The Providence Performing Arts Center has been booking some great acts lately, so great that they sell out almost immediately. As soon as the John (Mulaney) & Pete (Davidson) Show on October 27 was announced, tickets sold out. They have since added a second show at 10pm, and tickets are still available but don’t dawdle. These two seem to be locked together in an eternal recovery loop. The last time they cruised through town, John was helping Pete with his recent substance abuse problems; this time around it is John climbing back from his truly spectacular relapse. (Check out his Netflix stand-up special, Baby J, and learn about the best . . . intervention . . . ever. I want a do-over with a new cast.) I caught their show the first time around and it was a little ragged, featuring too much impromptu jocularity which I think Mulaney’s prior comedy partner, Nick Kroll, had been better at. Hopefully John and Pete have since created something a little more focused, and I hope they skip the Q&A with audience members which are always horrible. But I love both these guys and this should be a fun night.
Also on tap is “You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today!” with Steve Martin and Martin Short on November 11. These two have been working together for years, most recently in “Only Murders in the Building.” This show is a mixed bag, but they are amazing in it. Overall the show is watchable and frequently hilarious, but skip Season 2.
And I never even bothered writing up Mike Birbiglia’s recent “residency” at the Columbus Theatre because those tickets sold out immediately. In 2016 I caught “Thank God for Jokes” upstairs at the Columbus and my face hurt the next day from the laughing. (It was before the election. We still had hope.)
PPAC, 220 Weybosset Street, (directions)