Funny business: Comedy shows, improv and standup clubs bring the laughs this fall
Chicago is a world-famous comedy town. The Windy City and its suburbs teem with ways to stir up audience laughter.
You can catch film and TV celebrities in major theaters, see original sketch comedy revues cooked up at Chicago’s 65-year-old institution that is The Second City, or seek out rising or established standup stars in cozy comedy clubs.
Here are some suggested shows, comedy venues and funny troupes to take note of this fall. Be sure to check each venue’s website for details.
Suburban headliners
Steve Martin and Martin Short have been a heavenly comedy pairing from the 1986 film “Three Amigos!” through to Hulu’s latest season of “Only Murders in the Building.” Martin and Short team up once again for “The Dukes of Funnytown!” — a bluegrass music-infused tour with special guests Jeff Babko and the Steep Canyon Rangers — on Oct. 5 at the Rosemont Theatre.
Spend “An Evening With David Sedaris” when the humorist behind books like “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Happy-Go-Lucky” takes the stage of the Raue Center for the Performing Arts in Crystal Lake on Oct. 23. Sedaris will do a 60-minute reading and then take audience questions.
And there will likely be a lot of laughs at College of DuPage’s McAninch Arts Center during “A Conversation With Kathryn Grody & Mandy Patinkin.” This married duo of an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor and his wife became social media stars during the pandemic, so now fans can see them touring in person Nov. 10 in Glen Ellyn.
The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie is also host to a slew of funny folk. Lewis Black is teasing a farewell with “Goodbye Yeller Brick Road: The Final Tour” on Oct. 9 and 10. And fans of Iranian American comedian Maz Jobrani won’t want to miss his “Mr. International Tour” on Nov. 16.
Longtime Groucho Marx impersonator and “Teatro ZinZanni” veteran Frank Ferrante stars alongside aerialists and more in a new revue called “Caesar’s Circus” in Skokie from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1.
The North Shore Center also hosts comedians Ryan Hamilton (Nov. 9), Modi (Nov. 13 and 14) and Elon Gold (Nov. 17).
Former movie palaces like the Rialto Square Theatre and the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan both host standup headliners with film and TV fame.
And Joe Gatto (“Impractical Jokers,” “The Misery Index”) with guest Mark Jigarjiarn bring the “Let’s Get Into It” tour to the two locales with stops in Joliet on Nov. 21 and Waukegan on Nov. 22.
But if you want to see comedian and illusionist Piff the Magic Dragon (“America’s Got Talent”), his “It Cost $60,000 to Clone my Dog and Now I Need to Make the Money Back” 2024 tour only appears at the Genesee Theatre on Oct. 26.
Suburban standup hubs
If a suburban comedy club is more your vibe, there’s an impressive supply of standup acts who are nationally famous or on the up and up.
The Improv Comedy Showcase in Schaumburg has acts on tap like “Saturday Night Live” alum Jon Lovitz Oct. 25-27 and “Mad TV” alums Aries Spears (Oct. 31-Nov. 3) and Bobby Lee (Nov. 29-30).
Over at the The Comedy Vault in Batavia, there are special appearances by “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Mary Lynn Rajskub (Sept. 26-28), “Saturday Night Live” alum Alex Moffat (Oct. 24-26) and “Adam Ruins Everything” star Adam Conover (Nov. 21-23).
The Comedy Plex in Oak Park is a relative newcomer on the standup scene. Shows feature acts such as Second City alumna Natasha Pearl Hansen (Sept. 27-28), “Seinfeld” alum Steve Hytner (Oct. 11-12) and Eliot Chang (Dec. 13-14).
Over at Zanies Comedy Club in Rosemont, you can catch such acts as “Saturday Night Live” alum Chris Kattan (Oct. 11-13), “America’s Got Talent” semifinalist Jackie Fabulous (Nov. 1-2) and Chicago-area comedian Michael Palascak (Dec. 19-21).
Windy City big time
Some of the biggest names in standup comedy regularly tour the Windy City.
New York-based Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. operates the historic Chicago Theatre, where you can catch rising comedians such as Atsuko Okatsuka (Sept. 28) or more established stalwarts like Whitney Cummings (Oct. 18) and Sarah Silverman (Nov. 2).
Oak Park-native Kathy Griffin plays a New Year’s Eve show at the Chicago Theatre this year.
Chicago-based Jam Productions also hosts comedians at their many Windy City venues.
Fresh off starring alongside pop icon Madonna on her recent world tour, Bob the Drag Queen appears in the “This is Wild! World Tour” at The Vic Theatre on Oct. 6. And fans of the cult favorite “Mr. Show” won’t want to miss David Cross and his “End of the Beginning of the End Tour” at The Vic on Oct. 26.
Irish comedian and “Derry Girls” star Tommy Tiernan crosses the pond to perform at The Vic on Nov. 1.
Over at the more intimate Park West in Chicago, expect an absurdist evening of fun when the winner of Season 14 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is featured in “Willow Pill Presents God’s Child” on Oct. 5. And expect plenty of motherhood mirth when the team of Cat & Nat bring their “Reckless Abandonment Tour” to Chicago on Oct. 26.
Festival time
The 312 Comedy Festival, created by Nashville-based Outback Presents, returns for a second run in Chicago across multiple venues Nov. 6-10. Some of the headlining comedians include Larry David, co-creator of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” in “A Conversation With Larry David” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Chicago Theatre; Mark Normand at the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 9; crowd-work specialist Jessica Kirson at the Riviera Theatre on Nov. 8; and “The Daily Show” writer and correspondent Josh Johnson at Park West on Nov. 8. Known from his relatable comedy on TikTok and Instagram, Kevin Herrera will be headlining Zanies in Rosemont Nov. 7-9. For details, visit 312comedyfestival.com.
Getting sketchy
The Second City has been a Chicago comedy behemoth since 1959, and many of its alumni, such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and others, have gone on to become some of the biggest names in entertainment.
Though it was purchased by private equity fund ZMC in 2021, The Second City continues to offer a multitude of sketch comedy revues, tours and classes. At the time of writing, The Second City’s 112th Mainstage revue is “The Devil is in the Detours,” while the soon-to-be-titled 48th revue at The Second City e.t.c. is being fine-tuned.
Interesting to note that The Second City is also doing a corporate collaboration with Dunkin’ for a new revue called “Ring Lights and Lattes.” It plays Wednesdays in the Up Comedy Club at The Second City through Oct. 23.
And once again The Second City has suburban holiday plans with the revue “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Sweater.” It plays a sit-down engagement at the Paramount Theatre’s intimate Copley Theatre in Aurora from Nov. 21 to Dec. 23. The revue also plays two touring shows Dec. 1 at the McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn.
The McAninch also hosts the adults-only touring political comedy musical revue Capitol Fools on Sept. 29.
Standup in Chicago
The original Zanies is in Chicago’s Old Town and features acts like drag legend Coco Peru (Oct. 7-9), Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson (Nov. 13) and “Saturday Night Live” star Michael Longfellow (Dec. 27-31).
Chicago also has a local outpost of The Laugh Factory in East Lakeview that features plenty of local standup comedians in regular shows like “Fresh Faces,” “The First Date” and “The Nasty Show.”
The Den Theatre in Chicago’s Wicker Park has become a regular haven for standup comics in its many spaces known as the Heath Mainstage, Theatre 2A and The Bookspan. Some of The Den’s starry headliners include former “Saturday Night Live” alum Chris Redd (Oct. 4-5), “Wet Hot American Summer” star Michael Ian Black (Oct. 13) and “Lady Dynamite” star Maria Bamford (Dec. 12-14).
Instant comedy
Improvisational comedy can be variable, since it is mostly created on the spot with audience suggestions. But the excitement of seeing performers finding funniness on their feet is unique to each performance.
Several Chicago theaters specialize in improv shows, with long-form themes or via competitive games. Some city venues to check out include the iO Theater, the Annoyance Theatre & Bar and The Revival.
Or, if you want to stick to the suburbs, there’s the Improv Playhouse in Libertyville. You can also catch improvisational comedy troupes like GreenRoom Improv at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin and the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake or Studio 64 at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.