Visitors in town: Maz Jobrani, Andy Borowitz and Stavros Halkias. The Chicago Musical Improv Festival begins at iO with groups from all over the country.
At Zanies: Sean Patton (Chicago), John Roy (Chicago and St. Charles), Larry Reeb (Rosemont).
At The Improv: Brendan Schaub (fresh off last night’s Watch What Happens Live on Bravo) and Pauly Shore.
More Chicago Emmy Award winners: North Shore natives Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein both won Emmy Awards for their roles in the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Rachel Brosnahan is from Highland Park and is a graduate of Wilmette’s Actors Training Center. In fact, she’ll be at the ATC for a special event on October 19. Tickets and more details here. Alex Borstein grew up in Deerfield.
Ticket Alerts:
Guy Branum at Lincoln Lodge on October 7.
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man on September 28 at the Wilmette Theatre. This is the film’s exclusive Chicago area screening. Bill Murray grew up in Wilmette.
Tickets for the 2018 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema (Oct. 18-28) are on sale. Special events include Big Ideas for the Small Screen: The Golden Age of Israeli Television. “Big Ideas” will include a special screening of a new Israeli comedy/drama and a discussion with HBO’s former President of Programming, Michael Lombardo and other special guests about how Israeli programs became popular acquisitions for American TV. Examples? In Treatment, Fauda and Homeland. Full Festival schedule here.
iO’s “$5 Comedy Month” continues. Go here for a list of all the shows you can see at this improv Mecca for the low, low price of $5 per ticket.
Following is the rest of this week’s Spotlight. Don’t leave home before confirming all details!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Chicago Musical Improv Festival at iO, 1501 N. Kingsbury Musical improv groups from around the country are in house through Sunday. Workshops, too. Follow link for all details.
Live at The Storefront: Exes and Uber Drivers, 1579 N. Milwaukee, 8:00 p.m. Vic Pandya presents his new special Exes and Uber Drivers. Also featuring sets by Chris Trani and Maddie Weiner. Hosted by Tyler Fowler.
Mother Cluckers at Anderson’s Bookshop, 26 South La Grange Road, La Grange, 8:00 p.m. Join the Mother Cluckers for a “Back to School, Back to Sanity” celebration and an after-party at Barrel House Social.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Love, Gilda is out today!
Chicago Musical Improv Festival at iO, 1501 N. Kingsbury Follow link for all details.
Maz Jobrani at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., 8:00 p.m. Maz Jobrani has done everything from introducing Michelle Obama at a White House event to filming his special Immigrant at the Kennedy Center to starring in the CBS sitcom Superior Donuts to guesting on NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! He has also brought unity and ultra positive energy to audiences around the globe. His memoir is I’m Not A Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV. Guarantee: this evening will make you feel wonderful and connected to the people and world around you. Interview with Maz here.
Funny Ha-Ha: Here For You at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 6:30 p.m. All sorts of humor from New York Times contributor Brittany Julious, storyteller Archy Arch J, Rumpus editor Lyz Lenz, Miss Spoken Co-Founder Carly Oishi, Host of Steve Gadlin’s Star Makers Steve Gadlin, 80 Minutes Around the World immigration series producer Nestor Gomez and filmmaker Steve Delahoyde. Hosted by Claire Zulkey.
Andy Borowitz at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., 7:30 p.m. The Make-America-Not-Embarrassing-Again Tour. Andy Borowitz is a writer and comedian. He created the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and is currently know and appreciated on a daily basis for The Borowitz Report. He is also a New York Times bestselling author and he won the first National Press Club award for humor.
Don’t Kid Yourself at Volumes Bookcafé, 1474 N. Milwaukee Ave., 8:00 p.m. A comedy showcase about the awkward things we go through as kids. Tonight’s theme: obsessions. Michael Njuguna Robinson hosts Jillian Ebanks, Sabeen Sadiq, Tyler Ross, Samantha Berkman, Chris Higgins, Maddie Wiener.
The Lincoln Lodge Presents Stavros Halkias at Under the Gun Theater, 956 W. Newport, 8:00 p.m. Stavros is a stand-up comedian and podcaster who has appeared on Adult Swim, XM Satellite radio and IFC. He was a writer and performer on the Emmy nominated, People Talking Sports and Other Stuff. He was featured in Tig Notaro’s Bentzen Ball, the New York Comedy Festival, and toured nationally with Wham City Comedy.
[Last show!] Killing Your Darlings at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., 10:00 p.m. Five comedians must bring fifteen minutes of comedy never before performed on this stage. Interview with producer Justin Golak here.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Lit Crawl Chicago 2018 in Andersonville and Uptown, 3:00 p.m.-11:30 Free festival with a special ticketed headliner: New York Times bestseller and one of the world’s funniest, most poignant storytellers, Samantha Irby. Comedy events include Psychotic Break, Miss Spoken, Paper Machete, You’re Being Ridiculous and more. Follow link for all details.
Chicago Musical Improv Festival at iO, 1501 N. Kingsbury Follow link for all show times.
Mortified Chicago at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., 7:00 p.m. Brave souls read their childhood diaries and no one on stage or in the audience will ever feel alone again. Hopefully. “Personal redemption through public humiliation.”
The Accountants of Homeland Security at The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted, 7:00 p.m. They’ve been skewering political insanity for twenty years. Tonight’s show is one-night only!
Don’t Tell Comedy in Humboldt Park, 7:30 p.m. Details only available through this link.
Las Locas Comedy at La Catrina Café, 1011 W 18th St., 8:00 p.m. A comedy showcase with Latina/Latinx comedians: Jazmyn Ortega (Feminine Comique), Sabeen Sadiq (Laugh Factory), Jess Martinez (Second City), Eunji Kim (Zanies), Janice V. Rodriguez (Las Locas Comedy), and Stephanie Weber (Lincoln Lodge). Hosted by: Sonal Aggarwal (Salonathon)
The Lincoln Lodge Presents Stavros Halkias at Under the Gun Theater, 956 W. Newport, 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Stavros is a stand-up comedian and podcaster who has appeared on Adult Swim, XM Satellite radio and IFC. He was a writer and performer on the Emmy nominated, People Talking Sports and Other Stuff. He was featured in Tig Notaro’s Bentzen Ball, the New York Comedy Festival, and toured nationally with Wham City Comedy.
Shots and Giggles at The Drunken Donut, 821 Plainfield Rd., Joliet, 8:00 p.m. Stand-up from Meredith Kachel, Cleveland Anderson, Ron Ervin, Stuti Sharma, Tim Brennan, Marisa Duenas, and Emily Szaflarski. Hosted by Cameron Little. Plus one lotto spot TBA.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
[LAST DAY!] Chicago Musical Improv Festival at iO, 1501 N. Kingsbury Follow link for all show times.
The Dysfunctional Family Affair (Or It’s All Relative) at Second City, 1616 N. Wells, 4:00 p.m. Prepare for the holidays and put the “fun” in “dysfunctional.”
The Sunday Scaries at iO, 1501 N. Kingsbury, 6:00 p.m. Sunday nights signal Mondays! Tackle that apprehension with comedy, music and magic. All proceeds benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF).
She the People: Sisters Guide to Doing it for Themselves at Second City’s UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave., 7:00 p.m. “It’s time for women everywhere to collectively reclaim comedy!”
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