john cleese tour usa

Medford, MA

June 8, 2024, worcester, ma, june 9, 2024, chicago, il, june 12, 2024, june 13, 2024, 2 ways to see a legend, john cleese: last chance to see me before i die.

(Barely) living comedy legend, JOHN CLEESE, is heading in your general direction for a live and truly memorable evening of comedy and conversation. With all-new routines shaped by his impeccable timing, trademark eccentricity and cleverwordplay, John Cleese demonstrates through observational humor and gifted storytelling how he has achieved nothing short of comedy royalty. This multi-hyphenate performer is best known as co-founder of Monty Python, and is celebrated for his work on Monty Python's Flying Circus, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Fawlty Towers, A Fish Called Wanda, as well as the James Bond and Harry Potter franchises. Don’t miss your chance to see this hilarious and insightful look at the life and work of one of the world’s funniest entertainers in this thrill-of-a-lifetime evening. In lieu of flowers, the comedian wishes for you to please buy the premium Meet & Greet tickets.

John Cleese Live: Featuring a Screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Living comedy legend, JOHN CLEESE, is heading in your general direction for a live and truly unforgettable evening of conversation and audience Q&A. *** Absurd and/or ridiculous questions only are requested, please. ‍ John will tell stories of his life and career and you just may finally find out the air-speed of an unladen swallow. Before John silly walks his way on to the stage, the excitement will build as the audience will get to watch MontyPython and the Holy Grail in its entirety on the big screen. Don’t miss your chance to see the man who has achieved nothing short of comedy royalty in this thrill-of-a-lifetime evening. ***Coconuts NOT included in ticket price.

VIP Experience

Elevate your evening with our VIP experience, which includes an exclusive poster and a post-show photo opportunity with the illustrious Mr. Cleese, captured by a pro photographer. It's the posh way to commemorate a moment with the legend himself!

About John Cleese

“The world’s funniest man” first made his mark as a member of the legendary Monty Python troupe in the 1960s,and has gone on to write, produce, direct and star in some of the greatest comedic hits of the last forty years, even receiving an Oscar nomination for best screenplay for  A Fish Called Wanda . But John is far from your garden variety entertainer. From the beginning of his career he has continually parlayed his enormous talents into advancing the political causes he believes in (he is a vocal supporter of the UK’s Labour Party); promoting education (a former Rector of the University of St. Andrews, he served as a professor-at-large at Cornell University from 1991 through 2006); and teaching business skills (the training videos created by his Video Arts production company are viewed by millions of people in the UK and abroad). In Fall 2014, John released his  New York Times  best-selling memoir,  So Anyway… . The book shares his ascent in the entertainment world, from his humble beginnings in a sleepy English town and his early comedic days at Cambridge University (with future Python partner Graham Chapman), to the founding of the landmark comedy troupe that would propel him to worldwide renown.

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John Cleese And The Holy Grail

• Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 8:00 PM Add to Calendar Add to cal Get Tickets Add to Calendar Add to cal

Living comedy legend, JOHN CLEESE , is heading in your general direction for a live and truly unforgettable evening of conversation and audience Q&A on Wednesday, April 10, at City National Grove of Anaheim . Absurd and/or ridiculous questions only, please. A limited number of VIP tickets will be available which include a photo opportunity with John. Tickets on-sale, Friday, February 2 , at Ticketmaster .***

John will tell stories of his life and career and you just may finally find out the air-speed of an unladen swallow. Before John silly walks his way on to the stage, the excitement will build as the audience will get to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail in its entirety on the big screen. Don’t miss your chance to see the man who has achieved nothing short of comedy royalty in this thrill-of-a lifetime evening.

***Coconuts NOT included in the ticket price.

About John Cleese

On the small screen, John Cleese is known for his work on programs such as Cheers , 3rd Rock from the Sun , Will & Grace , and the Emmy ® -nominated TLC documentary The Human Face with John Cleese . His film credits include Silverado , The Out-of-Towners , Rat Race and Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein . He also co-authored two best-selling books on psychology – Families and How to Survive Them and Life and How to Survive It – and served briefly as Minister of Defense in the John Major Cabinet. He recently completed his autobiography So, Anyway… which was described by the Daily Mail as “self-obsessed.” In his twilight years, John passes his time writing film scripts, giving speeches to business audiences, doing seminars on creativity, teaching at Cornell, paying alimony, and doting on three huge cats and a fish.

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John Cleese

• Date Nov. 03 , 2023
• Event Starts 7:30 PM
• Venue The Riverside Theater
• Doors Open 6:30 PM
• On Sale Availability On Sale Now

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SMALL PURSES ONLY, PLEASE. PURSES ARE SUBJECT TO SEARCH To efficiently create a positive and safe experience for all patrons, only small purses (13″W x 4″D x 9″H and smaller) are allowed into the theater and all are subject to search.

All other bags  including backpacks and oversized purses are  strictly prohibited  and  bag storage is NOT available  at The Pabst, The Riverside, Turner Hall Ballroom or The Back Room @ Colectivo.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE PROHIBITED AND ARE NOT ALLOWED INTO ANY OF THE VENUES. Weapons, laser pens, signs, banners, electronic smoking devices (vapes, Juuls, etc.), oversized bags, backpacks, outside food and beverages including water, cans, bottles, alcohol, illegal substances, iPads/tablets, selfie sticks, laptops, professional audio recording devices (unless approved by artist), and any professional photography equipment. The use of vape pens inside the venues are prohibited as well.

PLAN AHEAD: LEAVE YOURSELF EXTRA TIME Plan to arrive 30 minutes before you want to be in your seat  to allow time to go through our security check.  Please leave large bags at home or in your car.

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Get tickets to see Monty Python’s John Cleese on tour in 2023

“Spamalot” on Broadway isn’t the only major Monty Python show you won’t want to miss this year.

Original cast member and “Fawlty Towers” star John Cleese has lined up 24 gigs all over the “so called United States” these next few months.

The tour, which Cleese dubbed ‘An Evening with the late John Cleese,’ stops into Schenectady, NY’s Proctors Theatre on Oct. 19, Englewood, NJ’s Bergen Performing Arts Center on Oct. 21 and Morristown, NJ’s Mayo Performing Arts Center on Oct. 22.

“Don’t miss your last chance to see me before I die,” the controversial 83-year-old comic actor shared on Instagram .

“As you probably read in the papers, I died a few weeks ago,” he joked .

And if you want to make sure you catch the cheeky Cleese on what could be his final tour, it isn’t too late to grab last-minute tickets .

As of now, tickets are available for all upcoming performances where the funnyman will share the stage with his daughter Camilla.

Ticket prices start at $32 before fees on Vivid Seats at the time of publication.

Need more information about catching Cleese on ‘An Evening with the late John Cleese?’

We’ve got everything you need to know and more about the 2023 tour below.

All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here:

start atOct. 18 at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, PA $32 Oct. 19 at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY $137 Oct. 20 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA $64 Oct. 21 at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ $100 Oct. 22 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ $187 Oct. 25 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA $95 Oct. 26 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, PA $111 Oct. 27 at the Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, OH $70 Oct. 28 at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York, PA $117 Oct. 29 at the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC $59 Nov. 1 at the Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, MI $64 Nov. 2 at the Orpheum Theatre in Madison, WI $76 Nov. 3 at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, WI $57 Nov. 4 at the Louisville Palace in Louisville, KY $69 Nov. 5 at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, IN $62 Nov. 8 at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, NE $76 Nov. 9 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, MO $78 Nov. 10 at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, IA $68 Nov. 11 at the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford, IL $74 Nov. 12 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, IL $69 Nov. 15 at the Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee, IA $70 Nov. 16 at The Factory in Chesterfield, MO $74 Nov. 17 at the UIS Performing Arts Center in Springfield, IL $71 Nov. 19 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN $84

(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout .)

Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. 

They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.

Starting on Halloween 2023, “Spamalot, ” based on Monty Python’s classic 1975 film “The Holy Grail,” will debut at New York’s St. James Theatre

In addition to Killam and Brightman, James Monroe Iglehart (“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty) and Leslie Kritzer (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) round out the cast.

You can find tickets for all upcoming performances here .

Over the years, Cleese has spoken out against cancel culture.

“If you’re worried about offending people and constantly thinking of that, you are not going to be very creative,” Cleese said . He called “Roxanne” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” the last great comedies.

You can read more about his inflammatory remarks at the 2022 FreedomFest in the New York Post .

Many of the biggest comics around are hitting venues all over North America these next few months.

Here are just five of our favorites.

•  Steve Martin and Martin Short

•  Chevy Chase

•  Eddie Izzard

•  Tina Fey with Amy Poehler

•  Adam Sandler

Who else is on the road? Check out our list of the 51 biggest comedy tours in 2023 here to find out.

Vivid Seats is the New York Post's official ticketing partner. We may receive revenue from this partnership for sharing this content and/or when you make a purchase. 

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“Spamalot” on Broadway isn’t the only major Monty Python show you won’t want to miss this year.

Original cast member and “Fawlty Towers” star John Cleese has lined up 24 gigs all over the “so called United States” these next few months.

The tour, which Cleese dubbed ‘An Evening with the late John Cleese,’ stops into Schenectady, NY’s Proctors Theatre on Oct. 19, Englewood, NJ’s Bergen Performing Arts Center on Oct. 21 and Morristown, NJ’s Mayo Performing Arts Center on Oct. 22.

“Don’t miss your last chance to see me before I die,” the controversial 83-year-old comic actor shared on Instagram .

“As you probably read in the papers, I died a few weeks ago,” he joked .

And if you want to make sure you catch the cheeky Cleese on what could be his final tour, it isn’t too late to grab last-minute tickets .

As of now, tickets are available for all upcoming performances where the funnyman will share the stage with his daughter Camilla.

Ticket prices start at $32 before fees on Vivid Seats at the time of publication.

Need more information about catching Cleese on ‘An Evening with the late John Cleese?’

We’ve got everything you need to know and more about the 2023 tour below.

All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.

John Cleese 2023 tour schedule

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here:

(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout .)

Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. 

They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.

“Spamalot” on Broadway

Starting on Halloween 2023, “Spamalot, ” based on Monty Python’s classic 1975 film “The Holy Grail,” will debut at New York’s St. James Theatre

In addition to Killam and Brightman, James Monroe Iglehart (“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty) and Leslie Kritzer (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) round out the cast.

You can find tickets for all upcoming performances here .

John Cleese controversy

Over the years, Cleese has spoken out against cancel culture.

“If you’re worried about offending people and constantly thinking of that, you are not going to be very creative,” Cleese said . He called “Roxanne” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” the last great comedies.

You can read more about his inflammatory remarks at the 2022 FreedomFest in the New York Post .

Comedians on tour in 2023

Many of the biggest comics around are hitting venues all over North America these next few months.

Here are just five of our favorites.

•  Steve Martin and Martin Short

•  Chevy Chase

•  Eddie Izzard

•  Tina Fey with Amy Poehler

•  Adam Sandler

Who else is on the road? Check out our list of the 51 biggest comedy tours in 2023 here to find out.

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John Cleese and The Holy Grail

Saturday march 30, 2024 | 7:30pm, additional details.

Living comedy legend, JOHN CLEESE , is heading in your general direction for a live and truly unforgettable evening of conversation and audience Q&A.*** Absurd and/or ridiculous questions only are requested, please.

John will tell stories of his life and career and you just may finally find out the air-speed of an unladen swallow. Before John silly walks his way on to the stage, the excitement will build as the audience will get to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail in its entirety on the big screen.

Don’t miss your chance to see the man who has achieved nothing short of comedy royalty in this thrill-of-a-lifetime evening at First Interstate Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 30!

Tickets: Tickets range from $39.75 to $250.00 and are on sale now at TicketsWest.com.

***Coconuts NOT included in ticket price.

John Cleese And The Holy Grail

John Cleese

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• November 19, 2023 Setlist

John Cleese Setlist at Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, TN, USA

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• Nov 16 2023 The Factory Chesterfield, MO, USA Add time Add time
• Nov 17 2023 UIS Performing Arts Center Springfield, IL, USA Add time Add time
• Nov 19 2023 Grand Ole Opry House This Setlist Nashville, TN, USA Add time Add time
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• Apr 01 2024 McCaw Hall Seattle, WA, USA Add time Add time

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John Cleese talks Monty Python, wokeness and turning 84 as his comedy tour heads our way

Cleese thinks it's a two-way race to see which monty python member lives the longest..

One of the funniest men alive named his current comedy tour as if he already was dead.

That's just the irreverent humor of John Cleese, co-founder of the famed Monty Python comedy troupe, whose "An Evening With The Late John Cleese " show visits The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on Oct. 26 .

Cleese promises a memorable evening of comedy and conversation with all-new routines shaped by his impeccable timing, trademark eccentricity and clever wordplay on a tour that also appears at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading on Oct. 18; Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y., on Oct. 19; Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Massachusetts on Oct. 20; Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, N.J., on Oct. 21; Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, N.J., on Oct. 22; Kimmel Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 25 and the Strand Theatre in York on Oct. 28.

Let's get straight to it, shall we, with our Q&A with the still-living legend, sounding as sharp, wry and unfiltered as ever.

Cleese begins with, "So, this is for the printed page, is it? I'm glad. You can ask me anything you like."

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Q: Why do you call this "The Late John Cleese Tour "?

Cleese: Well, you know I died. You probably read about it in the paper. I died about six or seven weeks ago and there were several obituaries, none as complimentary as they should have been. But fortunately, I was able to rise again on the third day. I have an aunt who was a Christian. She told me how to do it. It's an old Christian trick, apparently. On the third day I rose again and have just been going along on my way. Just because you're dead doesn't mean you don't need money anymore. So, I'm just trying to make a little money before the next time I die.

Q: The tour's website says, 'In lieu of flowers, sign up for the meet-and-greet.' What does that entail?

Cleese: (Laughs). Well, after the show, people line up and they come and have a photograph with me, and we exchange insults or we tease each other or have a little gentle horseplay and then we take a photograph, and everyone goes away rather pleased. I don't know why they need a photograph. That's their problem.

It has been 10 years since your "John Cleese: Last Time to See Me Before I Die" tour. Luckily that wasn't true, right?

But it was a sensible precaution to see me, because I am going to die very soon. I'm nearly 84. And of all places, I turn 84 in Akron, Ohio, which lacks a little of the luster of Paris or Barcelona or Madrid or Berlin, but Akron will have to do. I'll have to have a little drink after the show and pinch myself in the beautiful little town of Akron.

The night before your birthday, you're in Greensburg, Pa. So technically, after your show there is over and you've done the meet-and-greet and you're back at the hotel, won't you be turning the big 8-4 right here in western Pennsylvania?

Yes, but we don't go back to the hotel, see? The great thing about a tour is we're on a bus. My daughter is performing with me, and a lovely guy named Andy Curd, who is sort of the director of the show. He cues all the lighting and sound and all those clips and photographs, and he's great. I've done over 300 shows with him. And we've a tour manager who looks after all of our logistics; where we're staying, where we're eating and what time everyone's got to be there. We don't go back to the hotel. We go back to the bus, we have a drink, we talk about the show and what needs to be changed. And then I go to the back to my big air bed and the others go off to their bunks and then off we go to the next town. And it's really rather fun, a little group touring together with lots of laughs and jokes and lots of really good delicatessen foods in the refrigerator. A very pleasant way of earning money.

Sounds like being a rock star.

Yes, but not the same money.

Talk about the format of the show. It says you're doing all-new routines. Can you shed any light?

The first thing is my daughter is a standup comedienne, that's how she earns her living, so she does the first 15 minutes, and then I come on and do about 35. I haven't decided quite what material I'll do yet. I've got four hours of material, and we've been doing this show for a long time now. The first time we performed together was 16 years ago, so we've got masses of material. Then after that we take an interval and then we come to the Q&A, which is always fun. She hosts it, as it were. People send in questions and she's very good at deciding which questions will become an entertaining answer, or which questions won't lead anywhere, like 'What's the average air speed of an unladen swallow?' That's funny to the person who sent the question, but it doesn't lead anywhere. Whereas questions like 'Why have you been married so many times?' or "Are you really as awful and unpleasant a person as everyone says?' lead to entertaining answers.

Do you get requests for Monty Python-style silly walks?

Occasionally, but I have to remind the audience I've got two artificial hips and an artificial knee, so the day I try my silly walks again will be my last day on earth.

TV audiences loved the tribute to (Monty Python co-creator) Graham Chapman where you and the rest of the original Python members dropped an urn and pretended to spill his ashes all over the stage. Have you thought what tribute you'll do if you outlive (surviving Python members) Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam?

Oh yes. I'm very much hoping they all die before I do because then I can go on tour as the only remaining Monty Python and I won't have to share the money with them. It's going to be absolutely wonderful. I think it will be between Palin and myself. Gilliam had a stroke, but he'd already been confused and slurring his speech for decades earlier. Eric Idle is very funny but we haven't heard from him in years. It was recently said he has not died from pancreatic cancer, which is very good news, but I still think he'll go before me. I think it'll be a close-run thing between Michael and me, because he's always been very fit, but he's also very nice, which is not a good weapon to have in the survival state. Whereas I'm spiteful and use my elbows a lot. I'll outlive the lot and go out on tour as the only living Python and make huge quantities of money and not give them any. Good plan, isn't it?

You can't easily make jokes like that today, with political correctness. As a comedy expert, what do you think about what's allowed in comedy these days?

I think it's a shame what has happened. Let me put it like this: I really don't think that people with very little sense of humor should get to decide what people with a good sense of humor should get to laugh at. It's kind of puritanism, which we all know what happens when you get puritans, you get a lot of witches burned. Once people get more pure than they really are, they get into a psychological mechanism of denial and projection and all sorts of terrible things happen, like witch hunts. So, I think it is very important we point out to our woke friends some of the things they advocate that are actually quite harmful. I'll give you one example: They believe every feeling that you have is valid, which means everything from Sigmund Freud has been a waste of time. No, you should always take note of your feelings. You mustn't think them as literally true each time. Because supposing you think you're Napoleon? You look at your feelings and examine them. Is this feeling helpful? Does it make my life better? Or does it make it more difficult? A bunch of things people are advocating makes them more difficult.

Back to the Monty Python years. Did you guys grasp early on the worldwide impact you would have?

Absolutely not. The first season passed, and I'd say a very small number of people loved it. and most people didn't even know about it. And then right at the beginning of the second series a very good journalist named Alan Coren wrote a very complimentary piece about it, which was published in The Times. And after that, it all changed. It was almost as if people had been given permission to like us. It was very slow. For example, Monty Python never appeared on American television until we finished making it. And the only reason it appeared on American television was because a gentleman named Ron Devillier ran a PBS station in Dallas. I spent some time with him about three years ago − he's just recently died, and was a lovely man − and he told me all the other big PBS stations − New York, Chicago, Austin, Boston, San Francisco − had all passed on Monty Python, and when it came to him it was almost a last-ditch try. And he took a huge risk. He put Monty Python on in Dallas, of all places, and all his PBS friends called him the next day and said, 'What happened...what happened?.., did they burn the station down?' And he said, no, and then they all started to put it on, but none of that happened until after we stopped making Python. And if he hadn't, none of you would have heard of us. It's extraordinary how much luck and chance there is in life.

More: Lana Del Rey's celestial singing enthralls a sold-out Star Lake audience

There are countless people who can recite verbatim famous Monty Python skits from 50 years ago. Do you have those committed to memory?

No, no. I'll tell you a silly story. Michael Palin and I were in New York and going on "Saturday Night Live" and the "Saturday Night Live" people said, "Let's do the Dead Parrot sketch,' and Michael and I said, we don't want to do that again, and they said, "no, you must, please do it." So we sat down, and we couldn't remember it. (Laughs). I said, why don't we go out on the street and ask someone?

And all the other successful stuff you've done over the years; The acclaimed "Fawlty Towers," plus "Shrek," "Harry Potter," "James Bond," there are generations who know you more for that. Do you have a favorite role from, say, the past 30 years?

Hmm, past 30 years takes me to '92. I did a movie with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn called "The Out-of-Towners" and I played a hotel manager, and I thought that was very good. I also was in "Rat Race" and was very happy with that one. I played the guy who owned the casino. I also made a little film about going to Madagascar to see how some lemurs were doing that were bred in captivity and were then released into the wild. I'm very fond of that. A very low-key but sweet program.

You've written books including "Life and How to Survive It." Do you plan any sequels?

Yes, I'm one of the people who really believes in the afterlife. I don't know what it is, but I'd like to spread the idea it's a very good explanation of a lot of phenomena that can't be explained in any other way. But I think I'd need to do that as a television show and a book. I think it would be very useful because of the idea that there's some kind of survival after death. It's very important in how it changes our attitude toward our lives now.

Scott Tady is the entertainment editor at the Beaver County Times and easy to reach at [email protected] .