Cheap Laughs
Five local comedy nights that'll bust your gut, not your budget
Some comedy clubs cost more than a movie multiplex and still yield fewer laughs than a Joe Piscopo memoir. Herein, Decider calls bullshit on overpriced stand-up and suggests a handful of low-cost comedy nights, each cradling the delicate promise of a public spit-take.
The Monday Night Comedy Show, The Beat Coffeehouse, Mondays at 8pm, $3
You never know what you'll see at this weekly coffee-and-comedy showcase, and with that in mind, the price is right. Acts range from stand-up and improv groups to (intentionally) funny musical acts and short films. An enigmatic host keeps things moving along, and each night features a member of the audience stepping up to read a page from the book Robocop 2: The Novelization. A full selection of coffee drinks will help fend off the yawns during lesser performances.
Six Ring Circus, Brave New Workshop, Tuesdays at 7:30pm, $1
This weekly Tuesday night showcase features comedic up-and-comers from Brave New Workshop's improv school. An ongoing group rotation means new and experimental formats each week—you'll never see the same shtick twice. While it has moved a few times, Brave New Workshop is the country’s oldest satirical comedy theater and improv school. If that doesn't impress you, then the dollar admission price ought to. Beer, wine, and snacks cost extra, of course.
Death Comedy Jam, Grumpy's Downtown, Wednesdays at 10pm, no cover
Putting a daredevil twist on “dinner and a show,” Grumpy's Downtown pairs amateur comedy stylings with risky culinary propositions such as the cream cheese burger and tater tot hot dish. The 10 p.m. start time weeds out early-to-bed puritans, and that's a good thing since Death Comedy Jam participants have been known to take a turn for the raunchy. (With a full liquor license and an open mic, that participant may very well turn out to be you.)
Pee Your Pants Monthly, Bryant-Lake Bowl, second Thursday of each month at 10pm, $7
This experimental variety show isn’t as cheap as the aforementioned weekly fare, but the laughs may be memorable enough to carry you through a couple of pay periods. Presented by Dorkus Rainbowpants—a.k.a. 2008’s 48 Hour Film Project winners Eric Nigg and Bill Young—this freewheeling comedy blitz is known to include sketches, stand-up, film clips, musical acts, and audience participation. Beer and wine are available; adult diapers not so much.
Mix Tape, ComedySportz, Fridays at 10:30pm, $10
The admission price steps into double digits for this new weekly ComedySportz revue. Chalk it up to the troupe's lofty Calhoun Square location and the chance to revel in the kinds of “mature themes” usually reserved for cable TV—it’s billed as “recommended for adult audiences.” The comedy here is unscripted, uncensored, and generally uninhibited.
The Monday Night Comedy Show, The Beat Coffeehouse, Mondays at 8pm, $3
You never know what you'll see at this weekly coffee-and-comedy showcase, and with that in mind, the price is right. Acts range from stand-up and improv groups to (intentionally) funny musical acts and short films. An enigmatic host keeps things moving along, and each night features a member of the audience stepping up to read a page from the book Robocop 2: The Novelization. A full selection of coffee drinks will help fend off the yawns during lesser performances.
Six Ring Circus, Brave New Workshop, Tuesdays at 7:30pm, $1
This weekly Tuesday night showcase features comedic up-and-comers from Brave New Workshop's improv school. An ongoing group rotation means new and experimental formats each week—you'll never see the same shtick twice. While it has moved a few times, Brave New Workshop is the country’s oldest satirical comedy theater and improv school. If that doesn't impress you, then the dollar admission price ought to. Beer, wine, and snacks cost extra, of course.
Death Comedy Jam, Grumpy's Downtown, Wednesdays at 10pm, no cover
Putting a daredevil twist on “dinner and a show,” Grumpy's Downtown pairs amateur comedy stylings with risky culinary propositions such as the cream cheese burger and tater tot hot dish. The 10 p.m. start time weeds out early-to-bed puritans, and that's a good thing since Death Comedy Jam participants have been known to take a turn for the raunchy. (With a full liquor license and an open mic, that participant may very well turn out to be you.)
Pee Your Pants Monthly, Bryant-Lake Bowl, second Thursday of each month at 10pm, $7
This experimental variety show isn’t as cheap as the aforementioned weekly fare, but the laughs may be memorable enough to carry you through a couple of pay periods. Presented by Dorkus Rainbowpants—a.k.a. 2008’s 48 Hour Film Project winners Eric Nigg and Bill Young—this freewheeling comedy blitz is known to include sketches, stand-up, film clips, musical acts, and audience participation. Beer and wine are available; adult diapers not so much.
Mix Tape, ComedySportz, Fridays at 10:30pm, $10
The admission price steps into double digits for this new weekly ComedySportz revue. Chalk it up to the troupe's lofty Calhoun Square location and the chance to revel in the kinds of “mature themes” usually reserved for cable TV—it’s billed as “recommended for adult audiences.” The comedy here is unscripted, uncensored, and generally uninhibited.
