Results tagged “lakeshoretheater”

If you enjoy the humor of Christian Finnegan, that is. The VH1 Best Week Ever staple and stand-up comedian will be taking his act to the Lakeshore Theater Wednesday night, as part of his nine-city Au Contraire! tour. Finnegan, a.k.a. Chad from "The Mad Real World" skits on Chappelle's Show, sticks primarily to familiar topics (relationships, sex, office politics, technology, etc.), but his wit, insight and charming delivery keep the shtick sharp. Sure you've heard a million cleavage jokes, but are you familiar with Finnegan's four boob quadrants? And perhaps you've played Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit... well then it's hard not to enjoy this bit [2:53 mark]. Finnegan's strength lies in the fact that he can relate to audiences with commonplace subject matter but is talented enough to avoid the tired punchlines, making his stand-up stand out. So if you're in need of some solid, straightforward laughs on your hump day, go pay Mr. Finnegan a visit.

Comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know, NYC's purveyor of the crass and offensive, will make a one-night-only appearance at the Lakeshore Theater this Thursday. Known for their delightful vulgarity, the Kids will tackle everything from celebrity worship to potty humor, and will no doubt throw some beastiality somewhere in the mix. Prepare to giggle nervously.

Comedy

The Keeper of the Floor (KTF) improv dance battle is a monthly series from the Chicago Dance Crash company, and something we have previously touted as a good opportunity to get introduced to the local dance scene. For those who shudder at the idea of a dance show its a great way to see something a bit more accesssible. The performances are meant to cater to the audience, which then chooses the winner of each dance competition.

We dig Aziz Ansari, comedian, actor, and member of comedy troupe Human Giant. And we're not the only ones: Ansari has been tapped to star alongside Rashida Jones and Amy Poehler in a spin-off of The Office that actually isn't a spin-off of The Office. He recently gave a few more details to the Trib, but we're going to be watching it regardless. And if you want to catch Aziz's great stand-up set in person, you're in luck as he's making a stop at the Lakeshore Theater tonight on his Glow in the Dark Tour. There are still a few tickets available for $20 and given how awesome Aziz's performances with Human Giant are, you're not going to want to miss it. But don't just take our word for it: he's got a part in Judd Apatow's upcoming film Funny People. And to prime yourself for his set tonight, tune your radio to 88.3 WZRD as Aziz takes over from 1:30 to 2:30 this afternoon.

Yes, we're totally in the tank for the comedic competition that is Impress These Apes. Tonight is the final performance of Season Three and several of the eight contestants still have a very realistic shot at bringing home the title of "Least Pitiful Human." This year's competition has featured a beauty pageant, someone spitting fire, live karaoke, and nudity. Lots and lots of unnecessary nudity. Which, to us, always equals fun, especially when booze is involved. So catch up on the performances at the Ape's site and make it down to the Lakeshore Theater for tonight's finale.

Didn't see anything in Pencil This In that tickled your fancy? Feel like two great events in one location? First up is Week 6 of Impress These Apes, Chicago's best (and only) comedic talent show judged by apes from the future. This week, all eight contestants will be presenting commercials for products of their own choosing. With the show's penchant for nudity, there's no reason to miss it. Or maybe there is. We'll leave that for you to decide. There are only two more weeks left after tonight, so you'd better get in while you can. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. and costs $15

Conventions

If you need something to take your mind off the weakening economy, the Palins, and other depressing stuff, consider paying a visit to the Lakeshore Theater this Friday for the Found Footage Festival's latest showcase of VHS wackiness. (Judging from the FFF's recent trailer, expect a lot of mullets and beards.) Festival founders Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett have been collecting bizarro video since 1991, and have released two DVDs of their favorite gems. Recently we spoke with Prueher about the FFF's Oct. 24 showing here in Chicago (at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, at 8 p.m.) and what we might expect.

Local sketch comedy troupes GayCo and Schadenfreude are teaming up for a new political comedy show, This Country's F$cked. The show, done in conjunction with Crossroads Funds, will feature plenty of the comedy you've come to enjoy from these two fine troupes as well as appearances by other local performers including: Bassprov, Susan Messing, Ken Barnard, Mike and Duane, Blue Ribbon Glee Club, Mark Bazer, Jet & Holly, Matthew Hollis and the Power of Cheer, Claudia Wallace and Yuri Lane. The show will play tribute to the carnival sideshow that has been the 2008 Elections season and will feature plenty of stand-up, sketches, music, and maybe some unicorn sex (if you're lucky). The show hits the Lakeshore Theater for four exclusive shows over the next two Saturday nights (8 p.m. and 11 p.m. each night). There'll be an after-party featuring DJ Jesse De La Pena after the final show of the run (11 p.m. on the 25th).

Tuesday, Sept. 30

7 p.m., Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Free

While most music fans are familiar with The Watson Twins from their 2006 collaboration with Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, Rabbit Fur Coat, sisters Chandra and Leigh have a blossoming career of their own. While the Twins occupy the same slice of Americana-inspired indie folk pop as the aforementioned Rilo Kiley, they've quickly establishing themselves with their 2006 EP, Southern Manners, and their aptly-named full-length debut, Fire Songs, released last month on Vanguard Records.

Robin Williams, in town to tape an episode of Ellen, also performed a few impromptu stand-up sets over the weekend. He dropped by the Lakeshore Theater Friday and Saturday nights and the under-the-radar venue Town Hall Pub on Sunday for what one audience member tells us was "great shit."

We've dug Doug Benson's silly one-liners on for ages, but it wasn't until we saw his stand-up with the Comedians of Comedy that we felt totally smitten. His set is a lot sharper and faster than we'd have expected, and anyone who can coin the terms "fuckdiculous" and "what the fart?" gets an enthusiastic recommendation from us.

Many would say Chicago tops the list of America’s funniest cities, so it’s fitting that our town created an awards show exclusively to honor Chicago comics. The Second Annual Chicago Comedy Awards, a three-day extravaganza taking place this weekend, sets the stage for local comedians to, well, celebrate themselves.

We sometimes wonder how many people think seeing a dance performance will be something like out of The Big Lebowski. But considering the depth and versatility of the Chicago dance scene, finding a dance show really becomes a matter of how you prefer to be entertained, rather than expecting to be disappointed.

After a week of having holiday music stuck in our head, we need to laugh. Luckily, there are plenty of comedy shows this weekend...

To the five people checking the site today, specifically my father: Please enjoy the above video of John Denver and the Muppets singing "Where The River Meets the Sea" from Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Can you watch this without choking up? We cannot. Anyway! It's been so stupid-cold the last few days we've barely left our warmth cocoon on the couch (tip: the fuzzy robe makes a huge difference), but if you haven't...

pH Productions hit our radar when they started pHlooding the Hottix page with their uniquely titled late-night shows, like pHamily and pHrenzy pHucked. Then came their emails, replete with creative pHonetics: “Hi pHans… pHrenz-o-ween is coming!”

Skidoo sounds like something we made up at 3 AM while at some party: Groucho Marx (in his last movie) plays a gangster named God, Jackie Gleason trips on acid while in jail, Carol Channing plays the most sane character in the whole thing, there's a musical number known as the Garbage Can Ballet, and every credit to the movie is sung. It's an actual movie from 1968 and it was directed by Otto...

Ask any dirty record-store clerk who's worth his weight in vinyl who the most influential bands in "indie rock" are, and Yo La Tengo will be near or at the top of their list. The Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo is the ballsy moniker of the New Jersey band's current tour, and it's said to be part Storytellers, part Unplugged.

Elvis Perkins is a master of atmosphere — warm instrumentation, like upright bass instead of electric, meshes effortlessly with somewhat psychedelic, usually thought-provoking, lyrics.

About a month ago, Chicagoist spoke with Kumail Nanjiani about his then-new one-man show. In Unpronounceable, Nanjiani breaks from his usual stand-up routine and talks about his religious Muslim upbringing in Pakistan, his move to Iowa when he was 18, and his subsequent loss of faith and turn toward atheism.

As an occasional peruser of adult entertainment (NSFW), Chicagoist couldn't resist watching Ron "The Hedgehog" Jeremy debate Pastor Craig Gross about pornography last night at the Lakeshore Theater. As pastor of the XXXChurch, Gross has been on a mission for the last five years. A mission not to eradicate pornography ("I don't want to shut down porn," says Pastor Craig), but to help people overcome what they consider a problem, like alcohol, drugs, or gambling....

If Monday’s holiday has you cramming five days of work into a four-day week and the headlines are only aggravating you further, you need to put the laptop away and get yourself to a comedy show this weekend. The Blerds, a cabal of mostly Chicago-based comics and a film producer, are celebrating their Paper Anniversary Saturday night at The Spot. Drink specials have been promised. The good people at The Bastion are totally crushing on...

Sorry about abandoning everyone. Work was killing us the last couple of Fridays. They’re leaving us alone since “the meltdown”, so we’re back now with tips on how to keep that wallet lean and mean. Friends and label mates of The Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf will be hitting the Empty Bottle in about a month. All the ladies in L.A. are swooning over Alex Church, the only constant member of the band, which contains violins...

Tonight is the night for atmospheric music to haunt your ears at the Lakeshore Theater while you stare at your feet and contemplate how there’s no place for us in this fucked up world. We’ve been getting schooled on this type of music over the last couple of years by our boyfriend and the show tonight features one of the big guys of the genre - Sonic Boom a.k.a. Pete Kember. Kember was one part...

Lakeshore Theater, tonight, 9:30 p.m., $8, 21+

Thirty-six years ago Vashti Bunyan released an album that was haunting and different than all the other folk musicians out there. She has been touted as creating "psych-folk" and then, like many musicians, the singer kind of forgot about her voice amidst lukewarm sales and everything that life throws at us. Now she's back with Lookaftering and is playing a pair of shows with Archer Prewitt. Monday/Tuesday, Lakeshore Theater, 7 p.m., $15 advanced/$20 door, All...