The show is aptly titled “The Devil is in the Detours.” Scenes cruise along with solid laughs and then take a turn no one sees coming, because it is just so nutty.
Comedy
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog hosted a “Jeopardy!”-style game show in Chicago this week with celebrity contestants, including ex-Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, actor Samm Levine and ex-governor Rod Blagojevich.
Robert Smigel may be best known as the breeder behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the crass canine puppet whose jokes make Don Rickles look housebroken. We sit down with him before his Chicago show.
The Victor Wong fellowship involves three months of intensive training in sketch comedy writing, performing and improv. The “Youth in Asia (Are You Proud of Me Yet?)” showcase, written and performed by Second City’s latest cohort of fellows, is a culmination of the program.
Local legend Joe Mantegna is directing “I’m Not a Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce” starring Ronnie Marmo as the comedian who took a bullet for anyone who values free speech. Marmo also directs and stars in “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” the true story of the dramatic founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Comedy Central named Richard Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time, and he earned a berth in GQ magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He lent his humor for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.
Pat McGann made a transition from sales to stand-up comedy and in the years since has appeared on late night television and in his own special. Next year, he will headline a show at the Chicago Theatre.
Comedian and actor Jeff Garlin is back home in Chicago. He’ll be appearing at the Chicago Humanities Festival this weekend for an event titled “Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago.”
Chicago’s most storied arts institutions have elevated Black leaders to the helm in the last year. We talk with some of them about how the Chicago arts scene is planning its 2021 comeback.
Chicago’s Second City comedy theater — where performers including Bill Murray, Steve Carell and Jordan Peele honed their skills — has been put up for sale.
It’s said laughter is the best medicine, and while that might not be part of the CDC’s official guidelines, comedians everywhere are reaching out to audiences online, hoping for some connection and a lot of laughter.
Directed with just the right balance of the sacred and the profane by Joe Mantegna, Ronnie Marmo’s show, “I’m Not a Comedian ... I’m Lenny Bruce,” is a seamless weave of excerpts from Bruce’s acts along with original material that deftly takes us inside the man’s psyche.
Lenny Bruce has been called one of the most influential comedians of all time. Joe Montegna and Ronnie Marmo give us a sneak peek into their one-man play about the controversial comedian, which opens this week in Chicago.
Damon Williams has worked at City Hall, Subway and – for the last 27 years – has been a very busy stand-up comic. We catch up with Williams ahead of his benefit for Teamwork Englewood on Friday.
A new scripted comedy series set in and around Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood is lighting up the small screen. We speak with one of the stars of the show, Harvey native LaRoyce Hawkins.
A decade after the comedian’s death, Bernie Mac’s widow, Rhonda McCullough, looks back on his Chicago roots and successful acting career.
