Mekki Leeper, Yannis Pappas & More to Perform at The Den Theatre in February

The Den Theatre has revealed upcoming February 2025 shows at the theatre’s Wicker Park stages, including Mekki Leeper on February 8, Yannis Pappas on February 14 - 15, Kristin Key on February 16, Edy Modica on February 19, Joe Hegyes & Andrew Muscarella’s Good Children Podcast on February 20, and Grace O’Malley on February 22. 

Mekki Leeper

Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $22 - $40

Mekki Leeper stars as juror 'Noah' on the viral series Jury Duty, and is currently Emmy-nominated for  Oustanding Writing For A Comedy Series for his work on the show. He can also be seen as 'Eric' on the HBOMax show The Sex Lives of College Girls from Mindy Kaling. He was cast as series regular 'Matt' in the NBC series St. Denis Medical, which was picked up to series. He has one of the top watched Comedy  Central Featuring stand up sets, which recently broke 7 million views and counting, and was also featured on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Yannis Pappas

Friday, February 14, 2025 at 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $22 - $40

Yannis Pappas is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and TV host. He’s a regular on The Joe Rogan Experience, Tim Dillon Show, Your Mom’s House, 2 Bears 1 Cave, Bad Friends, and Tigerbelly. His insanely popular podcast LongDays with Yannis Pappas is available on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. His previous podcast History Hyenas with Chris DiStefano is also available on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Yannis has two hour-long stand-up comedy specials on YouTube (Mom Love 2022 & Blowing the Light 2019), an hour-long album (Let Me Be Yannis) and a half-hour Comedy Central Special (2014) all available on YouTube. He was the host of NextVR's virtual reality live stand-up series, Live In Gotham (44 episodes 2018-19). He was also the host of AOL's award-winning Original Series, 2 Point Lead (a sports comedy show). Yannis was also the co-host of MSG's sports fan show, The Bracket, BetMGM’s Unleashed with Olivia Harlan Dekker, and the co-host of ABC's Fusion Live. Yannis has been part of the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, New York Comedy Festival and tours the world as a stand-up comedian.

Kristin Key

Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $35 - $50

Kristin Key grew up a minister’s daughter in a small town in West Texas. Much like Footloose, she was raised in a no-drinking, no-dancing, no instrumental music environment, so she immediately took up drinking, dancing, and playing an instrument. Proving that the almighty has a strange sense of humor, Kristin came out of the closet at 15. Needless to say, it did not go well. So, Kristin decided to “take it back,” retreat back into the closet, and try a little harder to be straight.

At 19, while in college to become a paramedic, Key signed up for an open mic at the local comedy club. As soon as she got onstage, she felt right at home. Though her observations and wit made her a local favorite, she remained in the closet, fearful of losing her local fan base. Small shows in the Texas panhandle turned into 35 states' worth of comedy over the next 5 years. Audiences couldn’t help but love Kristin’s original comedy songs and rapid-fire style of comedy coming from the “Preacher’s Kid” — and although female comics struggled to find work as she started out, she was booked not for being a woman, but for simply being funny.

When NBC’s Last Comic Standing held their auditions in Austin, Texas, she stood in line hoping for a chance to be seen. After 7 hours of waiting, she got her chance and her ticket to Hollywood to compete with the best in the comedy world. At the end of the season, she stood among the final six and watched as her fan base exploded. With validation from millions of comedy fans, Key moved to L.A. and began preparing a new act to take on the road.

While participating in an anti-bullying fundraiser, Kristin finally broke her silence and decided to share her hilarious story of coming out, taking it back, living in the closet, and meeting her wife. After 15 years in comedy, Kristin has found a way to perfectly blend together her thought-provoking, hilarious true stories and original songs with outrageous off-the-cuff improv moments, ensuring that no two shows are the same.

Kristin is most recognized for her appearances on NBC with her TV debut on Last Comic Standing and her recent performance on Bring the Funny. Her social media videos have over 25 million views and Kristin has over 275,000 followers. She currently hosts the Kristin Knows Blank podcast. Additional credits include Comics Unleashed, VH-1’s 100 Greatest Series, The Bob and Tom Show, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Key has recorded five full-length stand-up comedy albums and one studio music comedy album.

Edy Modica

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 7:15 p.m. 
Tickets: $17 - $30

Edy Modica is a New York-based comedian whose stand-out performance on the Emmy Nominated breakout comedy of the year, Jury Duty (Freevee), earned her a place in the Hollywood Reporter's list of ‘20 Supporting Actors Who Stole The Scene…’ in 2023. As a creator, Edy was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s ‘25 New Faces of Film Independent Film 2022,’ from her debut short film Nicole, which is also a featured Vimeo Staff Pick, and most recently, listed as Vultures’ 'Comedian You Should and Will Know' list 2023. On the small screen, Edy has recurred on HBO Max’s Made for Love, HBO’s High Maintenance, and appeared in several Adult Swim-produced series and shorts. Edy performs her raw and unfiltered style of stand-up comedy throughout New York and is currently developing a new hour of stand-up comedy with Irony Point.

Joe Hegyes & Andrew Muscarella’s Good Children Podcast

Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $26 - $75

Good Children is a nostalgic look back on pop culture and coming of age with co-hosts Joe Hegyes and Andrew Muscarella. The show is hosted by Joe Hedges and Andrew Muscarella. It's a low-key comedy talk show, often around the theme of nostalgic or coming-of-age moments, but that is by no means a requirement. The show was recently named a Spotify RADAR Podcast detailing its breakout status on Spotify last year.

Two decades (and counting) of friendship has led best friends Joe Hegyes and Andrew Muscarella to a revelation: Their childhood was spent performing as the most well-behaved and obedient boys possible, all while being totally closeted and pop culture obsessed.

A mess of hilarious and emotional contradictions, Joe and Andrew banter about their shared upbringing on Lawng Island in Good Children. The podcast is a high-kicking dance down memory lane as they share embarrassing moments, make poignant reflections, and even offer some advice to their listeners. Except now, they're young adults taking on life together as roommates in Brooklyn.

PAST GUESTS (the live show will not feature a guest, just Joe & Andrew): Trixie Mattel, Julia Fox, Tefi, Slayyyter, Drew and Deison Afualo, Jake Shane.

Grace O’Malley

Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25 - $45

Grace O'Malley is a NYC-based comedian, creator, and podcast host at Barstool Sports. Her candid, relatable, and hilarious videos have amassed a following of nearly 1 million followers on TikTok. Grace has hit the ground running with stand-up, set to tour with Whitney Cummings in the fall. She's hosted red carpet events for Netflix's Roast of Tom Brady and The Dance Moms Reunion, to name a few. Grace co-hosts the popular podcast Plan Bri Uncut, with Brianna LaPaglia, where the lifelong friends banter about the realities of being rising stars in entertainment, relationships, work, mental health, and of course, having fun. They are hitting the road this fall to take the podcast on tour. 

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