It Still Moves Entertaining Julia

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: Entertaining Julia is a weekly variety show hosted by Beth Stelling and The Puterbaugh Sisters at Town Hall Pub in Lakeview. It’s a jam-packed evening featuring stand-up acts as well as musicians, sketch groups, and bouts of improvised weirdness provided by the hosts. Stelling and The Puterbaugh Sisters play perfectly off of each other, filtering adventurous, self-deprecating riff sessions through their remarkably warm and friendly personas.



The tiny stage in the back corner of the cramped dive bar provides the perfect platform for the show’s welcoming ambience, which is especially intimate considering the sheer volume of people packing into Town Hall Pub week after week. The show is totally free, which makes for an eclectic crowd of fans, friends, and members of the Chicago comedy scene. The environment is more reminiscent of a party or basement show than a straight-laced showcase at a bar.

As the show developed, several fan-favorite bits developed. One of the most popular recurring segments features Stelling and the Puterbaughs dissecting the minor triumphs and failures of “go gals” (best described by Stelling as “a badass chick”) to the refrain of “a go gal gets her wings.” (Ex: “Every time you try to put a wig on a cat, a go gal gets her wings.”) Occasionally, audience members get to take the stage and share their “go gals” with the crowd, enhancing the community feel.

A brief history lesson: Started in late 2007 by Jena Friedman and Sarah King—two Chicagoans who have since relocated to New York and Los Angeles, respectively—Entertaining Julia was created to do just that: entertain Julia Pishko, the bartender on Sunday nights at Town Hall Pub. In 2008, local comic Beth Stelling was selected to host after Friedman and King went coastal, and was soon joined by one of Chicago’s best comedic duos, The Puterbaugh Sisters.

Entertaining Julia has always been billed as a “variety show” but focused primarily on stand-up and music in its early days. Stelling and the Puterbaughs took the show in a more freeform, experimental direction soon after they took over the reins, mixing fourth-wall-breaking sketch groups and open-ended improv sessions in with the straightforward comics and singer-songwriters.

The show is well-known amongst touring acts as a can’t-miss when performing in Chicago, including one Robin Williams, who stopped by when visiting the city in May of 2008. Since then, Entertaining Julia’s reputation has only grown, becoming something of a cult sensation. The show is also a favorite amongst Chicago comics, and for good reason: The communal atmosphere allows audiences to feel open-minded and willing to indulge even the most absurd flight of fancy.

Why it’s still worth your time: There is probably no better free show in the city (especially on Sunday nights). Those who claim that Chicago is solely a sketch and improv town have not witnessed the tight-knit family of performers that has formed around alternative shows like Entertaining Julia. Comedians share the stage with improvisors and musicians, often times swapping roles, making for an unpredictable evening of comedy and music.

Repeat attenders won’t see the same show twice; in addition to the touring comics who often stop by, Stelling, who books the majority of the stand-up acts, books at least one up-and-coming comedian every week, which keeps the lineup fresh and unconventional.

While many showcases regularly rock a collection of some of the best talent in the city, few are as fun as Entertaining Julia. The looseness of the setup (the show starts at 9:30-ish, give or take a half hour) and the cramped Town Hall Pub area means you’re just as likely to share a drink at the bar with the friends you came with as you are with the comic that was just onstage.