TUESDAY, MAY 3

Janelle James

Propelled by her breakout performance as the selfinvolved principal Ava Coleman on Quinta Brunson’s ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” Janelle James proved to be a hot ticket; her shows at the Hollywood Improv sold out almost as soon as they were posted. It marks something of a sea change for James, a stand-up comic and occasional TV writer who until recently has garnered most of her laughs offscreen as a scribe on series like BET’s “The Rundown With Robin Thede,” Apple TV+'s “Central Park” and Showtime’s “Black Monday,” on which she also has a recurring role.

The diminutive comic, who has described her brand of witty, deadpan comedy as “just talking s—,” extolled the virtues of raising teenage sons, emerging from the pandemic and sexy racism during her appearances on two Netflix series, “The Comedy Lineup” and “The Standups.”

James got her start during a chance open mic night at a rockabilly biker club in Champaign, Ill. She’s been doing stand-up for 10 years, with acting now added to her résumé as well. The fan-favorite principal she plays on “Abbott” is James’ first regular television role. Before that, she toured with Chris Rock on his 2017 “Total Blackout” tour and with Amy Schumer during her 2019 “Growing” tour. She also hosts an annual comedy festival in her adopted home of Brooklyn as well as the comedy podcast “You in Danger Gurl” about relationship red flags and outlandish dating experiences.

Janelle James performs at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at the Lab at the Hollywood Improv, 8156 Melrose Ave.