`I do warn people I’m really rude,” Elisabeth Charbonneau said. “I do joke a lot about sex and I have a lot of rude words. If people are sensitive, they probably shouldn’t come see me.”
Charbonneau was told she didn’t have to worry; audiences that know what to expect tend to be hardened to it. But you can’t blame Charbonneau for her naivete. Born and raised in the Chicago area, Charbonneau has lived and worked in England for the last five years.
The 27-year-old comedian is performing at the Chicago Comedy Festival this weekend. She’s one of dozens of acts that will be featured at Zanies, All Jokes Aside and other venues around the city at this first-time event.
“I’m really excited to come back to Chicago,” said Charbonneau, who was born in suburban Winfield. Although an American, she’s billed as one of the festival’s “international acts,” which doesn’t faze her.
“It was strange when I did South Africa because I just didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “Female comics in South Africa are very, very rare, and me being American, I thought how in the world will they get my humor. And they loved it.”
Charbonneau, who switched to standup four years ago after limited success at acting in England, is able to do comedy in Europe partly because she sticks with themes that everyone can relate to.
“I find when you joke about relationships and stuff like that, or love or anything like that, that’s kind of universal,” she said during a telephone chat from London. “If you start trying to joke about politics or the town and stuff, you’ve got to really know the area before you start.”
Charbonneau had a running start on figuring out English audiences because her mother is from there; her dad is American. It certainly helped when she first decided to stay in London, after an unsatisfying stint in Los Angeles, which she described as “vacuous.”
“This agent I met, she’s like, `You’re half-a-babe, why don’t you get some breast implants and we’ll see what we can do with you?’ “
She had decided to return to Chicago, where she trained a bit with Second City, but “I found out about some really cheap flights to London. I have some friends (there) and I thought, `Oh, well, I’ll just go for a bit.’
“I ended up going away for longer than I thought.”
In addition to standup, Charbonneau does voices and material for a late-night radio show and performs sketches for a BBC television comedy series.
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After five years in London, Charbonneau said, she may return to the United States one day to ply her trade. Being based in England has given her access to other countries, like the Netherlands, South Africa and Ireland, and by playing those and other locations, Charbonneau has been able not only to make a decent living but also to get some experience so that when and if she does come home, it will be as a seasoned veteran.
“Basically I’ve been doing my time doing Europe, and it’s been good,” she said. “It’s been a huge learning experience.”
Elisabeth Charbonneau is performing Friday and Saturday at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells St., as part of the Chicago Comedy Festival, which runs through Sunday. Other festival venues are All Jokes Aside, 1000 S. Wabash Ave.; the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; and the Village Theater, 1548 N. Clark St. A fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago is scheduled for Saturday at the Swissotel Chicago, 323 E. Wacker Drive.
Tickets are available at the venues, Ticketmaster outlets or by phone, 312-559-1212. For more information on the festival, call 847-304-6624.
The standup lineup
Here’s who’s kidding around in the area. Current sets are scheduled to run through Saturday; all new acts begin on Wednesday unless otherwise noted. Lineups are subject to change.
– Chicago’s Asian-American sketch comedy troupe Stir-Friday Night does its latest, “Lo Mein on the Totem Pole,” Fridays and Saturdays through May 23 as part of a salute of Asian American Heritage Month. And just in case anyone is wondering, not all of the skits will reflect Asian culture, making the show inclusive. “Lo Mein,” written and directed by Stir-Friday creator and producer Quincy Wong, is at Donny’s Skybox Studio Theater in Piper’s Alley, 1608 N. Wells St.; call 312-337-3992.
– Longtime Chicago performer Brian Noonan, who has appeared on various television showcases, is performing at the Funny Bone through Saturday. The club is at 1504 Naper Blvd. in Naperville’s Tower Crossing Shopping Center; call 630-955-0500 for more information.
– The O’Bar presents “The Joel Show,” a comedy variety show starring Joel Calderon, who had the one-man show “Another Lonely Christmas” a couple of years ago. Running every Wednesday through June 3, Calderon’s current show presents sketch comedy, monologues, live music, standup, celebrity guests and spicy interviews with “laugh machines” from the adult services industry. Obviously, this one isn’t for kiddies. The O’Bar is at 3343 N. Clark St.; call 312-787-5641.