Black comedy takes many forms. This final week of Black History Month brings a living legend, a reliable club comic and a Black circus troupe. There are also a couple of Black dramas which have humor and community spirit within them: a one-man biodrama about mid-19th century civil rights leader Frederick Douglass and August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean,” set in the first decade of the 20th century. On the music side, there’s the highly entertaining Black Violin duo of classical musicians, the exemplary independent artist Mariah the Scientist and blues giant Robert Cray.
The comedy legend is Cedric the Entertainer. Just look at his range. He won over crowds on TV’s “Showtime at the Apollo,” “Def Comedy Jam” and BET’s “Comic View,” years before a concert film proclaimed him one of the “Kings of Comedy.” He’s been part of the “Barbershop,” “Ice Age,” “Madagascar,” “Dr. Dolittle” and “Series of Unfortunate Events” franchises. The sitcoms and other series he’s done guest appearances on run from “Black-ish” to “Master of None” to “2 Broke Girls” to “Hot in Cleveland” to “Whose Line is It Anyway?” to “WWE Raw.” Last year, he played the Notorious B.I.G. in the movie satire “A Hip-Hop Story.”
While not as well known, Michael Blackson has almost as varied a comedy career and has had a national presence for nearly as long. Blackson has starred in a couple of short-lived sitcoms, appeared on reality shows like “Love & Hip Hop” and “VH-1 Couples Retreat” and been in music videos for Akon and Busta Rhymes.
The New York-based, Afro-Futurist Minty Fresh Circus played the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven last summer and is in Fairfield County this week. Conceived by the theater producer Monique Martin, Minty Fresh bills itself as being “performed by an all-Black cast, with a majority-Black creative team celebrating the healing power of Black music and movement, infused with the joy and resilience of those who traversed the transatlantic slave trade.”
August Wilson’s period drama “Gem of the Ocean” is not just the final show of the 2025-26 Long Wharf Theatre season but the last major production with Jacob Padrón is its artistic director. Connecticut looms large in Wilson’s career. The majority of the 10 plays in his epic “Century Cycle” about Black life in America throughout the 20th century had their world premieres at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, many of them after they went through a development process at the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford. The Long Wharf production has the distinction of being near ocean water. The play is being staged in the Canal Boat Dockhouse on Long Wharf Drive, where Long Wharf performed “A View from the Bridge,” a play by longtime Connecticut resident Arthur Miller, in 2024.
Minty Fresh Circus
Quick Center, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield
The modern Black theater circus returns to Connecticut for an indoor show at Fairfield University’s Quick Center on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. $25, $15 Quick Center members. quickcenter.fairfield.edu.
Immortal Technique
The Webster, 31 Webster St., Hartford
Politically charged Peruvian-American rapper Immortal Technique is at The Webster with four opening acts: Poison Pen, JackXson, $am $avage and Sturges. Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. $36.15, $159.15 VIP table. thewebsterct.com.
Miguel
Oakdale Theatre, 95 South Turnpike Road, Wallingford
Miguel, the recording star known for his funk/R&B/hip-hop blends, is on his “CAOS” tour. Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. $41.25-$30.10. livenation.com.
Robert Cray Band
Infinity Music Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford
Blues titan Robert Cray and his band always have a home at Infinity Music Hall Hartford. Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. $74.33. infinityhall.com.
Sons of Town Hall
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook
The singular folk/storytelling/troubadour/comedy act Sons of Town Hall offers the adventures and observations of 19th century journeymen Josiah Chester Jones and George Ulysses Brown. If the concept confuses, check out their podcast. Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. $30. thekate.org.
Singer/songwriter Mariah the Scientist returns to New Haven at College Street Music Hall on her “Hearts Sold Separately” tour on Feb. 25. (AP Photo/Gary Gerard Hamilton)
Mariah the Scientist
College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven
The singular singer/songwriter Mariah the Scientist, who has an eclectic style and highly personalized perspective, returns to New Haven on her “Hearts Sold Separately” tour. Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. $54.47-$143.02. collegestreetmusichall.com.
Black Violin
Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven
The popular duo of Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus, who perform as Black Violin, are on their “Full Circle” tour. Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. $53-$100.60. shubert.com.
Chris Janson
Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London
A platinum selling country star with billions of streams, some of Chris Janson’s hits include “Buy Me a Boat,” “Fix a Drink” and “Good Vibes.” Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. $39-$99. gardearts.org.
‘Frederick Douglass: An American Slave”
Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport
Tenisi Davis returns for a fifth year of playing the historic figure Frederick Douglass in Daniel S. Campagna’s biodrama directed by Collective Consciousness Theatre’s Dexter Singleton. Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. ($12) and 7 p.m. ($14). theklein.org.
Jordan Klepper
College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven
The “Daily Show” anchor known for his bold coverage of Trump rallies and his mad improv skills brings his solo tour to College Street Music Hall on Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. $49.32-$59.62. collegestreetmusichall.com.
Chinese Theatre Works gives two performances of its “Tiger Tales” show on Feb. 28 at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at UConn in Storrs. (Courtesy of Chinese Theatre Works)
Michael Blackson
Funny Bone Comedy Club, 194 Buckland Hills Dr., Suite 1054, Manchester
The seasoned stand-up, who’s been doing it since the early 1990s, does three shows at the Funny Bone on Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 7:30 and 9 p.m. $46. hartford.funnybone.com.
Cedric the Entertainer
Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
One of the renowned Kings of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer, still packs ‘em in. He’s at Foxwoods’ Premier Theater on Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. $64.25-$119.20. foxwoods.com.
Chris Stapleton
Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville
The soulful country star from Kentucky does two shows at Mohegan Sun Arena on Feb. 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. The shows are sold out; “verified resale” tickets are listed on the Mohegan Sun box office page for $345-$1,700. mohegansun.com.
‘Gem of the Ocean’
Canal Dock Boathouse, 475 Long Wharf Dr., New Haven
The itinerant Long Wharf Theatre returns to the Canal Dock boathouse across the highway from the theater’s old Long Wharf location for a production of August Wilson’s magical drama “Gem of the Ocean,” which represents the first decade of the 1900s in the playwright’s extraordinary 10-play “Century Cycle.” Feb. 27 through March 15. Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. There is no performance on March 10 and a 2 p.m. matinee on March 11. $50, $15 college students, free for grades K-12. longwharf.org.
‘Tiger Tales’
Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, 1 Royce Circle, Storrs
Chinese Theatre Works performs its multi-story show of Chinese folk tales involving animals. Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. $12, $10 members, $8 students, $6 children. events.uconn.edu.
Laura Benanti (left) and her mother Linda have are both Broadway veterans and have a concert act they do together. They perform on Feb. 28 at Westport Country Playhouse. (Stephen Sorokoff)
‘Dirty Dancing in Concert’
Oakdale Theatre, 95 South Turnpike Road, Wallingford
The baby-in-a-corner Catskills movie classic starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey is screened with live musical accompaniment. Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. $53-$151.05. livenation.com.
Alejandro Escovedo
Infinity Music Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road West, Norfolk
Rock/Americana singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo has built a loyal admiring fan over his half century as a musician, including his old bands Rank and File and True Believers and over a dozen solo albums. Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. $52.58-$70.62. infinityhall.com.
Laura and Linda Benanti
Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport
Linda Benanti was in Broadway shows and tours in the 1970s, including a “Brigadoon” revival and “The Odyssey” with Yul Brynner. Her daughter Laura Benanti has been on Broadway in over a dozen plays of musicals, from a revival of “The Sound of Music” in 1999 to a revival of “My Fair Lady” in 2019. Mother and daughter Benantis have developed a duo act they’re doing at Westport Playhouse on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. $75-$95. westportplayhouse.org.