The Definitive Guide to Comedy
Look, I know that’s a photo from 2016’s Schtick or Treat, but on the bright side, as the new curator of Comedy Listings for the Weekend Arts section of The New York Times, I got that in the newspaper, so let’s all celebrate! As for Schtick or Treat 2018, it …
Just For Laughs has announced the lineup for its fifth annual edition of JFL42, a 42-show headliner stand-up comedy festival held at the end of September in Toronto. Getting top billing in 2016? Jim Gaffigan, Tig Notaro, Trevor Noah, Jim Jefferies, Roseanne Barr, Anthony Jeselnik, Demetri Martin and Chris D’Elia. Of …
Emo Philips boasts one of the most distinctive voices in comedy and has for the better part of three decades. His 1985 record, “E=MO2,” remains the gold standard for joke-writers of his generation and those who have followed him into stand-up comedy. Last weekend, Philips performed in two shows at the …
AltCom fest organizer Brian Joyce paced backstage at the Somerville Theater minutes before the scheduled 8 p.m. showtime and tried to pump up his performers. "It’s a healthy crowd," he told the comedians. "There’s not a stretch of empty seats downstairs." Eugene Mirman couldn’t help but laugh right away, telling …
Only a few days before the debut of the newest comedy festival to hit the circuit, AltCom: the Alternative Comedy Festival in Somerville, Mass. (May 9-10). I thought I’d get an expert comedian’s opinion on AltCom, and Emo Philips provided The Comic’s Comic with his insight on AltCom, festivals vs. …
In my 36 years on the planet Earth, not to mention my many years inhabiting other celestial bodies and spirits, I’ve seen plenty of great comedy shows, hundreds more live comedy shows that provided more than a few laughs, and some clunkers. Never have I laughed so hard, so often, …
