What’s a nice Jewish girl doing telling jokes like that?
On a typical weekend, rising Chicago Jewish comedian Jena Friedman races by bike from gig to gig performing standup all over the city. Playing three shows in two days is typical for Friedman, a quarter-lifer, who lives in Lakeview. But what isn’t so usual for the comic was one recent spring weekend that she’ll never forget. In May, she opened at three shows for Chicago native and manic comic genius Robin Williams, who made surprise appearances at comedy shows at Lakeshore Theater and Town Hall Pub, to the excitement of the unsuspecting crowds. At the end of the weekend, Williams appeared at “Entertaining Julia: Comedy, Music, and Fun,” a variety show hosted by Friedman every Sunday night at Town Hall Pub, a hole-in-the-wall neighborhood bar in Lakeview where everybody knows your name. Her show offers comedians and musicians a chance to showcase their talents and test out new material, all the while trying to entertain Friedman’s friend/bartender Julia, who runs the pub.”It was a magica
