Thank you, Ike Barinholtz… and Sal Saperstein
If laughter truly is the best medicine, then Ike Barinholtz is out here running a black-market pharmacy. Before he was Hollywood’s favorite scene-stealing lunatic, Ike was Boom Chicago’s human laugh grenade. A walking, talking masterclass in comedic chaos with the energy of a golden retriever on Red Bull. We’re both proud alumni of the improv trenches, from Boom Chicago and iO Theater, which makes us basically comedy siblings. I’ll never forget watching him during a candid Q&A via iO in the thick of COVID. While the rest of us were feral and clinging to ring lights and banana bread, Ike was calm, hilarious, and just so real. He talked about his journey with humility and zero ego, like your funniest friend from rehearsal who somehow made it big and also somehow didn’t become a jerk. Unfair, right? His resume is a comedy flex. Let’s not forget…
Louie’s Farewell
Howdy, y’allemaal! It’s your friendly, neighborhood Cast Cutie™️ here with a farewell message for my lovers, enemies, and enemy-lovers (you know who you are.) I cannot believe that I have been in Amsterdam for a year. It feels like more and less than that at the same time. IYKYK. But I think the funny thing…
Spotlight on Comedy: A Conversation with Stacey Smith
In honor of our International Women’s Day show on March 8th, we sat down with Artistic Director Stacey Smith to discuss her experience as a woman in comedy. What inspired the decision to dedicate a show to International Women’s Day? Honestly? For me, everyday is Women’s Day. For me, this was an excuse for Katie, Raquel and I…
2023 was a Big Year for the Role of Comedy in Life
I have always loved comedy. That’s why we started Boom Chicago. But last year, I observed something change. Suddenly comedy wasn’t just something fun to do like mini golf (or the more offensive Dutch term midgetgolf). The value of comedy on an artistic, political and social level increased tremendously. And for me personally, it even…
THE NEW APPLE TV+ SERIES ‘TED LASSO’ IS A JOY! (created by Boom Chicago alumni)
Seth Meyers and Jason Sudeikis talk about their time in Amsterdam at Boom Chicago and the wonderful new Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. Three Boom Chicago alums (Jason, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly) developed their love for football in Amsterdam and created the Coach Ted Lasso character in the early 2000s. After making two viral videos…
STACEY SMITH JOINS THE BOOM CHICAGO CAST
I met Boom Chicago’s newest cast member, Stacey Smith, about a year ago when we brought her in to give the then cast a workshop in musical improv comedy. At the time, the cast and I were in a brutal show process. We were meeting every day from 11:00am to about 3:00am to write and rehearse a new show, perform and stay late for notes nearly every day. The last thing we wanted to do was a musical improv workshop (or anything requiring the least bit of extra energy). I can only imagine what Stacey was thinking when she laid eyes on us. Nevertheless she persisted. And, really, she didn’t even skip a beat. We were immediately swept up in the Stacejam (title of her one woman improvised musical that will blow your mind). Within minutes we were all cracking up and belting out hilarity at…