One day we’ll live in a world where papers like this don’t need to introduce Jay Pharoah. The actor and comedian has built his brand on the power of his impersonations and can disappear into the mannerisms of Kanye West, switch to his Gollum and end up as Stephen A Smith in the course of a single five-minute bit. At this point, it’s hard to not be exposed to his work: he’s been on both Family Guy and Bojack Horseman, been in music videos with Cordae and Anderson Paak and now he’s getting his own Showtime series to boot. He’s sure to kill the Improv over his three-show run this weekend.
Fri-Sun, Various Times, $25+
The Improv, San Jose