PICK:Comedy Open Mic Night

It’s a laugh: As any comedian knows, there’s no rush like standing in front of a roomful of strangers and making them laugh. At the weekly Comedy Open Mic Night, hosted by local comedians Heather Kilburn and John Rad, you can work out all the material you perfected at home during the pandemic. Preregister, and […]

Screw you: Comedian Lewis Black defies authority and rejects stupidity

When I reach politically enraged comedian Lewis Black by phone on an early February morning following the Iowa caucus, I expect he’ll be ready with one of his signature rants, and after a polite exchange of salutations, he does not disappoint. Black immediately unleashes a torrent of frustrations. Clearly he wants me to listen—which is […]

ARTS Pick: Ross Mathews

Life stories: Ross Mathews, the renowned television personality most famous for appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Insider,” and “Celebrity Fit Club,” engages his audience with hilarious tales and spicy anecdotes from his extensive time in show business. From spending a Christmas with the Kardashians to his TV chat with Omarosa, and […]

ARTS Pick: Lynn Trefzger

Talking hands: Self-taught ventriloquist and comedian Lynn Trefzger brings more than four decades of experience to a routine that’s polished but unpredictable. Her cast of characters includes a recently potty-trained toddler excited to share, a confrontational drunk camel, and an old man who keeps things fresh in the bedroom with Saran Wrap. Trefzger’s performances, which […]

Owning it: Comedy performer L.E. Zarling finds happiness in improv

It’s a Saturday morning in Richmond, and L.E. Zarling has ordered a chocolate croissant to go with her latte at Lamplighter Coffee. She looks at the pastry, covered in a heavy-handed sprinkle of powdered sugar. Then she looks at her black turtleneck sweater. “Fuck it,” she says before taking a bite. “I’m going to enjoy […]

ARTS Pick: Cliff Cash

There’s a lot to discover about stand-up comedian Cliff Cash, a self-declared explorer and lover of the outdoors. On his Blue Ridge Parkway Comedy Tour, the North Carolinian travels 590 miles from Greenville, South Carolina, to Fairfax, Virginia, stopping at seven locations where he takes his audience on an intense, emotional journey through topics of […]

ARTS Pick: Bobby Bones is the face of country radio

One of the most popular syndicated radio shows in America is helmed by Bobby Bones, something that country music fans have known for years. The Arkansas native is funny, honest and unscripted—Bones once got Taylor Swift to offer dating advice to his show’s intern and do a reading from the Titanic movie script. Since 2013, […]

ARTS Pick: Herron’s Entertainment Comedy Night

If laughter is the best medicine, then consider Herron’s Entertainment Comedy Night a health class from out of town. Composed of emerging comedians from New York City, these missionaries of hilarity dish out gut-busting tropes that are certain to heal frowny face outbreaks. Bent Theatre partners in the mad merriment by adding local stand-up to […]