Political Satire Tag

Boom Chicago Book Review

Boom Chicago 30th Anniversary Book

Greg Shapiro Contributes to the Boom Chicago 30th Anniversary Book

14 June 2023

Finally, a proper oral history of the Boom Chicago Comedy Theater – and I got to contribute! About 30 years ago I came to Amsterdam to perform for one summer, and I never left. Along the way, I got to work alongside now-famous names, such as Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele and Kay Cannon. And the comedy form we all played was improvisation, where the Golden Rule is: “Make Your Partner Look Good Onstage.” And looking at their careers, versus mine, I like to think I did my job VERY well. 

The book features a foreword by Seth Meyers, a voorwoord by Ruben van der Meer, a BackWord by Jordan Peele – and a Who’sWho Section by me (and fellow Boom Chicago lifer Rob Andristplourde). Author Matt Diehl teams up with Boom Chicago founders Saskia Maas, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld to write the book. Rob and focused on the some of the juicy anecdotes that did not get covered in the oral history interviews. Such as:
-The time Seth Meyers improvised with an audience member who pretended to be retarded.

-The time Jordan Peele got into a rap battle with that guy from Seinfeld.

+ The reason Amber Ruffin’s tooth was hanging on the wall.

And I added this bit about myself:

“Greg almost moved back to the US like Pep – until he met a Dutch woman named Inez (who was working in the Boom Chicago office). On the eve of his wedding to Inez, Greg’s bachelor party was crashed by Inez and a number of Boom Chicago cast members. These included Kay Cannon as a naughty nurse, Liz Cackowski as a Catholic school girl, Jen Bills as a cop, and Holly Walker as a straight-up dominatrix. Together, they performed a girl band version of the Boy Band song from the show called “That’s What He Likes.” And no, it wasn’t inappropriate! Because the only actual semi-stripping was done by Inez. And she is Dutch.”

(Here is a pose from 1994 with the founders of Boom Chicago Pep Rosenfeld and Andrew Moskos.)

 

Pre-order “Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History” here:

https://a.co/d/9IB0HWf

Read perfectly self-aggrandizing review here:

https://lnkd.in/gQWShiFP

The book made the Chicago Tribune list ‘Books to Read This Summer’

https://t.co/glL3Evh5rx

For US book tour dates in NY Chicago LA:

https://linktr.ee/mattdiehl

Boom Chicago 30th Anniversary Book: “Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History”

An exciting history of the improv group you’ve never heard of that changed comedy in America—this is the story of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam as told by its founders and most famous alumni

“It’s kind of crazy, the impact on culture so many Boom Chicago alums have had. Boom was where I became my best comedic self: the excitement of Amsterdam, the freedom of that environment, the letting loose—it’s magic. There’s no better training ground.” —Jordan Peele

“Boom Chicago should have ended up on the scrap heap of ‘Terrible Ideas Americans Have While Stoned in Amsterdam.’ But when you stubbornly love one thing (comedy) as much as another thing (Amsterdam), you just believe they should be together. And here we are—thirty years later, Boom Chicago is alive and kicking.” —Seth Meyers

“Working at Boom Chicago was an unbelievable experience. Thank goodness someone was smart enough to write it all down! You’re lucky ’cause you get to read about THE most exciting, fun, and illegal time I’ve ever had!” —Amber Ruffin

 

Featuring interviews with

Meyers, Peele, Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Ike Barinholtz, Greg Shapiro, Kay Cannon, and many more; and a sixteen-page, full-color insert with both behind-the-scenes snapshots and images from live performances.

What do Ted Lasso, Get Out, Late Night with Seth Meyers, 30 Rock, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Breaking Bad, Saturday Night Live, Girls5Eva, The Colbert Report, Inside Amy Schumer, Pitch Perfect, Key & Peele, The Daily Show, MADtv, Rick and Morty, The Amber Ruffin Show, Horrible Bosses, Portlandia, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Suicide Squad, Superstore, How I Met Your Mother, Wicked, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Broad City all have in common? They all feature writers, creators, directors, or stars who got their start at Boom Chicago.

Having risen roughly to the middle of Chicago’s cutthroat comedy scene, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld decamped the Midwest for Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1993 to start their own improv comedy troupe, Boom Chicago. In a foreign land with zero tradition of English-language humor, Moskos and Rosenfeld unwittingly created the finishing school for some of today’s most groundbreaking comedic talents. They (along with coauthors Matt Diehl and Saskia Maas) document this journey in the definitive oral history Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History.

From its stages, Boom Chicago went on to launch cultural game changers like Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Ike Barinholtz, Kay Cannon, and Tami Sagher (and that’s just a partial list). At Boom, these young upstarts honed their craft in front of unsuspecting foreign audiences and visiting dignitaries like Burt Reynolds, Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, Dutch royalty, and the Netherlands’s prime minister—all while navigating a world with legal weed and prostitution, annual holiday celebrations involving blackface, cookies with weird racist names, and football that has nothing to do with the NFL. From this culture shock, this collective created a more topical, inclusive, tech-savvy humor that would become the dominant comedy style of our time.

 

Praise for Boom Chicago:

“The Groundlings. The Harvard Lampoon. Second City. These comedy institutions have been supplying Hollywood with a steady stream of talent for decades. Well, there’s another name—almost as influential—that you’ve never heard of: Amsterdam’s Boom Chicago. Huh?”—GQ

“A small theater in Amsterdam became the most influential American comedy factory you’ve never heard of . . . Boom alums have had a significant hand in many of the shows that defined the past two decades of comedy.” —New York 

 

For reviews of Greg’s book The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/

Greg Shapiro Saves the Climate

GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE – 60 minutes of Climate Good News

24 September, 2023 in Amsterdam
Click here for tix:
Nutty Anita’s Amsterdam 24 sept. 19:30

In the Netherlands alone, there are solar-powered cars, wind-powered trains, garbage-powered trucks – and toilet-powered home heating! Comedian Greg Shapiro shares an hour of uplifting environmental game-changers and asks “Why aren’t we ALL doing this?”

Maybe it’s because the Netherlands is addicted to modesty. The Netherlands doesn’t get nearly enough credit for their innovations – because that’s exactly how they like it. The entire country is allergic to anything resembling bragging. Scheppen, goed. Opscheppen, niet goed.

 

Netherlands, you need a sidekick. You need a wing man. You need a cheerleader! Enter The American Netherlander: Greg is Dutch enough to be proud of the Netherlands; but American enough to be way too loud about it.

“Yes 90% of climate news is bad. But if you ignore the 10% that’s good, you’ll go 100% crazy.”
– Greg Shapiro
Preserve your mental health and come see GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE.

Stories from the Expert

After being the voice of Trump in the ‘Netherlands Second’ viral video – and giving that man even more attention – Greg Shapiro wanted to do something positive for humanity. Now he’s known for boosting Dutch green startups and innovators. Greg has hosted events for Dutch solar-powered cars, lab-grown meat, garbage-powered trucks, offshore wind, water purification, the energy transition, a sustainable chicken farm, the European Sleeper train, Extinction Rebellion – and even for Shell. Come hear the stories from the front lines – and behind the scenes.

Greg Shapiro (Boom Chicago, Comedy Central, ZDF) has written and performed 6 solo shows including Leaving Trumpland and How to Be Orange. As author, Greg has written books such as How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and his latest The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales.

For more of Greg’s Solo Shows, see the ARCHIVE
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-web-archive/

TICKETS:
https://fb.me/e/gdCKm39mZ
Greg Shapiro Summit Standup 'Summit for Democracy'

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup


Greg Shapiro Summit Standup

21 April 2023

Was that me performing standup in a global livestream called Summit for Democracy? Yes, it was. introducing a new category of performing: Greg Shapiro Summit Standup.

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup, performing for Summit for Democracy

I got a call from a friend who works at the Dutch foreign ministry. Was I aware of this ‘Summit for Democracy’ thing? It’s an initiative of the Biden White House, to push back against authoritarianism worldwide. There are various themes hosted by different countries, and the Netherlands gets to host the Freedom of Speech.

Would I be willing to perform three minutes of standup for this Summit for Democracy livestream? I said yes. “But,” he said, “the livestream might not be live in America, because they might want to censor some of the content. In fact, you want want to make a joke about that…” Oh, believe me I did.

I said: “I was told that this Freedom of Speech livestream was originally NOT going to be live in the United States, because they might want to censor some of the content. …Censoring the content? About the Freedom of Speech? Ah, America! We’re almost 250 years old, and still trying to grasp the basic concept of irony.”

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup comedy at Summit for Democracy

“Censoring content is very hot in America right now. On the Far-Right, you’ve got people banning books because they talk about homosexuality, or they suggest that slavery might have been racist. And then on the Far-Left they’re censoring books because they use the N-word, or they’re written by Roald Dahl. Oddly, banning books is one thing that could unite the Far-Left and Far-Right in America. And then we will have truly learned the meaning of the word IRONY.”

You can watch the 3-minute monologue here, BUT please note the students sitting behind me were apparently instructed: YOU WILL BE ON CAMERA! DO NOT LAUGH! 

 

THE SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY LIVESTREAM

The entire Livestream is worth a watch. Did you know how many initiatives are already in place to push back against anti-democracy disinformation? Samantha Power (USAID) explains. The Dutch Foreign Minister talks about ‘PersVeilig’ to protect journalists from harm. And Amanda Bennett talks about how Voice of America & Radio Free Europe are a vital source of news, even in Iran.
Here’s a teaser for the livestream (I’m in it briefly):

 

+ You can watch the whole live stream here:

 

CLICK HERE for more about Summit for Democracy events.

https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs/activiteiten/summit-for-democracy

 

ALSO – GREG SHAPIRO’S POLITICAL COMEDY SHOW ‘PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA’ AT BOOM CHICAGO:

Review: ‘Pep & Greg Save America’

pep & greg save america

PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA

PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA at Boom Chicago Theater
8 March 2023


Pep Rosenfeld (SNL) & Greg Shapiro (‘Netherlands Second’ video) are back at Boom Chicago – to save America! And also to make fun of Marjorie Taylor Greene. This political comedy show dares to make the argument: it’s safe to be proud of America again! In fact, that’s our only option – if we want to beat Trump in 2024. (yes, it’ll be Trump.)

The 2024 election is already underway.
-Will Trump be replaced by someone worse?
-Will Joe Biden survive until 2024?
– AND (Will FOX News survive until 2024?)
Inspired by Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy series, Pep & Greg Save America proposes 5 simple changes that could make a HUGE difference – and they make it funny. Pep & Greg have done 10 political comedy shows so far, with their patented mix of standup comedy and improvisation. As in their previous hit show Trump Up the Volume.

And this time we brought a friend! Pep & Greg Save America features songs and improvisation by the critically-acclaimed Stacey Smith and Sacha Hoedemaker.

Pep Rosenfeld: in addition to his work at Boom Chicago, Pep was also nominated for an Emmy for his work at Saturday Night Live.
Greg Shapiro: Greg is known as the host of Boom Chicago’s Comedy Central News, as well as the voice of Donald Trump in Arjen Lubach’s viral video ‘The Netherlands Second.’

REVIEW: PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA AT BOOM CHICAGO

as seen in ArtsTalkMagazine.nl
“JOKES WERE WELL-SCULPTED AND WIDE-RANGING.”
“ENGAGING WITH THE AUDIENCE, THEY WERE QUICK, PROVOCATIVE AND PUGNACIOUS.”

PRAISE for Pep & Greg’s previous Boom Chicago shows:
‘Sharp satire and world class improvisation’ – De Volkskrant.

‘Five stars! Greg and Pep have an incredible charisma and are very funny…. Sassy Stacey’s super singing is the icing on the cake.’ — D Robbinson, Trip Advisor
‘Superior. Hilarious satire’ – Theaterkrant.nl
|‘Greg is a scarily real fake Trump’ – Het Parool

 

TICKETS: CLICK HERE
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

 

More Greg reviews? Click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/

Fun for the whole family! (Last time, these folks brought 3 generations.)

Dutch to the Rescue - a Greg Shapiro Comedy Show

DUTCH TO THE RESCUE

DUTCH TO THE RESCUE – a new Greg Shapiro solo comedy show

6 January, 2023

Welcome to the Netherlands, where 30% of the land mass is below sea level, and the sea level is rising. But don’t worry! If the water gets too high, Dutch people will do what they’ve doing for centuries: make more land. It’s what they do.

In fact, when it comes to Climate Change, the Netherlands has a lot of answers to world’s challenges.
“Who do you call when you need a sea wall? The Dutch.”
“Which country’s thriving with sea levels rising? The Dutch.”
“Who brings you luck when your container ship’s stuck? The Dutch.”

The Netherlands doesn’t get nearly enough credit – and somehow that’s exactly how they like it. The entire country is allergic to anything resembling bragging.

Scheppen, goed. Opscheppen, niet goed.

Yes, Dutch people are producing the world’s first solar-powered car, creating lab-grown meat, cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch… but they don’t like to talk about it. The Netherlands is like a superhero obsessed with their secret identity. Netherlands, you need a sidekick. You need a wing man. You need a cheerleader!

Enter The American Netherlander: Greg Shapiro is Dutch enough to be proud of the Netherlands – and American enough to not care how loud he is about it. So many examples of Dutch traditions and innovations to fight climate change, but they don’t like to brag. That’s where I come in.

DUTCH TO THE RESCUE is Greg Shapiro’s seventh solo show. Previous shows include Leaving Trumpland and How to Be Orange.

On Friday the 13th of January, you can see the new solo show Work-in-progress at De Dakkas in Haarlem.
https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/dutch-to-the-rescue-with-greg-shapiro-tickets-490935329787?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1 

Greg Shapiro: Comedian. American. Dutchman. As a comedian, he is known as the voice of the ‘Netherlands Second’ video – and as one of the originals at Boom Chicago theater in Amsterdam. He has hosted ‘Comedy Central News’ on ComedyCentralNL, and he has appeared on BNN-VARA, VPRO & ZDF. As author, Greg has written books such as How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and his latest The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales.

Also coming soon in 2023: a return of Pep & Greg Save America at Boom Chicago in March.

For REVIEWS of Greg’s previous shows, click here
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/ 

 

Review: ‘Pep & Greg Save America’

Review: PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA at Boom Chicago

as seen in ArtsTalkMagazine.nl
“JOKES WERE WELL-SCULPTED AND WIDE-RANGING.”
“ENGAGING WITH THE AUDIENCE, THEY WERE QUICK, PROVOCATIVE AND PUGNACIOUS.”

15 November, 2022

pep & greg save america

REVIEWED BY Jacob John Shale :
Political comedy is largely useless. That is to say that it has no impact upon the figures, events and institutions it criticises. There’s a very funny moment in one of the comedian Doug Stanhope’s specials (or maybe it’s from an interview, I can’t find the clip online) in which he describes his exasperation at having to encounter people debating issues he has already dealt with in his previous stand-up routines. I’m paraphrasing, but Stanhope’s joke goes something like: How is this argument still going on? Don’t they know I’ve already shouted at thousands of drunk people about this?

Pep and Greg Save America

(hosted by Pep Rosenfeld and Greg Shapiro) wants to be regarded as a work of uncompromising satire. The premise of the show, which premiered at Boom Chicago on the night of the midterm election, is that America is a wonderful place currently captured by a band of right-wing lunatics whose ideals bear no resemblance to those on which the country was founded. They argue that the Democrats should once again embrace patriotism; rescue it from Republican hands. Against this premise, we have the hosts’ recognition that entertainment is not activism. Their title is self-mocking in the same manner as the joke by Stanhope mentioned above. Rosenfeld and Shapiro understand that America will not be saved by the end of the night, and how ridiculous it is to assume that comedy should serve this function.

The show’s targets

were about as predictable as the darts that were flung at them. Still, they landed. When faced with the gargoyles of the American political scene, many contemporary comedians seem to feel that there is little need in putting together a punch line. And why would they? All you have to do is quote a particularly stupid remark and you have your applause. This approach was thankfully not too much present in last night’s show.

The two comedians’ jokes were well-sculpted and wide-ranging in their references – everything from Tucker Carlson (of whom Shapiro performed an impression) to She-Hulk (used to make an unexpected comparison) to Twin Peaks (it dismays me to report that this joke, which I will not spoil, was the one that elicited the least laughter). Ultimately, it was in their crowd-work that I thought Shapiro and Rosenfeld were at their funniest. Engaging with the audience, they were quick, provocative and pugnacious. It made me wish that the rest of the show had not been so carefully engineered.

 Jacob John Shale    8th November 2022


Review Pep & Greg Save America

Review Pep & Greg Save America

http://artstalkmagazine.nl/pep-greg-save-america-at-boom-chicago-amsterdam/

 

FOR MORE REVIEWS, click here
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/

 

Greg Shapiro November Dates

Greg Shapiro November Dates

Greg Shapiro November Comedy Dates 2022

2 November, 2022

November starts with a BANG. For FOUR nights only, we perform ‘PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA’ at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. (starting 3 Nov.) Just in time for the US Midterm Elections 2022. Pep and I have been doing standup comedy shows together for 20 of America’s 240 years. So this time we’ve added music and improv from Stacey Smith & Sacha Hoedemaker. It’s a hoot. And – based on the results on Election Night – Pep & I might just save America by putting a pillow over its face and ending the pain.

https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

Special events after the Thursday, Saturday & Tuesday shows. Have a look below.
(For previous Pep & Greg Shows, click here:)
https://gregshapiro.nl/portfolio_page/boom-chicago-2016-election-show-trump-up-the-volume/

Another show I’m excited about is the new English comedy series at Pepijn Comedy Club in The Hague. (10 Nov.) I’m booking the shows as well as hosting. And guess who’s coming to be our headliner? The Best Newcomer at the 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Awards! Amsterdam’s own Lara Ricote. She is smart & funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgySVdjX86E

And I’ll be headlining the first show in a new series in Westerpark at the Pacific Amsterdam in Westergasfabriek. It’s called Jesterpark. 

I’ll be playing in Amsterdam, Leiden, Den Haag, Utrecht – and Paris! 

 

Photo: Michaelia Kramer

Comedy Dates

3. A’dam. Boom Chicago. ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ 20.00
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

4. Leiden. Qbus. ‘Int’l Standup Comedy Night’ 20.30
https://secure.tix4all.nl/tickets/international-stand-up-comedy-hl-greg-shapiro-2349/ticket

5. A’dam. Boom Chicago. ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ 19.00
 + Shot of Improv 22.00
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

6. A’dam. Boom Chicago. ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ 19.00
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

8. A’dam. Boom Chicago. ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ 20.00
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

8 A’dam. Boom Chicago. Election Night Party 22.00
https://www.democratsabroad.org/tgriffin20/election_night_show_watch_party?utm_campaign=novemeber_2022_event&utm_medium=email&utm_source=democratsabroad

10. The Hague. Pepijn Comedy Club (MC) 20.30
https://www.diligentia-pepijn.nl/agenda/4432/Various_Stand_Up_Comedians/PePijn%27s_Comedy_Club_But_in_English

 

11. A’dam. Boom Chicago. Comedy Embassy standup. 20.30
https://www.comedyembassy.com/shows/boom-chicago/

12. Utrecht. Comedy Huis standup @Domplein 4. 20.30
https://comedyhuis.nl/shows/all-english-comedynight-3/

13. A’dam. Comedy Night Zuidas @WUSH. 19.00
https://secure.tix4all.nl/tickets/stand-up-comedy-showcase-featuring-greg-shapiro-2351/ticket

16. A’dam. ‘Jesterpark’ @Pacific Amsterdam. 20.15
https://www.facebook.com/events/1160319617887890/

19. Paris. NY Comedy Night. @Palais des Glaces. 22.00
https://www.palaisdesglaces.com/programme/235-the-new-york-comedy-night

20. Paris. Sunday Night Showcase @La Kibéle. 21.30
https://www.comedyinparis.com/blast-off-comedy/446148822137

 

More dates to be announced as they come… And I may be picking up a show in Chicago in December…

Greg Shapiro Comedy Dates October

GREG SHAPIRO COMEDY DATES OCTOBER  

 

1 Oct., 2022

More Standup & Improv shows coming up! Yes, most dates are in and around Amsterdam. But I’ll be ending the month touring in Switzerland. (And Paris, you’re next.) 

PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA
It’s a pop-up US election show, scheduled for November 3, 5, 6 & 8 (election night). Pep Rosenfeld and I have been making comedy shows together since 1985. My pitch was for the title ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ and a poster of us putting a pillow over Uncle Sam’s face. But maybe Joe ‘Dark Brandon’ Biden is giving us something worth saving…? And it looks like we’ll have Boom Chicago’s new Artistic Director Stacey Smith adding some music to the show. In October, we’ll be doing a number of free tryouts at Boom Chicago – and a preview on 30 Oct.

 

DUTCH TO THE RESCUE
My new solo show is based on my video series ‘Climate News Comedy’ – anything to make climate news funny. It turns out there’s plenty of good news, much of it coming from the Dutch – almost. 

– Lowlands Festival unveils the world’s largest solar car park! …Now all we need to do is plug it in.
– The world’s biggest wind turbine! …Will now be making hydrogen for Shell.
– Solar-powered drinking water from the sea! …Was canceled by activists for using plastic bottles.
Whether it’s Dutch innovators or Dutch World Cup teams, they love winning their way to the finals …and then tripping up. Truly, they’re more comfortable being ‘Netherlands Second.’

MORE IMPROV
Improv comedy is pure joy, and I haven’t had enough lately. I’ll be joining a couple improv shows in October, and more coming up.

 

GREG SHAPIRO COMEDY DATES OCTOBER, 2022

1 Oct. A’dam. Boom Chicago ‘Shot of Improv’ 22.00 https://boomchicago.nl/

5 Oct. A’dam. Boom Chicago Standup Tryout 21.30 https://boomchicago.nl/

6 Oct. A’dam. TheStudentHotel West. Standup show 20.30 (link to come)

8 Oct. A’dam. Boom Chicago ‘Shot of Improv’ 22.00 (tbd)  https://boomchicago.nl/

12 Oct. A’dam. FEED Wibautstraat. Standup Show 20.45.
https://facebook.com/events/s/feed-comedy-night-ft-greg-shap/844523556918711/

13 Oct. A’dam. Boom Chicago ‘Standup Tryout 22.00 https://boomchicago.nl/

14 Oct. A’dam. Betty Asfalt. Trigger Warning Comedy 20.30
https://bettyasfaltcomplex.nl/voorstelling.php?id=1478

25 Oct. BERN. (TBD) DeLaHaye Comedy Standup show ___

26 Oct. BASEL. Basel Standup Comedy Night ___

27 Oct. ZURICH. Comedy Haus Standup ___

28 Oct. A’dam. Boom Chicago Standup Tryout 21.30 https://boomchicago.nl/

30 Oct. A’dam. Boom Chicago ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ preview 20.30 https://boomchicago.nl/

31 Oct. A’dam. De Prael Bar. Monday Night Live! 20.00
https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/monday-night-live-tickets-375239981887 

 

See reviews for Pep & Greg’s previous political standup show LOCK HIM UP –
https://gregshapiro.nl/portfolio_page/boom-chicago-2020-election-show-lock-him-up/

COMEDY CENTRAL NEWS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

COMEDY CENTRAL NEWS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

27 Sept., 2022

HBD, CCN! It was 15 years ago that Boom Chicago comedy theater launched Comedy Central News, with your host: Greg Shapiro. “Comedy Central News: Because Dutch News Is News Too.”

 

In 2007, Viacom’s Comedy Central launched its first channel in the Netherlands. The Dutch producers wanted to create a new TV show for the occasion – a mix of The Daily Show and a comedy sketch show. And they liked me when I was presenting the ‘Boom Chicago News’ for a TV pilot we’d made. So Boom Chicago got the call to create a show, and we came in with a concept that was basically “What if The Muppet Show had a Weekend Update?” 

 

CCN COMEDY CENTRAL NEWS SEASON ONE, EP 23 

CCN AND EMMY AWARD WINNER BRENDAN HUNT 

It was quirky, it was daily, and it featured my Boom Chicago colleague Lauren Flans doing remote segments about Dutch culture. Lauren would go on to appear on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out and Epic Rap Battles of History.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1508641/

Our executive producer – and 2008 head writer – was Pep Rosenfeld, who had actually written for ‘Weekend Update’ on Saturday Night Live and been nominated for an Emmy.
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-rosenfeld/

And the 2007 Head Writer was Brendan Hunt, who is now known as co-creator of the Emmy-winning series TED LASSO. (You might know him as TED LASSO’s ‘Coach Beard.’)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0402360/

 


(Here is Brendan Hunt with some of his early beard work.)

 

A DUTCH NEWS SHOW IN ENGLISH

It remains amazing to me that we were able to make a TV show – for the Netherlands – in English. At that point, Dutch commercial television was experimenting with more and more English (Dutch publicly funded TV shows not so much). A few years before CCN, there was a brief moment when Boom Chicago was being pitched to create a Dutch version of Whose Line Is It Anyway – for a Dutch public broadcaster. But our Dutch language skills were niet zo goed. That pitch went on to become the smash hit De Lama’s, starring Ruben van der Meer – who started his career working in the Boom Chicago kitchen. The host of De Lama’s was Patrick Lodiers.

Side note: Patrick Lodiers went on to host a 2007 late night comedy news show called De Nieuwste Show – premiering the exact same month as our show, CCN. You know that story about the Burger King opening up right next to the McDonalds, and miraculously both businesses saw improved success? Yeah, that did not happen in our case. But interestingly, one of the commentators on De Nieuwste Show was a young Arjen Lubach. And we would go on to collaborate for some quality TV content – about 10 years later. 

https://mashable.com/video/netherlands-trump-viral-video

 

CCN COMEDY CENTRAL NEWS PROMO SPOT

 

CCN COMEDY CENTRAL NEWS – IN GREG SHAPIRO ARCHIVE 

https://gregshapiro.nl/portfolio_page/greg-shapiro-comedy-central-news/

MEDIA LINKS CCN COMEDY CENTRAL NEWS

https://www.volkskrant.nl/cultuur-media/comedygezelschap-boom-chicago-ook-op-tv-te-zien~b65dd6c7/

https://www.parool.nl/nieuws/boom-chicago-ook-op-tv~bebc3628/

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_Central_News 

BOOM CHICAGO CCN CREW
Producer: Andrew Moskos
Segment Producer: Christy Ju
Exec Producer / Head Writer: Pep Rosenfeld
Directors: Matt Chapman, Becky Nelson
Presenter / Writer: Greg Shapiro
Presenter / Writer: Lauren Flans
Writer / Super Catty Celebrity Bitch: Michael Diederich
Head Writer / Ensemble S1: Brendan Hunt
Writers & Ensemble:
Lolu Ajayi
Rob AndristPlourde
Hilary Bauman
Jen Burton
Hans Holsen
Brian Jack
Mike OT
Jeffrey Spalburg
Andel Sudik

Dutch Producers:
Maurice Hols
Kaja Wolffers
Geert-Martin van der Jagt

18 Sept., 2008

GREG SHAPIRO COMEDY DATES SEPT 2022

GREG SHAPIRO COMEDY DATES SEPTEMBER 2022
5 Sept., 2022

 

It’s comedy season again! I’m working on two new shows, and I’ll be making a lot of appearances coming up. See dates below 

SHOW ONE – Pep & Greg Save America
Pep Rosenfeld and I have been making comedy shows together since 1985. Our new duo standup show is scheduled for the 2022 US Midterm Elections in November. My pitch was for a poster with ‘Pep & Greg Save America’ and an image of us putting a pillow over the face of Uncle Sam. But then again – maybe Joe ‘Dark Brandon’ Biden is giving us something worth saving…

SHOW TWO – Dutch to the Rescue
Based on my video series ‘Climate News Comedy,’ I realize we all need something – anything – to make climate news funny. Luckily, I live in the Netherlands. Dutch people be like: “Rising sea levels? No problem! We’ll just make more land.” If Jesus would come back and walk on water, Dutch people would say “Ja, ja… we do that all the time.” But what about the farming crisis? What to do with all the manure from Dutch livestock mega-stalls? No problem, they’ll just spray it on Parliament.

PLUS IMPROV
Improv comedy is pure joy, and I haven’t had enough lately. I’ll be joining a couple improv shows in September, and look for me to add even more coming up.

Greg Shapiro September Dates

Here are some dates and links and details – 

Fri 9 Sept. IMPROV. A’dam. Crea (Post-show jam 10pm)
https://www.easylaughs.nl/event-info/show-stand-up-meet-the-cast-sept-9

Sat. 10 Sept. IMPROV. A’dam. Boom Chicago ‘Shot of Improv’ 10pm
https://boomchicago.nl/

Sun. 11 Sept. STANDUP. A’dam. Vondel Bunker 9/11 show 8pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/socrates-ironic-stand-up-comedy-september-11th-2022-vondelbunker-amsterdam-tickets-411472133227?fbclid=IwAR3Ny0Had2nYNwucxzOr5JghVrs52KV80KitxBcpMZNT8_hzQFPQeUC2cnc

Wed. 14 Sept. 14 STANDUP. A’dam. Comedy Cafe Open mic 8pm
https://www.comedycafe.nl/amsterdam/

Sat. 17 Sept. 17 IMPROV. A’dam. Boom Chicago ‘Shot of Improv’ 10pm (to be confirmed)
https://boomchicago.nl/

Fri. 23 Sept. STANDUP. A’dam. Boom Chicago, 10pm (post-show set, workshop ‘Pep & Greg Save America’)
https://boomchicago.nl/

Sat. 24 Sept. STANDUP. Utrecht. ComedyHuis, Domplein 4 8:30pm
https://comedyhuis.nl/agenda-en-tickets/

Thurs. 29 Sept. STANDUP. A’dam. Boom Chicago, 9pm (post-show set, workshop ‘Pep & Greg Save America’)
https://boomchicago.nl/