Wed 11/10-Sat 11/13
We could all use a laugh these days, and just in the nick of time, the Cleveland Comedy Festival is back for four days of humor from both local comedians and national touring artists.
The 14th annual festival will feature a pair of stages at a new venue: the Odeon on the East Bank of the Flats, which has enjoyed a long history as a music venue. There it will have headliners on the main stage as well as a brand-new smaller stage called Down the Rabbit Hole.
It’ll kick off with a main stage show on Wednesday November 10, featuring some of the best-known names in Cleveland comedy: Mike Polk Jr, and Bill Squire and Mary Santora from WMMS’s Alan Cox Show, as well as rising entertainers John Armstrong, Tania Timmons and Logan Rishaw.
Thursday’s headline show is called “Best of Cleveland Comedy Festival” and will bring back favorites from prior year, with Jessica Keenan who recently has a comedy special on HBO headlining, and Eitan Levine, Sonal Aggarwal, Zach Russell, Matt White and Misha Han, among others, joining her on the main stage.
New York comedian Matteo Lane, who has appeared on late night shows and other TV programs, headlines on Friday. He’s also a cabaret performer and former opera singer who’s working on an animated series called Kickass Drag Queen , so expect almost anything! Finally, Saturday will feature what they’re calling “perhaps the most unique headliner that Cleveland Comedy Festival has ever had”: WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler performing standup comedy under his real name Nic Nemeth. He’s a native Clevelander who attended St. Ed’s and Kent State, so he’ll be bringing his unique perspective back home. He’ll share the stage with other comedians who performed on previous shows, with a special performance from satirical rock band NUNFIST.
In addition to budget shows, down the Rabbit Hole will offer free happy hour shows Wednesday-Friday, live podcast recordings, spotlight showcases and the return of the Women & Wine series on Wednesday November 10.
To find a full schedule and buy tickets, go to clevelandcomedyfestival.com/festival.