#8 Every English language comedy show in and around Amsterdam this week (May 13 - May 19)
An incredible week of comedy including Olivia Flood-Wylie, John O'Keefe, Lil Wenker, Adi Parmar, 4 new alternative shows, and the launch of Boom Chicago's new Amsterdam-themed special.
Welcome to issue #8 of The Live List - your weekly round-up of every English-language comedy show happening in and near Amsterdam.
This week we’ve 30+ shows, across three cities. Comedians flying in from New York, Finland and Ireland, plus five incredible alternative comedy nights. This is not your average week.
If you're new to the newsletter: every Wednesday I pull together every English-language comedy show happening in and around Amsterdam.
And if you find this newsletter useful, I'd really appreciate you sharing it with one other person who might like it too.
Thank you. Now read on to find out what’s happening this week:
Olivia Flood-Wylie: Get Well Soon, ClinkNOORD | Saturday 16 May | 18:00 and 20:30 shows
Olivia Flood-Wylie was one of the people who built the Amsterdam underground comedy scene from the ground up. If you were in the rooms back then, you already know. If you weren’t, this is your chance to understand what the fuss was about. Olivia has been based in New York for a while now, but she’s flying back for a single night to perform her brand new special: sharp, personal, and by all accounts exactly what you’d expect from someone who has never wasted a word on stage. Two shows. One night only. Presented by That Comedy Thing at ClinkNOORD. Don’t miss it.
Wednesday 13 May
The Good, The Bad, and The Algorithm @ Boom Chicago, 20:00 Boom Chicago's Wednesday show: fast-paced improv scenes, musical comedy, and an AI the cast actually improvises with. Fresh material, changing every week.
Thursday 14 May
Alternative Comedy Utrecht: Debut Show @ Voorstraat 71, Utrecht, Thursday 14 May, 20:00 The first ever ACU night. First half: the comedians do whatever they want, stand-up, clowning, anything goes. Second half: Professor Gameshow takes over (think Taskmaster meets improv, hosted by a pervert, their words not mine). Lineup: Marina Orsag (20+ years, 3,500+ shows across Europe, helped build the Croatian stand-up scene), Kristina Jak (Finnish forests, makes the socially awkward feel seen), and Davey Jay (razor-sharp, dark, Utrecht regular). Free entry.
Adi Parmar, Sunny Boy @ Boom Chicago, 22:15, Adi Parmar brings his award-winning stand-up show to Boom Chicago before it heads to Edinburgh Fringe in August. Presented by Laugh Out Proud. One to catch while you still can.
Sweet Home Amsterdama @ Boom Chicago, 20:00 Boom Chicago’s new mainstage show opens this week. A half-sketch, half-improvised look at Amsterdam’s housing crisis, with audience suggestions shaping the story each night. Runs Thursdays.
Oh My Word Comedy @ Bij Barba (Jan van Galenstraat 198), 20:00 The weekly English stand-up showcase in Amsterdam West, hosted by Carly Blair. Local and NL-based acts in a relaxed, warm room.
That Comedy Thing @ OOSTerBAR (Amsterdam Oost), Thursday 14 May, 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.
Shot of Improv @ Boom Chicago, 21:00 High-energy audience-driven improv with free shots for great suggestions. Happy 45 mins (half-price drinks) from 21:00 before the show starts.
Friday 15 May
Irish Comedy Night: John O'Keeffe @ de Schuur (Wijde Doelen 8, Utrecht), 20:00 O'Keeffe's Edinburgh Fringe show sold out its entire run in 2025. The premise: a functional mess explains his chequered dating life, impossible family, self-diagnosed ADHD, and threadbare hopes for the future. Sometimes sweet, sometimes dark, consistently funny. One night only in Utrecht.
Wyatt Feegrado Live @ Southend Comedy Club (IJsbaanpad 45), 19:30 San Francisco-born, New York-based comedian known for sharp one-liners and dark material. Live in Amsterdam for one night.
Improvision, the Improvised Song Contest @ Dijktheater, 19:30, Mashing together the campy chaos of Eurovision with the high-stakes panic of improv.
easylaughs: The Collage & Human Algorithm @ CREA Muziekzaal, 20:00 The easylaughs cast does what it likes: all styles, all forms, anything goes. Community groups also take the stage in the early slot. Different every week.
Improv Spectacular @ Boom Chicago, 20:00 The long-running Boom Chicago improv show, world-class cast, audience suggestions, the whole thing.
The Comedy Embassy @ Boom Chicago (Upstairs Theater), 22:15 Four English-language comedians, two hours, full bar. Amsterdam’s most reviewed stand-up showcase. Runs every Friday and Saturday.
Saturday 16 May
Clowns in the Attic @ Boom Chicago Attic, 19:30 The Boom Attic Collective takes the stage for a clown-meets-improv variety show. An hour of clowning, foolery, and buffoonery.
The ALT Mezrab Comedy Night: BOYKING @ Mezrab, 20:00 The 28th edition of the ALT Comedy Night features BOYKING: eight-year-old Prince Wilfred, nowhere near in line for the throne, plotting world domination while guzzling mummy's milk. Death, destruction, dastardly deeds. Created by award-winning performer/director duo Lil Wenker and Cecily Nash. The kind of show Mezrab was built for.
Vice Comedy: FREE 8th Anniversary Party & Saturday Stand-Up Show @ Ceintuurbaan 206 (De Pijp), 17:00 Vice Comedy turns 8 this week and they're celebrating with a free party and their regular Saturday stand-up show. An early evening start means you can make a proper night of it.
Cocktails & Comedy in English @ Comedy Cafe Amsterdam, 18:00, Early evening English showcase at Comedy Café. English-speaking comedians from around the world, cocktails encouraged.
The Comedy Embassy @ Boom Chicago, 22:15 Saturday night edition. Four comedians, full bar, no passport required.
Improv Spectacular @ Boom Chicago, 20:00. The show that launched Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, and Jason Sudeikis. Still running, still sharp.
Sunday 17 May
Mad Cow Comedy: International Comedy Showcase @ Kartoffel (Oudegracht aan de Werf 145, Utrecht), 15:00 Rachel Morton-Young hosts a particularly strong Sunday afternoon lineup: John O'Keeffe (fresh off the Friday show), Tom Cotter (America's Got Talent breakout star, also at Monday Night Laughs in Amsterdam), Juanita Coble, and Ray Ellin (NY Comedy Cellar regular). Doors from 14:00.
Lesley Presley Variety Hour @ Boom Chicago, 20:30 Brand new monthly show launching this week. Lesley Presley is a host persona anyone in the Boom community can embody, and this month it’s Joss Gillespie. The bill includes Jens van Kamp & Koen Zanen, Joep Vermolen, Biya Du, a sketch with Brian Fitzgeralds and Kenneth Sullivan and Vanessa T. van Hoof, and Roel Blommers’s Improvised Friendships making their debut. A proper variety night in the old sense of the phrase.
Ric and Ram: Standup Comedy in English @ ClinkNOORD (Galaxy Room), 18:45 Ram Arangi is celebrating 6 years of living in Amsterdam and he’s doing it at his home club, with Ric Diez alongside him. Both are touring EU comedians with proper pedigrees (Kill Tony, Rolling Stone, BBC). Fast, sharp, crowd-savvy.
Gripe Club II @ De Nieuwe Anita, doors 19:30, show 19:45 Ken Parsons hosts this variety panel show with a twist: instead of just MCing, he plays his sharpest 6 or 7 songs with the stories that go with them. So you get two full musical comedy sets in one room, wrapped in a gripes format where the audience gets to vent to an all star comedy panel.
East European Stand-Up in English @ Comedy Café Amsterdam, 18:00 Romanian, Estonian, Croatian, and Serbian comedians on a single bill. Exactly as international as Amsterdam deserves.
Sunday Night Live @ Boom Chicago, 19:00 Long-form improv institution. A true story from the audience becomes a full improvised show with scenes, songs, a live musician, and an improvising technician. Different every single week.
Monday 18 May
ISMO: Perseverance Tour @ Koninklijk Theater Carré, 20:00 Finland’s funniest export, back on tour after a broken back (the show is called Perseverance for a reason). ISMO built his international reputation on being the sharpest observer of what English looks like from the outside. The Carré is a big room and this is a legitimately big show. Last tickets.
Monday Night Laughs @ Brouwerij De Prael (Oudezijds Armsteeg 26), 20:00 This week’s double headliner: Tom Cotter, the first comedian finalist on America’s Got Talent, and Ray Ellin, a New York Comedy Cellar regular who also does the Utrecht show (and Comedy Café on Wednesday 20 May). A strong bill for any day, let alone a Monday.
English Comedy Talent Award @ ComedyClub Utrecht, Oudegracht 36, 20:30. Heat 3 bringing the hottest new talent from across the Netherlands & Belgium.
Tuesday 19 May
Tuna: Newbie of the Week @ Cafe de Knoop, 20:00 That Comedy Thing's weekly new comedian showcase. First timers and fresh faces doing their thing, every Tuesday.
That Comedy Thing: Open Mic @ Cafe de Buurvrouw, Wednesday 20:00 English open mic in a cosy bar setting.
Hump Day Comedy Open Mic Night @ Cafe De Knoop, Wednesday 20:00. Weekly curated English open mic in the Jordaan. Sign up in advance. A step above the average open mic. Free.
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. Stand-up, clown, improv, sketch, music — anything goes. A genuine Amsterdam underground institution.
English Open Mic @ Comedy Café Amsterdam (IJdok 89), 20:00 Long-running English open mic at the Comedy Café.
Dishoom! @ Café de Plakhoek, Thursday, 19:00 Weekly English open mic in De Pijp. Raw, unfiltered, expat trauma as material. Free entry.
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 3 is now underway. Stand-up Comedy with Katie O'Reilly is in its last days to sign up: Saturdays 2–5PM from 16 May (4 sessions). A second stand-up section runs Sundays 2–5PM from 21 June. Also last days to sign up for Exploring Viewpoints with DeShawn Mason (advanced improv scene work, Saturdays from 16 May). Improv Taster Classes available most weeks at €30.
easylaughs: Weekly improv and stand-up courses at all levels, taught by an experienced international cast. Enrolled students get free access to Friday night shows.
Meisner for Improvisers @ Boom Chicago, Sat 30 – Sun 31 May: Two-day intensive with guest instructor Octavia Gilmore. 11am-5pm each day. For improvisers who want to build scenes that are truthful and alive. Advanced level.
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.
Wed 20 May: Ray Ellin and Tom Cotter @ Comedy Café Amsterdam, 20:00, The same duo as Monday Night Laughs, now co-headlining at the Comedy Café two nights later. Two chances to see two very good New York comedians in the same week.
Thu 21 May: GenerationAI: When an American and an Indian Become Dutch @ Café de Plakhoek, 19:30, David Gamble Jr. and Sahana Prakash share stories of Dutch immigration: bicycles, tech, marriage, and cultural misunderstandings. Work in progress from Dishoom Comedy Club.
Thu 21 May: SERVE: Vegas Baby @ Lellebel Queer Bar, 21:00, Elvis impersonators, sequins, rhinestone cowgirls, and gay wedding chapel marriages. Loud, campy, alternative, and fabulous. Exactly the kind of night it should be.
Sun 24 May: Vipul Goyal @ Boom Chicago, Indian comedian and star of TVF’s Humorously Yours, live at Boom with a show full of relatable punchlines.
Fri 29 May, Split Bill feat Kristina Jak & Prashant Khanchandani @ Boom Chicago Attic, 19:30. Two brilliant local talents, one shared bill.
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
TCT @ Oosterbar on Thursday will be a good one - I've heard they have a dashingly handsome MC this week ;)