Kimmel Center's Comedy Season Kicks Off Tomorrow Night with Eddie Izzard

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is gearing up for one of its biggest seasons of comedy, as an array of renowned comedians and productions come to its stages.

The season will kick off with Eddie Izzard on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 and will continue throughout the 2017-18 season with Kevin James and David Sedaris in October, Nick Offerman, Alton Brown, and Mike Birbiglia in November, John Mulaney in December, Paula Poundstone and The Second City in January, Something Rotten in February, Capitol Steps in April, and Jay Leno in May. Sit back, relax, and laugh out loud at the Kimmel Center.

"As we continue to diversify programming offered on our Kimmel Center Cultural Campus, we strive to provide audiences with meaningful and memorable experiences," said Anne Ewers President and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. "This season, we will welcome more comedians and comedic performances, making our venues not only the leading places to see Broadway and Jazz, but to experience something for everyone in Philadelphia."

Details on comedy performances throughout the 2017-18 season can be found below.

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Eddie Izzard: BELIEVE ME TOUR

Merriam Theater

October 3, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

An Intimate Evening with a bit of stand-up, sharing private photos & family movies, discussing his private and professional life and answering questions from the audience.

Kevin James

Merriam Theater

October 7, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

Kevin James is currently the star and executive producer of the sitcom Kevin Can Wait for Sony Television and CBS, which premiered in September 2016. He recently starred in the feature True Memoirs of an International Assassin for Netflix released November 2016.

AN EVENING WITH David Sedaris

Academy of Music

October 16, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

Join David Sedaris for an evening featuring all-new stories and observations as well as an audience Q&A and book signing. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Mr. Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. David Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, and his newest book, Theft By Finding Diaries: (1977-2002), that was released earlier this year.

Nick Offerman: FULL BUSH

Merriam Theater

November 4, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

Humorist Nick Offerman returns with a collection of his sawdusty musings on survival in the wild, living with enthusiasm, and most importantly, the cultivation of fulsome body hair.

Mike Birbiglia: THE NEW ONE

Merriam Theater

November 17, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

November 18, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called Mike Birbiglia's recent show Thank God For Jokes "the best night I've spent in a theater in a very long time." In The New One, the award-winning comedian approaches an entirely new subject in a new way with the same heart and humor we've come to expect. Do not miss the new one. It may be the best one.

John Mulaney: KID GORGEOUS

Academy of Music

December 1, 2017, 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

December 2, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

John Mulaney is an Emmy Award winning writer and comedian. He most recently starred in the Broadway hit, "Oh, Hello on Broadway" alongside Nick Kroll. In 2015 Mulaney released his 3rd hour stand up special a Netflix Original titled "THE COMEBACK KID" which the AV Club called "his best hour of his career." He began his career in New York's East Village and has since toured around the world. In 2008, he began writing at "Saturday Night Live" where he appeared as a "Weekend Update" correspondent and co-created characters such as "Stefon" with Bill Hader. He currently writes for IFC's "Documentary Now" and for Netflix's "Big Mouth" on which he voices the character of Andrew. Mulaney's first comedy album, "The Top Part," was released in 2009. He released his second Comedy Central special and album "New In Town" in 2012, and upon review Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly hailed Mulaney as "one of the best stand-up comics alive."

PAULA POUNDSTONE

Merriam Theater

January 11, 2018, 8:00 p.m.

Fresh on the heels of the release of her hilarious new book, The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness (Algonquin Books), comedian Paula Poundstone is entertaining audiences across the country and leaving them complaining that their cheeks hurt from laughter and wondering if the random people she talks to are plants. Of course, they never are.

THE SECOND CITY: LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE TALKING

Perelman Theater

January 19, 2018, 8:00 p.m.

January 20, 2018, 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Edgy, thought provoking and always spectacularly funny, The Second City is celebrating nearly six decades of producing cutting-edge satirical revues and launching the careers of generation after generation of comedy's best and brightest.

SOMETHING ROTTEN

Academy of Music

Tuesday, February 27, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 1, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 2, 2018, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 4, 2018, 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Direct from Broadway, Something Rotten! is a big, fat hit! - New York Post. Set in the 90s - the 1590s - this hilarious smash tells the story of Nick and Nigel Bottom (Tony nominee Rob McClure and Broadway's Josh Grisetti), two brothers who are desperate to write their own hit play while the "rock star" Shakespeare (Tony nominee Adam Pascal) keeps getting all the hits. When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world's very first MUSICAL! With its heart on its ruffled sleeve and sequins in its soul, Something Rotten! is The Producers + Spamalot + The Book of Mormon. Squared! -New York Magazine.

Capitol Steps: ORANGE IS THE NEW BARACK

Perelman Theater

April 6, 2018, 8:00 p.m.

April 7, 2018, 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

After more than 35 years and at least that many albums, The Capitol Steps are a Washington D.C. institution. They tour widely and have appeared on The Today Show, Nightline, EntertainmentTonight, and numerous NPR specials. With these equal opportunity satirists poking fun at all side of the issues, an evening with The Capitol Steps may be the only thing sure to earn bipartisan support. What more would you expect from the group that puts the "MOCK" in Democracy?! Their latest album is called "Orange is the New Barack." You may hear songs such as "Hey Mr. Tangerine Man," "Oops, I Tweeted Again," "Don't Think Twice, It's Alt-Right" and "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?"

AN EVENING WITH Jay Leno

Academy of Music

May 19, 2018, 8:00 p.m.

Acclaimed TV late night show host, admired stand-up comedian, best-selling children's book author, much-in-demand corporate speaker, lovable TV and movie voice-over artist, pioneering car builder and mechanic, and philanthropist...it's no wonder that Jay Leno is widely characterized as "the hardest working man in show business."

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Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 215-790-5883. See kimmelcenter.org for more information.

Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center's mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center Campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center's 2017-2018 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.

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