Local Laughs: 12 Cincinnati Comedy Shows to Catch in February

click to enlarge

Photo: Courtesy of guinivanpr

Comics Leah and Andrew Rudick are performing at Liberty Funny Bone on Feb. 14.

February is a great month for comedy in Cincinnati, with many comedy legends returning to the Queen City to entertain the masses. Here are the top can't-miss comedy gigs in Cincinnati during the month of February.

Anthony DeVito at Go Bananas Comedy Club
“I was always interested in comedy for sure,” comedian Anthony DeVito tells CityBeat. Once a year his family would go to the local comedy club where he grew up in New Jersey. When he was 13, the family took a trip to Las Vegas. “I couldn’t go into the casinos,” he recalls, “so my mom surprised me with tickets to see George Carlin at Bally’s, and it was the coolest thing. I was amazed.” That started the desire to do comedy. The problem was he was painfully shy. “I wasn’t the funny guy in class I was more the guy who was working on things, writing them down, and showing my friends. ‘Is this funny?’ I would ask them.” In college, friends recognized his talent. “I grew up in North Jersey,” he says. “The funny kid is usually the bully. When people told me I was funny I was like, ‘really?’” Feb. 3-5 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. (Friday and Saturday). $10-$15. Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

Lil Duval at Liberty Funny Bone
Lil Duval hails from Jacksonville, Florida, where he grew up as Roland Powell. His stage name honors Duval County, where Jacksonville is located. His comedy career took off after he relocated to Atlanta then later San Francisco. It was while in the Bay Area he was noticed by Cedric the Entertainer’s road manager, who asked him to join the veteran comic on tour. Duval has also dabbled in acting, having appeared in several films. He’s also expanded into music. In 2018, he released "Smile Bitch (Living My Best Life)" which featured Snoop Dogg and Ball Greezy. The song reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. Feb 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. $47-$57. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.

Chad Daniels at Go Bananas Comedy Club
“I’m a boring interview,” Go Bananas favorite and Minnesota native, Chad Daniels, tells CityBeat. “I just love doing stand-up.” Though he loves touring, he came to a realization during lockdown. “Before the pandemic people were always trying to get out on the weekend and make the most of their 48 hours off. I think people realize game night with the family isn’t horrible, it’s actually pretty great.” Daniels, though, has recorded two albums worth of material and is looking to release both the audio and video some time in spring, so fans can look forward to lots of new material. Feb. 10 and 11 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $30. Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

Michael Yo at Liberty Funny Bone
Michael Yo didn’t follow the usual path to stand-up. He started his career as a disc jockey before becoming a correspondent for E! News, The Daily 10 and Extra. Those stints led to him getting a gig as a panelist on Chelsey Lately, one of the few non-comics to fill one of those slots. Fans of the show, though, assumed he was a comedian, so he figured he’d have a go. In 2018, he appeared on America’s Got Talent. On stage he talks about growing up in a multicultural family, toddler parenting and current events. He also discusses being one of the first people to contract COVID-19 and winding up in the ICU. Feb 10 and 11; 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Saturday. $22. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.

Andrew and Leah Rudick at Liberty Funny Bone
Cincinnati natives and siblings, Leah and Andrew Rudick, perform a one-off show at the Funny Bone. They’re not a comedy duo, though, like the Sklar Brothers. Each will perform a stand-up set, then together they will do a Q&A with the audience. Older sister Leah started doing comedy first. “I went the theater route,” she explains to CityBeat, “and moved to New York. Andrew saw what I was doing and was super jealous because he was on his way to being an English professor." Andrew adds, “Yes, I was going to be a nerd, but I wanted to be more of a nerd.” Leah found fame in sketch comedy and later developed a following on social media. Andrew worked his way up the stand-up ranks to become a headliner. Leah decided to have a go at stand-up, attracted by the freedom it offered. In addition to playing sold-out shows across the U.S., the two of also just launched a podcast called The Rudicks are Home. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14. $25-$60. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.

Jimmy Pardo at Go Bananas Comedy Club
Another Go Bananas favorite, Jimmy Pardo has worn many hats in his showbiz career, though he’s donned his stand-up cap steadily throughout. He has also done some acting, hosted several game shows and was one of the first podcasters to hit the Internet when his show Never Not Funny debuted way back in 2006. Pardo started as more of straight-ahead observational comic and joke teller but switched to telling longer tales when fellow comics told him he was even funnier offstage just cracking up his buddies. A massive music fan, he also hosts the YouTube series Jimmy's Records and Tapes. It began with each episode focusing on a specific year from his youth and his musical memories of that time. Later episodes feature themes such as soundtracks, horrible songs and cover songs. Feb. 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $15. Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

Josh Wolf at Liberty Funny Bone
“I had been told a bunch of times by my dad that I was a wise-ass, and all my teachers would say to me all the time ‘what are you a comedian?’ So I realized I don’t know how good I am at anything else," Wolf tells CityBeat. When he arrived at the comedy club for his very first set, he asked what he should talk about on stage. The show’s organizer told him to talk about what he knew.  “The only thing I knew about at that time was my parents,” he says. “They had driven me to the show, they were sitting in the audience, and they were so proud and excited when I hopped on stage. And the funniest thing about my parents is that they had terrible gas. I did ten minutes on how much my parents fart.” Feb. 16-18; 7:30 Thursday, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday, and 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Saturday. $32. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.

Rich Vos at Go Bananas Comedy Club
Rich Vos made comedy history as the first white performer to appear on Def Comedy Jam in 1995. According to Vos, his comedy career started after he discovered he was terrible at everything else. For a while, that included stand-up. He recalls he “died like a dog” his first few times on stage, but he kept plugging away. His big break came when he appeared on Last Comic Standing in 2003 and finished third. That was good enough, though, to boost is status as a headliner. In 2005, he married fellow comic and former Last Comic contestant Bonnie McFarlane. They currently co-host the podcast My Wife Hates Me. Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. $15. Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

Blake Wexler at Go Bananas Comedy Club
Blake Wexler will record his debut comedy special at Go Bananas during his run at the club. The Philadelphia native started doing stand-up at age 15 and continued to pursue it while in college in Boston. On stage he discusses life experiences and observations of everything from spiders to Blue Man Group. Feb. 23-26; 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. (Friday and Saturday). $10-15. Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

Samuel J. Comroe at Liberty Funny Bone
Best known for his appearance in America’s Got Talent, Samuel Comroe is a Los Angeles native who jokes about his struggles with Tourette Syndrome, what that condition is and what it isn’t, as well as observations on daily life. Feb. 24 and 25; 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Saturday. $27-$37. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.

Mark Chalifoux with Billy DeVore and Karinne Turnbow at Skyline Chili
“There could be nothing more Cincinnati,” says Mark Chalifoux of his show at the Skyline Chili at 1001 Vine Street in  Downtown (and the first-ever comedy show at a Skyline Chili). Chalifoux was a nominee for Best Comedian in CityBeat's Best Of Cincinnati® 2022. Also on the bill are local favorites Billy DeVore and Karinne Turnbow. The show will be hosted by Wayne Memmott and Shawn Braley.Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. $10. Skyline Chili, 1001 Vine St., Downtown, facebook.com.

Pauly Shore at Liberty Funny Bone
“What’s up bud-dies?” Pauly Shore returns for a one-night engagement at the Liberty Funny Bone. A '90s icon, Shore has seen a bit of a career resurgence thanks to renewed interest in that decade, as well as appreciation of his films such as Bio-Dome and Son in Law. On stage, Shore reminisces about those times and pokes a little fun at himself and his persona from back then. Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. $32. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.