Join us with Nick Zaino as he talks about Boston’s long history of comedy, from vaudeville to YouTube, highlighting some of the personalities that have defined laughter in America for 100 years. 

This presentation includes a lecture and multi-media content: audio and video from Boston comedy history starting with vaudeville stars like Eva Tanguay and Fred Allen, and including different generations of Boston stars right up to current acts like Ziwe, Mike Birbiglia, Sam Jay, and Chris Fleming. It traces the history through different media, Bob and Ray on the radio, music from Tom Lehrer and Rusty Warren, nightclub acts like Norm Crosby and early TV pioneers like Bill Dana, through the club boom of the 80s and onward. The presentation will be followed by a lively Q&A session. 

Nick Zaino is a veteran arts journalist. 

If you or someone in your party need accommodations to attend this event, please email danversref@noblenet.org at least one week in advance of the date of the program.