24 Best Comedy, Performing Arts Books

On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Leo Carlin and his two sons come together for their traditional night of sharing the good and not-so-good memories of the dearly departed Mrs. Carlin. Beers are drunk. Plans are hatched. Secrets are revealed.

The Mighty Carlins is a black comedy that celebrates a family at its worst.

Starring Shane Rimmer, Christopher Ragland, and Christian Malcolm

Sherlock Holmes, the world’s greatest consulting detective, is on trial for his life!

Trapped in a nightmarish court room and charged with endangering the public and his friends, Holmes is forced to relive some of his most bizarre cases with only Doctor Watson to aid his defense.

Gasp at the Adventure of the Lizard’s Hands! Work your brain into a frenzy of confusion as our heroes uncover the mystery of a dead man found in the middle of Regent Street! Steady your nerves as you bear witness to some snakes! On a train!

But is all this evidence enough to satisfy a mysterious judge with a vendetta against our hero?

Starring Peter Davis, Matthew Woodcock, Simon Kane, Laura Marshall, and Ben Whitehead

Grammy Award Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album!

Steve Martin’s talent has always defied definition: an actor who’s kept us riveted for over 25 years, a razor-sharp screenwriter, an acclaimed playwright. In this ingeniously funny collection of humorous riffs, those who thought Martin’s gifts were confined to the screen will discover what readers of The New Yorker magazine already know: that Martin is a master of the written word.
Hilariously funny and intelligent in their skewering of the topic at hand, the audiobook’s pieces, some of which first appeared in The New Yorker, feature Martin at his finest.
With a playwright’s ear for dialogue, a sense of irony only Steve Martin could muster, and a first-class comic ability to perfectly time the punch line, Pure Drivel will have listeners crying with laughter, and marveling at the fact that in addition to all of his many talents, Steve Martin is also a superb writer.

Grammy Award Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album!

We all know Drew Carey from his award-winning stand-up career, and his hit
television show, but do we really Drew Carey, the person? In his first book, the
bawdy and irreverent DIRTY JOKES AND BEER, find out about all the many sides to
this misunderstood Hollywood star:

The Health Conscious Drew: They say that exercise and proper diet are the keys to
a longer, healthier life. Oh well…Watch for my next book, “How I Died While
Jogging.”

Drew the Lover: I read the Forum letters in Penthouse thinking that I could
learn from them. I remember thinking sometimes when I was having sex, “Lets see
now. How did ‘Surprised in Cincinnati’ do it?”…If a Playboy Playmate said in
her questionnaire that she liked a guy in tight pants, I would go out and buy
some tight pants. If she said she liked well-endowed men with big muscles and
hairy chests, I would cry.

And Drew’s formula that took him from a lonely teenager to a successful mega-
star…avoid cheap cologne and cheesy bikini underwear. Don’t expect sex on the
first date, and never pay more than twenty dollars for a lap dance.

All this, plus a section that Drew calls “…kind of Drew Carey in the Fourth
Dimension [but] still close enough to the real Drew to scare me.”

This audiobook contains adult language.

From the producers of the runaway Emmy Award-winning Comedy Central animated TV series “Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist” comes DR. KATZ’S THERAPY SESSIONS-a hiply hilarious compilation of Dr. Katz’s funniest sessions with his all-star cast of “patients.”
Based on Comedy Central’s hit phenomenon “Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist,” DR. KATZ’S THERAPY SESSIONS lets us listen in on the hilarious sessions between the wry, downtrodden Dr. Katz (comedian/actor Jonathan Katz) and his roster of patients, whose voices are provided by such popular comedians as Gary Shandling, Steven Wright, Rita Rudner, Anthony Clark, Janeane Garofalo, Carol Leifer, and more. Therapy has never been this funny!
A truly witty audio program, DR. KATZ’S THERAPY SESSIONS will bring therapeutic laughter to all who listen!

When twenty-year-old Jay Mohr moved to New York City, he never thought he would land his first real job on Saturday Night Live. But he did–and what followed were two crazy years of trying to keep up with his talented cast mates and get on the air as often as possible. Jay offers an intimate first-person account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live–the audition, the pitch meetings, and how skits make the final cut of the show. Jay also dishes on the guest hosts (Travolta, Doherty, Baldwin, Barkley), the musical guests (Cobain, Tyler, Clapton), and of course his Saturday Night Live cast mates (Farley, Sandler, Myers). This book is refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny.

The award-winning and critically acclaimed Wireless Theatre Company strives to keep radio theater alive and well. From the hilarious to the terrifying, this diverse collection features ten Wireless Theatre productions in a single volume:

Spook Squad by Jim Spiers, directed by Jack Bowman

2010: Space Commander! by Stuart Price, directed by David Beck

Dream On by Paul Ekert, directed by Tom Brazier

The Grimm of Stottesden Hall, written and directed by Stuart Price

Phonophobia by Jack Bowman and Robert Valentine, directed by Tom Brazier

Medusa on the Beach by Marty Ross

The Youth of Old Age, written and directed by Stuart Price

Devon Girl by Zalie Burrow, directed by Cherry Cookson

Radio Hoohah, written and directed by Octavia MacKenzie and Ashley McGuire

Angels in the Dark, written and directed by Susan Casanove

It’s Valentine’s Day, but events turn less than romantic when one of the members of a dating site is murdered. Can detective Jean-Pierre LePoulet find the killer?

Recorded in front of an audience at the New Diorama Theatre, The St. Valentine’s Day Murder stars Neil Frost, Mike Garnell, Debbie Bearelle, Philp Noth, Laura Marsall, Jade Allen, Laura Ashenden, Matthew Woodcock, and Kevin Haney.

Rob Sterling Davies is on the crest of a wave: a celebrated scriptwriter, actor, television personality, the new doyen of Just a Minute, and apparently, Stephen Fry’s new best friend. But all isn’t quite as it seems, and when Stephen discovers that Rob’s BAFTA-winning script was stolen, he undertakes to expose Rob for the fraud he is.

We Are the BBC is the follow-up to the hugely popular 2011 hit We Are Not the BBC and stars Adam Hall, Susan Casanove, Simon Stanhope, Andrew Macbean, Nick Lucas, Ann Theato, Alison Mead, Claire Wyatt, Cheska Moon, Katharine Waugh, and Silas Hawkins, with Nicholas Parsons and Stephen Fry as themselves.

This story is a lighthearted look at the radio drama production process as seen by the members of an amateur dramatics society in a sleepy suburb of Swansea.

It can’t be difficult to make your own play for radio, can it? And with a LAMDA-trained professional actor at the helm, surely nothing could go wrong. After their attempt at Mike Leigh-inspired improvisation doesn’t exactly produce satisfactory results, things start to look up when a visiting celebrity agrees to step in and play the lead role.

Starring Adam Hall, Susan Casanove, Andrew Macbean, Nick Lucas, Katharine Waugh, Ceri Gifford, and Christopher Timothy

Wickedly acerbic, The Youth of Old Age shows acclaimed British actor Prunella Scales at her dragon-tongued best. As the story’s matriarch, she’s determined to prevent her heir from marrying “out of sorts.”

Written and directed by award-winning Stuart Price, you’d be mad not to listen to this wicked comedy.

Biddlecombe is a perfectly ordinary English seaside town–except everyone there has been turned to stone.

Two seriously out-of-their-depth police officers uncover the strange truth of what happened when middle-aged and romantically disappointed hairdresser Marjorie Briggs finds something in a polythene bag on the beach that didn’t belong there–something ancient and terrible with the power to seriously muck up the lives of Marjorie and all those she loves and hates.

No Cause for Alarm is a silly play.

It has no comment to make about the human condition, love in the twenty-first century, or the Iraq war.

Starring James Ash, Michael Good, Ceri Gifford, Jennifer McFarlane, Gareth Rubin, Tim Smith, Trevor Cutherbertson, Jack Bowman, and Neil Frost

Have you ever wondered what life would be like as a young woman running a farm? Sally Anne Criplett is just that girl.

Living with her mole-obsessed, gun-happy, cider-drinking father, Sally has her work cut out. But with the love of local farm boy Johnny Hutchins and their mutual passion for Elvis and farm machinery, life can be full of frolics.

Devon Girl is a light-hearted look at farming with a fair sprinkling of colorful locals, such as the adorable best friend Mary, an imposing lesbian vicar, and local irresistible calf dealer Richard Sucksmith. Grab a cup of tea and sit back for a bit of a giggle with this British comedy directed by multiple award-winning BBC producer Cherry Cookson.

From the hilarious to the terrifying, this diverse collection features ten Wireless Theatre productions in a single volume:

We Are the BBC by Susan Casanove, directed by Jack Bowman

Rob Sterling Davies is on the crest of a wave–and apparently Stephen Fry’s new best friend. But all isn’t quite as it seems.

We Are Not the BBC by Susan Casanove, directed by Jack Bowman

Things start to look up for the members of an amateur dramatics society when a visiting celebrity steps in and plays the lead role.

No Cause for Alarm by Gareth Rubin

No Cause for Alarm is a silly play. It has no comment to make about the human condition, love in the twenty-first century, or the Iraq war.

Stage Fright by Lynn Howes, directed by Emma Taylor

Stage Fright charts the struggle for supremacy between three actors appearing in a play together.

The Mighty Carlins by Collin Doyle, directed by Paul Blinkhorn

On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Leo Carlin and his two sons come together for their traditional night of sharing good and bad memories.

Blood and Stone by Marty Ross, directed by Mariele Runacre Temple

The “Bloody Lady of Cachtice” was bricked up in her own castle for murder. Why then does the young Katya want a job looking after the countess?

The St. Valentine’s Day Murder written and directed by Peter Davis

It’s Valentine’s Day, but events turn less than romantic when one of the members of a dating site is murdered.

Laying Ghosts by Clare Reddaway, directed by Emily Wright

When Connie’s beloved husband Jack dies, Connie hopes that her only son, Gary, will console her. Gary, however, has other plans.

Emails from Abroad by Julia Messenger and Shirley Mawer

Emails from Abroad is a play based on travels abroad relayed by emails between the ingenuous first-time traveler and her disillusioned home-bound sister.

The Trial of Sherlock Holmes by Peter Davis and Matthew Woodcock

Charged with endangering the public, Holmes is forced to relive some of his most bizarre cases.

Born in Chicago, February 14, 1894, Benjamin Kubelsky would later become known as Jack Benny. As a boy, he was encouraged by his Jewish immigrant parents from Poland to become a concert violinist. He learned to play quite well and hit the vaudeville stage, where he played popular songs and honed a suave-but-fragile personality, telling self-deprecating jokes. Benny guested on Ed Sullivan’s radio show March 19, 1932 and was an instant success. Canada Dry signed him to a contract that same year and soon Jack Benny was broadcasting each week on CBS. His career included several seasons on NBC and then a return to CBS through his final radio days. His all-star supporting cast included his wife Mary Livingstone, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, and announcer Don Wilson. As Jerry Seinfeld would emulate years later on Seinfeld, Benny’s cast received the best jokes–many pointed at the show’s star. Expertly-crafted scripts constantly reminded listeners of Benny’s portrayal of himself as a lovable, vain, miser, concerned about his receding hairline and insistence that he was no older than thirty-nine. His sponsors over the years included Canada Dry, General Tire, General Foods, and the American Tobacco Company. The Jack Benny Program made a successful transition to television with his entire supporting cast in tow. Benny’s radio and television shows entertained audiences for more than three decades and is generally regarded as the high-water mark in twentieth century American comedy.

2/20/49 – “The Horn Blows at Midnight w/ Fletcher Markle and Jack Warner”9/11/49 – “Bus Tour Introduces the Cast”9/18/49 – “Edward My Son”10/16/49 – “Recovering from a Cold”10/23/49 – “Jack is Recovering from Nose Surgery”11/20/49 – “Jack Goes to Rehearsal w/ Ed Wynn”12/11/49 – “Texas Benefit w/ Frank Leahy”1/8/50 – “Drear Pooson Fluff w/ Rosalind Russell, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly”3/5/50 – “Buck Benny Rides Again w/ Sarah Churchill”3/19/50 – “The Champion”3/26/50 – “From Palm Springs w/ Bob Hope”4/2/50 – “From Palm Springs w/ Al Jolson”4/16/50 – “Jack Gets the House Pained w/ Frank Fontaine”5/7/50 – “Jack Buys a New Suit”11/26/50 – “Tries to Buy Tickets to the USC-UCLA Game”12/10/50 – “Murder at the Racket Club”

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character appearing each week on the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show. On August 31, 1941, Gildersleeve landed his own situation comedy, The Great Gildersleeve, becoming radio’s first spin-off.

Gildersleeve moved from the town of Wistful Vista, where Fibber McGee and Molly lived, to Summerfield, where he oversaw his late brother-in-law’s estate and took on the rearing of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester. The household also included a cook named Birdie. The Great Gildersleeve was the first show to center on a single parent balancing child rearing, work, and a social life, and it was accomplished with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve’s slightly understated pomposity.

Radio veteran Hal Peary originated the role of Gildersleeve and performs here in these twelve episodes that aired from December 1947 to March 1948:

“New Year’s Eve Party””Anne Tuttle’s Back in Town””Marjorie’s New Romance””School Board Election””License Plate Time””Acting Mayor””Getting Glasses””Leila’s Cousin Arrives in Town””Adeline Is Trying to Steal Birdie””Girl Shy Leroy””The Duel””Adeline Wants to Visit the Jolly Boys”

George Burns and Gracie Allen were one of the biggest comedy duos the world has ever known. Enjoy sixteen of their greatest radio broadcasts!

When real life husband and wife George Burns and Gracie Allen worked together in vaudeville, George was the comic and his wife Gracie had the straight lines. They switched their roles upon discovering that Gracie’s delivery got a bigger laugh than George’s punch lines. The duo became a big hit on vaudeville and in films so when radio beckoned, they delivered. Their first regular radio work were as supporting players on CBS’s The Guy Lombardo Show in the 1930s. When Lombardo switched to NBC, George and Gracie took over the show. Early on, the two did not play a married couple on the air. For a long time they continued a ‘flirtation act’ with George as Gracie’s most persistent suitor. But when the show’s ratings began to sag toward the end of the 1930s, George decided it was time their real-life marriage was written into the show. The new format included husband-and-wife characters in a situation comedy setting. George’s instincts were spot-on and The Burns & Allen Show went on to new heights, eventually making a successful transition to television.

9/9/40 – “George Owes Money to the Telephone Company”9/16/40 – “George is Looking for a Guest”10/14/40 – “What’s Wrong with Gracie?”10/21/40 – “Prof. Thorndyke Studies Gracie”10/28/40 – “Tries to Get Out of Doing the Broadcast”11/4/40 – “Tries to Impress Fifi”11/11/40 – “Gracie Writes a Musical”11/18/40 – “Thanksgiving Show”3/3/42 – “Gracie Testifies in Accident Case”3/10/42 – “The Fowlers Won’t Leave”10/3/44 – “Gracie Protects Bill Goodwin from a Gold-Digger”2/5/48 – “Hunting Rabbits for a Fur Coat”2/10/49 – “George and Sam Spade Jailed w/ guest, Howard Duff”5/12/49 – “Worried about TV w/ guest, Marie McDonald”9/28/49 – “Courting Gracie Again”2/8/50 – “Gracie’s Bent Fender”

A hilarious BBC Radio Four spoof from Octavia MacKenzie and Ashley McGuire

Today on Radio Hoohah:

In My Mind delves into the thoughts of Leonora Velvety Constable-Wheeler and her passion for pugs, Shakespeare, and taking her clothes off when she totally doesn’t realize it.

Popular soap opera The Burgers has a few surprises in store when Mrs. White slips on some conditioner in the hairdressers.

What’s New has an exclusive look into Dorothy Ahlwhala’s latest novel, Raspberry Ripple, Iron Hoof; the latest theater and music releases; as well as a political hot potato: globalization.

When Connie’s beloved husband, Jack, dies after twenty-seven years of marriage, Connie hopes that her only son, Gary, will console her. Gary, however, finds that level of commitment a bit, well, too much of a commitment. Connie is left with interfering neighbor Val until Gary’s girlfriend Sandra rings with some unexpected news.

This sets Connie on a journey from a village in the Midlands to Hackney and eventually to Ghana as she finds a way to come to terms with her grief and to forge new friendships and a new life.

Starring Maggie Turner, Michael Good, Marishka Tharani, Nic Van Gelder, Ike Ononye, Linda Mathis, Carrie Cohen, and Fran Kirkham

Fibber McGee & Molly had a long and successful run on radio from 1935 to 1959, featuring its creators and stars, married couple Jim and Marian Jordan. Living in the fictional midwestern city of Wistful Vista, Fibber was an American teller of tall tales and a braggart, usually to the exasperation of his long-suffering wife, Molly, who tried to keep him out of trouble. Fibber’s weekly schemes would be interrupted by, inspired by, and often played upon the people of Wistful Vista, a set of regular players and characters that were as beloved as the stars of the program.

Life in their town of Wistful Vista followed a well-developed formula but was always fresh. The show began as a comic reflection of Depression-era America, but as time went on and the shadows of war came over the nation, the show again caught the mood of the country. World War II was fought on the home front in Wistful Vista as surely as anywhere else in America, but here they had the benefit of Fibber’s somewhat addled perspective on life.

A hilarious collection of episodes from the beloved radio show Fibber McGee & Molly

Excitable and loose-lipped Fibber means well enough, but it’s not always easy for even-tempered Molly to keep him in check and out of trouble. Of course, the long suffering Mrs. McGee’s penchant for patience makes it all the funnier when she’s finally pushed to the point of exasperation. What both McGees have in common is that they’re fabulously friendly, opening their door at seventy-nine Wistful Vista to welcome all sorts of interesting guests, including Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, and neighborly nemesis Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.

Jim and Marian Jordan star in this radio comedy classic, in which warm-heartedness usually wins out over hot-headedness. A safe bet for laughs–as long as you don’t go too close to the closet.

Episodes include: “McGee’s Fish Fry,” “Fifteenth Wedding Anniversary,” “Fibber’s Gossip Column,” “Fibber Is Too Sick for Housework,” “Killer Canova’s Autograph,” “The Rummage Sale,” “Raking Leaves,” “Halloween Party at Gildersleeve’s House,” “The Wistful Vista Auto Show,” “Hiawatha,” “Traffic Ticket,” and “The Overdue Library Book.”

Emails Abroad is a play based on travels abroad relayed by e-mails between an ingenuous first-time traveler and her disillusioned home-bound sister. It culminates in their role-reversal, with the possibility of closure, a tragic end, or a new beginning.

Starring Maggie Turner and Robin Miller