It Still Moves Chicago Underground Comedy

On any given day in Chicago, the calendar of events happening throughout the city can seem daunting. It Still Moves looks to separate the wheat from the chaff, spotlighting some of the area’s best and longest-running comedy, literary, and variety shows.

What it is: Chicago Underground Comedy is a weekly stand-up showcase featuring local and nationally touring comedians. Every Tuesday night, six comics take the stage in the Beat Kitchen’s back room to work out new bits, show off their more polished material, and experiment with innovative characters and bizzarre sketch work. If Patton Oswalt’s scene-defining Comedians Of Comedy tour had a weekly show, it would look and feel a lot like Chicago Underground Comedy.

During the last 10 years, alternative comedy has exploded in popularity, becoming nearly as well-known as its mainstream counterpart. The increasingly blurred line between the conventional and the exceptional is explored at Chicago Underground Comedy every week. Praised for its perpetually hip lineup, the show has a bare-bones structure and a pragmatic approach to selling tickets. (It’s only $5 to get in.)

A brief history lesson: The show got its start in 2005 when comic Tony Sam and his then-wife, Brooke Van Poppelen, set out to produce a comedy show with a rock-show vibe. The two recruited 16 of the city’s most talented acts to create a cast of strong performers to draw from every week. This newly formed collective of comedians was expected to promote the shows in exchange for a place to regularly get onstage and work out material. The show’s design and promotion was influenced by the DIY aesthetic of indie and punk bands, which made it stand out from the very beginning.

Turnout was strong early on and has stayed that way, through venue changes and shifts in leadership. In 2007, Sam moved to Los Angeles and handed over the majority of the workload to Elizabeth McQuern and friend of The A.V. Club Dan Telfer, who now share production duties.

Why it’s still worth your time: The comedy industry sees the Chicago as a training ground for comics who will move to either New York City or Los Angeles when they’re ready to take their careers to the next level. Last year, for example, Telfer shared his perspective on Chicago’s reputation as a “glass ceiling” town with The A.V. Club, describing less-than-great experiences with the blue-collar crowds of the Midwest and trying to find work in L.A.

McQuern offers another side of Chicago’s regular loss of its best comedians to the coasts, crediting Chicago Underground Comedy’s enduring quality to a “refreshing of talent that happens every few years as cast members move to L.A. or New York City, and the cast is infused with newer, younger comics.”

In addition to the ever-evolving talent pool, there is also a growing well of newly successful stand-ups with ties to Chicago Underground Comedy. The show often plays host to area expats who are back in town to perform at other venues. Chicago comedy veterans Hannibal Buress and Kyle Kinane have made special guest appearances at Chicago Underground Comedy, using the space to work out new, looser material on an audience of excitable comedy fans. These surprise appearances are great for younger, more financially strapped fans for whom a $50 night out at Zanies isn’t a viable option.

Chicago Underground Comedy is one of the best standup showcases in the city. Between the low ticket prices, the crazy food and drink specials at the Beat Kitchen ($4 quesadillas! $2 Blatz!), and the quality of talent on display, there may be no better way to spend a Tuesday night.