FRIDAY NIGHT presents a real Sophie’s choice if you love comedy: The third night of the All Jane Comedy Fest coincides with Cameron Esposito’s appearance at Mississippi Studios. Though arguably best known for her comedy album, Same Sex Symbol, released last year by Kill Rock Stars, Esposito’s had a prolific couple of years, comedy-wise. She’s performed at All Jane, and also served as BuzzFeed’s resident lesbian on the Ask a Lesbian webseries, where she (and sometimes her girlfriend, Rhea Butcher) fielded questions ranging from vaguely offensive to deeply silly, with characteristic charm and an eye for the weird. (You can watch Ask a Lesbian on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor. Now. I’ll wait.) Esposito’s awfully charming, and whether she’s telling jokes about side-mullets (“I have a side-mullet. I look like most of Portland’s men.”) or her ambivalence about babies (“They don’t even make maternity vests, so what would I wear?”), her comedy is smart without being self-serious, and acerbic without being smug.
And though it’s Esposito’s name that’s in the biggest typeface for Friday’s set, her show should be even better with the addition of Butcher—yes, her girlfriend, but also her occasional tourmate, Ask a Lesbian sidekick, and podcast collaborator. Butcher’s comedy has a distinctly different energy than Esposito’s. In fact, it doesn’t really make much sense to compare their styles. But what I will say about Butcher is that her stand-up is pleasantly dry. It’s a slow burn. Butcher has a knack for sad-funny observations about the seemingly aggressively ordinary. I’ve never seen anyone else imbue the phrase “Hungry, Hungry Hippos” with such weird pathos, as she does in a bit about the particularly sad relationship between only children and group board games. The interplay between Butcher’s dry wit and Esposito’s sly goofiness will be a delight to behold. And if afterward you make it back in time for All Jane’s late shows, it promises to be one of the best nights of comedy—possibly ever.