Veritable glut of special shows this week, guys. First of all, the D.C. Comedy Fest producers are in town and are going to be checking out performances all week.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) Chicago Underground Comedy welcomes the festival to their line-up, featuring ten of the city's best local stand-ups, including Nick Vatterott, Adam Burke, Brendan McGowan, Dan Telfer, Carrie Callahan, Brady Novak, Fay Canale, Steve O. Harvey, and Chad Briggs. Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, 9:30 p.m., regular $5 admission WAIVED in honor of the festival.
Then on Wednesday at 7 p.m. there's a FREE sketch and improv showcase at the Playground Theater, 3209 Halsted, featuring sets from The Puterbaugh Sisters, Seeder & Lee, Turbo, Hey You Millionaires, Ken Barnard, and Money Kids.
On Thursday, the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, will welcome Second City alum and co-host of the second season of First Comes Love, Elvira Kurt. Here she will perform two stand-up shows (7:30 and 9 p.m.), and then join an all-star cast for that evening's Messing with a Friend at 10:30 p.m. Stay tuned for some words from the lady herself later this week!
That same night, Prescott Tolk will record his live album, "I Can Complain", at the Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, 8 p.m.
And ALSO on Thursday (and Friday, thankfully), sketch/stand-up impresario/rabble rouserKen Barnard performs his "three man" show, "Get Into It", effectively taking over the Lincoln Lodge, 4009 N. Lincoln, at 9 p.m., for a two-night stand. See our interview with Ken tomorrow for more information and intrigue!
Die hard Chicago comedy fans see him host the top notch showcase/open mic "Your Sunday Best" at Schubas every Sunday night. The album, "I Can Complain," will be recorded at the special show, and you can click here for a special two-for-one ticket offer.
Check out this classic Tolk Blerds video, "Convenience Store," also featuring Mike Wiley, Mike Holmes, and Next Big Thing (sez us andlots of other people) Kumail Nanjiani:
"Steve O Harvey kicked off, a big man getting bite-sized laughs out of his theory that his partner was drawn to him because he is '95 per cent pillow.' Mike Bridenstine packed lots into his entertaining 10 minutes, mostly bizarre catchphrases and embittered tirades against Missy Elliot and Pamela Anderson. The name attraction, however, was Renee Gauthier, who played Victoria Beckham's Ugly Betty-ish PA in 2007's mock-doc Coming To America...Gauthier is a sassy stand-up who claimed that she had prepared for us by watching Bridget Jones before delivering amiable stories about drugs, mums and being tongue-tied on meeting Kelly Clarkson...Ken Barnard, a promising skinny oddball, closed by reading from the novelisation of Rocky III. Kyle Kinane was a bleak, misanthropic Ernest Hemingway lookalike with a penchant for suicide jokes."
Need some Valentine's Day comedy suggestions? Coming right up. First, there's a "special comedy/sexy-love time Valentine's Day event" hosted by Think Tank at the Apollo Theater (2540 N. Lincoln Avenue). Show up at 7:00 p.m. with $8 for a complimentary wine tasting before the 8:00 show, which features dynamic female duo the Puterbaugh Sisters, Fred Thunder, and Think Tank themselves. It's not just a show, it's a party!
You may have missed Edge's Comedy's "Handsome Bastards of Comedy," but you can still catch the special Valentine's Day show, "Love Fest," at The Edge Comedy Club (Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green Street). It's nothing but relationship jokes from the lovelorn Dustin White, Matt Drufke, Dave Odd, and Shay Shay. Then, February 14th at 8:30 is a very special Valentine's Day show. Then, on Friday February 15th at 10:30, enjoy the Ha-Ha-Hotties, an all female comedy show with Leah Eva, Katie Canavan, Michelle Thompson, Beth Stelling, Carrie Callahan, Julianna Forlano, Christien Parisi, Kat, and Tiffany Puterbaugh hosting as 'Aunt Flo'.
There's also an all-female lineup at the Lincoln Lodge's Valentine's Day show (4008 N. Lincoln Ave), where hostess Cameron Esposito will be serving cupcakes baked with her own loving hand. Esposito will be joined by Jessica Halem who is also nominated as Best Female Standup at the Chicago Comedy Awards, coming up in March. Also performing will be Time Out Chicago's "Funniest Person in Chicago" finalist Jena Friedman and the ever-frenetic Money Kids.
And, as if all this weren't enough, we just got word that the Chicago Comedy House is also having a show at Timothy O'Tooles (622 N Fairbanks Court) tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Fay Canale hosts the free show, featuring Ricky Carmona, Brendan McGowan, Mike Lee and Chad Briggs. Cold $2 PBR tallboys and hot Chicago comedy. What more could you ask for?
There's a new one-time show in the works at The Playground Theater (3209 N Halsted St) Friday, December 21 at 10 PM, and host Robert Buscemi (whose show "Three Dumb Men" was called "smart" and "hilarious" by Chicagoist) is looking to book clever performers willing to spill the beans on their first and/or most hilarious sexual experience. And not just stand-ups.
Buscemi's vision: "We put up everyone who wants to go up -- improvisors, actors, stand-ups, civilians, anyone -- to tell a SHORT story about their first or a very early sexual experience. Or a funny recent one. Whatever. The point is: sex, early, funny, and true. I just think it'd be a blast and force us all to expand our range and get all hot and bothered for Christmas."
E-mail him if you'd like to tell your sordid and embarrassing tales of early gropes and bra strap fumblings. The Playground is BYOB and the cost for this show will be $3 for performers, $10 for fans.
Ready for some holiday dumb-assery? Besides having to listen to Grandpa's ill-informed and mildly racist rants at Thanksgiving, we mean?
Well, get happy. Chicago filmmaker Steve Delahoyde and stand-ups Robert Buscemi & Jared Logan are…The Three Dumb Men! Come celebrate your holiday with their world-premiere holiday films and live comedy!
"The Three Dumb Men" will feature several special guests, including stand-up favorite Brady Novak, who recently opened for Maria Bamford at the Lakeshore Theater, award-winning playwright and improviser Jenni Lamb, and "Impress These Apes" Grand Champion Kristen Studard, who is rumored to be performing her indescribably sick and funny sexy bee skit from th Apes finale (below):
December 12th, 9:30 PM
At the Annoyance Theater, 4830 N. Broadway
Tickets $15
Or call 773-561-HONK, and request the 2-for-1 "bring-a-friend" special!
The Bastion was one of more than 300 people to attend the sold out Pat Brice Tribute Show at the Lakeshore Theater this past weekend. The show was a reunion of sorts, bringing back many of Pat's old comedy friends, now living in Los Angeles and elsewhere. The night opened with a slideshow of a recent photo shoot of Pat, shot by fellow comedian David Angelo.
The photos captured the many facets of Pat, including his faux-sneer, charismatic grin, and signature smile. Set to a hip-hop soundtrack, it was the perfect welcoming segment for the friends and family gathered to watch some of the very best comics to emerge out of Chicago, who have all shared countless days and nights with Pat, performing, commiserating, and sharing memory-making times.
Pat's story of how "One Billion Pennies" came to be written was then played, an audio track recorded with his sports comedy show, The Visitors Locker Room, and his co-hosts Sean Flannery, who emceed the Lakeshore show, and CJ Sullivan, who headlined. It was coupled with animation by Jon Wilcox, and was gleeful and childlike.
Performances by Jeff Klinger, Brady Novak, TJ Miller, Kyle Kinane, and Shawn Cole were met with raucous approval, and each performer shared a favorite memory of Pat at the end of their sets. Pat's older brother Danny, who has become a friend to many in the local comedy scene within the last few months, closed the show with his remarks. It was a night of laughter, tears, and love. A pat on the back (no pun intended) to the organizers of this event, who managed to make it an energetic evening of celebration and remembrance such that Pat's family, including Danny and his parents Bernie and Mary Alice Brice, were seen leaving the show with smiles on their faces.
Photos, from top to bottom: Shawn Cole, TJ Miller, Kyle Kinane, and Jeff Klinger. All photos by Krystle Gemnich.
The next five nights, all across Chicago, you can catch spooktacular Halloween comedy. Knock yourselves out! Here's the rundown:
Tonight at 9:30 at the Beat Kitchen is Chicago Underground Comedy's Halloween show, with performers in costume, special spooky jokes, and enough chocolate to put you into a diabetic coma.
Wednesday night's Edge Comedy Big Fancy Open Mic at 8:30 at the Chicago Center For the Performing Arts is also Halloween-y in theme. Producer Dave Odd has decreed that "All comics performing must be in costume, and perform as that character."
Bastion pal "The Sound of Young America," described as "a public radio show about things that are awesome," is putting on a free show tomorrow night at 8:00 pm at Second City. The show will feature performances and interviews with members of The Second City Touring Company, Schadenfreude, Team Submarine and Hannibal, and an in-depth interview with legendary music producer Steve Albini. Okay, this show isn't Halloween-y themed, but it's happening on Halloween.
The Lincoln Lodge's Thursday and Friday shows (both at 9:00 pm) will feature lots of gore and terror. And some of the comedians will be performing as zombies, too! ::rimshot::
Friday and Saturday at 10:00 pm, head to The Annoyance Theater for Splatter Theater. They promise "A white stage, lots of blood, lots of gore, and lots of deaths."
London publications are touting the comedic talents of some homegrown Chicago talent. "
Need some Valentine's Day comedy suggestions? Coming right up. First, there's a "special comedy/sexy-love time Valentine's Day event" hosted by 
There's a new one-time show in the works at 
Ready for some holiday dumb-assery? Besides having to listen to Grandpa's ill-informed and mildly racist rants at Thanksgiving, we mean? 
Bastion pal "The Sound of Young America," described as "a public radio show about things that are awesome," is putting on 
