The Apiary

Mo Welch, Ben Lerman, and Cameron Esposito are the Hot D8 Campaign Tonight is the Hot D8 Campaign’s first stop on their mini-world tour of Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, and Provincetown. The Campaign (a send up to the NO H8 Campaign in California) kicks off tonight at Hamburger Mary’s, at the beginning of the last weekend of Pride Month in Chicago. Mo Welch joins Cameron Esposito and Ben Lerman as host to this showcase of hilarity and awareness, with a portion of tour proceeds going to Marriage Equality USA .

Related : It’s a Hot D8 @ Hamburger Mary’s

HOT D8 Campaign, Hamburger Mary’s (5400 N. Clark, Chicago), TONIGHT , 7:30 pm, $12, tickets at the door.

-- Kristy Mangel

As the sun finally makes its way into the Midwestern sky, for the first time in what seems like forever and several decades, comedy beckons you to stumble out of the cave and see the light. Forgo this, the longest winter of your discontent, for it is indeed time to be jolly, once again. Here to help, here are some bonafide HOT TIPS for this weekend:

Aparna Nancherla | Photo by Q. Ledbetter In North Center, visit Chicago’s longest running independent room, the Lincoln Lodge , for their LAST show of Season 10. Apiary friend/general comedy superstar Aparna Nancherla from D.C. will be dropping in as a last minute surprise, while local killers Cameron Esposito, Eliot Rahal , and Sean Flannery , in addition to Chicago’s very own superstar Junior Stopka, round out the stand-up portion of the evening. Cheeky, multi-instrumented rockers The Band of 1000 Names and poet auteur Joel Chmara close out this raucous night of comedy in multiple forms. Snag yourself a seat at Resi’s Bierstube directly afterward to schmooze and booze with the comedy celebs.

TONIGHT @  9:00PM. 4008 N. Lincoln Ave. (between Cuyler Ave. & Damen Ave.), Inside the Lincoln Restaurant, Chicago.

Rasa Gierstikas and Mo Welch | Photo by Jason Thomas And across town in Humboldt Park, local nutto Mo Welch welcomes a bevy of performers to her monthly fiesta of sketch, stand-up, music, poems, wigs, costumes, and sofas. Tonight the Mo Show will feature Jet Eveleth, Ken Barnard, Subhah Agarwal, Crockett, Puterbaugh Sisters, Tia Ayers, Ricky Carmona , and Lyndsay Hailey . Add to the fact that this quaint little theater space is BYOB, and you’ve just figured out your entire Friday night/Saturday morning. Also featured: homemade chocolate chip cookies from Mo’s ma, and birthday celebrations for Ricky Carmona . Comedy birthdays never go unpunished ‘round these parts; it’s sure to be an all-night party down get out.

TONIGHT @  9:30PM. Reversible Eye Gallery, 1103 N. California Ave. (between Haddon Ave. & Thomas St.), Chicago.

Kristen Studard | Photo by Paul Octavious Finish your comedy weekend in Chicago’s historic Uptown neighborhood at the cozy, legendary Annoyance Theater Sunday night, for the acclaimed and nonsensical Kristen Studard’s first ever solo show, “ Small Victories ”. She will reprise her role as a concupiscent bumblebee , for which she won instant infamy and the title of Impress These Apes Champion, second season, in addition to myriad other characters and flights of fancy. Studard is quoted as saying she hopes to get a multi-million dollar fertilizer endorsement deal from this show; come out to say you saw her when …

Sundays @ 9:30PM , through June 13, 2010. The Annoyance Theatre & Bar , 4830 N. Broadway (just north of Lawrence Ave.), Chicago.

-- Kristy Mangel

Mo Welch, courtesy of Mo Welch

• THE PLUG (CHICAGO): Don't miss variety show The Mo Show, Number Tres TONIGHT @ 10PM at Studio BE , 3110 N. Sheffield, Chicago, $5, BYOB. Hosted by the delightfully wacky Mo Welch , with performances by Chris Condren, Beth Stelling, Aaron Weaver, Johnny Carwash and the Dollar Bills , with sketch by Electric Baby Safari and guest Ever Mainard .

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