Josh Johnson, Monday, April 3, 2023
A YouTube sensation ever since his comic short “Catfishing the KKK” nailed over 12 million views, Louisiana-born stand-up comedian Josh Johnson is a socio-political material magnet, having written for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah since 2017, and crafted a smartly topical hour-long special #(HASHTAG) on Paramount+. Doubling as a musician and a DJ, he’s even fashioned a stand-up mash-up 33-track mixtape, Elusive, from the best bits of his live material. Industrious.
The Stand, 116 E 16th Street, New York, NY 10003
Sal Calanni, Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Every decade gets one worthy, smart-assed Italian American stand-up comedian preaching the gospel of generational machismo and its increasing irrelevance in modern society – and this moment just happens to belong to Sal Calanni. The Cleveland native now bound to San Francisco has a lot of film to his name (his own starring, co-writing venture, Lucifer’s Crewcut, starring Maria Bamford, Jello Biafra, and GWAR; a part in the next Spike Lee film). But hardcore stand-up is his game, with a comedy album, Real Job, Real Paycheck, and a weekly iTunes podcast, “WhotheEFF is Sal Calanni” to his name.
Punch Line San Francisco, 444 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
Kevin Nealon, Tuesday, April 4, 2023
One of the early original gangsters of Saturday Night Live and the comic centerpiece of Showtime’s Weeds dramedy, snarly snarky Kevin Nealon seems to be having a third regeneration due to being married with a child in his 50s and finding a new way to work and write collaboratively. But my guess is that Nealon still has the “asshole” in him, and can big deep to find that which is lousy about mankind.
ZANIES Comedy Night Club, 2025 8th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37204
Antonio Sanint, Wednesday, April 5, 2023
First off, Sanint is doing this event at San Jose’s Improv as a Spanish speaking-only show, so bravo, there. If anyone is going to do this it is Sanint, a beloved Colombian stand-up comedian with showcases such as ¿Quien Pidió Pollo?, his first official nationwide tour. Plus, he’s the toast of Netflix (Chichipatos), Disney+ (Siempre Fui Yo) and the very recent New York Comedy Festival. En su rutina, Antonio navega por todas las situaciones difíciles e incómodas que nos enfrentamos diariamente y las analiza y las disecta con una precisión muy divertida.
San Jose Improv, 62 South 2nd Street, San Jose, CA 95113
Donnell Rawlings, Thursday, April 6, 2023
Just back from an emergency tour of Australia opening for his old friend and Chappelle Show employer Dave Chappelle (emergency in that he actually cancelled 2022 dates to hang with Dave), stand-up comedian Donnell Rawlings has a lot to talk about: how Aussies take to “I’m riyyyyyach, biyaaaatch,” the re-start of his Black Mafia series, growing into middle age pimp-dom. The jokes are endless.
Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom Street, Philadelphia PA 19103
Marlon Wayans, Friday, April 7, 2023
One of the many many many comic Wayans that have taken their turns on sitcoms (The Wayans Bros) and broad satirical films (Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, Fifty Shades of Black) gives stand-up comedy a shot.
Improv Comedy Theater & Restaurant, 1148 Main Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113
Gina Brillon, Friday, April 7, 2023
America’s Got Talent’s first Latina comedian finalist, Bronx-born Gina Brillon, represents in more ways than one, from race to sex, from tattoos to taboos, as she does on her Grace Award-winning stand-up special The Floor is Lava.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, 3545 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Ben Schwartz – Friends. Improv. Saturday, April 8, 2023
The second you see the photo (above) of actor Ben Schwartz, you’re going to say, “Hey, I know that guy.” And you do, if you have watched sitcoms like NBC’s Parks and Recreation and ABC’s Modern Family, or listened hard to hear who it was played Leonardo in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Live comedy improvisation on a big stage, however? I dunno. It’s a Largo show, so I put my faith in the location’s curation.
Largo at the Coronet, 366 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90048
The Latchkey Kids: Rex Manning Day, Saturday, April 8, 2023
Maxwell Caufield’s 18980’s pop star character in Empire Records – the 1995 coming-of-age comedy starring Aussie Anthony LaPaglia as a beleaguered vinyl story manager – gets the improv treatment from Pittsburgh’s answer to The Kids in the Hall: the Latchkey Kids, the Best Improv/Sketch Group that the steel town has to offer. I love a grand obscurity.
Arcade Comedy Theater, 943 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh PA, 15222
Rich Little, Sunday, April 9 2023
If you’re a fan of A.D. Amorosi’s comedy pages, you’ll remember that last week I interviewed stand-up comedian and impersonator Matt Friend about performing voice overs and impressions in the Instagram and TikTok era. Rich Little, my friends, was doing humorous stand-up comedy impersonations before there were typewriters – and he always did it in a tux and with a smile. Politicians. Old movie stars. Fellow comics. In costume. This guy was, and surely is still, the tops at impersonations. Now in what he is calling a “one man show,” look for Rich Little to offer an historical perspective on what it means to have one million other peoples’ voices in your head. Plus, he’s at the Trop, one of Vegas’ oldest still-standing OG casinos.
Tropicana Las Vegas, 3801 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Paradise, NV
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