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.
Comedy
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.
The author, actor and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member tells us about her new stand-up residency at The Second City.
At the Museum of Broadcast Communications, a new exhibition looks at a television phenomenon with strong ties to Chicago.
The former “Daily Show” correspondent discusses politics, comedy and culture within the entertainment industry.
A great joke can make you laugh, but can it also help you face life’s mysteries? A new book makes the case that jokes not only delight us, but help us approach difficult subject matter.
The comedian and civil rights activist died on Saturday. He was 84.
When two local comedians launched the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival in 2012, they were regularly asked: “What’s it like to be a woman in comedy?” Find out what’s in store for this year’s fest—and how the business of comedy is evolving.
