Visitors in town: Chloe Radcliffe, Ashley Hamilton, Claire Parker, Jonathan Van Ness, Amanda Seales, Lewis Black, Eric Andre.
At Zanies: Shaun Latham (Chicago, Rosemont, St. Charles), Becky Robinson (Chicago), Dr. Bill Miller (Rosemont), Steve Mazan (St. Charles).
At Riddles: Marcus Combs and a special Sunday show with Mike Hatchett, Sonya D., O-Jay Lamont, Hondo.
At The Improv: Dusty Slay.
Chicago comedians in the news: Saturday Night Live promoted Chris Redd from featured player to full cast member. Chris’s impressions include Sen. Cory Booker, Kanye West, Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) and Katt Williams. In 2018, he shared an Emmy Award for the song “Come Back Barack.”
Cameron Esposito’s book Save Yourself is now available for pre-order. Release date is March 20, 2020.
Ticket alerts:
October 12: Brian Babylon and Bashir Salahuddin are on the panel for Chicago Ideas Week: “Idea: Creativity is Power.” The extraordinary panel at the Harris Theater also includes Eve Ewing, Hebru Brantley, David Lynch and Jamil Smith.
December 10: An evening with Julie Andrews at The Chicago Theatre.
Following is the rest of this week’s Spotlight. Please confirm all details before leaving home!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Tuxedo Cat Comedy at Beauty Bar, 8:00 p.m. Free stand-up comedy show in its 7th year. Focus on female comics, LGBTQ+ comics, and comics of color. Dance party follows the show. Tonight: Chloe Radcliffe (visiting NYC comic), Spark Tabor, Marsden Kelly, Luis Arevalo, Ashley Hamilton (visiting NYC comic), Claire Parker (Visiting NYC comic), Dane Arden. Hosted by Tuxedo Cat Comedy’s Jerry Tran.
Parlour Car at Sportsman’s Club, 8:30 p.m. Free weekly stand-up show.
What’s It Like to Be You, Evanston? At 1100 Florence Gallery, Evanston, 7:00 p.m. Ben Hollis won eight Emmy Awards for hosting WTTW’s Wild Chicago. Known for his lively, warm interviewing style, he is now doing “What’s it like to be you,” interviewing people around the city. A great chance to see him in person and get to know people you may not have met. Tonight there’s a celebrity interview with Saturday Night Live alum and star of TV, film and stage, Tim Kazurinsky.
Chi-Town Small Screen Fest at Laugh Out Loud Theater, 7:00 p.m. “Chi-Town Small Screen Fest is an inclusive festival that celebrates diversity, the triumph of creation and doing something that most people only ever think of – writing and shooting original ideas.” Tonight and tomorrow night.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Jan Slavin at Barbara’s Bookstore at Hawthorne Mall, Vernon Hills, 7:00 p.m. Mark Klaber productions presents a fabulous free stand-up showcase. Jan Slavin hosts Matt Castellvi, Dario Durham, Liz Zagone, Joe Antonacci.
Traumarama: A Story of Recovery at The Den Theatre, 7:30 p.m. “Liz Greenwood provides an honest, darkly comedic take on the after-effects of trauma in her solo show about her recovery process following an assault. This show explores PTSD, the criminal justice system, and the way we talk about violence against women.” Written and performed by Liz Greenwood. Directed by Cari Maher. This weekend and next weekend. Follow link for all show times.
Chi-Town Small Screen Fest at Laugh Out Loud Theater, 7:00 p.m. Tonight includes a Q & A with Tami Sagher, a writer and producer whose credits include Orange is the New Black, Shrill, Inside Amy Schumer, Girls, and How I Met Your Mother. She can also be seen in Glow, Russian Doll, and Don’t Think Twice.
Lewis Black at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, 8:00 p.m. Tonight and tomorrow night.
Dope Comedy Show at @North Bar, 9:00 p.m. Eli Hamilton hosts a truly stellar lineup featuring truTV’s Correy Boyd-Bell, WGN TV’s Pat Tomasulo and Comedy Central’s Taneshia Rice. Dave Helem (Comedy Central, IFC) closes the show.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Courier 12 Screenwriting Conference at DePaul’s Daley Building, begins at 12:00 p.m. Five sessions by industry pros about how to break into screenwriting, including “That’s Not Funny” with producer Trevor Albert (Groundhog Day), Second City alums and much more. Free and open to the public.
Feed Wolf Ice Cream at Nox Arca Theatre, 8:00 p.m. “What happens when we die? Dave Maher (This American Life, Steppenwolf Theatre) knows definitively, and in Feed Wolf Ice Cream, he shows you. Confront the mysteries of death and our lives in this interactive comedy show featuring vulnerable personal stories and surreal comedy rituals.” Dave Maher’s follow up to his smash hit Dave Maher Coma Show.
Traumarama: A Story of Recovery at The Den Theatre, 7:30 p.m. “Liz Greenwood provides an honest, darkly comedic take on the after-effects of trauma in her solo show about her recovery process following an assault. This show explores PTSD, the criminal justice system, and the way we talk about violence against women.” Written and performed by Liz Greenwood. Directed by Cari Maher. This weekend and next weekend. Follow link for all show times.
Kristen Toomey at The Other Side, Crystal Lake, 9:00 p.m. A Funnier By the Lake production. Larry Bloom hosts Ashley Lusk, Jon Torres and headliner Kristen Toomey.
Lewis Black at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, 8:00 p.m. Tonight and tomorrow night.
Jonathan Van Ness: Beyond Permission at Music Box Theatre, 7:00 p.m. The Queer Eye star is here to discuss his new memoir Over the Top.
Lightfoot Loose at Second City’s de Maat Studio Theatre, 7:00 p.m. “A high-energy show about a Chicago mayor in her honeymoon phase, but how will she navigate a scandal? Blending sketch, improv, music, Kevin Bacon and dance, come see what happens when a mayor not named Rahm or Daley gets put to the test.”
Amanda Seales at The Chicago Theatre, 8:00 p.m. Amanda Seales’ “Smart, Funny & Black” Tour.
Godfathers of Comedy at The Arcada, St. Charles, 8:00 p.m. A free showing of the Showtime special Godfathers of Comedy which features five funny Italian American comedians and was filmed at the Arcada. Free show, free cannoli.
Shrimp Boys Say Goodnight at The Hideout, 7:00 p.m. Last show in Chicago! Be prepared for surprises and maybe some drop-in guests.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Traumarama: A Story of Recovery at The Den Theatre, 3:00 p.m. “Liz Greenwood provides an honest, darkly comedic take on the after-effects of trauma in her solo show about her recovery process following an assault. This show explores PTSD, the criminal justice system, and the way we talk about violence against women.” Written and performed by Liz Greenwood. Directed by Cari Maher. This weekend and next weekend. Follow link for all show times.
Everyone’s A Lawyer at The Laugh Factory 7:00 p.m. Chicago’s hit comedy game show created and hosted by comedian and attorney Paul Farahvar. Paul was named a “Top 40 Up and Coming Comedian in America in 2017” and a “Top 40 under 40” lawyer in Chicago, so you can expect a great night of comedy and legal drama as comedians take the stage to present the funniest arguments in real life cases. Tonight’s comedians-at-law TBA. Discount tickets here.
The Bjork Comedy Hour at The Crowd Theatre, 8:00 p.m. “The only comedy show dedicated to and hosted by Björk.”
Eric Andre at The Chicago Theatre, 7:00 p.m. The “Legalize Everything” Tour.
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