Rad Stuff This Week: Comedy Edition

By Kristy Mangel in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 25, 2010 2:30PM

Junior Stopka | Photo by Erin Nekervis

• Come to the Hungry Brain and get depressed this Tuesday, with the ‘comedy’ showcase Best of the Depressed. These hand-picked comedians have been regularly bringing the depression for the last few months at the Depression Hour, a subtly genius new open mic held late night Mondays at the Underground Lounge in Wrigleyville. Comedians are charged with telling sad stories; those that attempt to run bits are heckled off stage by co-hosts Tia Ayers and Junior Stopka. Themes have included attempted suicide, rape, parent death, and racially-fueled beatings. And it’s one of the best things to happen to spoken word/comedy in the city in a long time.
  11 p.m., Tuesday, Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont Ave., FREE
• This Thursday, catch the last of the run Modern Men at Stage 773 (formerly the Theatre Building). This is the fourth full-length stage revue of nutball sketch group Think Tank Comedy. Short films will intersperse live sketch bits, culminating in what promises to be a raucous and totally silly night of comedy.
  8 p.m., Thursday, Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, $10

• The Red Bar Comedy Club in River North is presenting its Halloween Weekend Friday and Saturday nights. Start your Halloween partying early at the club (there will only be an 8 p.m. show both nights), and see a stacked line-up of Chicago’s top stand-up comics, along with Chicago expat Brady Novak, featured recently on NBC’s Community. No schlocky costuming required; that’s on you.
  8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Red Bar Comedy Club inside the Ontourage nightclub, 157 W. Ontario, $10

• Friday night is also the monthly variety/party show Nightcaps at Berlin. Hop the Red Line from River North and head down to Belmont to finish your Halloween evening in true comedic style, with your hosts the Puterbaugh Sisterz, who live the Halloween lifestyle all yearlong. This month show’s is “Ed Wood themed”. Dance party to follow.
  11 p.m., Friday, Berlin, 954 W. Belmont, $5

• The weekend’s not over yet! Reggie’s Rock Club is turning into Reggie’s Comedy Club Saturday night, beginning with those boys in Think Tank as the featured pre-show entertainment to very special guest, the nationally-acclaimed stand-up comic Doug Stanhope. Stanhope, known for his abrasive, scathing commentary on, well, everything, will play this intimate club, and as of press time, it appears there are still tickets available. Comedy nerds and fans alike, don’t miss. Junior Stopka, whom Stanhope has given frequent high accolades, opens.
  7:30 p.m., Saturday, Reggie’s Rock Club, 2109 S. State St., $18; $20 at the door

• You’ve probably heard of the Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive being held in D.C. Did you know Chicago is having a satellite sister rally this Saturday? ChicagoNow’s Jason Chin talked to Chemically Imbalanced Comedy founder-turned-rally-manager Angie McMahon recently; find out how this event came together.
• Thankfully for all of our healths and well-beings, safety expert DK Ediger will be releasing one new safety tidbit a day this week. Don’t play around with the mischiefs that lurk seemingly everywhere in this world; brush up on your safety knowledge, especially during this extremely risky time of year:

(The fine-print: Local comic Chad Briggs is DK Ediger, and he’ll be traveling to NYC’s Gotham Comedy Club Nov. 1-2 to participate in the 6th Annual Andy Kaufman Awards as DK Ediger. Good luck Chad!)