9 Comedy Showcases Worth Seeing

Amy Miller is first in the lineup at tonight's Funniest Person contest.

Comedy for Breakfast?!

Because everybody knows that day drinkers are the true soul of comedy, Nic Goans and Campy Draper host early-afternoon showcases with some of the better comics in town and $10 bottomless mimosas whose bubbly is cheaper than the orange juice, plus Southern-fried fare that drains the blood (and judgment) from your head. Club 21, 2035 NE Glisan St. 1 pm every first Saturday. Free.


Secret Weapon

This show, co-hosted by Andie Main and Christian Ricketts, wins points not only for its off-kilter approach—you might find comedians performing as fictional fashion designers named Gordon KaPow! or offering unorthodox PowerPoint presentations—but also for its regular smackdowns between Portland and Seattle comics. Mississippi Pizza, 3552 N Mississippi Ave. 9:30 pm every last Wednesday. $5 suggested.


Midnight Mass

Amy Miller, voted our No. 1 comic, learned from the legendary Tony Sparks—he's hosted open-mic nights at an Oakland laundromat for 14 years—and she brings those chops to this monthly midnight showcase, where you can spend the wee hours among the red lights and clown paintings of Funhouse Lounge. Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave. Midnight every fourth Saturday.


Hamster Village

Nathan Brannon hosts a roving comic roundtable, in which audience members are encouraged to bring news headlines for the panel to riff on. Think of it as Politically Incorrect, minus the token Republican, the know-nothing B-level celebrity and Bill Maher's self-satisfaction. This season, the plan is to record the shows and release them as podcasts. Rotating venue, monthly. See nathanbrannon.com for details.


Weekly Recurring Humor Night

Every Wednesday night, Tonic Lounge hosts a comedy showcase called the Weekly Recurring Humor Night. It's weekly and it's humorous, with a rotating cast of comics (recently the biggest name was Gabe Dinger), usually behind host Whitney Streed. Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd. 9 pm every Wednesday. $3-$5 suggested.


It's Gonna Be Okay

Hosted by the chipper, chipmunk-voiced Barbara Holm, this relatively new showcase has quickly become one of the better places to catch Portland's top comics, with serial appearances by most members of our top-five list. Plus free skeeball! EastBurn, 1800 E Burnside St. 8:30 pm every first and third Monday. Free.


Fly-Ass Jokes

One-time producer Ian Karmel left for Los Angeles last summer, but his legacy lingers. This showcase, now run by Jen Allen and Anatoli Brant, remains one of the more consistent comedy nights in town, with comedians drawn mostly from Portland but occasionally from farther afield. Brody Theater, 16 NW Broadway. 9:30 pm every first and third Friday. $8.


No Pun Intendo

No, you can't play Mortal Kombat II during this beautifully named showcase in the lounge at retrocade Ground Kontrol. But you can see a reliable slate of locals and the occasional out-of-towner, hosted by a different comic each month. NFL '99 will still be there after they've wrapped up their sets. Ground Kontrol, 511 NW Couch St. 9 pm every third Thursday. $3.


Down and Dirty: A Dark Comedy Showcase

Forget about the sad clown: This showcase celebrates the depraved clown. Comics take off the gloves and bare all that’s filthy and dark. Hosted by Patrick Thomas Perkins, a comic who favors jokes about weed. Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash St. Normally 9 pm every first Monday (next show is Tuesday, Dec. 3). $5 suggested.

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