Cleveland comedy fans are in for a night of pure escapism when Kathleen Madigan brings “The Day Drinking Tour” to town on March 7. The veteran stand-up will headline the KeyBank State Theatre, part of the Playhouse Square district in downtown Cleveland, promising a mix of new material, fan-favorite bits, and the kind of lived-in storytelling that has made her one of America’s most enduring road comics.
Madigan, who has spent more than three decades crisscrossing the country in clubs and theaters rather than chasing sitcoms or movie roles, has built a career that’s both quietly historic and stubbornly grounded. She’s the classic “comedian’s comedian” who managed to become a fan favorite without any single breakout Hollywood moment—no starring network sitcom, no blockbuster film, no big late-night hosting gig. Instead, she’s done it the old-fashioned way: show by show, city by city, year after year, building a loyal audience that keeps coming back.
A huge part of Madigan’s legacy is her stand-up on screen. She has released six hit specials over the course of her career, each one refining her storytelling and adding new layers of observation while maintaining the same essential voice. Those specials—found across platforms like Amazon, Netflix, Max, Showtime, and Comedy Central—have allowed her to reach millions of viewers who might not yet have seen her on tour…