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Ha-ha funny: 10 must-see Greater Boston comedy shows for spring 2025
TV legends and "Saturday Night Live" stalwarts are among the mix this March-May in Boston and surroundings.
First off, for the well-heeled amongst you, the dynamic duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be gracing the Boch Wang Theatre for three shows on May 17-18. They’re great, of course, but are they $400-on-StubHub great? That’s a question between you and your accountant, but meanwhile, here are some stellar comedy options that won’t set you back quite as much — including some more recent “Saturday Night Live” stalwarts making their way to town.
Richard Kind at the Wilbur
Personally, I’d be hard pressed to think of someone it would be better to have a conversation with than Richard Kind. The longtime character actor has been in everything — as evidenced by the six-minute collection of clips shared by the Wilbur in advance of “How Not to be Famous: A Conversation with Richard Kind.” And he’s always funny, and often touching too. (Although we’ll never forgive him for breaking our collective hearts as Bing Bong in “Inside Out.”) Sunday, March 2, 7 p.m., Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston, $39-$99
Sarah Sherman and Andrew Dismukes at Comedy Connection
The only thing better would be if we could get them together, but we’ll take the opportunity to check out these two current “Saturday Night Live” standouts in quick succession at Rhode Island’s newest comedy venue. Sherman has become SNL’s secret weapon, injecting every sketch and “Weekend Update” appearance with her own brand of inspired lunacy. And Dismukes is a master of the slow burn and the anxious glare, not to mention the perfect foil for his Puppet Dad. Sherman appears Thursday, March 13, 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday, March 14-15, 7 & 9:30 p.m., and Dismukes appears Friday-Saturday, March 21-22, 7 & 9:30 p.m., at the Comedy Connection, 39 Warren Ave, East Providence; $20-$30
Margaret Cho at The Wilbur
Margaret Cho may not speak very highly of her 1990s TV show “All-American Girl” — she says in her act that it was so bad, they had to wait an entire generation before trying another Asian-American sitcom, “Fresh Off the Boat” — but there’s no denying it was groundbreaking and, yes, funny, just like her standup. And she’s far from done dishing out take-no-BS culture-clash comedy (you know, the kind that got her named one of Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time and CNN’s 50 People Who Changed American Comedy). Friday, March 14, 7:30 p.m., Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston, $30-$50
Luenell at The Wilbur
If you caught comedian John Mulaney’s live Netflix show “Everybody’s in L.A.,” you may have been surprised when the standout performance on his “Earthquakes” episode came not from David Letterman, Bill Hader, Pete Davidson, or even seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones. It was Luenell, who had all of the aforementioned in hysterics as she cozied up to Dave, marveled over Jones’s fondness for seismic events, and showed off her natural flair for matter-of-fact sassiness. Now you can catch the 65-year-old “Original Bad Girl of Comedy” strut her stuff at the Wilbur. Saturday, April 12, 7 p.m. Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston, $40
@netflixisajoke Just trying to hang with Luenell in Vegas #EverybodysinLA @johnmulaney @Luenell @David Letterman #BillHader #netflixisajokefest ♬ original sound – Netflix Is A Joke
Marcello Hernandez at The Wilbur
Yes, Marcello Hernandez is and always will be Domingo. But the 27-year-old “Saturday Night Live” cast member — its first from Gen Z, believe it or not — brings a goofy exuberance to all his characters, whether he’s musically extolling the virtues of the “Dune” popcorn bucket or co-hosting the “Immigrant Dad Talk Show.” And we’re assuming that same loveable energy will carry over to his stand-up set (or sets — he’s gracing the Boston crowd with four shows at the venerable Wilbur). Tuesday-Wednesday, April 15-16, 7:30 & 10 p.m., Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston, $38 – $49
Paul Reiser at The Cabot
It’s hard to pick a favorite Paul Reiser role: One half of the titular “My Two Dads”? The irascible Helen Hunt’s marital foil in “Mad About You”? The one scientist who isn’t a sociopath on “Stranger Things”? The slimy businessman who gets eaten in “Aliens”? (Probably that last one.) Where we most like to see Reiser, though, is on the stand-up stage, where he’s been entirely too infrequently since making the move into acting — although he’s done enough to have been voted one of Comedy Central’s Top 100 Comedians of All Time. Friday, April 25, 8 p.m., The Cabot, 286 Cabot St., Beverly, $35.75-$69
Jessica Kirson at The Wilbur
Growing up with a mother who’s a therapist must bring its own unique challenges, but especially if your mother happens to be treating patients in your own house. (“I need you to keep it down because Susan needs help!”) Fortunately for us, Jessica Kirson has funnelled that experience, and many others from her New Jersey upbringing, into a side-splitting stand-up routine that’s chock-full of colorful characters and feels as honest as it is hysterical. Saturday, April 26, 7 & 9:45 p.m., Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston, $39.50-$49.50
Ziwe’s America at The Wilbur
The fact that Ziwe Fumudoh is as popular as she is may be a sign that society is actually salvageable. Providing just the right amount of comic charm to bolster her satiric commentary on social issues, race, and politics, the 32-year-old is following in the footsteps of the likes of John Stewart and Samantha Bee, but with a contemporary flair more likely to appeal to audiences that don’t actually have firsthand memories of the Reagan era. Friday, May 9, 7:30 p.m., Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston, $35-$55
Jessie “Jetski” Johnson at Laugh Boston
Henny Youngman had his violin; Jessie “Jetski” Johnson has her trumpet. (“My new rape whistle,” as the music school dropout refers to it in her act, before demonstrating.) The burgeoning L.A.-by-way-of-Phoenix comedian has been killing it on the “Kill Tony” and “Bad Friends” podcasts, and her shy-but-sly delivery serves her even better onstage. Also, and this is very important, she has her own signature line of sunglasses. Thursday-Friday, May 15-16, 7 p.m., Saturday, May 17, 7 & 9 p.m., Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston, $33
Jay Leno at Chevalier Theatre
Poor Jay Leno — it seems all the guy ever does lately is burn himself, crash his motorcycle, and fall down hills. All of which, if done right, can be funny, but we’re pretty sure that was not his intention. Fortunately, physical humor is not on the agenda when the longtime Tonight Show host and Andover native hits Medford this May. Instead he’ll be showcasing the easygoing and conversational stand-up style that made him famous, and, if we know Jay, some self-deprecating humor about falling down hills. Friday, May 30, 7 p.m. Chevalier Theatre, 30 Forest St., Medford, $59-$129
Also of note:
- Former late-night Scotsman Craig Ferguson at The Wilbur, March 13
- Creole comedienne Elizabeth Brunot at City Winery, March 22
- Staten Island philosopher Lisa Marie Reilly at Laugh Boston, March 30
- “Parks and Rec” star Aziz Ansari at The Wang, April 19
- Former Impractical Joker Joe Gatto at The Wilbur, April 25
- Viral “Nail Salon” comic Anjelah Johnson-Reyes at Chevalier Theatre, May 3
- Improv masters Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood at The Cabot, May 3
- “History harlot” Katie Charlwood at Laugh Boston, May 6
- Gene on “Bob’s Burgers” (and Mass. resident) Eugene Mirman at Crystal Ballroom, May 16
- Convict-turned-comic Ali Siddiq at The Shubert, May 30
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