Sammy Obeid is at The Den this week.
CHICAGO COMEDIANS IN THE NEWS
A new Paul Farahvar special is always reason to celebrate. On April 26, Helium Comedy Studio’s will release Paul’s latest, Middle Western, Middle Eastern. Paul is a lawyer-turned-comedian and popular nationally touring headliner. He is the creator of original hit productions like the podcasts Singles Only (Chicago Reader‘s Best Podcast 2021) and Why Are You Awake, the Dry Bar special Always A Groomsman (2023), and Stand Ups, Sit Down at Laugh Factory. His “dry intellectual humor centers on being the middle-aged, unmarried son of disappointed Middle Eastern parents.” In this new special, this “self-proclaimed-lifetime-bachelor gets raw” as well as “digging in more about his relationship with his parents and former law career.” When Paul was kind enough to speak with me in 2020, I wrote “Paul Farahvar is a catch, but good luck catching him.” This confirmed bachelor is just as hilarious and captivating as ever. You’ll definitely want to catch this special. More about Paul at paulfcomedy.com.
Daniel Van Kirk releases his new special Rose Gold (Blonde Medicine) on April 17 and the audio album on May 3. Rose Gold is “a Midwestern man’s wish that we all stop finding ways to disagree, start high-fiving strangers again, and party in Wisconsin.” The special draws on Daniel’s formative years in Chicago and lessons learned from his 94-year-old grandmother who knows some things about “what it means to just roll with whatever life throws at you.” Something that struck me about Daniel when he was kind enough to speak with me in 2019, is that he has a gift for being there for people – this is true of Paul, too. There’s definitely something special and unique about Chicago comedians. They are hilarious of course, but also they’re quality people, which adds extra depth and insight to their comedy. More about Daniel at danielvankirk.com.
Hannibal Buress has a new music video! It’s for his song I Lift Weights and also stars Kumail Nanjiani, Chelsea Peretti and Ilana Glazer. Watch on 800 Pound Gorilla.
John Mulaney will livestream his new series Everybody’s in L.A. during the Netflix is a Joke festival next month. The debut episode streams May 3. The rest of the series livestreams from the Festival from May 6-10 at 9:00 p.m. CT. Here’s the trailer. Watch the series on Netflix here.
TICKET ALERTS
April 23: Dwayne Kennedy at Zanies Chicago
April 23-25: Caleb Hearon Runs His Hour at Zanies Chicago – nearly sold out!
April 26: Prateek Srivastava & Lia Berman at Funnier by the Lake’s Madame ZuZu’s Comedy Night, Highland Park
May 11: The Therapy Players in Laughs That Keep You Jung at The Den
May 20: Baron Vaugn at Zanies Chicago
May 24-26: Michael Palascak at Zanies Chicago
May 30-31 Zarna Garg at The Comedy Vault, Batavia
June 17: Mo Good at Zanies Chicago
August 8: Brian Regan at Des Plaines Theatre
September 20: Jeff Garlin at North Shore Center for Performing Arts, Skokie
Following are 10 shows in Chicago this week. Please also check out my January-December 2024 Ticket Alerts. I gave advance notice on several shows that may now be impossible to get into – like Eunji Kim this Thursday and Caleb Hearon’s shows next week. Checking the big 2024 list can prevent disappointment. Please always confirm all details before leaving home! Thank you as always for coming by and reading. I don’t take it for granted and really appreciate you. I hope I can help bring laughter into your week. Thank you to the Chicago comedy community for making this blog possible.
MONDAY, APRIL 15
Chicago’s Best Stand Up at Laugh Factory, 8:00 p.m. With Peyton Ruddy and more TBA. I first saw Peyton Ruddy during the fabulous Monday night Zoom shows produced by Mark Klaber and Denise Medina during the pandemic. He is a comedian who can keep everyone laughing whether it’s good times or challenging times! He has won multiple comedy competitions with his great energy, crowd work and ability to connect with the audience.
TUESDAY, APRIL 16
Sammy Obeid at The Den, 7:15 p.m. Through Thursday. Sammy Obeid is known for taking difficult topics that don’t seem amenable to comedy (advanced mathematics, Israel/Palestine) and somehow finding the humor and humanity.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17
New Material Night at Zanies Rosemont, 7:30 p.m. Marilee hosts Ralphie Roberts, DJ Rybski, Scott Darling, Vic Balaji, Nick Cobb. See how top Chicago comedians develop their material. Always a fun and memorable night. Ralphie Roberts is one of the comedians who’s made me laugh so hard I almost passed out.
THURSDAY, APRIL 18
Eunji Kim at Lincoln Lodge, 7:30 p.m. The WBEZ presentation Not From Here is “a variety comedy show featuring the stories, struggles, and process of immigrants and their families building a relationship with America.” Eunji also co-hosts the 2 Kims 1 Pod Podcast (@2kims1pod). Her TV credits include: Best In Dough (Hulu), Chicago Fire (NBC), Chicago Med (NBC) and Work In Progress (Showtime).
FRIDAY, APRIL 19
Nikki Glaser at The Genesee Theatre, Waukegan, 8:00 p.m. The Good Girl Tour.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20
Two Birds One Scone at iO, 10:00 a.m. An interactive comedy show for kids 3-8 years-old.
Trigger Happy at The Annoyance, 7:00 p.m. Annoyance’s signature improv show created by Mick Napier.
SUNDAY, APRIL 21
Daniel Sloss at The Athenaeum, 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. This Scottish comedian sells out shows around the world and even caused a sensation in Moscow with his fearless approach to an illegal topic.
Comics for Comics at Zanies Rosemont, 6:00 p.m. A fundraiser in support of Rocky LaPorte’s daughter, Toni LaPorte, a mom of three who is battling a rare and aggressive cancer.
Early Bird Special at Laugh Factory, 7:00 p.m. Steven Springer hosts Jan Slavin, Todd Glover, Shelley Wright, William Krolowitz, Bob Busch, Seth Easyliving in the Geezers of Comedy, the hit show where tickets sell out fast!