WILLIAMSBURG — The Last Word Comedy Festival returns for its second year Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, showcasing hundreds of stand-up and improv performers from across the country, including headliners from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.
Headlining performances include:
- Baby Wants Candy — One of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy ensembles in the world, having performed over 3,000 completely improvised musicals, this show is a roller-coaster ride of spontaneously choreographed dance numbers, rhyming verses and witty, jaw-dropping comedy, all based on a single audience suggestion. Baby Wants Candy will perform on Saturday, Feb. 1.
- Shamilton: The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical — Join members of famed musical improv group Baby Wants Candy as they create an epic musical on the spot based on a historical celebrity of your choosing — from Genghis Khan to Kim Kardashian. It’s the show Lin-Manuel Miranda calls “cease and desist!” Shamilton will perform on Friday, Jan. 31.
- 3Peat — 3Peat is a critically acclaimed group of improv/sketch/standup artists who met while performing and teaching at iO and Second City in Chicago. Since their time in Chicago, the cast of 3Peat has created their own show for Comedy Central and continued to tour globally. Individually, they have gone on to work on film and TV projects like The Blackening, South Side, The Amber Ruffin Show, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 3Peat performs on both Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1.
- Weird Tuxedo — Long-running improv duos (and married couples!) WeirDass (Stephnie Weir and Bob Dassie) and Orange Tuxedo (Craig and Carla Cackowski) join forces in their original improv form Lifeboat, in which character monologues spin off into surprising and hilarious scenes rooted in relationships. Weird Tuxedo will perform on Friday, Jan. 30. The married duos’ separate performance groups — Orange Tuxedo and WeirDass — will perform on Saturday, Feb. 1.
- Trike — “Reliably one of the best improv performances in the city” according to The New York Times, Peter McNerney & Nick Kanellis have been performing their unique blend of fast-paced physical transformations and thoughtful scene work at the Magnet Theater in New York City since 2009. Trike will perform on both Friday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Feb. 1.
- Charm Scene — Chicago’s fully improvised musical podcast performs live for the first time! Join the cast and band as they create a brand new musical completely on the fly in a music improv experience unlike any other. Charm Scene will record its live podcast during a free performance on Thursday, Jan. 30.
Most performances will take place at the William & Mary Arts Quarter, with theaters located in PBK Hall, the Music Arts Center, and the Muscarelle Museum of Art. Six free stand-up comedy showcases and one clean comedy brunch event will take place at Precarious Beer Project, and the festival’s Thursday night program offers free showcases from local and visiting college performers.
The main sponsor of the festival is the City of Williamsburg, and the event is being produced by AVAdventure Productions, a Williamsburg production company.
“After an incredible first festival in 2024, the growing interest in this event has been extremely exciting,” said Adam Stackhouse, event producer. “We’re proud to bring some of the best comedy in the country to Williamsburg and are thrilled this festival has already become an annual destination event for so many talented performers. It’s going to be a pretty funny weekend.”
Festival passes are available for $45 if purchased prior to the event and include admission to all festival performances. The full festival schedule, pass purchasing, and additional details are available at the festival website.
