Poehler and Fey first met in the early ’90s, when they were both newcomers on the Chicago improv scene, and began performing together at the ImprovOlympic (now called the iO Theater). They later moved to New York, where first Fey and then Poeler joined “Saturday Night Live,” making their onscreen debuts in the early 2000s. But their breakout roles came in one of the most-quoted teen comedies in history, “Mean Girls,” which was scripted by Fey and starred her in the role of math teacher Ms. Norbury. Poehler played Mrs. George, the mother of Regina George (but not like a regular mom, she’s a cool mom).
Like most forms of live performance, comedy tours had to take a break during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been gradually easing their way back to the stage. It hasn’t been the easiest transition; last year I went to a packed-out stadium show where the comedian’s prompts for audience participation were met mostly with confused silence. But hopefully by now we’ve all remembered how to be around other humans again, and longtime fans of Poehler and Fey can enjoy seeing them on the stage together, celebrating (and ending) their friendship in style.