Ronny Chieng, Gary Gulman and other comics are experimenting with long buildups that can be audacious … when they work.

These days in Washington, D.C., among a class of Extremely Beltway types—the name droppers, the strivers, the media ...

In her new standup show and her musical, “The Bedwetter,” the comedian mines the pains of her past for laughs and “real ...