You’ve probably already been to at least one ironic Christmas
sweater party this year, and if you haven’t yet had an eggnog hangover,
you’re doing something wrong. The holiday seasons descends with
particularly intensity in the theater world: Practically every stage in
town is flocked in Christmas flair, from Artist Rep’s production of the
contemporary Christmas story Holidazed to Portland Center
Stage’s campy A Christmas Carol to the old-timey staged radio
version of It’s a Wonderful Life at Public Playhouse. If you’re
burned out on X-mas, though, you can get some misanthropic kicks at the
unprecedented number of comedy shows running this week.
Andy Wood of Bridgetown Comedy has been working tirelessly to
establish Portland as a destination for touring comedy
acts—tonight, he brings Tig Notaro and Natasha Leggero to town,
both of whom, in addition to making the rounds of television comedy
circuit, performed at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival last spring.
Berbati’s Pan, 10 SW 3rd, Sat Dec 20, 9:30 pm, $10-12, see My
What a Busy Week!, pg. 17 for more info
The members of New York-based sketch comedy troupe the Üncles
graduated from Grant High School and never looked back—until this
weekend, that is, when they return to the 503 to play four shows at the
Someday Lounge.
Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th, Fri-Sat Dec 19-20, 8 & 10 pm,
$12-15, See listing!, pg. 17 for more info
The 3rd Floor sketch comedy troupe is Portland’s most reliable
source of giggles, thanks to their nerdy, offbeat sensibility and knack
for unifying seemingly unrelated sketches into a cohesive story arc.
Their new show Weird Sandwich is 90 minutes of shark costumes,
dick jocks, and Battlestar Galactica references—good God,
what more do you want?
Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark, Fri-Sat, 8 pm, $12, through Dec. See listing 27
And at the unholy intersection of the holidays and humor, we find
Portland’s newest comedy venue: Northeast Portland’s Curious Comedy
cashes in on the season with two holiday shows: One a “An Entirely
Secular, Totally Non-Denominational, Completely All-Inclusive Winter
Holiday Celebration Sketch Show” (phew) and the other, Who’s Playing
Santa This Year? is an improv show about family holidays.
Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE MLK, Who’s Playing Santa,
Fri Dec 19, 7:30 pm, $10-12; sketch show, Sat Dec 20, 7:30 pm,
$10-12