Chelsea Handler
The comedian, writer, and television host swings through Revolution Hall for a night of "sit-down comedy" supporting her latest book, Life Will Be the Death of Me. (Thurs June 20, 8 pm, Revolution Hall, $65-85, all ages)
Gary Gulman
Gary Gulman is a New York City comedian who honed his act on high school students as a gym teacher before bringing it to the stage. He's performed stand-up on every single late night talk show, and finished third on season 2 of NBC's Last Comic Standing. Catch up with him this weekend when he brings "The Great Depresh" Tour through Helium. (Sat June 1, 7:30 pm & 10 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $17-33)
Night Cheese: Season 2: The Finally
Night Cheese celebrates the end of their second season of weird variety-show wonderfulness with special guest artist Brittany Rudolf, as they take it all the way back to the origins of the show, with segment submissions from the audience deciding the shape of the evening's entertainment. (Sat June 1, 9 pm, Kickstand Comedy Space, free)
Follies: The Season Three Grand Finale
Stefano Iaboni's comedy showcase closes out its third season in grand style, with every single performer who has performed this year coming back to do their very best skit at the only showcase in town that puts a heavy emphasis on physical comedy. Sun June 2, 8 pm, Funhouse Lounge, $8.50)
The I, Anonymous Show
Look, we have no delusions of grandeur—we know that 90 percent of the reason you pick up the Mercury is to read I, Anonymous, in which anonymous readers share their deepest and funniest and grossest and sexiest seeeeecrets! (Okay, the sexiest ones are pretty rare, but still.) That’s why we also present one of the best live shows in Portland—the I, Anonymous Show, featuring the funniest people in town, who read—and judge—the best I, Anonymous entries! This time around, host Kate Murphy will be joined by the hilarious Kirsten Kuppenbender, Chris Johnson, and Simon Gibson! Get ready for a whole lot of laughs and a whole lot of seeeeecrets. (Wed June 5, 7:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10) ERIK HENRIKSEN
Melissa Villaseñor
The New York-based comedian and current Saturday Night Live cast member brings an arsenal of comedic impressions and stand-up to town as her North American tour hits Helium for the weekend. (June 6-8, Fri 8 pm, Sat-Sun 7:30 pm & 10 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $18-25)
WunderKonntent: WKXNW, A Coachella That Isn't Stupid
Portland comedy oddballs Phil Schallberger, Steven Wilber, Jason Traeger, and Jordan Casner join forces to bring their "Sketch-Standup-Hybrid-Colossus" show to Kickstand Comedy's new location, with a night skewering the music festival industry complex. (Fri June 7, 9 pm, Kickstand Comedy Space, $10)
Where the Hell is the Lavender House? The Longmont Potion Castle Story
Revolution Hall presents the Oregon Premiere of Where The Hell is the Lavender House?: The Longmont Potion Castle Story, a crowdfunded documentary chronicling the career of Longmont Potion Castle, an anonymous surrealist prank caller who has gained a cult following by way of a series of self-released albums of calls dating back to the late 1980s. (Sun June 9, 8 pm, Revolution Hall, $18-20)
An Evening of Improv with Fake Radio
Bridge City Improv and Fake Radio come together for a lively evening of live creativity and comedy, featuring special guests John Pirruccello, and J. Keith van Straaten. (Sun June 9, 7 pm, Siren Theater, $10)
Male Fragility
A night of stories from Katie Piatt that serves as a tough love letter to men, and the Patriarchy that's fucking us all up. (June 12-26, Weds 7:30 pm, Siren Theater, $10)
Phil Schallberger: Live in Theory
A special live taping for one of Portland's most adventurous comedy minds, combining the best of his last four years' worth of laugh-inducing experiments into a single night of multimedia entertainment. (Thurs June 13, 8 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10)
Kyle Kinane
Kyle Kinane’s beardy, sardonic yet cheerful stage presence is the cure for the grumps. He’s one of those comedians who skates by on charm, telling jokes about everything from unforgivable drink orders to gout (yes, gout) and making it look easy. My tolerance for bro-adjacent stand-up is low, but I always make an exception for Kinane’s laidback comedy wizardry. (June 13-15, Thurs 8 pmm, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm & 10 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $22-28) MEGAN BURBANK
Jordan, Jesse, Go!
Comedian and writer Jordan Morris and public radio and podcast magnate Jesse Thorn (NPR's Bullseye) bring their weekly comedy and goof-driven interview podcast to the Polaris Hall stage for an all-ages live taping of the much-beloved program. (Sat June 15, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, $20-24, all ages)
Theo Von
The comedian and television personality best known for his appearances on Real World/Road Rules Challenge and for hosting the This Past Weekend podcast brings his "Dark Arts" Tour to Portland for a pair of stand-up shows at Revolution Hall. (Sat June 15, 7 pm & 10 pm, Revolution Hall, $28-58, all ages)
Live Wire! Radio's 15th Anniversary Show
Portland's own nationally-syndicated variety show celebrates 15 years of fun with a special anniversary event at Revolution Hall, featuring appearances from beloved writers Lindy West and Courtenay Hameister, along with live music from Portland legends Pink Martini. Hosted by Luke Burbank. (Fri June 21, 7:30 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $20-40)
Talkin' Dirty with Shrista & AJ
The Portland Mercury and SheBop present the inaugural installment of Talkin' Dirty, a new comedy/sex education/talk show hosted by comedian Shrista Tyree and sex educator Amory Jane, with lively conversation, games, and plenty of surprises. This month's show features special guest appearances by comedian D Martin Austin and sex educator Dr. Liz Powell. (Thurs Jun 27, 8 pm, Siren Theater, $15)
The Jimmy Dore Show
The comedian and co-host of The Aggressive Progressives brings his political commentary-driven talk show to the Alberta Rose Theatre for a live taping. (Fri-Sat June 28-29, 7:30 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $25-35)
Minority Retort
As long as Minority Retort continues to produce one of the best stand-up showcases in the city, you’re going to keep reading about it here. This time, Chicago-born and San Fransisco-successful Irene Tu headlines the evening, with ample support from D Martin Austin, James Bosquez, and El Sanchez. Hosted by Jason Lamb and Julia Ramos. (Sat June 29, 8 pm, Siren Theater, $12-15) CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
