You may recall hearing about Everett Comedy Night pre-pandemic. The show first started 10 years ago at Emory’s on Silver Lake. But due to the “pesky pandemic,” as Cory Michaelis the show’s founder put it in a recent social media post, the laughter came to halt in March of 2020.

Michaelis (you remember him from the Live in Everett Podcast, right?), a former Cascade High School teacher turned comedian took a big risk for Everett Comedy Night’s comeback and decided to take the show from a 120 seat capacity to 800 seats at the Historic Everett Theatre. 

I was a little skeptical at how well attended the first comeback show would be, but was delightfully shocked when I arrived at a packed theatre. I don’t know if it was because the place was so busy, or just that we’ve all been cooped up for a while, but within 60 seconds of walking inside and hopping in line for a drink, a fight almost broke out. The jokes couldn’t come quick enough! Or my red wine. 

Seattle-based comic, Vanessa Dawn kicked the night off strong and got the good energy flowing with her opening act. Her jokes about her experience growing up were both hilarious and thought-provoking. Though I did feel bad hearing about how she got a DUI. She was really good, which made sense for the first opener, but had me a little nervous for the next opener of the night … I assumed things would only go downhill. 

Fortunately, Louisiana transplant Chase Mayers proved me wrong. Mayers’ polite sounding southern accent only made his jokes about moving to Washington “largely because of legal weed” all the more funny. Meyers was a riot. I’m adding one of his “Some College” t-shirts to my Christmas list. 

Next up, headliner Brad Upton took the stage. Upton had become quite the viral sensation after having Drybar Comedy’s most viewed video ever. Not having any familiarity with Upton, I didn’t know what to expect.

The baby boomer’s dry but spry punch lines landed consistently. This grandpa really knew how to crack ‘em. It was easy to see why Upton had made it big. I had to bite my tongue though as he poked at Everett for still having Christmas lights up. Though in all fairness, February 26 is pushing it.

Michaelis, as host of the show, also took to the stage throughout the night, always keeping the energy up and the audience laughing. The level of comedy he is bringing to Everett is truly remarkable. I’m pretty sure even the guy who almost started a fistfight had a good time. 

And lucky for you, Everett Comedy Night will be coming back to the Historic Everett Theatre with shows running through November. 

Grab your ticket for the next show on Friday, March 25th with Zoltan Kaszas! After seeing how busy the last show was, don’t delay. I have a feeling Everett Comedy Night is gonna start selling out (in a good way).

Kudos to Mr. Michaelis, the “bad teacher” (as Louie Anderson calls him), for bringing Everett together for one of the best reasons possible: a night full of smiles, laughter, and no actual fights breaking out.

Everett Comedy Night

 March 25th with Zoltan Kaszas!
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Garret is the co-founder + CEO of Live in Everett. He’s also journeying toward wholeness at GarretHunt.com.