COMEDY




more in culture

Where to Watch the World Cup in Richmond

We looked into getting World Cup tickets. Apparently, FIFA believes everyone has a trust fund. For those of us who do not, Richmond has the next best thing. Over the next month, bars, breweries, restaurants, and soccer pubs across the city will fill up with people...

New Menu | Richmond Grew Up. So Did Harry’s

Editor's Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with Harry's at The Hof on coverage related to their 10th anniversary celebration and new menu. We stopped by to see what was new, eat some good food, enjoy a few cocktails and report back. Richmond, we blew up our own spot....

The Last Ride of The Golden Pony

Every good music scene has a few rooms that become bigger than themselves. They rarely make headlines while they're open, but their importance becomes obvious when they disappear. For Harrisonburg, The Golden Pony was one of those places. After eleven years of hosting...

The Fight Over Who Gets to Sell Weed

A recent report by Radio IQ suggests Virginia lawmakers are once again inching toward a legal recreational marijuana market, this time through the state budget process. Following Governor Abigail Spanberger's veto, Senate Democrats have threatened to fold retail...

Three Tall Ships, One River, 250 Years of American History

Editor's Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on coverage related to America's 250th anniversary, including Richmond SailFest and the upcoming IllumiNation. Also, filmmaker Justin Black of Headwaters Down is sailing aboard...

Richmond’s Funniest Weekend Returns With 2nd Best Comedy Fest

It’s time for the 9th Annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest running June 11–13, 2026. The Coalition Theater hosts this annual event, and is the brick-and-mortar heart of Richmond's alternative comedy ecosystem. Calling it the 2nd Best Fest is a beautifully defensive undersell...

Stay Hungry pt. 1 | Band on the Road

Editor's Note: Writer's Block is a space for Virginia writers to share personal essays, fiction, memoir, and works that fall somewhere in between. In Stay Hungry, Richmond local Eric Kalata looks back on a cross-country tour and the restless optimism of...

Local, Latino and A New Richmond Cosmos

Tucked into the alley behind 2512 West Main Street, a fever dream of the cosmos has taken shape across a brick wall. The mural is the collaborative work of four Latino artists working in and around Richmond: Visibly Hidden, Monolith, Mars, and Sol. A distant Earth...

I Just Met A Girl Named Maria (Bamford)

Comic Maria Bamford loves you so much, and she is performing at The National  this Friday, August 12.  Not familiar with that name? That’s okay. You’re probably more familiar with that voice. You may know her as the voice of Tito the Anxiety Mosquito on Big Mouth and Human Resources. Unfortunately, we can all relate to Tito, and it’s no...

Read More

Gabe And Raanan Talk Movies: An Interview With Raanan Hershberg

Hello reader! I got to talk with the one-of-a-kind comedian Raanan Hershberg this week. He’s a killer onstage and his upcoming new special is promising to capture the full extent of his talent. His name kept popping up on my feed lately, and we seem to devour what the algorithm offers, don't we? Luckily, checking out Raanan paid off. His growing...

Read More

Brown Frown The Clown Is Rock Hard

Rejected from the Richmond International Film Festival, Brown Frown The Clown is putting on his own competing film and comedy event, the Rock Hard Film Festival featuring his short film Rock Hard With The Clown, at New York Deli tonight. RVA's R. Anthony Harris spoke to Brown Frown's alter ego, Mike Shea, to figure out what the heck is actually...

Read More

brown frown

Latinos In Therapy: An Interview With Gina Brillon

Hello reader! I’m back this week with one of my favorite comedians, Gina Brillon. The Bronx comic had a huge year, becoming a mom, becoming a finalist on America’s Got Talent, and hitting the road hard in support of her success on the hit NBC show. This Boricua is no stranger to success, having previously had two hit specials on Amazon Prime and...

Read More

City Of Comedy: Catching Up With Jack Parker and Will Minor

Comedy has been alive and thriving over the past year, with more open mics, more showcases, and more people trying to be involved than ever. I see this happening everywhere from national acts to the local level. Sandman Comedy Club has opened the door for more curious minds around Richmond to check out live standup comedy. Over the past year,...

Read More

Warn Your Relatives: Hari Kondabolu Makes His Richmond Debut

Hari Kondabolu is a standup comedian, podcaster, and the director of documentary The Problem With Apu. This weekend, he brings his fearless, politically informed comedy to the Sandman Comedy Club for five shows in three nights. RVA Mag's Ash Griffith spoke to him about politics, the pandemic, and being a new father, among other things. If you’re...

Read More

Comedy Isn’t PR: An Interview With Kurt Metzger

Hello reader! This interview marks one year for me covering comedy in Richmond, and one year that Sandman Comedy Club has been open. I’ve gotten to talk to some of my favorite comedians and gotten to know some new ones. While it’s been fun chatting with the touring comics coming through Sandman (couldn’t have done this without you), it has also...

Read More

No Adults In The Room: An Interview With Lewis Black

I wasn’t expecting to get a phone call from Lewis Black on 4/20.  I thought it was a telemarketer and almost didn’t pick up the phone. This though, I quickly reconsidered. It may have been his management calling to make sure I wasn’t dead. The ZOOM interview with Black scheduled for 11am was ready to proceed and it was already a few minutes...

Read More

Drunk On Dana

This weekend, voice actor Dana Snyder, best known as Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Master Shake, returns to Richmond as the 2022 edition of GalaxyCon takes over the Greater Richmond Convention Center. As soon as I say the name -- Master Shake -- his voice is already running through your head. From Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies...

Read More