Entertainment

Now that’s funny: 12 must-see comedy shows coming to Greater Boston in fall 2023

Bored during the writers strike, some big comedy names are coming — along with some key up-and-comers.

Michelle Wolf, Brett Goldstein, Michael Yo and Daphnique Springs
Michelle Wolf, Brett Goldstein, Michael Yo and Daphnique Springs will all be in town this fall. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Hilarity For Charity; brett-goldstein.com; michaelyo.com; Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

By Peter Chianca

7 minutes to read

First off, before you ask, yes, we know Jerry Seinfeld is coming. But we figure he doesn’t need our help with publicity. (Also, remaining tickets for his Wang Theatre show are currently going from $429-$999 — who has that kind of scratch to listen to somebody talk about airplane peanuts?) 

So instead, here are 12 other, somewhat more reasonably priced Greater Boston comedy shows you should do your best to take in over the next three months, while the writer’s strike has given comedians nothing better to do. Your funny bone, and your wallet, will thank you.

(Note: All prices listed are face value; for some shows only verified resale tickets may be available.)

Jon Stewart, Jon Mulaney, and Pete Davidson
Jon Stewart, Jon Mulaney, and Pete Davidson are traveling together, for some reason. – Courtesy Photo

Jon, John & Pete at Mass. Mutual Center

Comedy and TV superstars Jon Stewart, John Mulaney, and Pete Davidson must be very bored during the writer’s strike if they’re coming to Springfield, Massachusetts. (Or maybe they’re just big fans of basketball history.) But who are we to question their motives? We’re just lucky that of the three cities the trio is hitting on this mini-tour, one happens to be in the Bay State. Even if they just do their greatest hits it’s bound to be a gut-busting study in very different comedy stylings. Tuesday, Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m., Mass. Mutual Center, Springfield, $159-$550

Michael Yo at Laugh Boston

A University of Arkansas football player whose gridiron career was cut short by too many concussions, Michael Yo decided to instead pursue standup comedy, which somehow makes complete sense. He’s since made his mark on “America’s Got Talent” and on various red carpets for “E! News,” “Extra,” and “The Insider.” So you can expect some stinging pop culture commentary when he comes to Laugh Boston, along with his unique perspective on being both Black and Asian in modern-day America, which must be interesting. Thursday, Sept. 14, 8 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 and 10 p.m., Laugh Boston, $33

Daphnique Springs at City Winery

We’ll admit we find Daphnique Springs to be one of the sassiest and most likable comedians working today, even if she’s not a fan of our chosen profession: “I don’t know if you know people who watch a lot of news, but they think the world is a lot worse place than it actually is,” she says in her act. “Every time I call my mother with something exciting, she likes to hit me back with fresh fear.” You can catch the hilariously honest Florida native when her burgeoning comedy career (bolstered by millions of TikTok followers) brings her to City Winery this September. Saturday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m., City Winery Boston, $30-$35

Brittany Brave
Self-described tiny but loud comic Brittany Brave. – Courtesy Photo

Brittany Brave at Laugh Boston 

South Florida comedian Brittany Brave classifies her comedy as “frantic, raunchy, and as vulnerable as possible,” according to the Miami New Times, who named her Best Comedian of 2021. But besides being a self-described tiny-but-loud standup comedian and a weekend DJ for Hits 97.3, she’s also a filmmaker, with a documentary in the works on the Miami comedy scene. One word of warning: Crowd work is a specialty, so plan to pitch in if you sit up front. Sunday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. Laugh Boston, $25

Brett Goldstein at Wang Theatre 

We all know what Brett Goldstein is best known for: Playing the Marvel Comics version of Hercules in the mid-credits sequence of “Thor: Love and Thunder”! (Well, yes, and he was also Roy Kent in “Ted Lasso” for which he won two Emmys, but mostly that Hercules thing.) But he’s also a seasoned comedian, having told the 100% true story of his childhood in his celebrated routine “Brett Goldstein Grew Up in a Strip Club.” His current standup tour, his first in North America, is called “The Second Best Night of Your Life Tour,” and we can only hope it lives up to the billing. Friday, Oct. 13 & 15, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 14, 4 & 7 p.m., Wang Theatre, Boston, $89 and up.

Ian Lara at Laugh Boston

Ian Lara is a native New Yorker, but don’t hold that against him. It’s worth catching him in Boston just for his lessons learned from the pandemic lockdown, like to always wear your new outfits right away in case you suddenly have to stay inside for a month. That and Lara’s takes on modern dating make up the bulk of his HBO special “Romantic Comedy,” whose existence is a big step for somebody who got (unfairly) eliminated in week one of NBC’s “Bring the Funny” back in 2019. Friday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 14, 7 & 10 p.m., Laugh Boston, $33

Nimesh Patel at Shubert Theatre

If you’ve laughed at SNL’s “Weekend Update” over the last decade or so, there’s a pretty good chance some of the chuckles originated from the show’s first Indian-American writer, Nimesh Patel. (This was his: “It was reported that back in December, President Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office referred to a member of the staff as a ‘pretty Korean lady.’ Worse, it was Jared Kushner.”) Not afraid to ruffle feathers — he was famously tossed from the stage at Columbia University for being politically incorrect — Patel will no doubt bring his usual frank (and funny) self when his “Fast and Loose Tour” stops at the Shubert. Saturday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m., Shubert Theatre, Boston, $39.50-$49.50

Michelle Wolf at The Wilbur

Is there a more thankless gig than the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? It’s the rare comedian who doesn’t suffer brickbats after hosting the event, and during the Trump years that went double — which is why you have to give Michelle Wolf credit for not pulling punches during her 2018 crack at the job. (Her joke about then-Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders creating the “perfect smokey eye” out of the ashes of burnt facts will live in infamy, and hilarity.) Unfortunately the writer’s strike scuttled Wolf’s scheduled guest hosting stint on “The Daily Show” this summer, so you’ll just have to catch the Seth Meyers and “Daily Show” vet at the Wilbur instead. Friday, Oct. 20, 7:30 and 10 p.m., The Wilbur, Boston, $35-55

Randy Rainbow at the Chevalier Theatre

Speaking of the Trump years (see Michelle Wolf, above), some people (we know who we are) might not have gotten through them with sanity intact without the efforts of Randy Rainbow, whose current-events-inspired spoofs of Broadway classics were a rare bright spot amongst all the political turmoil — not to mention the pandemic. Now the YouTube sensation and podcast host is following up his No. 1 comedy album, “A Little Brains, A Little Talent,” with his tour “Randy Rainbow for President,” which frankly doesn’t sound like a bad idea given some of the other options. Saturday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m., Chevalier Theatre, Medford, $49-$169

Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience at Chevalier Theatre

Having not seen it ourselves, we can’t really say how funny this Harry Potter spoof is — but if there was ever a series that was ripe for parody plucking, it’s this one, with its silly spells and on-the-nose character names. (Remus Lupin is a werewolf, you say??) And if the four-star reviews and sold-out audiences around the world are any indication, you could conjure up worse ways to spend an evening than watching two manic actors try to condense all seven Harry Potter books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into one 70-minute show. Monday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 24, 5 & 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 25, 5 & 8 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., Chevalier Theatre, Medford, $47-$100

Trae Crowder, a.k.a. the Liberal Redneck. – Courtesy Photo

Trae Crowder at Laugh Boston

Rednecks have come a long way since Jeff Foxworthy made a cottage industry of how to figure out if you are one. Trae Crowder knows for a fact that he’s a redneck, but with opinions that may not mesh with the stereotype — hence the Tennessee native’s Liberal Redneck persona, which has gone viral with millions of video views since the mid-2010s. And somehow, pointing out the foibles and hypocrisies of a certain ex-president and his followers seems even funnier in a Southern accent. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28, 7 & 10 p.m., Laugh Boston, $35-$38

llana Glazer at Chevalier Theatre

If there’s one comedian who would be waist-deep in TV and film projects were it not for the writer’s strike, it would be Ilana Glazer: The co-creator and star of the immensely popular “Broad City” on Comedy Central, she also starred with Scarlett Johansson and Kate McKinnon in the 2017 comedy “Rough Night,” and in the 2021 Hulu horror film “False Positive,” which she also co-wrote. Plus there was her Amazon Prime stand-up special “The Planet Is Burning,” which sounds about right. With her other current projects on hold, we get to reap the benefits of her comedy tour, hitting Medford in November. Thursday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., $29.99-$49.99

Also of note:

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Peter Chianca

General Assignment Editor

Peter Chianca, Boston.com’s general assignment editor since 2019, is a longtime news editor, columnist, and music writer in the Greater Boston area.

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