Some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy will perform at the Wheeler Opera House this week for the annual Aspen Laugh Festival.
The program kicks off Wednesday night with Patton Oswalt, who has a “Best Comedy Album” Grammy and eight stand-up specials to his name. Oswalt has been a headlining act for more than two decades and has appeared in hundreds of movies and TV episodes — from “The King of Queens,” where he played Spence Olchin for nine seasons, to “Ratatouille,” in which he voiced Remy the rat.
On Thursday night, Beth Stelling takes the stage. Stelling has appeared on “Conan” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and has written for TV series like “Rick and Morty,” “Strange Planet” and “Crashing.” Stelling’s latest special, “If You Didn’t Want Me Then,” was released last fall; The New York Times praised it as a “superb hour” of comedy from “a nimble storyteller who has leaped to a new artistic level.”
Friday night’s set features Patti Harrison — also known by the cheeky pun “Party Harderson” on Instagram. She’s a familiar face on the late-night TV circuit, and appears in shows like “Shrill” and “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.” Harrison also stars in the mockumentary “Theater Camp,” released in 2023.
The festival concludes on Saturday, with a show by Reggie Watts. He’s best known as the bandleader for “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” and has also toured as a solo artist who combines music and comedy. His improvisational performances have a reputation for disorienting audiences as Watts sings, beatboxes, and plays the keyboard — with a looping machine for special effects.
Individual tickets and four-show passes are available through aspenshowtix.com. As of Tuesday afternoon, tickets were still available for all performances.
