Comedy in Philly: Tiffany Haddish, Ilana Glazer, Jerry Seinfeld and more bring the funny this spring

It’s been a long winter, and it’s not over yet. The wind is sharp and the car won’t start. Buddy, it sounds like you could use a laugh.

Lucky for you, Philadelphia will play host to some great comedy this spring. You can catch Take My Wife star and Queery host Cameron Esposito at the ever-reliable Good Good Comedy Theatre, spend an evening with legendary humorist David Sedaris at Academy of Music, or laugh your head off at the Liacouras Center when Martin Lawrence takes the stage.

Tim and Eric (Feb. 10, The Met). Ever since their Adult Swim sketch show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! first aired in 2007, the Temple grads’ surreal satire has found a wide audience. The duo has helped produce shows like Nathan For You, The Eric Andre Show and Review; now they’re back home with the “Mandatory Attendance” tour. (215-309-0112, themetphilly.com)

Kyle Kinane (Feb. 14, Union Transfer). Maybe you know Kinane from the Netflix series Love, or his appearances on Conan and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. You might just know his voice; if you’ve watched Comedy Central since 2011, you’ve heard Kinane throwing to commercial. But if you haven’t seen a full set of his stand-up, you’re missing out. His 2012 album Whiskey Icarus is a classic, and he’s only gotten better. (215-232-2100, utphilly.com)

Sydnee Washington (Feb. 22, Good Good Comedy). The time to see Washington at a smaller venue so you can tell people about it one day is … now. She’s appeared on Broad City, and hosts a stand-up showcase at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory, launchpad for comedians like Hannibal Buress. Bonus: She and Marie Faustin will record a their podcast Unofficial Expert live before the show. (215-339-1279, goodgoodcomedy.com)

Yvonne Orji (Feb. 23, Helium Comedy Club). Orji, Issa Rae’s Insecure costar, recently shot her first movie — Night School, starring Philadelphia’s own Kevin Hart — but you’re going to see a lot more of her soon. Next up: Vacation Friends, a comedy starring John Cena and Lil Rey Howery, and her memoir comes out later this year. (215-496-9001, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com)

Tiffany Haddish (Feb. 27, Wind Creek Event Center). Haddish had been performing for years before 2017′s breakout Girls Trip; since then, she’s made up for lost time, starring in eight movies (including the aforementioned Night School). If her recent projects (Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah and Like A Boss) are any indication, her stand-up is as sharp as ever. (610-297-7414, windcreekeventcenter.com)

Bassem Youssef (Feb. 28-29, Punch Line Philly). It’s a safe bet that of all the comedians coming to Philadelphia this spring, Youssef is the only former heart surgeon and Egyptian political dissident. He’s also an award-winning documentarian and writer. Youssef, often referred to as the Jon Stewart of the Arab world, also hosts a podcast, “Remade in America.” (punchlinephilly.com, 215-606-6555)

Paula Poundstone (March 7, Merriam Theater). Poundstone is a living legend. If you don’t know her stand-up, maybe you know her from NPR; if not, maybe from her iconic appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, or maybe from her podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone. If none of it rings a bell, well, get to know her at this show. (215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org)

Adam Sandler (March 18, PPL Center). It seemed as though there was nothing new to say about the Happy Gilmore, The Water Boy, and Billy Madison star. That is, until his recent performance in dead-serious thriller Uncut Gems. Somehow, even there, Sandler was funny. If Uncut Gems wasn’t for you, this show should be a palate cleanser. (610-224-4625, pplcenter.com)

Ilana Glazer (March 21, Merriam Theater). It’s shaping up to be a year of firsts for the Broad City cocreator and star. She released her first stand-up special The Planet Is Burning in January, and False Positive — a horror film she cowrote and stars in, alongside Justin Theroux and Pierce Brosnan — is coming soon. Glazer does a bit of everything now, with acting, directing, writing, and producing credits; see her before she adds movie star to the list. (215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org)

Cameron Esposito (March 27, Good Good Comedy). This is surely the only show on the list that comes with a book: You get a copy of Esposito’s essay collection with your ticket. Esposito, creator of Take My Wife, never shies away from difficult subjects, and never fails to make it funny. (215-339-1279, goodgoodcomedy.com)

Michelle Wolf (March 27-29, Helium Comedy Club). Not every comedian can claim their jokes created a national news cycle. Wolf probably won’t be invited back to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but you can see the Hershey native live here instead. (215-496-9001, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com)

Tracy Morgan (April 3, Parx Casino). If there’s any indication that a comedian’s show will at least be memorable, there are worse metrics than checking the length of the “Controversies” section of their Wikipedia page. Luckily, Morgan, of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock fame, is both memorable and funny. (888-588-7279, parxcasino.com)

Martin Lawrence (April 4, The Liacouras Center). The star of the Bad Boys trilogy, Martin and Big Momma’s House comes to Temple University’s Liacouras Center with Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Donnell Rawlings and Benji Brown in tow. (800-298-4200, liacourascenter.com)

David Sedaris (April 4, Academy of Music). The longtime NPR and New Yorker contributor and beloved essayist comes to Philly this spring. His confessional style presaged what came to be the dominant style of internet writing, but very few have been able to do it with as much grace or humor. He’s still going, too: He released a new book in 2018, and has another coming in 2021. (215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org)

She The People (April 9-11, Perelman Theater). She The People is one of Second City’s most popular sketch shows, with an all-woman cast: Carisa Barreca, Alex Bellisle, Marla Caceres, Katie Caussin, Carly Heffernan, Maria Randazzo, Rashawn Nadine Scott, Tien Tran, Kimberly Michelle Vaughn, and Lauren Walker. It’s outrageous, political and at the Kimmel Center in April. (215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org)

Jerry Seinfeld (April 11, Borgata). Heard of this guy? The Seinfeld star and cocreator doesn’t appear in much these days outside of his Netflix show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, but he still tours with the best of them. If you really want to see Jerry’s range, might we suggest his star-turn in the music video for Vampire Weekend’s “Sunflower?” (609-317-1000, theborgata.com)

Brian Posehn (April 16-18, Helium Comedy Club). If there’s any argument for the virtues of the internet, it’s that you can watch Posehn’s work from HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob and David on YouTube. Posehn was hilarious on The Sarah Silverman Program, too, and has popped up in funny show after funny show ever since. (215-496-9001, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com)

Colin Jost (April 24, Parx Casino). The head Saturday Night Live writer gets to show off his performing chops as anchor of “Weekend Update” alongside Michel Che, but it’s rare that Jost appears on his own. Go see the former Harvard Lampoon editor and current Scarlett Johansson fiancée. (888-588-7279, parxcasino.com)

Ben Bailey (May 16, TLA). The Morristown, N.J., native is best known as the host of Cash Cab, his taxi-driving game show where Bailey picks up unsuspecting passengers for a chance to win cash prizes on the way to their destination. But he’s a terrifically funny stand-up comedian as well. (215-922-1011, venue.tlaphilly.com)