30 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 23-29, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com ONSTAGE It’s a conversation you could be having toward the end of happy hour— normal stuff that may tip a bit off kilter. Still, Kathleen Madigan is just talking, telling a story. “That’s just how it comes out,” she says. “I live life and talk about that.” And that is one of the reasons Madigan is still causing audiences to topple with laughter. Even when she hits Bigfoot with her car or puts Jesus on a flight to Kansas City, the tales are somehow relatable. And there is always something new from the prolific comedian. “That would be weird if I was doing Mike Tyson jokes from the ’90s,” she observes. Stand-up comics have to keep up the pace. Fortunately, life provides more than enough inspiration, from friending your grandparents on social media to Bible Belt schools teaching that the Loch Ness Monster is real. “Now, as an aside, I agree with that,” Madigan told an audience. “But nobody taught me that. I had to stay up really late watching the Discovery Channel drinking a lot of wine to make my decision.” Drinking plays a role in her humor (the current series is titled “The Day Drinking Tour”). From one stage she weighed the possibility of being alcoholic. Do you drink at home? Well, she reasoned. Since it’s not a good idea to drink and drive, does that make you an alcoholic or just a responsible adult? “That’s what they forced us to do— stay home,” Madigan observes. What makes her humor so engaging is its delivery. There is structure to a story that seems to meander. There is an unrehearsed feel, as if the story is being unraveled just for you. There are the random thoughts, but there is much that is recognizable. “We have a whole channel devoted to what we are capable of doing when the envelope gets pushed,” she told an audience in answer to the frustrations of older men returning to the dating scene. “It’s not just for women, but that’s the problem. You guys aren’t watching it. You know who’s watching it? Other women. We’re just getting ideas.” She has been touring since January and has her seventh stand-up special coming out soon. Fortunately, she has made Monterey a regular stop. “It’s beautiful, one,” Madigan explains. “It’s like a mini vacation. I love walking down to the dog beach.” Kathleen Madigan performs 7:30pm Friday, Oct. 24. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $54- $77. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com. COURTESY KATHLEEN MADIGAN Good Pour Stand-up star Kathleen Madigan brings her ‘Day Drinking Tour’ to Monterey. By Dave Faries Kathleen Madigan’s masterful yet conversational delivery turns everyday experiences into hilarity. “I’d rather just be myself,” she says of her style. a farce by peter shaffer DIRECTED BY LAURA COTÉ MPC STUDIO THEATRE OCTOBER 16-26 WWW.MPC.EDU/SHOWS “Black Comedy” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==