11 Shows This Week: Monday, May 13-Sunday, May 19, 2024

CHICAGO COMEDIANS IN THE NEWS

Paul Farahvar‘s new special Middle Western, Middle Eastern has over 10,000 views just two weeks after its release.

Ali Clayton releases her debut comedy album Country Queer on May 31. “Recorded in Milwaukee, this album tells her story as a member of a very Southern family from rural North Carolina, a special ed kid, a lesbian, an alcoholic, and a white girl who started her comedy career in the South Side of Chicago.”

Daniel Van Kirk released his debut album and second special Rose Gold on May 3. Recorded at Lincoln Lodge, “Rose Gold is named for Daniel’s 94 year-old grandmother Rosemary. Daniel describes it as “a Midwestern man’s wish that we all stop finding ways to disagree [and] start high-fiving strangers again.'”

Sarah Sherman will be on ABC’s Live With Kelly & Mark on Tuesday, May 14.

Joel Kim Booster will be on ABC’s The View on Wednesday, May 15.

John Mulaney is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, though it’s a rerun from May 2. A different Mulaney recommendation: if you missed his Everybody’s In L.A. series, livestreaming from last week’s Netflix is a Joke Festival, there’s good news. The series is still available at Netflix.com. It felt like sitting in Mulaney’s living room while only-in-L.A. folks drop by (many comedy celebs, a seismologist, a hypnotist, a scientist from La Brea Tar Pits, Marcia Clark). At one point, Sarah Silverman severely aggravated the hypnotist (he denied it, but his eyes gave him away). Topics included coyotes, earthquakes and the paranormal. Fellow Chicagoan Richard Kind (Practical Theatre Co., Second City) em’ceed. The whole thing was quirky, weird, riveting and hilarious. I’ll see it again. As a Chicagoan, I definitely needed L.A. explained and this series went a long way. At first visit, L.A. can seem soulless – sort of what would happen if a car dealership and the planet Neptune had a baby. This series doesn’t necessarily define L.A., but definitely demonstrated why L.A. is so hard to define and how to have party-level fun with the confusion.

A new biography of Elaine May by Carrie Courogen will be released on June 4: Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius. Elaine May began her career hitchhiking to Chicago with $7 in her pocket and went on to revolutionize American comedy.

Big news for Alex Edelman! Honorary Chicago comedian. Just announced: Alex will receive a special Tony Award, one of only three artists chosen for this honor this year. Chicago audiences were among the first to see Alex’s one-man show Just For Us when he previewed it at The Den in 2021 (and CDG was there and the first to say it would be spectacular). The show reveals what happened when Alex, who is Jewish, infiltrated a meeting of white supremacists. Since those previews, Just For Us has toured to critical acclaim around the world, including a successful run on Broadway. The show returned to Chicago last winter with sold-out performances at Steppenwolf. The final show was at Netflix is a Joke in L.A. last weekend. Just For Us is now streaming on HBO.

Chicagoan Jax Smith and her wife Fortune Feimster will lead the Chicago Pride Parade on June 30. Fortune is quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times, “Chicago holds a special place in our hearts — it’s home to a great comedy scene and home to the best audiences. It’s also where Jax and I first met nine years ago, during Pride.” 

ADVANCE TICKET ALERTS

May 29: Aida Rodriguez at City Winery

June 13: Bad Momz of Comedy at Riddles

June 14-15: Joel Kim Booster at The Den Theatre

June 15: Father Knows Best Comedy Steven Springer hosts Mike Stricker and headliner Bill Gorgo at Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove. A Mark Klaber Production.

June 21: George Wilborn at City Winery

June 27-28: Kevin Nealon at City Winery

July 9: Damon Williams at City Winery

July 13: Cameron Esposito at The Den Theatre

September 13: Bassem Youssef at Chicago Theatre

October 4-5: Chris Redd at The Den Theatre

October 26: David Cross with Sean Patton at The Vic

November 8: Jessica Kirson at The Riviera

November 8: Eugene Mirman at The Den Theatre

November 22-23: Tiffany Haddish at City Winery

Below are eleven shows happening only this week only in Chicago. Please also check out: Advance Ticket Alerts 2024. Please confirm all details before leaving home!

MONDAY, MAY 13

Tonight highlights how lucky we are as comedy fans in Chicago. Tickets always sell out for these moms’ shows. Hopefully, you have tickets already and will find a way to see these shows either tonight or next opportunity! Follow these talented comedians/producers on social media for the best advance notice!

Mother’s Day Comedy Night at Harbor Brewing Company, Lake Villa, 7:30 p.m. Denise Medina hosts Laura Hugg, Brandi Alexander, Susana Rodriguez & Patti Vasquez.

Bad Momz of Comedy Mother’s Day Hangover Show at Zanies Chicago, 7:00 p.m. Orly KG hosts Mo Good, Avril Granato, Eunji Kim, Maggie Hughes DePalo.

TUESDAY, MAY 14

New Mainstage Revue at Second City, 8:00 p.m. “Step into the heart of comedy and become a part of The Second City’s storied legacy with our latest sensation: The 112th Mainstage Revue! This is the most exciting time to see a show on our stages. The cast is fresh, new material is worked into the show every night, and your laughter in the audience helps shape the final show! As an added bonus, join us for a FREE fully-improvised 3rd Act. 3rd Acts are performed Tuesdays-Thursdays after 8pm performances, Saturdays after 10pm performances, & Sundays after 7pm performances.”

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15

She Told Me She Loved Me, and the Next Day She Died at The Annoyance, 7:00 p.m. “A warped comedy that explores the complexities of identity, friendship, and the transformative power of love.”

THURSDAY, MAY 16

Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen at The Newberry, 6:00 p.m. Definitely one of the great comedy events of the year and a rare opportunity to hear from Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen together. They’ll “discuss their long and storied careers as comedians and performers while reflecting back to their time at Mister Kelly’s, as possibly the first interracial comedy duo. Moderated by Ron Rapoport. Hard to find new copies of the out-of-print book Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White, as well as Tom Dreesen’s recent book, Still Standing … My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra, will be available for purchase in the Newberry Bookshop, and the speakers will sign copies after the program.”

FRIDAY, MAY 17

Chastity Washington at Oil Lamp Theater, Glenview, 7:00 p.m. With host AJ Grill and Katie Meiners. Chastity Washington is a writer, actor, elementary school teacher and nationally touring headliner. Her special Live At Dandy is available on Amazon Prime. In partnership with The Laughing Academy.

Nate Bargatze at BMO Center, Rockford, 7:00 p.m. Nate Bargatze has multiple specials and has broken records for ticket sales around the country. He recently hosted Saturday Night Live and was selected as one of four comedians to headline opening night of Netflix is a Joke at the Hollywood Bowl (the others were Jim Gaffigan, Sebastian Maniscalco & Jerry Seinfeld). You can also see him at Allstate Arena this June.

Dwayne Kennedy at CG’s Comedy Club, Batavia, 8:00 p.m. tonight and tomorrow. This Emmy Award winning comedian is a “world-class standup” (Village Voice) and “legendary” (The Chicago Tribune). Audiences also describe him as ingenious and many comedians say he is their favorite comedian. Check out Michael Alexander’s film Out of the Loop (Amazon Prime) to hear Dwayne’s insights about the Chicago comedy scene.

SATURDAY, MAY 18

Pat Tomasulo at Lincoln Cultural Center, Kankakee, 7:00 p.m. Pat is reason enough to turn into WGN news every morning. He is also a talented in-demand standup whose wise-guy highly entertaining exterior can’t disguise his great heart. Pat is also the creator and host of Laugh Your Face Off, an annual comedy benefit that has raised over $2.6M for The Facial Pain Research Foundation, which funds research to cure trigeminal neuralgia, a rare pain condition from which his wife Amy suffers.

Adam Burke at Laughing Academy, Glenview, 8:00 p.m. Adam is a multi-award winning comedian, writer, and a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!

SUNDAY, MAY 19

The Early Bird Special Geezers of Comedy at Laugh Factory, 7:00 p.m. Steven Springer’s hit show. Tonight Steven hosts Tony Sculfield, Diane Corder, Leon Rogers, Henry Spoon, Quintella Caldwell, Marlon Mitchell.