Skip to main contentPortland's local comedy scene is booming, we hear—Auggie Smith won both the Seattle and San Francisco comedy competitions in 2010—and even though the majority of this town's comics, like aspiring comedians everywhere, tend to be dull, offensive, frightening or some combination of the three, stand-up nights have proliferated like self-loathing daisies. The following are, in my opinion, the most consistently not-awful.
MONDAY
Boiler Room 228 NW Davis St. Host Kevin-Michael Moore keeps bits to five minutes, resulting in a lunatic roller coaster of horror and delight. The ride begins at 9 pm.
TUESDAY
Helium Comedy Club 1510 SE 9th Ave. The MCs vary, but the room is better than most, and everyone wants to try out a real comedy club. 8 pm weekly.
WEDNESDAY
Clinton Street Theater 2522 SE Clinton St. The first Wednesday of every month brings Comedy Is OK, a very odd showcase to the Clinton, produced by Mikey Kampmann and Paul Schlesinger. It starts at 9 pm, and never disappoints.
THURSDAY
Curious Comedy 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Not stand-up, but still funny—anyone who wants can join in on the long-form improv fun. It begins at 8 pm.
FRIDAY
Bagdad Theater and Pub 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tristian Spillman hosts a lineup of fairly established comics at 8 pm weekly.
SATURDAY
The Knife Shop at Kelly's Olympian 426 SW Washington St. The second Saturday of the month is Keep Portland Funny, maybe the city's best regular showcase. Lonnie Bruhn, who makes cerebral palsy hilarious, is a regular. Starts at 9 pm.
SUNDAY
Tonic Lounge 3100 NE Sandy Blvd. Hangover Helper, which combines comedy and burlesque, has yet to set a regular schedule since it debuted in December, but it always begins at 2 pm on a Sunday, and Bloody Marys are always on offer.
WWeek 2015