{"id":2454777,"date":"2020-02-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=320965"},"modified":"2020-02-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T07:00:00","slug":"aspen-laugh-fest-2020-trevor-noah-norm-macdonald-free-apres-shows-and-fresh-faces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-laugh-fest-2020-trevor-noah-norm-macdonald-free-apres-shows-and-fresh-faces\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen Laugh Fest 2020: Trevor Noah, Norm Macdonald, free apr\u00e8s shows and fresh faces"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Noah Trevor<\/strong>
Mark Von Holden\/Invision\/AP | Invision<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Wheeler Opera House has raised expectations sky high for the Aspen Laugh Festival, as it\u2019s booked the biggest names in comedy for several years in a row now. When you\u2019re used to headliners like Whitney Cummings and Tiffany Haddish, Colin Jost and Tig Notaro and Jim Gaffigan, you are spoiled as a comedy audience.<\/p>\n

The big one for 2020 is Trevor Noah, as the festival brings \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d host and arguably the country\u2019s favorite political satirist to the Wheeler for a sold-out show in the middle of this bonkers post-impeachment presidential primary season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the chance to see Trevor Noah in very large halls across North America, and to bring him and his stand-up to our historic and intimate venue is an opportunity that should not be missed,\u201d Wheeler executive director Gena Buhler said when the lineup was announced in October.<\/p>\n

Noah\u2019s performance is sold out, as is comedy legend Norm Macdonald\u2019s on Thursday night. This year\u2019s festival opened Tuesday with the annual Colorado Comedy showcase and continues through Saturday night across three Aspen venues. Here\u2019s a crash course on what to expect.<\/p>\n

FREE APRES SHOWS<\/p>\n

Thursday, Friday and Saturday<\/p>\n

4 p.m.<\/p>\n

Silver City Saloon<\/p>\n

Free<\/p>\n

WHY GO? These intimate barroom sets are an entry-point to the festival for the cash-strapped among us, and have been some of the most fun and surprising performances of the past few years at Laugh Fest. Featuring rising comics and occasional drop-ins by the headliners, Silver City is where we\u2019ve seen Alex Edelman hop in with the locally based Consensual Improv and seen Jon Rudnitsky do his bizarre \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d mime routine in the cramped quarters of a standing-room-only bar.<\/p>\n

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? This year\u2019s announced comics for the apr\u00e8s-ski shows include \u201cGLOW\u201d actress Jackie Tohn, Becky Robinson, Janae Burris and Joe Praino.<\/p>\n

NORM MACDONALD<\/p>\n

Thursday, Feb. 20<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Wheeler Opera House<\/p>\n

Sold out<\/p>\n

WHAT TO WATCH? Macdonald has had legendary comic status since his bitterly sarcastic and DGAF run anchoring \u201cWeekend Update\u201d on \u201cSNL\u201d back in the 1990s. His latest releases prove that the years haven\u2019t softened his edges, as evidenced in his 2017 Netflix special \u201cHitler\u2019s Dog, Gossip and Trickery\u201d and the 10-show first season of his talk show \u201cNorm Macdonald Has a Show.\u201d<\/p>\n

VIR DAS<\/p>\n

Friday, Feb. 21<\/p>\n

5:30 & 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Limelight Lounge<\/p>\n

$30<\/p>\n

WHAT TO WATCH? The Indian comedian made a splashy entry to American pop culture with his 2017 Netflix special \u201cAbroad Understanding,\u201d followed soon after by \u201cLosing It.\u201d Just last month he released his third special, \u201cFor India,\u201d which is essential viewing for any Aspenite who has visited India or hopes to (yes, that\u2019s just about everybody in town).<\/p>\n

TAYLOR TOMLINSON, ADAM RAY, DUSTY SLAY<\/p>\n

Friday, Feb. 21<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Wheeler Opera House<\/p>\n

$45<\/p>\n

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Taylor Tomlinson and Dusty Slay are young road comics who\u2019ve begun making the rounds on late night and are making a case for themselves as the next generation of comedy stars (Tomlinson\u2019s first Netflix special is due out this year). You\u2019ll already know Adam Ray\u2019s face, as he has popped up on \u201cArrested Development\u201d and \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm,\u201d and you may know his voice from his spots on \u201cThe Adam Carolla Show\u201d (and as Slimer in the 2016 \u201cGhostbusters\u201d reboot).<\/p>\n

NANCY NORTON<\/p>\n

Saturday, Feb. 22<\/p>\n

5:30 & 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Limelight Lounge<\/p>\n

$30<\/p>\n

WHY GO? Norton may be the best comedian working out of Colorado. A three-decade stand-up veteran \u2014 she\u2019s also worked as a nurse \u2014 the Front Range resident has drawn belated attention since she became the first woman to win the Boston Comedy Festival in 2018 and then won the Seattle International Comedy Competition last year.<\/p>\n

TREVOR NOAH<\/p>\n

Saturday, Feb. 22<\/p>\n

7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Wheeler Opera House<\/p>\n

Sold out<\/p>\n

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? You\u2019ve seen him skewer Trump and seen him crack up celebrities on \u201cThe Daily Show,\u201d but his stand-up \u2014 freed of the time and format limitations of the TV show \u2014 is the pure Trevor Noah. In his stand-up, the political commentary is more internationally informed and more nuanced, the bits often more personal. Check out his Netflix specials \u201cAfraid of the Dark\u201d and \u201cSon of Patricia\u201d for a taste.<\/p>\n

atravers@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Noah TrevorMark Von Holden\/Invision\/AP | Invision The Wheeler Opera House has raised expectations sky high for the Aspen Laugh Festival, as it\u2019s booked the biggest names in comedy for several years in a row now. When you\u2019re used to headliners like Whitney Cummings and Tiffany Haddish, Colin Jost and Tig Notaro and Jim Gaffigan, you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2454777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 14:37:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}