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Home / Is This Thing On? / Five for fighting … and laughing: Wisconsin’s best bets for comedy for November

Five for fighting … and laughing: Wisconsin’s best bets for comedy for November

By Peter Lindblad

Winter is coming, which has nothing to do with “Game of Thrones.” It’s just a statement of fact. Halloween is over, and Thanksgiving is a few weeks away.

Until then, ‘tis the season of political advertising – nobody’s favorite time of year.

There’s a way to escape it all. Go see some stand-up comedy and laugh until you lose consciousness, which is the best way to experience an election.

The stars will be out in November and December, which is when George Wallace (Dec. 2-4) and Dave Attell (Dec. 16-17) are coming to the Milwaukee Improv and Ben Bailey (Dec. 2-3) will hit the Skyline Comedy Club in Appleton, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s just get through November first, okay?

Unfortunately, Bert Kreischer’s two shows on Nov. 14 at Comedy on State in Madison are already sold out. While gnashing your teeth about missing out, you can read about “The Machine” here.


The Riverside Theater – Milwaukee

Ron White (Nov. 17) – Be sure to try the “Tater Salad” when Ron White

comes around. It’s still delicious. Nobody tells a story quite like that wild Texan, with a glass of scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. He’s one of the best at crafting crazy real-life tales, letting them unravel with a twinkle in his eye and smiling with mischievous fondness at the memory of his dirty deeds. The “Blue Collar Comedy Tour” made him famous, but he’s since become a Grammy-nominated comic and has acted in feature films. Don’t miss this one. Here’s a little taste


Skyline Comedy Club – Appleton

Brad Upton (Nov. 10) – Let’s have some fanfare for the common man. Chances are you’ve seen him on Dry Bar Comedy, where he’s generated 200 million views. Once upon a time, the likable Upton toured with Joan Rivers, and he’s opened for legendary singer Johnny Mathis for the past 15 years. There’s nothing complicated about Upton’s comedy, which is about as universal as it gets. Love and marriage and everyday concerns are his favorite subjects, and he wrings a seemingly never-ending supply of hilariously relatable jokes from it all like he’s squeezing a dishrag. Check out his website here.


Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee, The Orpheum in Madison

Amy Schumer (Nov. 10-11) – Tickets are going fast, as the “Whore Tour” makes its way to Wisconsin. Already, the 7 p.m. show at The Orpheum Theater in Madison on Nov. 10 is sold out, and so is the Nov. 11 performance at the Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee. As of this writing, however, there’s still time to reserve spots for the 10 p.m. show on Nov. 10 at The Orpheum. Smart and witty, with an unfiltered approach to comedy, Schumer is an open book about relationships and sex, while going in hard on popular culture and current events. Get ‘em while their hot! Check out her website here.


Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Pabst Theater in Milwaukee

Fran Lebowitz (Nov. 8 and 10) – And now for something completely different. Known for cracking wise about a wide range of topics with an acerbic tongue, Lebowitz’s biting sarcasm is weaponized again, as she brings her insightful social commentary to Wisconsin for two nights. At the Overture Hall show, she’ll be introduced and interviewed by local radio host Jonathan Suttin. Many have called the acclaimed author, journalist and humorist a modern-day Dorothy Parker. The shoe fits. Some of her greatest hits are listed below:

Lebowitz on special interest groups: “Special-interest publications should realize that if they are attracting enough advertising and readers to make a profit, the interest is not so special.”

Lebowitz on frankness: “Spilling your guts is exactly as charming as it sounds.”

Lebowitz on herself: “Success didn’t spoil me, I’ve always been insufferable.”

Learn more about Lebowitz in this interview


Milwaukee Improv – Milwaukee

KevOnStage (Nov. 11-13) – Wearing many hats, Kevin Fredericks is KevOnStage – an actor, stand-up comedian, entrepreneur, content creator, author and filmmaker, among other things. You might have seen him on HBO Max’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” or “Black Love,” on Amazon Prime, or maybe you know him as the host of “Will Smith’s Dad’s Just Don’t Understood” for Facebook Watch. His streaming stand-up show “Keep Your Distance” has sold more than 100,000 tickets. Subscribe to his KevOnStage Studios material. His stuff is clean, it’s funny and it’s real. Check out his website here.

Here’s Kev talking about marriage.

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