Martin Lawrence returns to Chicago: ‘Just here to make you laugh’

Chicago isn’t the first stop on Martin Lawrence’s new tour, but he says the city is always top of mind.

“If it wasn’t for Chicago stamping me and giving me the OK,” Lawrence said, “I wouldn’t have been known in all the households around the world.”

Lawrence has been a mainstay in the comedy world since the 1980s, but he credits the release of his 1991 episode of the HBO stand-up series “One Night Stand” as a turning point — an episode that was filmed at the Vic Theatre in Lakeview.

Now, Lawrence is back in Chicago and back on the road with his “Y’all Still Know What It Is!” tour, a continuation of his “Y’all Know What It Is!” tour that kicked off in 2024. He will perform Friday, Sept. 25, at the Arie Crown Theater.

For Lawrence, the process of building a new show begins long before he steps on stage.

“I start from what it is I want to talk about,” he said. This includes brainstorming with other writers and discussing potential show topics before building out a set.

Next, he tests the material, taking versions of his show to intimate stages like The Comedy Store before setting out on tour.

“I work out every other day, every other week,” he said, “until it’s a full set.”

His biggest test for what goes into a show, however, is simple: It has to be funny.

“I’m just here to make you laugh,” he said. He stays away from politics and topical humor, instead aiming to “take your mind away” from the outside world “… at least for an hour or so.”

Before 2024, Lawrence had not toured in several years. He’s back on the road, he said, because he loves it.

“I just enjoy getting out there, making people laugh,” he said, “especially in hard times.”

Though his Chicago “One Night Stand” catapulted him into the spotlight, it was far from his first appearance before an audience. In 1987, his turn on television’s “Star Search” caught the eye of executives at Columbia Pictures TV, who cast him in the third season of ABC’s “What’s Happening Now!!”

By 1989, Lawrence was hosting HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” a show that helped launch the careers of other Black comics, such as Jamie Foxx, Mo’Nique and Sheryl Underwood.

Three decades into his career, Lawrence is helping the next generation of comedians.

This year, he produced “Pass Tha’ Mic,” a stand-up competition that, according to its website, aims to “to identify, amplify, and launch the next generation of transformative comedic talent.” Hosted by comedian Jo Koy, “Pass Tha’ Mic” was filmed with a live audience and is being shopped to distributors.

Lawrence owes a lot of his early career success to the small screen. In 1992, “Martin” premiered on the Fox network. The sitcom featured Lawrence playing the lead role and a plethora of supporting characters. The show ran for five seasons as the flagship program of the network’s Thursday evening lineup.

The show’s staying power is so potent that, just this year, Lawrence executive produced a spinoff of the show, called “The Varnell Hill Show,” which airs on Paramount+. The sitcom features Tommy Davidson reprising his role in “Martin” as a late-night host trying to adapt to a changing media landscape.

Lawrence understands those changes. At a time when comics can make the jump directly from social media content to stage, as opposed to working their way through the club circuit, Lawrence said, “funny carries anywhere.”

“If you can come from the internet and you can pull it off,” he said, “then all well and good.”

Outside of “Martin,” Lawrence is best known for his work on the silver screen. The “Bad Boys” franchise, starring Lawrence and Will Smith, has grossed over $1 billion worldwide and spawned four films and a television show, and 2000’s “Big Momma’s House” was the first in a film trilogy.

Most recently, he lent his voice to 2025’s animated film “Sneaks.” In 2023, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lawrence’s next screen project may feel familiar to ticket holders of this tour. He aims to film and release his current show “once we keep adding to it and shaping it.”

But first, he said, he needs an audience.

“Chicago, I’m coming,” he said. “Just come on and hang out with me. Let’s have a good time.”

rtrimble@tribpub.com

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Martin Lawrence: “Y’all Still Know What It Is! Tour”

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25

Where: Arie Crown Theater, 2301 Lake Shore Drive at McCormick Place, Chicago

Tickets: Start at $76.25 at ticketmaster.com/