On Saturday, long-time late-night talk show “The Mystery Hour with Jeff Houghton” will return to the Englert stage. Houghton, an Iowa City native and University of Iowa graduate, said he looks forward to returning to the Hawkeye state for a night of music, conversation, and comedy.
“It’s a dream to do a show at the Englert,” Houghton said. “I grew up going to shows there, it was a big part of my childhood.”
Houghton attended the UI as a Communication Studies major before eventually traveling to Springfield, Missouri, to work on “Mystery Hour.”
He and “Mystery Hour” first came to the Englert a couple of years ago, after the show transitioned from its televised ten-season run to a traveling live tour. While premiering on TV, the show aired on various FOX, ABC, NBC, and CW affiliate networks.
In 2023, the show was held while Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeye Women’s Basketball team were making their first national championship run.
“Last time, I think we showed part of the game at intermission,” Houghton said. “It’ll be fun to do it now when there aren’t any big sporting conflicts.”
During the show, Houghton will be joined by guests Jim O’Heir and Rachel Yoder. O’Heir played the role of Jerry Gergich on the popular NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and has been a guest on the show before.
When planning his return to Iowa City, one of the first things Houghton knew was that he wanted O’Heir back.
“Jim was my first call,” Houghton said. “He’ll be fun, and he’s just an easy guy to work with.”
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Yoder joined the show after Houghton’s wife, Michelle, read her book, “Nightbitch,” and suggested the local author’s addition during a brainstorming session.
Houghton said both O’Heir and Yoder will be able to thrive in a live environment, especially when paired alongside each other.
Joining the trio on stage will be in-house live music from James Tutson and JJ Alberhasky, both Iowa City locals.
One of Houghton’s favorite things about performing in front of a live audience, as opposed to one behind a TV screen, is the different ways the show can interact with the people around it. Especially since he and the guests don’t have to split their attention between people and cameras when performing live.
“It’s always fun when we can have an Iowa City native on our stage,” Ella Kang, Marketing Director for the Englert Theatre, wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan, “It’s almost like a homecoming show.”
Houghton hopes this showing of “Mystery Hour” and its place in the Englert Theatre will showcase that people don’t have to live on the West Coast or in a big city to put on impactful events.
“Audiences really loved the show in 2023, with positive responses across the board in our post-show surveys, and many of them have been looking forward to Jeff Houghton returning,” Kang said.