Comedian Steven Wilber, relaxing at home. File Photo On Monday, former Portland’s Funniest winner Steven Wilber returns to town to try out some brand new material that promises to push the comedy envelope—which is saying a lot for this comic who’s already known onstage as an “Agent of Chaos.” For example, here’s a (rejected) idea […]
Comedy
Posted inComedy
Kickstand’s Comedy in the Park Returns for a Second Year of Idyllic Summer Stand-Up
Comedy in the Park looking pretty idyllic in July 2021. Suzette Smith Kickstand Comedy announced on Friday that it will reprise its hugely popular Comedy in the Park series in Laurelhurst Park this summer. The shows will start promptly on July 1, the first Friday of that month and run through September. “Our kickoff show […]
Posted inComedy
An Exit Interview with Comedian Jake Silberman: How Rural America Made His Crowd Work Stand-Up Even Stronger
Jake Silberman onstage at weekly comedy showcase Dough. Suzette Smith “The original plan was to leave in 2020,” says Jake Silberman, sitting in front of Mississippi Pizza where he and fellow stand-ups Lance Edward and Thomas Lundy host a weekly comedy showcase called Dough. That night, they’d added a different comic to the stage, trying […]
Posted inComedy
Girl God: The Most Famous Trans Comedy Duo Of All Time Comes to Portland
Catch Girl God’s April Clark and Grace Freud at The Old Church on Saturday, May 21. FELIX WALWORTH In the world of stand-up, April Clark and Grace Freud of the comedy group Girl God carry on a legacy that goes back decades—at least according to them. “We are the most famous trans comedy duo of […]
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Comedian Niles Abston Returns to Portland to Practice for His Upcoming Special and Say Things He Couldn’t Say on the Internet
Photo by Archie Blue, courtesy of Niles Abston Comedian, writer, and filmmaker Niles Abston has a lot on his mind. He recently made a short film, Notice To Quit, he just got hired to write for a hit FX show, and now he’s returning to the Pacific Northwest to work on material for his second […]
Posted inFood and Drink
YOUR SUNDAY READING LIST: Idaho’s Anti-Abortion Push, a Yummy New Burmese Restaurant, and Hot-Hot Gossip
“Guys… GUYS! I’m trying to read the best Mercury stories of the week! CAN YOU PLEASE???” Maria Korneeva / iStock / Getty Images Plus GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY! It’s the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week! (PRO TIP: If you despise being “the […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
The Aces’ Lives of the Party Review: Ten Years of Sketch Comedy Yield Their Best Dog Impression Yet
Shelley McLendon (left) and Michael Fetters (right) are the Aces. courtesy of the aces In some alternate timeline, Siren Theater owner and Aces member Shelley McLendon is a celebrity DJ, and she never deigns to make us laugh. However, from Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” as a pre-show ambiance-setter to the always welcome insertion of […]
Posted inGossip
All the Cool Kids Had COVID, Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” B-day, and Love in the Floral Aisle of Trader Joe’s
Avril Lavigne: “You know what’s complicated? The grueling passage of time.” Anna Webber / Getty Images Happy Monday, everyone! It’s me, Elinor Jones. As we all know, this online content experience formerly known as “a newspaper” does a helluva job reporting on the news, be it local, national, global, or the entirety of space and […]
Posted inComedy
Opinion: Kristof’s Thwarted Campaign a Blow to All Unqualified, Entitled White Men
Does Nick Kristof’s thwarted campaign signal trouble for all entitled white guys? Michael Blann / Getty Images Dear fellow entitled white men: We are living in a time of crisis. Today we learned the sad (and baffling!) news that fellow entitled white man, Nick Kristof, was denied his inalienable right as a property-owning white guy […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Broke Gravy Improv Trio Holding Show at Curious Comedy: “I’m chomping at the bit to get back on stage.”
courtesy of broke gravy Broke Gravy is ready to get back to performing. Consisting of Eric Simons, Leon Anderson, and Chris Williams, the improv trio has been on pause with the rest of the world, though they’re making their triumphant return to the stage at Curious Comedy Theater for a New Year’s Eve Eve show […]
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FREE TICKETS TUESDAY: Enter to Win Tix to See The Dandy Warhols & Comedian Jon Dore on NYE!
Who’s ready to see some shows? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS TUESDAY—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst… if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive […]
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WORST… THANKSGIVING… EVER! Mercury Readers Share their Most Disastrous and Disgusting Turkey Day Memories
KEITH GREIMAN [The year was 2009. That’s when we asked Mercury readers to share their most disturbing, disastrous, and disgusting Thanksgiving memories for our “Worst Thanksgiving Ever” essay contest—and boy, did they deliver!—eds] TURKEY DAY (A THANKSGIVING MEMORY)by Santi Elijah Holley My old man approached the bird slowly and told me to get ready. The […]