NORFOLK — Two prominent national comedians will take the stage at the Johnny Carson Theatre this summer.
Officials with the Great American Comedy Festival announced today that Joel McHale and Rich Little will be the featured performers for the weekend festival. The 11th edition of the festival is Thursday-Saturday, June 14-16 with Little headlining on Friday and McHale on Saturday.
McHale is best known for his role on the comedy series, Community, where he played fast-talking lawyer Jeff Winger who was forced to return to college when his law degree was revoked. While in college, he became the reluctant leader of a group of misfits. The show aired on NBC for five seasons and one season on Yahoo.
McHale can currently be found on Netflix playing former Community co-star Chevy Chase. He has also appeared opposite Will Forte in A Futile and Stupid Gesture. He is currently starring in a weekly Netflix show, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale.
The Seattle-native first rose to national prominence when he started hosting the satirical pop culture show The Soup on the E! Network in 2004. The show ran through 2015.
Canada native Rich Little is described as a master mimic of more than 200 voices. He has focused on the voices of U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. He enjoys skewering political figures and was liked and appreciated by many.
Little made countless appearances on network talk/variety shows. Some of his favorite current impressions are of stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, and Clint Eastwood. He also does impressions of Kermit the Frog, the late Andy Rooney and Dr. Phil.
The Great American Comedy Festival was created in 2008 to pay tribute to the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson. Little guest hosted The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 12 times.
All festival shows are at 7:00 PM, including the family Magic Show on Thursday. Organizers say there is also an adults-only Late Show on Friday at Divots featuring 10 standup comedians.
