COMEDY | Paula Poundstone 

Loyal listeners of NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" will be familiar with comedian Paula Poundstone. She's been a long-time panelist on the quiz show — always ready with a witty one-liner or a somehow-relevant story about her cats — and more than three decades into her stand-up career, she regularly tours arts centers and theaters across the country. Poundstone got her start in Boston during the early 1980's, the same scene where Barry Crimmins' comedy clubs also gave platforms to Steven Wright and Bobcat Goldthwait. Poundstone, with a clever, observational style, has become known for her spontaneous interactions with audiences and for changing up her set night to night. The comedian's latest live album, "North By Northwest," came out in 2016, and she's set to release her second book, "The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness," comes out this May.

Paula Poundstone will perform Friday, April 7, at Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 North Plymouth Avenue. 8 p.m. $37-$45. 800-838-3006; hochstein.org; paulapoundstone.com.