Solo shows with character

The character: ’40s and ’50s counterculture nightclub icon
Lord Buckley

How it works: For more than a decade, Broder has been faithfully re-creating the hypnotically highbrow bebop routines of Buckley, who wowed back in the day with jazzy, irreverent riffs about Jesus (“The Nazz”), among other subjects.

The character: Her father, George Carlin

How it works: Combining memories of her dad with footage of his caustic and carefully constructed rants, the storyteller aims to provide a portrait of home life with the comedian.

The character: An otherworldly, yowling version of herself

How it works: Markey’s bold cabaret act matches original tunes or remade, ribald Top 40 hip-hop hits with bizarre stories of (among other things) her Bible Belt childhood.  
Erin Markey performs at Joe’s Pub Wed 23.

The character: Personalities from odd American subcultures

How it works: A professional “infiltrator,” Leon reports back from America’s Most Beautiful Baby Contest and the prank show he created with O.J. Simpson.