#12 Every English language comedy show in and around Amsterdam this week (Jun 17 - Jun 23)
Paulina Lenoir will unveil something at Mezrab, Sjoerd Scott is at ClinkNOORD, Yazbek & Nima at ViceVersa, SERVE, easylaughs season finale, Greg Shapiro, and the last full week before summer kicks in.
Welcome to issue #12 of The Live List - your weekly round-up of every English-language comedy show happening in and near Amsterdam.
This is the last issue of The Live List before a summer break. The Amsterdam comedy scene quietens down every year around this time, shows pause, venues take a breath, and this week’s listings reflect that. But the week still has plenty in it: Sjoerd Scott at Clink on Thursday, SERVE closing out its season on Friday, easylaughs’ final show of the term, Greg Shapiro trying out new material on Sunday, and Boom Chicago running as normal all week.
The Live List will be back in September when things pick up again. In the meantime, the pick this week is on Saturday night at Mezrab, and it’s unlike anything else in town.
And if you find this newsletter useful, I'd really appreciate you sharing it with one other person who might like it too.
Paulina Lenoir: Unveiling @ Mezrab Alt Comedy Night Mezrab (Veemkade 576) | Saturday 21 June, 20:00
Paulina Lenoir is a London-based designer-turned-clown and theatre-maker whose credits include Southbank Centre, the Royal Opera House, Soho Theatre, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her award-winning solo show Puella Eterna toured internationally. Her seasonal cabaret night Fool’s Moon held a two-year residency at Soho Theatre. She is not your average Saturday night comedy booking.
She describes this show thus: “This show, as my life, is under construction and I am planning an unveiling ceremony for you all.” What follows is a list: reluctant matriarchs, personal artifacts, cosmic serpents, lullabies, brutalist towers, grief-stricken pop stars, eulogies for unlived lives, invisible tailoring, inherited misanthropy, epistolarian dreams, secrets.
It is one night only in Amsterdam, and it is exactly the kind of show that the Mezrab Alt Comedy Night exists to showcase. Maybe see you there?
Wednesday 17 June
The Comedy Underground Night Time Show @ Theater de Richel (basement), Wednesday 21:00 Weekly English open mic in the basement of Theater de Richel, near Dam Square. This week featuring the brilliant Eniko Varga, supported by Alex Fletcher, Shaz Memon & Gustav Bengtsson.
Open Mic (EN) @ Comedy Café Amsterdam (IJdok 89), 20:00 International comedians, local comedians, dreamers and tomorrow's stars. Comedy Café's English open mic.
The Good, The Bad, and The Algorithm @ Boom Chicago, 20:00 Boom's Wednesday night show: world-class improvisers, hysterical scenes, and musical comedy made up on the spot, with a Boom-trained AI joining the chaos.
Thursday 18 June
Oh My Word Comedy @ Bij Barba (Jan van Galenstraat 198), 20:00 The weekly English stand-up night in Bos en Lommer, hosted by Carly Blair. Local and NL-based acts in a cosy room with good beer and pizza.
Sjoerd Scott: Long Story Sjoerd ClinkNOORD (Galaxy Room), 20:00 Sjoerd Scott has been building this show for a while, and this is an Amsterdam date worth catching. His stand-up blends Caribbean roots with Dutch life in a way that doesn’t feel like a concept, it feels like someone who has clocked something true and worked out how to make it funny. One of Amsterdam’s most interesting voices, doing a full hour.
Sweet Home Amsterdama @ Boom Chicago, 20:00 The new Boom Chicago mainstage show about Amsterdam’s housing crisis. Half-sketch, half-improvised, your suggestions drive it. Still the funniest thing about not being able to afford a flat.
Comedy Night in English @ Comedy Café Amsterdam (IJdok 89), 20:30 The weekly English stand-up showcase at Comedy Café. Rotating cast, reliable laughs.
FREE IMPROV: Gary Indiana @ Vice Versa (Amsterdam), 18:30 English-language free improv from Vice Comedy. Short, sharp, and free.
Flock Theatre @ Flock Theatre Studio (T.T. Neveritaweg 55-57), 19:30 Regular Thursday improv show at one of Amsterdam’s most intimate venues.
Two by Jim Cartwright @ Mike’s Badhuistheater, 20:00, a sharp, darkly comic and unexpectedly heartwarming portrait of a Northern pub and the larger-than-life characters who pass through its doors.
That Comedy Thing @ OOSTerBAR (Amsterdam Oost), 20:00 That Comedy Thing's weekly Thursday showcase in Amsterdam Oost. Pay what you can: free community tickets available for those on a tight budget, donations go directly to the performers. A reliable room for discovering names before they get big.
Friday 19 June
SERVE: Queer Comedy Chaos @ ClinkNOORD, 20:00 The alternative queer comedy night closes out its season with a special edition: bigger lineup, bigger room, stand-up, games, and blissful chaos. Doors 19:30.
easylaughs: Tarantino and Unintelligible Goat Noises @ CREA Muziekzaal, 20:00 easylaughs rounds off their season with community players and a Tarantino-inspired play completely made up on the spot. Season finale.
Attic Collective: No Reservations @ Boom Chicago (Attic), 19:30 Current advanced students, recent academy alumni, and former ensemble member Katie Nixon in an improv show set in a restaurant.
Improv Spectacular @ Boom Chicago, 20:00 World-class improvisers turn your suggestions into something out of nothing. The show that launched a thousand alumni.
Attic Collective: Trappees @ Boom Chicago (Attic), 21:30 Second Friday night Attic show: are you trapped in there with them, or are they trapped in there with you?
The Comedy Embassy @ Boom Chicago (Upstairs Theater), 22:15 Amsterdam’s highest-rated stand-up showcase. Four comedians, full bar, every Friday.
Saturday 20 June
Vice Comedy: Special Edition Doubleheader @ Vice Versa (Ceintuurbaan 206), 20:00 Rami Nima and Daniel Yazbek deliver extended sets in a special edition of the weekly De Pijp stand-up night. Seven years of indie comedy at one of Amsterdam’s most consistent small venues.
Happy Hour Jam @ Boom Chicago (Attic), 18:00 Student-run improv jam. Mix and mingle on stage with other students rather than instructors. Perfect if you’re still nervous about the being-on-stage part.
Sweet Home Amsterdama @ Boom Chicago, 20:00
Greek Comedy Night (Open Mic) @ Boom Chicago (Attic), 21:30 A night of Greek comedy, open mic format. Tell your Greek friends, but regardless of Greek connection, guaranteed to be a fun night.
The Comedy Embassy @ Boom Chicago (Upstairs Theater), 22:15
Sunday 21 June
Greg Shapiro Tryout: King Me: 250 Years of Donald Trump @ Comedy Café Amsterdam (IJdok 89), 18:00 Greg Shapiro, Boom Chicago original and the voice of Trump in the ‘Netherlands Second’ video with over 50 million views, tries out his new show. Sharp, topical, and work-in-progress.
Rogier Bak Tries New Jokes! @ Huis van Iemand Anders (Van Woustraat 2), 19:00 Fresh material from Rogier Bak — a 35-40 minute set of all-new jokes and stories, plus a few funny friends opening with shorter new material sets.
Sunday Night Live @ Boom Chicago, 19:00 The weekly long-form improv institution. Best cast in years, live musician, improvising technician, a story built entirely in the room.
Community Night: Lesley Presley’s Variety Hour @ Boom Chicago, 20:30 Hosted by Angela Bartorillo this month. Features sketches from Jens van Kamp and Koen Zanen, solo comedy from Winnie Hänschen, improv from Shay Koch, award-winning improv from George Clooney’s Nipples, and the debut of new improv team SIDEQUEST.
Monday 22 June
Monday Night Laughs @ Brouwerij De Prael (Oudezijds Armsteeg 26), 20:00 The weekly English stand-up show in the Red Light District brewery. Rotating cast of scene regulars and international headliners, hosted by Kendra Borgen.
English Comedy Talent Award @ Kargadoor, Utrecht, Oudegracht 36, 20:30. Heat 8 bringing the hottest new talent from across the Netherlands & Belgium.
Hump Day Comedy Open Mic Night @ Cafe De Knoop, Wednesday 20:00. Weekly curated English open mic in the Jordaan. A step above the average open mic: sign-up in advance. Free.
That Comedy Thing: Open Mic @ Cafe de Buurvrouw, Wednesday 20:00 English open mic in a cosy bar setting.
Dishoom! @ Café de Plakhoek, Thursday, 19:00 Weekly English open mic in De Pijp. Raw, unfiltered, expat trauma as material. Free entry.
O'Casey's Comedy Open Mic @ O'Casey's Irish Pub, Noordeinde, Den Haag, Monday 19:00 English stand-up open mic in Den Haag hosted by Cid Clementine, brought to you by Quips and Bits Comedy. Line-up includes Jakub Wiewióra, Valerie Tan, Colin Wolff, Adomas Lisauskas, Daria Morozova, Angus Pere, Mohna Joshi, and Rutger Lemm. @QuipsAndBitsComedy
The Comedy Womb (Comedy Room Open Mic) @ Huis van Iemand Anders (De Pijp), Tuesday 20:00, Weekly English open mic from The Comedy Room Amsterdam. New comedians taking their first steps, experienced comics testing new material. Doors 19:30. Show-up-to-go-up spots available on the night.
Boom Chicago Academy Term 4 classes now on sale. Early bird discount ends 26 June. Two classes already sold out. Musical Improv 5-Day Intensive (week of 20 July) has only 3 spots left. This Sunday: Say Something: A Freestyle Rap Workshop with David "BS" Bradshaw, 11:00–14:00, only 6 spots remaining.
easylaughs: Season wrapping this Friday. New term dates and courses to be announced. Check easylaughs.nl for what's coming next.
That Comedy Thing Stand-up courses and MC workshop. Affordable, practical, taught by working comics.
Amsterdam Comedy Studio Improv, musical improv, comedy writing and drop-in workshops.
This section updates monthly. Know of a course? Hit reply and tell me.
Boom Chicago Comedy Festival. The beating heart of the Amsterdam comedy scene is hosting its annual comedy festival in July, with headline acts including Epic Rap Battles of History (3 July), Nadine Froughi (3 July), Mike Wozniak: The Bench (4 July), Louis Hanson: Good Boy! (4 July), and Reggie Watts (8 July). Tickets are on sale now and some shows will sell fast.
23 June: Crystal Marie Live! @ Boom Chicago LA-based comedian and producer, headlining clubs from Jay Leno to Russell Peters. One night only.
24 June: Musical Comedy Night: Balboa and The Sound of Maybe @ De Dijktheater (Da Costakade 160), 19:30 Amsterdam Comedy Studio presents a full evening of completely improvised musical comedy. The Sound of Maybe open, Balboa headline.
26 June: The Bit Show! Vol. 3 @ Mike’s Badhuistheater, 19:30. Simon Lukacs (Boom Chicago, BBC3, Zondag Met Lubach) curates and hosts an evening of improv madness with the funniest improvisers from Amsterdam and beyond trying ideas they’ve never tried before and will likely never try again. Recommended by Het Parool.
26 June: Big Game Comedy Show @ Boom Chicago (Attic), 21:30 Monthly Attic favourite.
27 June: Club Balkissoon. A new comedy venue opens its doors for the first time with a powerful lineup of local favorites. Hosted by: Kenji Loe Line up: Rael Eleonora Andrea vd M Giselle Wang Ronan Brosnan Georges Degoumois Headliner: Rami Nima.
27 June: Amuse @ Cinetol, 19:00 and 21:00 New show from The Cauldron. A legendary courtesan steps out of the frame to confront the myths men made of her, through burlesque, striptease, and speculative imagination. Two shows.
28 June: Luana Matei: How to Cheat on Your Husband in Amsterdam @ Huis van Iemand Anders (Van Woustraat 2), 19:00 Romanian comedian Luana Matei brings her filthy, honest, sold-out-across-40-cities show to Amsterdam. Dark stand-up covering infidelity, bad sex, and emotional chaos.
2 July: BCCF 2026 Kick-Off: Michiel Vos joins the Boom Chicago cast @ Boom Chicago Dutch-American journalist and America correspondent Michiel Vos on stage with the full Boom cast for a one-night-only improvised show.
11 July: Pride Comedy (English Edition) @ Theater Bellevue English-language stand-up from a fantastic lineup of LGBTQ+ comedians from around the world. Sharp jokes, personal stories, warm and inclusive.
13 July: Ralph Barbosa @ Boom Chicago Laid-back and disarming stand-up from one of the shyest attention hogs in comedy.
13 July: Ilana Glazer @ Meervaart Amsterdam Broad City co-creator on tour.
14 October: Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng: Hasan Hates Ronny | Ronny Hates Hasan @ Theater Amsterdam Two of the biggest names in international comedy, both Netflix and Daily Show alumni, on one stage for a night of sharp jokes and mutual loathing.
The Live List comes out every Wednesday. If you enjoyed this, please forward it to one person who’d find it useful.
Know about a show I’ve missed? Just hit reply, or email livelistnl@gmail.com