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As the rest of the country counts down to the cool days of fall in the next handful of weeks, we鈥檙e still arm-wrestling over whether we鈥檒l be facing another extended hot season like last year.

Reminder: We had 16 100-degree days in September and 13 in October, and the 80s stubbornly hung on through Thanksgiving.

We鈥檙e looking at temps inching toward the century mark this weekend, but we鈥檒l be too busy laughing to worry about the heat.

From Thursday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 7, five very different comedy shows are coming our way, including the debut of a comedian who has called Tucson home since devastating wildfires forced him to flee Southern California early this year.

The February move was the second time Joshua Turek had sought refuge in Tucson to escape fire in Cali.

鈥淭he first one was in 2020, the Bobcat Fire,鈥� said Turek, who will make his Tucson debut at Club Congress on Saturday. 鈥淲e were living in Glendale (California) and the air quality got so bad because that was when there was this big confluence of fires going all up and down the West Coast. We didn鈥檛 see a speck of blue in the sky until we got to Tucson.鈥�

He was living in Malibu in early January when the Palisades Fire engulfed the Santa Monica Mountains framing his native Los Angeles.

His apartment in Santa Monica was spared, but smoke and ash from nearby blazes got into his apartment.

鈥淲e had to throw away a bunch of stuff, but we鈥檇 sort of been looking, my wife and I, to move,鈥� he said.

The fire provided the escape plan.

鈥淭ucson felt like a good refuge,鈥� he said.

The first thing Turek did when he got settled in Tucson?

鈥淚 rode my bike up 鈥楢鈥� Mountain and interviewed a cactus for no good reason,鈥� he said.

The video of Turek asking a towering saguaro such compelling questions as 鈥淚s grief the only thing that allows us to access the full spectrum of our humanity?鈥� 鈥淚 love your style. Tell us about your 鈥榝it.鈥� And our favorite: 鈥淗ow do you get over heartache?鈥�

Turek might mention the succulent encounter when he takes the Club Congress stage for the last stop on his 鈥�2025 Summer of Discontent Comedy Tour.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be reflections on the American dystopia and also my sort of existential crisis amid a global crisis,鈥� he explained. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 all very heavy language to say that, yeah, just someone trying to be honest with people. I鈥檝e toured the country all summer and been headlining shows at comedy clubs across this nation and I feel like I鈥檝e really sharpened my act into something where I鈥檓 finally starting to say what I want to say about the world, but hopefully in a funny way.鈥�

Turek said the tour鈥檚 title sums up his feelings about where the country is headed, a sentiment his audiences seem to share.

鈥淓verywhere I go, I ask the audience if they feel like we鈥檙e headed in the wrong direction, and they all concur,鈥� said Turek, who has been doing standup a dozen years and has published two books of poetry including the months-old 鈥淥f Dumb Importance鈥� that features a drawing of his saguaro interview on the cover. 鈥淚 was just in Boise, Idaho, same thing. I鈥檝e been going to larger cities. I was in Eureka, California, which feels like it鈥檚 like five or 10 years ahead on that road, sadly.鈥�

No, Turek is not aiming for a political career, although there is a who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa.

Tucson鈥檚 Turek is 鈥渏ust trying to bring people together.鈥�

鈥淚 use all this heavy-handed language, but really, I want to bring people together and engage in this sort of strange ceremony that is stand up comedy.鈥�

Turek鈥檚 show starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of show through

Jerry Seinfeld

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.; tickets start at $58.50 through .

Seinfeld live is a lot like Seinfeld on the small screen: a bit crotchety, railing on life鈥檚 little annoyances like his dissertation to an Australian audience last summer on his disdain for tea.

鈥淚 hate tea,鈥� he told them, as reported by . 鈥淚 hate it! Tea does not understand how hard life is! All these names 鈥� darjeeling, chamomile, jasmine. What am I, in a whorehouse on the Bayou?鈥�

Seinfeld mines the classic schtick from his namesake 1990s sitcom.

He鈥檒l also likely mention something related to Pop-Tarts from his original 2024 Netflix movie 鈥淯nfrosted,鈥� based on cereal giants Kellogg鈥檚 and Post鈥檚 race to create a breakfast pastry in the early 1960s. Despite its all-star cast 鈥� Seinfeld wrote and starred alongside Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, James Marsden and Melissa McCarthy 鈥� 鈥淯nfrosted鈥� only managed a 39% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nurse John

7:30 p.m. Friday, Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.; sold out.

Real-life nurse and comedian John Dela Cruz brings his stage persona and all his wacky coworkers to the stage for a look at life in the hospital fast lane. Warning: It鈥檚 not pretty.

鈥淭he Short-Staffed Tour鈥� is the rescheduled date for Cruz鈥檚 Jan. 10 show.

Tiffany Haddish

8 p.m. Saturday, Desert Diamond Casino Diamond Center, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road in Sahuarita; $43-$70 through ddca

Fans of late-night TV no doubt caught in late August when she kept the seat warm for 鈥淛immy Kimmel Live!鈥� host Jimmy Kimmel. During her stint, she declared her candidacy for president and laid out a platform that included requiring Subway stores to offer pastrami sandwiches, listing credit scores on dating apps, allowing taxpayers to pay Uncle Sam with old gift cards, and banning elevator small talk.

The Emmy Award-winning 鈥淕irls Trip鈥� star and standup comedian won a Grammy Award in 2021 for Best Comedy Album for 鈥淏lack Mitzvah,鈥� which played off her Bat Mitzvah at age 40.

John Cleese

7 p.m. Sunday, Fox Tucson Theatre; $58-$116 through foxt

鈥淣ot Dead Yet! 鈥� and the Holy Grail at 50鈥� gives us a chance to ask the legendary British comic actor to dish on his Monty Python sidekicks and the behind-the-scenes antics of the 1975 film, 鈥淢onty Python and the Holy Grail,鈥� which will be screened as part of the event.

Cleese was last here in September 2021 with his 鈥淲hy There Is No Hope Tour.鈥� 鈥淣ot Dead Yet!鈥� follows a similar Q&A format, giving the audience a chance to probe those deep, dark secrets of comic genius 鈥� providing, of course, that Cleese can remember anything.

That鈥檚 the fine print in his tour publicity, which is understandable: The man is 85 years old; he can鈥檛 be expected to remember every detail from something that happened when he was 39.

Ha-ha鈥檚 continue next week

• Comedian Steve Trevi帽o, who goes by the nickname 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Favorite Husband,鈥� brings his 鈥淕ood Life Tour鈥� to Fox Tucson Theatre on Sept. 12; $24-$65 through .
• Rialto Theatre鈥檚 sister venue 191 Toole is bringing 鈥淎shley Gavin: Hype Man鈥� to its stage at 191 S. Toole Ave., on Sept. 17; $34-$43.30 through .