LA comedy calendar: Upcoming stand-up and comedy shows in LA

Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler host their variety show, Hot Tub, every Monday night at the Virgil. Expect a fresh, oddball lineup each week of stand-up comics, sketch performances and new music.

Often, the phrase “back by popular demand” amounts to nothing more than hype, but in the case of The Book of Mormon, it fits like magic underwear. Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez’s nine-Tony-winning cultural phenomenon resurrects at the Ahmanson. Parker and Stone, of course, are best known for South Park and Lopez is a fairly newly minted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner. Mormon follows a group of idealistic missionaries as their beliefs run into the harsh realities of life for the African villagers they cheerfully hoped to convert. The tuneful megahit is not for kids, but if you happen to bring one, it’s earmuffs time when they start singing “Hasa Diga Eebowai.” And before that. And after that. Mormon is hilarious and offensive, and hilariously offensive. Looking to score tickets on the cheap? The production will hold a pre-show lottery (unfortunately the old-school way: at the box office, not online) for $25 tickets. Simply head to the box office starting two and a half hours before each show and fill out your name and how many tickets (one or two) you’d like to purchase. Then two hours before the show, names will be drawn at random.

Hannah Gadsby isn’t done with stand-up after all. The comedian’s boundary-pushing solo show Nanette was an award-winning revelation, a deconstruction of her memories of growing up gay in Tasmania. Its complexity gripped Netflix viewers, as did its twist, of sorts, that Gadsby was quitting comedy. That hasn’t been quite the case, though: Her follow-up show, Douglas, is a slightly more digestible but still blistering epilogue.

Arguably L.A.’s two finest improv performers, Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), team up together for this long form two-man show.

UCB regular Daniel Van Kirk and stand-up duo the Sklar Brothers try to make sense of acts of sheer stupidity—which invariably involve Florida, swords or nudity. A new guest each week joins in on the ribbing (in this live show, it’ll be Will Arnett, Paul F. Tompkins and a special musical guest), and Van Kirk showcases his stock of celebrity impressions.

Everyone’s favorite drunken hack comedian, Neil Hamburger—the compelling anti-comedy persona of Gregg Turkington—presents a night of comedy, magic and music to raise funs for Australian wildfire relief. The Wednesday night show at Zebulon includes comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, DJ Douggpound, Major Entertainer, Mark Proksch and Megan Koester; magic from Simone Turkington and Rob Zabrecky; and music from Josh Haden. Proceeds will be split 50/50 between the Australian Red Cross and WIRES, New South Wales’ Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc.

Need any further evidence that comedy's lowbrow is becoming accepted in the hallowed halls of high culture? Silverman will bring her acerbic, off-color act to Largo at the Coronet.

Whether you found Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s forays into sketch comedy on Adult Swim (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Tom Goes to the Mayor and the upcoming Beef House) truly bizarre or just very, very strange, it’s impossible to assail their committed, cogent aesthetic. Their live shows typically mix absolutely bananas musical numbers along with recognizable characters.

Every year, we shout out 10 local comedians currently leaving a mark on the scene. And—even better—you can see them all in one spot during our annual live show at Dynasty Typewriter. This year’s lineup include Julia Austin, Chris Bryant, Emily Catalano, Paul Danke, Christina Catherine Martinez, Sean Grant, Anna Seregina, Sahana Srinivasan, Finn Straley and Chinedu Unaka.