Editor’s Note: We’ve reached the halfway point of 2023, and that may not exactly be a fun fact to deal with. But the beauty of it is, there’s plenty of comedy coming through the area to help you laugh it off and soldier on through the existential dread of the dog days of summer. With homegrown talent, national headliners, and open mics galore highlighting the calendar, the plethora of powerful comedy throughout the commonwealth continues to show up, night after night. Enter Mic’d Up, our ongoing weekly series that details the best live comedy shows to consider as you head out and about. Below find our rundown for this week, through Sunday (July 30).
Anthony Jeselnik at Academy of Music Theatre
With every new offering of crushing jokes from one of the best in the game, Anthony Jeselnik’s return to Massachusetts feels like something of a late-month special event. If you can’t swing the midweek cringe fest, fret not, as he will make his way to Boston in the winter time, and we all know that shit gets here with the quickness. He’ll be back before you know it.
ANTHONY JESELNIK :: Thursday, July 27 at Academy of Music Theatre, 247 Main St. in Northampton, MA :: 7 and 9:30 p.m., $35 to $75 :: Advance Tickets
Ted Alexandro at City Winery
In a saturated field like stand-up comedy, there’s no shortage of great joke writers and storytellers. However, there are very few that combine the two as efficiently and potently as Ted Alexandro, and any chance to see him wax on in a live setting is an oppo to catch a true masterclass in not being a comedian, but fully embodying the art of the craft.
TED ALEXANDRO :: Friday, July 28 at City Winery, 80 Beverly St. in Boston, MA :: 6 p.m., $25 to $30 :: Advance Tickets
Ali Wong at MGM Music Hall at Fenway
As she continues to check off progressively bigger rooms around the city, Ali Wong returns to Boston to conquer the hottest spot in town for two full nights of her latest hour that, falling in line with her past hours, refuses to chill. Through all the twists, turns and detours around her mind, Wong continues to kill on stage, and we’re here for all of it — and you should be too.
ALI WONG :: Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, 2 Lansdowne St. in Boston, MA :: 7 p.m., $46.75 to $247 :: Advance Tickets
Craig Conant at Laugh Boston
Of course, high octane and energetic comedy is a fun experience. But Craig Conant flips that on its head with his low and slow approach to the stage, while still setting off countless land mines of punchlines and stories of misdeeds and personal growth while maintaining a connection with his audience that puts him in a league with some of the best and brightest in the game.
CRAIG CONANT :: Sunday, July 30 at Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. in Boston, MA :: 6 p.m., $25 :: Advance Tickets