The currently beleaguered state of comedy not only has deprived the city of a selection of locations in which to laugh — several national headliners, once “regulars” here, now tend to bypass the city.
One of those whom we haven’t seen in a while is a funny guy by the name of Steve Mittleman. Those who attended the Chicago Improv on a regular basis probably remember Mittleman’s dry-witted act; his forte was clever jokes delivered in a slightly goofy, yet totally charming, manner.
It has been several years since Mittleman has made his way to Chicago. The comic has been busy working around the country at comedy clubs, colleges, corporate functions, country clubs, casinos, “anything with a `C,'” he jokes.
“I can’t say there’s many other cities that I’ve played as much as Chicago,” says Mittleman. “Chicago I’ve played more than I played in New York, where I started. We were doing it at least twice a year for the six years that the Improv was really going strong.”
Mittleman also worked at the old Funny Firm comedy club a few times, the Funny Bones clubs when they were in the suburbs, and the Ambassador East when there was a room there to perform.
“I have no shortage of love for Chicago,” says Mittleman, a fan of the local blues clubs like the Kingston Mines.
Mittleman, who got his start in 1977, says that it isn’t just Chicago that he hasn’t visited in a while, but comedy clubs in general.
“I only do a couple a year,” he says. “It’s cost effective to do one-nighters, especially with a wife and a child. I’m making more in one night doing a corporate party than I would doing a club for a week.”
The downside is the lack of meaningful stage time. The only way a comedian can get better, or make sure new material is tight, is by working it out in front of a crowd in a club environment. Mittleman lives in the Los Angeles area, where the club scene is limited to showcase sets of only a few minutes on stage.
“When else can I do eight shows? I mean, it’s like flexing a muscle. And working on material, you don’t get that in L.A. It’s hard to get on stage.”
So when Mittleman hits the stage this weekend at Zanies, it will be “sort of nostalgic” being back in a comedy club.
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Mittleman may not be hitting the clubs like he used to, but it doesn’t mean he has been sitting by the telephone waiting for a corporate function to develop. The comic has done some 50 commercials, the latest a spot co-starring cross-dressing entertainer RuPaul:
“His makeup took five hours. Mine took five minutes.”
Mittleman also acts, having appeared in such films as “Roxanne” and “Radio Days.” His last movie was “The Out-of-Towners,” with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn.
Several days ago, Mittleman taped a spot for the upcoming “You Don’t Know Jack!” televised version of the popular game for ABC, with Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens as host.
But because writing is his forte, Mittleman has been putting the word out that he would like a gig in television. He would love to write for a sitcom because of its stability, and he also is soliciting a spot with Martin’s staff when he assembles one to write for the Academy Awards, which Martin is hosting this year.
All the while, Mittleman will continue to hit stages whenever the gigs become available. He talks about relationships in his act, as well as some humor that has made him a fan of Jackie Mason.
“My stuff is sort of like Jackie’s in the sense that I have a chunk of ethnic material about growing up Jewish, and Italian material. That’s been sort of a focus about what I’ve been writing about lately.
“You had Jewish gangsters. Murder Inc. was out of Chicago,” Mittleman jokes. “Even then, the criminals incorporated. The guns, the bullets, the cement … all write-offs.”
Steve Mittleman performs through Sunday at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells St. For show times and reservations, call 312-337-4027.
The stand-up lineup
Here’s who’s working at the comedy clubs. Current sets are scheduled to run through Saturday, and new acts begin on Thursday, unless otherwise noted. Lineups are subject to change.
– Direct from UPN’s “The Hughleys” and “The Kings of Comedy,” funny D.L. Hughley makes a special appearance Saturday at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind. For tickets and other information, call the box office at 219-769-6600, or Ticketmaster, 312-559-1212.
– Bringing their character-driven comedy and music to Chicago for one night only on Saturday is the award-winning A.C.E. of Denver. A.C.E. (which stands for “American, Canadian, Englishman”) is a two-woman (Linda Klein and Barbara Gehring), one-man (Matthew Taylor) troupe that has been wowing them at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in the last few years. They’re working Donny’s Skybox Studio Theater in Piper’s Alley, 1608 N. Wells St.; call 312-337-3992.
– Annoyance Productions presents “Teenage Sports Parade,” an “unresponsible memorized comedy” that runs Saturdays through Feb. 17 at TinFish Theater, 4247 N. Lincoln Ave.; call 773-549-8080.
– Comedy Comedy is importing some comedy to the Chicago area–Martin Gollogly of Scotland. The club is in the Radisson Hotel Lisle-Naperville, 3000 Warrenville Rd., Lisle; call 630-226-9700.
– The Playground Theater (3341 N. Lincoln Ave.) has something new with the current long-form, female improv show “Sirens”: a different guy working with the women each week. See what happens in the show, which runs Saturdays through Feb. 9; call 773-222-7053.
– Lawn Chair Theater presents “Lust ‘n Rust,” a “trailer park musical” about the comical loves and losses that befall the denizens of Twister Plaines, Ill., complete with 14 original alternative country music songs. Previews are Tuesday and Wednesday, with the opening set for Thursday. It is scheduled for Thursdays through Sundays until Feb. 18 at the Theater Building, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; call 773-327-5252.
– ComedySportz is opening its doors to all who want to learn how to improv or to increase confidence and performance skills. The group, at 2851 N. Halsted St., has three separate “minor league” programs that it is offering Monday, Wednesday and Jan. 20. The classes are scheduled to run until March; they conclude with a showcase performance the week of March 12. For more details, call 773-549-8080.