Arsenio Hall returns to his standup roots for Zanies shows in Rosemont

Arsenio Hall

<b>When:</b> 8 p.m. Friday, April 20, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21

<b>Where:</b> Zanies, Parkway Bank Park, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont, (847) 813-0484 or rosemont.zanies.com

<b>Tickets:</b> $35

Arsenio Hall sees his performances this weekend at Zanies in Rosemont as a homecoming of sorts.

“I always call it my show business homecoming. Because, even though I'm from Cleveland, everything that defines me, and makes me happy, happened in Chicago,” said the former TV show host.

In the mid- to late 1970s, standup comedy existed primarily in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, as opposed to the nationwide comedy club circuit we know today. So, Hall moved to Chicago to give it a go. Hall's mother lived on the city's northwest side and the suburbs became a second home.

“(My mother) lived on River Road in a tall high-rise there,” said Hall. “But, more importantly, she lived down the street then from a place called The Comedy Cottage. It was on River Road in Rosemont,” Hall said of the now defunct club where he performed.

Hall said his first big gig - “the first time I was ever paid” - was also in Rosemont, at the Blue Max in the Hyatt Regency. He opened for Chicago R&B group The Emotions. And Stevie Wonder was in attendance.

“They were produced by Earth, Wind & Fire, so it was a real big kind of a Chicago happening. Maurice White produced them,” explained Hall. “I remember sitting in a hotel room with them after and hanging out with Stevie Wonder until 4 in the morning. That was an exciting night! I get a check and I get to meet Stevie Wonder.”

Chicago-area clubs gave young comics the ability to perform several times a night between placement on bills early and late at The Comedy Cottage, Lyons' The Comedy Womb and Zanies on Wells in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

The Comedy Womb, which closed in the late '90s, holds a special place for Hall as well.

“They had a sign that said, 'The Comedy Womb: Where Comedians Are Born.' And that's actually where I met (Jay) Leno,” Hall mused.

In those days, clubs relied on comics to pick up headlining talent from the airport. Hall flipped a coin with comic Dailey Pike for the right to pick up Leno. Hall lost, but Pike let him ride along.

“So I met Jay. And Jay sat and held court with all the comics after he finished performing,” Hall said. “I always talked to comics backstage. Because I remember those days where a Jay Leno would sit and talk to you.”

Hall closed the 1970s by leaving Chicago for Los Angeles. He put comedy on the back burner as he chased success in television, film and, ultimately, as a late-night talk-show host.

In the 1980s, he starred alongside Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America” and “Harlem Nights.”

“Coming to America,” about an African prince searching for a wife in New York, continues to resonate, and a sequel appears to be in the works.

“I'll tell you who Paramount brought in that changed the whole trajectory of it. There's a gentleman who wrote 'Girls Trip' for Tiffany Haddish and Queen Latifah and all the ladies. And he also penned the television show for ABC, 'black-ish.' His name is Kenya Barris,” Hall said.

“He has just finished the third draft and it's unbelievable. I'm really, really happy,” said Hall of the sequel's status.

As host of “The Arsenio Hall Show” from 1989 to 1994, Hall broke new late-night ground, going head-to-head with the establishment and reaching the youth demographic in that time slot. Bill Clinton took a notorious turn on saxophone and Hall developed a knack for capturing the essence of what we know today as a viral moment in a water-cooler era.

“It changed my life,” he said of the show. “But I gave up standup to stay in L.A.”

Now, he's going back to where he started. Hall has been on the road performing for more than a year, with Zanies shows in Rosemont Friday and Saturday, April 20-21. He sees real value in standup during divisive times.

“It makes me think that we need to laugh more than ever,” Hall said. “And you know what? Right now, standup has saved my life. Because it's given me this thing that I didn't get to do as a young man. It was a mission I didn't get to complete. Being out there now and having it? It's like the therapy that I need.”