Zach Freeman

Shrimp Boys perform during Helltrap Nightmare at the Hideout in Chicago.

It’s the final Hideout show for Helltrap Nightmare — which next spreads its Chicago strangeness to LA

September 17, 2019 at 6:00 a.m.

"Hideout, do you want to see me put my dead great-grandma's teeth in my mouth?" comedian AJ Marroquin asks the mostly standing audience packed into the performance space in The...

Nick Offerman performs at the Chicago Theatre in Oct. 2013.

Nick Offerman at the Chicago Theatre: His ‘All Rise’ tour is easy to like

September 16, 2019 at 4:06 p.m.

"I'm a strange hybrid between like a stand-up comedian and, let's face it, Michael Bublé," said actor, comedian, author, reality TV host, woodworker and all around man among men Nick...

Comedian April Macie performs at Zanies in Chicago on Saturday.

April Macie at Zanies Chicago: The sex jokes seem a little tired

September 15, 2019 at 3:46 p.m.

"It's the lady portion of the show," announced comedian April Macie after striding onto the stage at Zanies for the first of three back-to-back shows on a Saturday night (with...

Fall preview: 10 comedians you need to see around Chicago before 2019 ends

September 6, 2019 at 4:54 p.m.

April Macie: With her latest special recently released as part of Netflix's "Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready" series, there's never been a better time to see this tell-all club comic....

Comedian and actress Correy Bell in her Matteson home.

Chicago comic Correy Bell first picked up a mic ‘on a dare’ and now opens for Mo’Nique in Vegas

September 6, 2019 at 4:33 p.m.

"Vegas is fun but there's nothing like coming back home to your family, your crowd," says comedian Correy Bell excitedly. Family, in all its many forms, is extremely important to...

Comedian Ali Wong in Los Angeles in May.

Ali Wong is back at Chicago Theatre, with sex on her mind

September 6, 2019 at 5:23 p.m.

In 2017, riding off of the success of her Netflix special "Baby Cobra," comedian Ali Wong sold out two shows at The Chicago Theatre, where she talked a lot about...

Patton Oswalt performs at the rooftop of Whiskey Business bar in Chicago on Thursday.

Patton Oswalt’s show got moved to a Wicker Park rooftop — so he messed with the neighbor in the next building

September 6, 2019 at 5:23 p.m.

Picture this: You're sitting quietly in your apartment when suddenly a vaguely familiar amplified voice fills the room. "Is that Remy from 'Ratatouille?'" you wonder aloud. "No, wait; it's Max...

Improvisers Dave Pasquesi, left, and T.J. Jagodowski at the iO Theater in Chicago in July 2019.

It’s called the Bentwood Comedy Festival for the chairs, and it’s by iO Theatre and some of the folks who invented improv

September 6, 2019 at 5:25 p.m.

A simple chair. For most of us, they're used almost exclusively for sitting, but put them on stage with a trained improviser (or better yet, improvisers) and they can become...

Hannah Gadsby at the Chicago Theatre: Different from ‘Nanette’ but she still likes to ‘rummage’ with your head

June 17, 2019 at 2:57 p.m.

"Alright, come on," comedian Hannah Gadsby said to the uproarious applause that greeted her when she walked abruptly out onto the stage of the Chicago Theatre Sunday night, eschewing an...

Comedian Pat McGann during the Zanies 40th anniversary show in April 2018.

Very Chicago comic Pat McGann is very funny at Zanies

June 1, 2019 at 3:47 p.m.

There are a number of checklist items that allow a comedian to claim Chicago roots. A comic could be born here (luck), live here currently (choice), or develop their comedic...

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