Chanel Ali found her voice in the Philadelphia comedy scene, then moved to New York City for a new kind of challenge. Explaining her rationale for the change during an April 2017 set at Brooklyn’s Secret Loft, she recalls thinking, “Stand-up comedy is hard. You know what I should try? Poverty.” Peppering her performances with observational humor on life as a minority, struggling to remain polite in the entertainment industry and growing up in the roughness of North Philly, she’s earned spots at the highly respected Carolines on Broadway and has become a regular at the New York Comedy Club. Ali hits the road to play The Southern Kitchen & Bar on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 9 p.m. Petey Smith McDowell serves as the evening’s host, and the event also features Asheville stand-ups Sofia Sanchez and Tom Peters. $7 advance/$10 day of show. southernkitchenandbar.com. Photo courtesy of Ali
Smart Bets: Chanel Ali
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.