get 99% of the jokes because many of the jokes, although they deal with a Jewish family, they're universal," said Piper.
Some of the show's themes do include serious subject matter: death, adoption, breast cancer. There's also family to talk about, including her Aunt Rose who lived in the same building. In the show, Piper recalls as a child, "We were always there for shabbat dinners. 'Mom, how come we never make shabbat dinners?' 'Well, gee, sweetie, let's see. Would you rather cook for nine hours or take an elevator?'"
There was one time when Piper was doing the show in New York, when someone's Life Alert button was accidentally hit during her performance. She said she was on stage saying, "God, I don't know what to do" when she heard "Help is on the way" coming from the audience member's Life Alert. For a brief moment, Piper thought, "Oh my God! Was that God?"
Her career also includes writing for "Roseanne," "Mad About You" and "Rugrats," for which she won a Daytime Emmy.
Now at a new phase in life, both she and best pal Liebman do enjoy joking about getting older.
"Most days, I don't even notice I'm aging but this morning my body made the same noises as my coffeemaker. So, I don't know, is that a sign?" Piper said with a wink. Liebman added, "I know I'm aging because now when a guy is staring at my chest, I'm like, 'Hey, buddy, they're down there!'"
"Not That Jewish" is at the Saban Theatre Sunday, Nov. 9.
For ticket information, go to www.wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com.