When Chris Grace debuted his one-man show, “Sardines (A Comedy About Death),” at the Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe in 2024, it was one of the event’s hottest shows, selling out nightly. Now, the actor and comedian known for his roles on TV’s “Superstore” and the Dropout series “Chris Grace: as Scarlett Johansson,” is bringing his show to the Huntington Theatre’s Maso Studio for a six-week run, Sept. 30-Nov. 16. “The idea for the show came from going through a lot of loss in a compressed period of time and trying to figure out what that meant for me — and how to stay joyful and alive despite knowing what’s coming,” said Grace, 52, on a Zoom call from London. “I am defiantly silly in the face of tragedy.” The Houston native said the one-hour play, which he wrote and stars in, lends itself to a smaller venue like Maso Studio (which seats 227): “I’ve done it in a living room with 20 people and there was a great connection … especially since there is high-energy audience participation in the show.” He said that audiences can expect “a very funny, very serious exploration of the value of the time we are given.” While in Boston, Grace said he plans to visit family in the area, catch a Celtics game, and hopefully get to Funspot (in Laconia, N.H.), which has more than 600 games. He said he also wants to try some good restaurants — “I’m always interested in what the nuances of local Chinese food are,” he said — and encouraged Globe readers to email him tips for places to eat and things to do (including places to play board games) at public@chrisgrace.com. We caught up with Grace, who lives in Los Angeles with his husband, director and choreographer Eric Michaud (who directs “Sardines”), to talk about all things travel.
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go? The Wangxian Valley in Jiangxi, China. I’ll be honest … I’m shallow and just happened to see it on TikTok and it didn’t look like an actual place. I honestly thought it was AI, but it turns out to be real.
Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own? I do it on my own, but I’d love to try using a travel agent. … I never have before.
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation? I’ve been intrigued by a silent retreat actually. I’m fascinated by what creativity might be unlocked by disconnecting, getting bored, and seeing what’s on the other side of the boredom.
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What has been your worst vacation experience? A one-night stay at an Atlantic City motel that had fleas in the mattresses, but we were so exhausted we slept there anyway — then fled at dawn and burned our clothes.
What is your favorite childhood travel memory? I have a single moment memory of being on a train in Germany with my family, looking at green trees and mountains, and being fascinated that a tea bag with a blue dot on it did not, in fact, taste blue.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all? I mostly vacation to explore, to be in new places and see with my own eyes the beauty of the world — and eat whatever the locals like. Then I go home to revel in American-style air conditioning.
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What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation? A biography of one of my favorite actors, James Gandolfini. It was one of my birthday gifts from my husband this year.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be? Rick Steves. He would help me make only good choices, and also he’d know where to find the best weed.
What is the best gift to give a traveler? A luggage scale.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip? I somehow always end up with a bag of Chex Mix, although if I could, what I’d really get is the original homemade version that your friend’s mom would make … the recipe that is mostly Worcestershire sauce and butter.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation? I was just given a keychain to the UK restaurant Dishoom, which lets me roll a six-sided die at the end of the meal. If it comes up a six, the whole thing is free.
What is your favorite app/website for travel? I feel like I find the best options at Momondo. I have no idea why or if it’s true. I used to book many flights through Skiplagged and Kayak as well.
What has travel taught you? People mostly do what the people around them do, and the differences from one place to the other are hilarious, arbitrary, and fascinating. Also, it’s better to do the thing and regret it than to not do it and think about it the rest of your life. This applies to everything except joining a pyramid scheme and choosing to rap at a karaoke party. Everyone hates it when someone raps at a karaoke party — and the songs go on way too long.
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What is your best travel tip? There are pretty good apps now for adjusting your sleep pattern to minimize jet lag and they seem to work. I use Timeshifter.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at writeonjuliet@comcast.net.