At Helium tonight and tomorrow, the very funny comedian Anthony Jeselnik, who has showcased his acid-tipped oneliners at recent roasts for Charlie Sheen and Donald Trump. Read our profile of Jeselnik for more, or check out his recent interview with Marc Maron.
Curious Comedy recently debuted a new series that borrows from both sketch and improv, asking 5 standup comics per night to create a 7-10 minute set based on audience suggestions. (The audience watches an improv set while the comedians have 30-40 minutes to prepare their material.) Here’s why this is a good idea: We’ve got some great local comedians, but it’s still a small enough scene that at this point I’ve seen most of their best material more than once. This show guarantees that even if you’ve seen Ron Funches 40 times, you’ll hear something new.
Participating comics this weekend:
10/7 – Ian Karmel, Bri Pruett, Nick Walker, Mandie Allietta, Whitney Streed
10/8 – Virginia Jones, Gabe Dinger, Stacey Hallal, Nate Smith, Christian Ricketts
And it’s not precisely this weekend, but Monday marks the debut of the Down to Funny showcase in the basement of East Burn, hosted by Katie Brien, who until recently hosted a comedy night at Beauty Bar. I could see East Burn working out pretty well for comedy—participating comics are Danny Felts, Richie Stratton, Gabe Dinger, Whitney Streed, Christian Ricketts, Ian Karmel and Anthony Lopez. That’s Monday at 8 pm, 1800 E Burnside, free.