The Boston Comedy Festival returns for its 25th year
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The Boston Comedy Festival has been a lot of things over the past 25 years. Sometimes it's part film festival. They've hosted animation and short films. During the pandemic, the festival went virtual for a year, with all of the comedians performing in front of a custom BCF background to make it feel like an actual festival. 'Every year, we do stuff that works and we do stuff that doesn't,' says McCue, 'and we just keep rolling along.'
McCue has been doing comedy since the early '90s, while DiMarzio is a creative designer. She can't remember when, exactly, she started helping out, but she has been immersed in comedy for most of the festival's history. They are always looking for fresh talent, but DiMarzio says she sometimes has to remind McCue that a perceived up-and-comer may actually be a ten-year stand-up veteran. 'We have to adjust our idea of who is new,' she says.
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They don't start with a big budget and figure out what talent they can buy; they build each festival show by show with the different venues, which this year includes City Winery, The Comedy Studio, The Rockwell, The Somerville Theatre, and The Berklee Performance Center. The idea is to appeal to the widest possible range of tastes. 'We've always had the feeling of, whoever you think is the best comedian, you're right,' says McCue. 'So we're gonna be trying to get the best of every different kind of thing.'
Here's a rundown of what you can see at the Boston Comedy Festival. Check
THE CONTEST
This starts on April first at The Rockwell, and bounces between there, The Comedy Studio, and City Winery. It runs the length of the fest, with the winner crowned at the finals April 5 at the Somerville Theatre. It's a good opportunity to catch a variety of comedians, but it's also a showcase for Boston comics to host and do 15-20 minutes while votes are being tabulated. You'll see some of the city's best there, including Andrew Mayer, Niki Luparelli, Kathe Farris, Alex Giampapa, Kelly MacFarland, Will Smalley, Robbie Printz, and many others. It's a display for agents and bookers coming to town to scout. 'The whole purpose of this thing [we] started 25 years ago was just trying to get industry to come here and see the acts,' says McCue
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THE FUNNY TOGETHER TOUR
If you're looking for clean comedy, this is your show. Providence comedian Rhonda Corey, who created the tour in 2023, is joined by June Bug Colson and Mike Murray.
April 3, 7 p.m. $20. The Rockwell.
EDDIE PEPITONE
If you missed The Bitter Buddha on his co-headlining tour with Chris Gethard in October, you can see him do his own show here. In his 'In Ruins' special, Pepitone says that even though he rails against corporate culture, he's enjoying the space in his new Honda Element. 'I like that, because there's room to weep,' he says. 'I can regret my past life decisions in this car with satellite radio.'
April 3, 2:30 p.m. $20-$35. City Winery.
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN COMEDY
This show provides a spotlight on comedians from LGBTQ+ and immigrant backgrounds, hosted by drag performer Miss Uchawi, featuring Ugandan-born comedian Birungi, 'Beer With A Queer' host Jeff Klein, stand-up and speaker Madelein Murphy, and headlined by Boston's own Corey Rodrigues.
April 4, 7 p.m. $20. The Rockwell.
EMO PHILIPS
The off-the-wall comic is a longtime friend of the festival, and a joy to watch.
One year, he had a great visual gag where he came out at the Rockwell in a neck-to-ankles trench coat, and over the course of several jokes, without drawing attention to it, took off the coat, and slowly made it disappear into his pants pocket. At another fest, he came onstage after the finals at the Somerville Theatre with a broom and started sweeping the stage as people filed out. 'He was so committed to the bit,' says DiMarzio.
April 5, 7 p.m. $25-$30. The Rockwell.
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Jim McCue performs April 5 at the Berklee Performance Center.
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BEST OF THE BOSTON COMEDY FESTIVAL: TO BENEFIT THE COMEDY GIVES BACK FIRE FUND
This show best exemplifies to kitchen-sink spirit of the Festival, featuring comics from different generations with different styles. Jim McCue, the crowd work expert. Paul D'Angelo, the '80s Boom comic with a knack for a rant. Storyteller and sometime nerd Bethany Van Delft. The sly but aloof Dan Boulger. Karen Morgan, a Georgia transplant living in Maine. And sharp-eyed former Boston comic and one-time theater kid Erin Maguire. McCue is happy to be able to help comics hurt by the LA fires through Comedy Gives Back. 'Everybody's not up and running out there again,' he says. 'They still need help.'
April 5, 7:30 p.m. $25. Berklee Performance Center
AMY MILLER
'I think the most 40-year-old thing I do, though, is I do have a special word for when I've had so much white wine I wanna get in a fist fight,' says the Los Angeles-based Miller. 'It's just 'chardonnangry.' Y'all can use that.' She headlines two shows with host Courtney Reynolds and feature act Will Smalley.
April 5, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $25. The Comedy Studio.
BOSTON COMEDY FINALS
This is where the final eight (barring a tie) contestants will compete for the top prize in front of a panel of judges. BCF veteran Ryan Hamilton will be on hand to receive the Comedian of the Year honor, and Boston comic Kenny Rogerson, nicknamed The Viper for his savage and inventive wit, gets the Lifetime Achievement Award. Tony V,
April 5, 8 p.m. $30. The Somerville Theatre.
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.bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } City Winery City Winery. Nathan Klima for The Boston Globe Equal parts wine bar and concert venue, City Winery appeals to the taste buds and the ears. At this 300-seat venue, music is wide-ranging, encompassing R&B, jazz, alternative rock, hip-hop, and more. Enjoy shared plates of risotto balls and duck tacos as well as pizza during the show; table service means you never have to leave your seat to ask for another glass. It's the best of both worlds for music-loving foodies. Address: 80 Beverly Street, West End Phone: 617-933-8047 Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre. Dylan Ladd Opened in 2021, this recent addition to Somerville's live music landscape occupies an upstairs corner of the Somerville Theater, which had served for years as two small movie theaters. 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