Skip to main content
When we tell you WW's annual Funniest Five showcase is the best local comedy show of the year, we don't expect you to believe us.
We're biased, of course. But here's the thing: It really is. And you don't have to take our word for it. After all, we didn't pick the performers. The local comedy community did. And as we've found in the seven years we've conducted this poll, they have a pretty good read on comedic talent.
Related: Where Are They Now? Updates on Funniest 5 Alumni Who Have Left Portland.
Past performers such as Amy Miller, Mohanad Elshieky, Bri Pruett and Curtis Cook have gone on to do big things on the national stage.
So who's performing this year?
Well, there's our headliner, Ben Harkins, uses everything from pizza to the mating habits of pandas to explore the anxieties of modern life. Hear him talk about more his humor and the status of the Portland comedy scene with our news partner KATU here.
Dylan Carlino divulges family secrets onstage and has no problem digging into some seriously dark subjects—including the death of his sister. Chris Johnson turns Portland's proclivities on their heads, while Hunter Donaldson spins his childhood in rural Arkansas into jokes about "ghost kink" and his parents winning the lottery. (That last part is 100 percent true, by the way.)
And Lance Edward? He could tell your mother a dick joke and have her crying with laughter.
Still don't believe us? Check out audio from last year's showcase, where subject matter ranged from kinky sex in a sleep apnea mask to jokes about racist bacon-loving trolls on Twitter. It's NSFW, but you're an adult—we're sure you can handle it.
This year's showcase takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 3, at Revolution Hall, at 7 pm. Tickets are still available. Get 'em here.
