Minnesota Public Radio Announces Six Star-Studded Wits Shows

Feb 13, 2012

Spring season includes comedy icons and much-loved musicians

(St. Paul, Minn.) February 13, 2012 -- Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) announces the spring season of Wits™, featuring six shows at MPR's Fitzgerald Theater with host, John Moe and musical guide, John Munson.

Wits brings some of the country's funniest and most clever storytellers and musicians to MPR's Fitzgerald Theater, all while the audience and on-stage talent come together for a pulsing world-wide conversation online. Wits is preparing for an incredible spring season that is sure to leave theater-goers laughing. Don't miss out on one of the most inventive and fun seasons so far with Tim Meadows, Andy Richter, Fred Willard, Paul F. Tompkins, Wyatt Cenac, Bobcat Goldthwait and musical guests, Rhett Miller, Reggie Watts, Dan Wilson, Aimee Mann, Ted Leo and St. Vincent.

WHERE: The Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul

TICKETS: Wits season ticket packages are exclusively available through the MPR Box Office beginning Tuesday, February 14 at noon. Ticket packages include full season packages (six shows) or four and five show packages. Ticket packages are available at a $5 discount off the price of each single show ticket, for a possible savings of $30 per season ticket! Season tickets are available for a limited time. Visit the The Fitzgerald Theater website for details.

Tickets for individual shows go on sale Tuesday, February 28 at noon and are $32 per show. All tickets are available at a discount for MPR members and can be purchased through the MPR Box Office at 651-290-1200.

WHEN: All shows start at 8 p.m., however theater-goers are invited to start the party at 7:00 p.m. by attending the happy hour talk and tweet where they can get a special on the Wits house drink, the Tina Louise, and hear Current DJ Barb Abney spinning some songs.

Continue for specific show dates and details about the guests.

Tim Meadows and musical guest, Rhett Miller
Friday, March 30
Tim Meadows is one of the longest-running cast members in "Saturday Night Live" history. If you watched SNL at any point in the 90s, you likely saw him playing anyone from Oprah Winfrey to Michael Jackson, but he may be best known for his character Leon Phelps, "The Ladies' Man." Meadows later starred in the movie of the same name and has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows like "Mean Girls," "The Office," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Colbert Report" and more.

Rhett Miller is the front man and main songwriter for alt-country favorites the Old 97's, as well as a solo artist critically-acclaimed for his clever word play and pop song-smithing. His music has appeared in movies like "The Break-Up" and TV shows like "Scrubs," and Rhett himself has appeared on "30 Rock." He's also written for Rolling Stone, McSweeney's and The Atlantic.

Andy Richter and musical guest, Reggie Watts
Friday, April 13
Andy Richter is a master of comedic timing and has a brilliant, sly wit. He can be seen every weeknight on "Conan." In addition to numerous primetime guest-starring roles, Richter starred in the Emmy-nominated series, "Andy Richter Controls the Universe." His feature film work includes Robert Altman's "Dr. T and the Women," "Elf," "Talladega Nights" and "Blades of Glory."

Reggie Watts is an internationally renowned vocalist, beat-boxer, musician, comedian and improv-master who amazes audiences with his unpredictable performances which he creates on-the-spot using only his formidable voice and looping pedals.

Fred Willard and musical guest, Dan Wilson
Friday, April 27
Fred Willard is an actor and improve-comedian well known for his work in "This is Spinal Tap," "Waiting for Guffman," "A Mighty Wind," "Best in Show," and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." He's earned Emmy nominations for his performances in "Modern Family" and "Everybody Loves Raymond." Willard first rose to fame working alongside Martin Mull on the acclaimed "Fernwood Tonight."

Dan Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. Wilson is a solo recording artist as well as the lead singer of the band Semisonic. Wilson is well-known as a songwriting collaborator, having contributed three songs to Adele's latest album, 21, including the hit single "Someone Like You," which he also produced. Wilson has written with the Dixie Chicks, Josh Groban, Dierks Bentley, Jason Mraz, Ben Folds, Nas and many others.

Paul F. Tompkins and musical guest, Aimee Mann
Friday, May 11
Paul F. Tompkins is one of the most charming, quick-witted and popular comedians on the scene. Tompkins has recorded four stand-up specials for "Comedy Central," and hosts a monthly podcast called, "The Pod F. Tompkast" - voted number 1 in Rolling Stone's list of 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of the moment. Tompkins is an Emmy-nominated writer for "Mr. Show with Bob and David," and has appeared in movies including "There Will Be Blood" and "The Informant!" His most recent comedy albums include, "Freak Wharf" and "Laboring Under Delusions" (Spring 2012).

Aimee Mann has always been at the forefront of contemporary songwriters - from her work in the 80s band, 'Til Tuesday through her acclaimed solo discs, "Whatever" and "I'm With Stupid." Mann was nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy for her songs from the movie, "Magnolia" and has since released several critically-acclaimed albums featuring dysfunctional characters, infectious melodies and true song-craft.

Wyatt Cenac and musical guest, Ted Leo
Friday, June 1
People most likely know Wyatt Cenac from his work on "The Daily Show" as a correspondent and writer or from his "Comedy Central" stand-up special, "Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person." Cenac has also been a writer for FOX's animated show "King of the Hill" and performed on shows including "Comedy Death Ray" and "The Tomorrow Show." Cenac has also starred in the film "Medicine for Melancholy" which was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.

Ted Leo, loved for his wit and energetic performances, is the front man and main songwriter of the indie rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, a band radio host Tom Scharpling says "embodies the perfect synthesis of head and heart." The band's latest album is "The Brutalist Bricks."

Bobcat Goldthwait and musical guest, St. Vincent
Friday, June 15
Bobcat Goldthwait is a comedian, actor, screenwriter and director known for his dark, comedic wit. Goldthwait began his career as one of the most successful and strangest comedians of the 80s; he's since written and directed movies and worked behind-the-scenes for shows such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and "The Chappelle Show." He also continues to headline in major comedy clubs across the country.

St. Vincent, aka singer-songwriter Annie Clark, is a talented multi-instrumentalist who has earned a devoted and rapidly growing following over the course of her three albums. She has performed as a member of The Polyphonic Spree and toured in Sufjan Stevens' band. Her latest album, "Strange Mercy," has received widespread critical acclaim.

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About Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio® (MPR) operates a 43-station radio network serving virtually all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states. Reaching one million listeners each week, Minnesota Public Radio produces programming for radio, Internet and face-to-face audiences, and is home to the largest and most experienced radio newsroom in the Upper Midwest. Programs produced by Minnesota Public Radio's parent company, American Public Media™, reach 16 million listeners on more than 800 radio stations nationwide each week. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be found at www.minnesotapublicradio.org Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only. Fall 2010/Spring 2011 average.