The WDET comedy showcase What’s So Funny About Detroit? is back!

Each showcase brings a new set of six of the city’s funniest stand-up comedians to the stage on Thursday, August 31 to the iconic Old Miami bar & backyard in the Cass Corridor / Midtown neighborhood of Detroit.

WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper (host of CultureShift, weekdays 12 – 2p) will serve as your host and curator of comedy for the evening as he introduces you to Brad Wenzel, Comrade Tripp, Roni Shanell, Gwen Sunkel, Ken Witzgall, and Alex Bozinovic.

This event is a benefit for 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. The cost of your tickets directly support WDET and will also go towards compensating the comedians, who are critical members of the city’s independent comedy scene and larger performing arts community.

Tickets are $25 per person. Tickets can be purchased in advance online right here. Walk-up ticket sales at the venue are available *if the event is not sold out*

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Show starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. The show will be less than two hours long.

This show will be recorded live for a later airing on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station.

This event will be held in the gorgeous backyard of the Old Miami. Please dress appropriately for the weather. In the event of rain or severe weather, this event will be canceled and your tickets will be refunded. No pets are allowed.

This event is BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR and/or BLANKET. Think of it as a comedy picnic. A food truck will be on site selling food (Mizz Ruth’s Grill). Outside food and drink is not permitted.

This is an uncensored comedy event. The opinions and jokes of the comedians are completely their own and are not a reflection on WDET’s editorial standards.

New for 2023: Mario’s Restaurant is offering a special package that includes complimentary shuttle service to and from the Old Miami, happy hour specials and more. Get more details at mariosdetroit.com.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

MEET THE COMEDIANS:

Brad Wenzel

Brad Wenzel’s offbeat one-liners, dry delivery, and unassuming presence are what set him apart from other comedians. Brad has made 3 stand-up appearances on CONAN. His debut comedy album Sweet Nothings was released on Jack White’s rock label, Third Man Records and can be heard on SiriusXM. Paste Magazine described Brad’s 2023 special, joke. joke. joke. as “Watching Wenzel feels like hanging out with your funniest, weirdest friend; it’s relaxing and utterly enjoyable.” Since the age of 17, Brad has toured the country, honing his unique non-sequitur style of joke telling, all while maintaining an original, comedic voice. Simply put, he’s really funny. Other appearances include “New Faces” at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, and Bob & Tom.

Comrade Tripp

Comrade Tripp stopped growing decades ago. He is antisocial and never feels present. Yet, he has found himself with a growing presence on social media. It is the only way he will ever find himself. He’s lost. He’s a loser. He can’t win. He has never won anything in his life, and he never will. This is all that he has; a fraught flock of followers from afar, who pity his painful pursuits of performance. He can’t juggle or whistle, so alliteration is his only avenue of whimsy. Not all of his jokes are alliterative. Most of them are just kind of sad, the rest are entirely sad. He still lives in Minnesota for some reason? To stick to his roots, being in Minnesota keeps him sad. Despite his despondent disposition, he’s a child at heart; insomuch that he cannot be trusted to take care of himself and has no self esteem whatsoever. The rest of his body feels very old.

Roni Shanell

Hailing from the Motor City , Roni Shanell is a rising star in comedy. She began her career in 2015 and has been on fire ever since! She’s performed across the country at comedy clubs such as Hollywood Improv, Chocolate Sundaes at the Laugh Factory in LA, The Comedy Store, Pittsburgh Improv, Toledo Funny Bone, Detroit House of Comedy. In 2022 she Headlined at Carolines on Broadway!! She won Detroit’s Laugh Masters competition in 2018 and was the winner of the 2020 Sway in the Morning Comedy Search. Her stage presence is like no other! Roni Shanell is fun, energetic, and unapologetic!!!

Gwen Sunkel

Gwen Sunkel is an Indianapolis comedian, emcee, and character actor. She performs regularly at Helium Comedy Club and The White Rabbit Cabaret where she is a cast member with An Evening With The Authors*. You’ve seen her at Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha, Yuckfest, and Limestone Comedy Festival and on the Vice TV Series ‘Hunters.’ Her album ‘No More Tears’ debuted at #1 on the Apple Music and Amazon charts. Gwen is also contributing writer for AWF Magazine and her comedy has been seen on Buzzfeed and EBaum’s World. She is a producer of Middle Ground Comedy Festival and has co-hosted a series of benefit shows that have raised over $15,000 for reproductive health organizations in the Midwest.

Ken Witzgall

Ken has performed at Zanies and the Laugh Factory in Chicago, Morty’s in Indianapolis, and the House of Blues in New Orleans, and other venues throughout the Mid West. He’s opened for Nick Thune, Eric Andre, Todd Barry, and Hannibal Buress, while producing numerous showcases and open mics with those beautiful bastards in the Windy City. He’s opened for Jon Dore at Comedy on State in Madison, and performed at the Motor City Comedy Festival, as well as the the New Orleans Comedy and Arts Festival with Josh Johnson and Neil Hamburger. These days, Ken can be found working regularly at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle (Royal Oak, MI), The Independent Comedy Club (Ant Hall, Hamtramck, MI), as well as the Funny Business Agency and various mics and showcases around Metro Detroit.

Alex Bozinovic

Alex Bozinovic began his stand-up comedy career in 2014, in Detroit, MI. He quickly became a staple in the Detroit indie stand-up comedy scene. Alex has opened for nationally touring comedians Chris Gethard, Eddie Pepitone, Jen Kirkman, Corrine Fisher, Joe Mande, Stavros Halkias, Shane Torres and DeAnne Smith. He has also appeared in Limestone Comedy Festival, Let’s Fest, Gilda’s Laughfest, Middle Ground Comedy Festival, Fountain City Comedy Festival, and The Midwest Queer Comedy Festival. In 2021, Alex was featured in The Hour Magazine as one of 6 stand-outs in the Detroit Comedy Scene. Alex is also a co-founder of The Independent Comedy Club in Hamtramck, MI. Alex co-created The Burt Selleck Podcast with his friend and fellow comic, John Mahar. It is a comedic show about never letting your co-host get a leg up on you. Alex also plays Thomas Luge on The TRUTHcast, a parody conspiracy theory podcast he created with Mike Bobbitt. If two podcasts wasn’t enough, Alex started The Lunchpilled Podcast with fellow Detroit comedian Brett Mercer where they share a half satirical and half genuine opinion on the modern day workplace. Alex is a standup comedian who can be seen on stages all over the Midwest and beyond.

What’s So Funny About Detroit? is supported by The Finnish Long Drink.