The Den Theatre today announced its lineup of December 2025 comedy shows at the theatre’s Wicker Park stages at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., This month’s highlights include John Achkar on December 2; Langston Kerman on December 4; Jerrod Carmichael December 6–11; Charlene Kaye’s Tiger Daughter, presented by Margaret Cho, on December 10; The Sklar Brothers on December 13; Gavin Matts on December 18; and IMHO: The Show’s New Year’s Eve Party on December 31. Tickets are now on sale at www.thedentheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830.
Top Row (L-R): John Achkar, Langston Kermin, Jarrod Carmichael
Bottom Row (L-R): Charlene Kaye; Randy and Jason Sklar; Gavin Matts; and Darby Lynn Cartwright and Alexis P. Bevels
John Achkar
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $55 - $95
John Achkar is a Lebanese stand-up comedian, actor, and entrepreneur renowned across the Middle East for his sharp humor and relatable storytelling. Known for blending wit with insightful social commentary, Achkar has become a household name in the comedy scene, performing sold-out shows in Lebanon, the GCC, Europe, North America, and Australia.
Achkar rose to prominence in 2020 after a viral skit on TikTok and Instagram catapulted him into the public eye. Since then, he has performed multiple one-hour comedy specials, including No Worries (2022), Wein 3ayish? (2023), Shou Zakeh?! (2024), and his latest hit AAM JARRIB (2025): a bold exploration of trial, error, and embracing life’s constant experiments. The special dives into the humor and chaos of pushing boundaries, trying new things, and learning to keep moving forward.
In addition to comedy, Achkar co-founded Everythink, a small business aimed at creating interactive experiences through play. His entrepreneurial spirit and comedic talents have also led him to host Tar El Waet (2024), a Lebanese TV show blending satire with cultural and political critique.
Achkar’s achievements include touring in more than 60 cities for his world tour special in 2024, as well as opening for renowned comedian Gad El Maleh in Dubai and Paris—a career milestone that fulfilled a lifelong dream. Through his work, Achkar continues to inspire laughter and introspection, proving that comedy can be a powerful tool for connection and change.
Show description:
Comedian John Achkar takes you on a heartfelt and hilarious journey through the chaos of life in his thirties. While the world seems to have it all figured out (HA!), John is still just Tryin’.
From navigating life’s absurdities to giving marriage another shot, he’s here to remind us that being a little lost is perfectly okay.
With candid observations and relatable stories, John’s special will leave you laughing, nodding, and feeling a little less alone in this wonderfully crazy thing called life.
Insta: @johnachr @byinnovent
Langston Kerman
Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $22 – $40
Langston Kerman’s comedy special Bad Poetry, directed and produced by John Mulaney, was released by Netflix in August. It was named one of the best 10 specials of the year by Vulture, and Jason Zinoman, The New York Times comedy/culture critic, calls it a “terrific debut hour.”
Langston is currently writing for Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney (Netflix). He is also developing a pilot at FX that he’s co-writing with Nick Kroll, and is set to star in the pilot.
Kerman starred in, co-created, and executive-produced Bust Down (Peacock) with Sam Jay, Chris Redd, and Jak Knight. He was the head writer and an executive producer of Pause With Sam Jay (HBO), which was nominated for a WGA Award for its first and second seasons.
As an actor, Langston’s credits include recurring roles on Abbott Elementary (ABC), English Teacher (FX), and The Boys (Amazon). He previously played “Jared” on Insecure (HBO) and starred alongside Lake Bell and Dax Shepard as “Brandon” on Bless This Mess (ABC). Other credits include recurring roles opposite Gina Rodriguez in Not Dead Yet (ABC) and The Other Black Girl (Hulu/Onyx).
Langston also wrote for two seasons of South Side (HBO Max), where he recurs as “Adam Bethune.” His podcast My Momma Told Me is part of Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players Network through iHeartMedia. His Comedy Central Half-Hour Special aired in September 2018 along with the release of his debut comedy album Lightskinned Feelings.
Jarrod Carmichael
Saturday – Thursday, December 6–11, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. (6 shows).
Tickets: General Admission ($28); VIP Table ($38)
Jarrod Carmichael is an Emmy-winning comedian, writer, and actor for Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His most recent special, Don’t Be Gay, is streaming on HBO Max, following his critically acclaimed Rothaniel. Carmichael currently stars in HBO’s Jarrod Carmichael Reality Show, further cementing his reputation as one of comedy’s most thought-provoking and fearless voices.
Charlene Kaye: Tiger Daughter (Presented by Margaret Cho)
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $22 – $40
Get ready for laughter, tears, and rock and roll glory as rising star Charlene Kaye brings her hit solo show Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame (presented by Margaret Cho and directed by Jennifer Monaco) on a U.S. tour. The show follows sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Tiger Daughter details what happens when you rebel against your Chinese Tiger Mom’s dreams of you playing Carnegie Hall by the time you’re 12 and instead become a slutty shredder in an all-girl Guns N’ Roses cover band called Guns N’ Hoses (“Welcome to the Vajungle!”) … among other questionable life choices.
“For the past 20 years, I’ve shared this very public-facing story of being a musician. With Tiger Daughter, I finally get to share the private-facing story of my relationship with my mother that’s been running parallel to it this entire time,” says Kaye.
And what if you don’t have a Tiger Mom? “I don’t think you need to be Asian to understand the show,” Kaye says. “You just need to have a parent you’ve disappointed.”
Tiger Daughter: Or, How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame is produced by Adam Gold of AGI Entertainment.
High energy and confident…the way Kaye spins her story on a dime is a thing of beauty.”
– The Scotsman ★★★★★
“Comedy gold.”
– Migrant Women Press ★★★★★
“A relatable, raw portrayal of mother-daughter relationships.”
– The Michigan Daily ★★★★★
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Charlene Kaye, who releases music under the moniker KAYE, is a force to be reckoned with. An accomplished singer, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and stand-up comic, Kaye has carved out a unique path in the entertainment industry, beginning with her time performing with Team Starkid, the viral internet sensation founded by her University of Michigan classmate, Emmy Award-winning actor Darren Criss.
Since then, she has released multiple albums and opened for Arctic Monkeys, alt-J, St. Vincent, and Metallica. Rolling Stone gave Kaye’s 2019 single “Closer Than This” 5/5 stars and hailed her as “a fully realized pop goddess.” Her mother, meanwhile, thought the video had “no real good message other than selling sex” and rated it 0/5 stars.
Kaye’s short-form comedy on Instagram Reels and TikTok is a phenomenon in and of itself. She currently has 200K followers on Instagram and counting, largely thanks to her viral “Every Taylor Swift Song,” “Every Dua Lipa Song,” “Every Charli XCX Song,” and “Every Chappell Roan Song” sketches (the latter earning Chappell’s own comment: “EXACTLYYYY YOU GET IT”).
Kaye’s recent expansion into acting and comedy has only broadened her following. She made a cameo as herself at Kendall Roy’s birthday party on HBO's Succession and played synthesizers for Coldplay on Saturday Night Live while dressed as an alien. Her upcoming role as punk rocker Jade Power in the film RON, opposite comedy legend Margaret Cho, further solidifies her ascent in the acting world.
The Sklar Brothers
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $22 – $40
Randy and Jason Sklar began as one zygote and later guest-starred in many TV shows including an Emmy Award-winning episode of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, the FX hit It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Adult Swim’s Childrens’ Hospital, and USA Network’s Playing House. They’ve also appeared in Maron (IFC), Better Call Saul (AMC), GLOW (Netflix), and Comedy Central’s Roast Battle III and The History of Comedy on CNN.
The Sklars starred as conjoined twins in a memorable episode of Grey’s Anatomy and as warring agents on HBO's Entourage, of which Entertainment Weekly’s Paul Katz wrote, “in the hands of comedic masters, The Sklar Brothers made it soar.” They’ve appeared in films including Wild Hogs, The Comebacks, and the Netflix movie Teacher of the Year alongside Keegan-Michael Key and Larry Joe Campbell.
They hosted the acclaimed History Channel docu-comedy The United Stats of America and appeared monthly on Showtime’s Jim Rome on Showtime in their regular segment “Sklarred For Life.”
In addition to TV and film, the Sklars are acclaimed stand-up comedians. Their Comedy Central Presents half-hour aired in 2010; their albums Henderson and Daughters and What Are We Talking About (Netflix) earned rave reviews, and their 2018 Starz special Hipster Ghosts continued their momentum.
The New York Times’ Neil Strauss wrote, “Their comedy accepts the reality of being twins but does not use it as a crutch. Instead, they work with their physical and mental similarities and correspondences—their status as imperfect carbon copies of each other.”
The brothers host two hit podcasts: View from the Cheap Seats and Dumb People Town (in development with Sony as an animated series co-starring Will Arnett). They live in Los Angeles with their families.
Gavin Matts
Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $22 – $37
Show info: Gavin performs in preparation for his second comedy special.
Originally from Vancouver, Gavin Matts is a New York–based comedian and performs regularly at the Comedy Cellar and The Stand. In 2024, he was named one of Vulture Magazine’s “Comedians You Should and Will Know.” Gavin’s debut special, Progression, released in October 2023, was produced by All Things Comedy and Bill Burr, and received acclaim from New York Magazine, which called it “dark comedy at its best.”
Gavin has made stand-up appearances on Comedy Central and Conan, and he’s acted on shows like Hulu’s Ramy and recurred in Season 4 of HBO Max’s Hacks.
IMHO: The Show - New Year’s Eve Party!
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30 - $55
MHO’s New Year’s Eve Party!
The “P” today stands for “Party, New Year’s Eve!” The ladies of IMHO are back in Chicago, gay people & others, with a brand-new show! This time, Darby and Alexis promise to keep it at a tight 90 minutes… or like… a loose 120. Let’s take that gamble together! There will be singing, dancing (sort of, I mean not really), comedy, trauma, and videos that YouTube called “not appropriate!” AND the show will be over before midnight, so you can go drink at bars while the ladies go to bed.
About the Artists:
Darby Lynn Cartwright is a [redacted]-year-old drag queen with a heart of gold and arteries that her doctors have called “worrisome.” She hosts a YouTube series, IMHO: The Show, and the podcast IMHO: The Podcast with her best co-worker/acquaintance Alexis Bevels. She also hosts a podcast with her twin brother called Twinnuendo. Spoiler: they are not fans of their dad.
Darby has a couch in front of her TV (she invented that layout), so she gets to lie down while she watches K-dramas about falling in love with demons who are also horses (she thinks). She lives in LA, near Mark Hamill—she almost ran him over with her car when Luke Skywalker was Luke Jaywalking.
Alexis P. Bevels is a singing, dancing, twirling queen with a head full of air and a heart full of gold. She began her journey in musical theatre, but didn’t want to play just one part—she wanted to be the lead, director, costume designer, and stage manager. So she became a full-time drag queen!
She lives in LA at the bottom of a hill, which worries her because of mudslides. When she’s not in constant fear for her life, she has a BOYFRIEND NOW!! (You can Google it.) You can also find Alexis on IMHO: The Show and IMHO: The Podcast. Otherwise, she’s probably just lying down and thinking about pogs.
About The Den Theatre
The Den Theatre opened in 2010 in the Wicker Park neighborhood with just a single theatre space. Now celebrating its thirteenth year, Co-owners Ryan Martin and Carol Cohen, along with their talented and dynamic staff, have developed The Den into a multi-level, live entertainment venue that boasts five intimate and unique theaters ranging from 50–300 seats. In addition, the first floor houses The Den Bar & Lounge – a full-service bar where audiences gather before and after performances to share a drink and commune with like-minded culture-hounds. Today, The Den is focused on providing world-class stand-up comedy and cultivating its first love – the theatre. The Den is home to four resident theatre companies including About Face Theatre, The Artistic Home, First Floor Theater and Haven. Hundreds of other companies, artists and comedians from Chicago and beyond have called The Den home – from national names to local stars, and The Den consistently plays host to a lineup of exciting and diverse talent. As a building created for interdisciplinary arts, The Den has accommodated a wide variety of programming, including plays, musicals, stand-up comedy, improv, dance, film screenings, seminars and speaking engagements. For additional information, visit www.thedentheatre.com.
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