Filed Under Just For Laughs, Stand-Up Comedy

Just For Laughs: Chicago - What I’m Looking Forward To

Just For Laughs is making its big U.S.A. invasion in just a month, putting down a flag in Chicago and establishing what’ll probably become America’s premiere comedy fest almost by default.

I’m planning on going next month and these are some of the shows I’m looking forward to checking out:

• The local Chicago comics who I don’t see. Living in New York, I’m blessed that big names end up doing a lot of spots around me. So traveling to see a comic who I could probably see do a similar show down the block for me is a little ridiculous. So I intend to explore Chicago-style comedy, simply because it’s a vital community that I never get to regularly experience. This includes stuff like Don’t Spit the Water, Schadenfreude Rent Party and Alone: Chicago’s Best Solo Acts. If you’re in the area and don’t get to see some of these big comics, definitely go. But keep an eye on the great stuff in front of you after they leave. I can’t.
• I hope I can balance out the time to catch both showings of Green Room with Paul Provenza, where he talks to comedians about comedy in a funny, engaging way that reveals a lot about the art of being funny. This manner marked his directorial debut “The Aristocrats” and will probably be a big component of his upcoming book Satiristas. It didn’t get too comedy-wonky, just comics talking like comics to each other.
• Alright, here’s one I’ve checked out last year in Just For Laugh’s Montreal counterpart, but Patrice O’Neal’s Positivity is worth more than a second watch. He’s an incredibly conflicted and complex comedian who tells incredibly blunt jokes. Here’s my review from last year. (Buy Tickets for this show)
• I’m, of course, a terrible comedy nerds if I didn’t check out Bob Odenkirk’s Best of Sketchfest and then Odenkirk reunited with Mr. Show partner David Cross for Bob, David and Friends (Buy Tickets for this show).

After the jump, you’ll find my map of the comedy fest…

One of my bugaboos about comedy fest has been, on occasion, the maps of where venue were stank. Particularly when you’re trying to get from one show to another in a night. So I’m done up a Google Map that puts all the venues on one page that’ll hopefully help alleviate that problem for me. It’s embedded here for you to look at, but you’ll probably want to visit the larger version on Google Maps. If you’re going to Just For Laughs, feel free to print it out and, of course, send me suggestions on how to improve it.

View Just For Laughs Chicago in a larger map

Posted by Todd Jackson at 03:58 PM | Send to Friend
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