704 stories by "Zach Freeman"
"Just over a year ago, I became a widower …" Deep breath. This isn't a bit. It's not the set-up for a joke. This is comedian Patton Oswalt about halfway through an hourlong stand-up set, d…
Among the many things that Chicago is known for, comedy remains one of our most cherished and proudly exported. Whether you prefer chuckling at locally-sourced, artisan jokes at open mics an…
Imagine the most embarrassing moment in your sexual history. Got it? Now imagine recounting that moment to a stranger. Now imagine recounting that moment to a room full of strangers while ho…
Grease-slicked hair stripes across his forehead in a blatant comb-over. He spills half of his drink setting it on a music stand and pours the rest on his head a few minutes later. He loudly …
What a missed opportunity. A little over 100 days into the presidency of Donald J. Trump and political satirists are riding high on the fact that so many of their viewers are feeling very lo…
At the end of last year I saw Jerry Seinfeld perform an unfortunately unimpressive and dated set at the Chicago Theatre. I was especially struck not just by how lackluster Seinfeld's presenc…
A standing ovation is typically reserved for the end of a truly impressive performance. But on Saturday night at The Vic, as comedian Norm Macdonald took the stage for the first of two sold-…
What a difference a special makes. A year ago, before her Netflix special "Baby Cobra" " one of the best stand-up specials of 2016 " was released, Ali Wong wasn't a name that you would have …
Katt Williams may have a rocky relationship with the law " the impetuous comedian has been arrested more than a handful of times in the past decade " but judging from the laughter at Saturda…
A little under a month ago, a controversial tweet about Donald Trump's 10-year-old son, Barron, got "Saturday Night Live" writer (and former Chicagoan) Katie Rich suspended from the show ind…
After years of self-aware, self-aggrandizing fanfare mixed with constant belittlement at the hands (and peer-reviewed articles) of our elders (and often even from our peers), the oldest of t…
Some comedians tell you everything about their personal lives " where they live, their marital status, what their home life is like, etc. " while closely guarding their actual deep-seated ha…
"Folks, I cannot dumb this show down any more than this," Larry the Cable Guy (the intentionally obtuse, drawling alter ego of comedian Dan Whitney) declared after dropping a particularly cr…
Comedian Chris Tucker may not know how to structure a coherent 85-minute comedy set (more on that later) but he definitely knows how to make an entrance. Most comedians enter from stage left…
With big-name comedy acts ranging from Mike Epps to Jeff Foxworthy, Chicago has you covered this winter: Janeane Garofalo: Look back on the television shows from the '90s that are most rever…
Saturday night at UIC Pavilion, comedian Amy Schumer, the first female comic to headline Madison Square Garden (which she played twice this year) and the first female comic to make Forbes' H…
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael " whose critically lauded NBC sitcom "The Carmichael Show" will enter its third season next year " does not care if his audience is comfortable. In fact, he actual…
If you haven't heard of Aparna Nancherla, now is a good time to become familiar with the name. The 33-year-old has been working the comedy scene for over a decade, but if her sold-out Lincol…
Comedian Rebecca O'Neal is ready to graduate. Not from high school or college, but from Chicago comedy. To be clear, it's not because she doesn't love the city and its comedy community " the…
The fall stand-up comedy season begins in a hurry in the Chicago area. Hannibal Buress Each time hometown hero Hannibal Buress returns to Chicago to perform, he comes with a resume that's gr…
T.J. Miller clearly loves being onstage. He loves it so much that on Friday night, about two hours and 15 minutes into the Chicago leg of his Meticulously Ridiculous Tour, someone backstage …
What does a psychiatrist do when you tell him that you're a comedian while checking yourself into a psych ward for suicidal thoughts? Google your name to make sure you're not delusional. At …
Comedian Nick Vatterott is fed up with the genrefication and labeling of various comedy forms. "Labels really do a disservice to comedy," he says via email after a canceled flight left him s…
