Five of Portland's Best Weekly Comedy Shows

Here's where to laugh most nights of the week.

(Christine Dong)
By WW Staff

It's Gonna Be Okay

Hosted by the sweet and endearingly geeky Barbara Holm, It's Gonna Be Okay is a weekly basement gathering that's grown into Portland's closest approximation of the scene surrounding the Comedy Cellar. A popular pop-in for returning expats like Shane Torres, Amy Miller and Sean Jordan, It's Gonna Be Okay hits the sweet spot between a loose, friends-only feel and just enough professionalism to seem like you belong there, watching. PETE COTTELL. EastBurn, 1800 E Burnside St., theeastburn.com. 8:30 pm Mondays. Free, with donations for comedians accepted.

Earthquake Hurricane

The showcase whose name sounds like a twee apocalypse has gone back underground—this time in the basement of the Liquor Store rather than a bike shop. The Liquor Store is sneakily the best-looking tiny comedy venue in town, and the stage banter among hosts Alex Falcone, Bri Pruett, Anthony Lopez and brand-new addition Katie Nguyen is both a solid warmup and a warm welcome. Besides, you're always guaranteed a couple sets from some of the city's best comics because, duh, they're the hosts. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. The Liquor Store, 3341 SE Belmont St., theliquorstorepdx.com. 7 pm Wednesdays. $5. 21+.

Comedy League Night New Material Showcase

Tony C. set out to create a show that filled the void between rough open mics and polished showcases. Each week, he books a band and curates a list of both established and up-and-coming comedians who perform on a stage assembled from 6-gallon buckets, a plank of wood and a red curtain. The result is a show that feels just insider enough: You may see jokes that never make it out of the room from Portland's best comics, like Nariko Ott and Amanda Arnold, but the comics on the bill will never make you feel sorry for them. SOPHIA JUNE. Sam's Hollywood Billiards, 1845 NE 41st Ave., comedyleaguenight.com.. 8 pm Mondays. Free. 21+.

Control Yourself

Control Yourself is to Portland comedy what Rontoms' Sunday Sessions are to the city's music scene—a place to catch rising talent before it rises high enough to start commanding a cover charge. Hosted with exasperated verve by JoAnn Schinderle in the Alberta Street Pub's cramped performance space, the weekly showcase has an intimate basement-party vibe. Only instead of a wasted late-night karaoke session, it ends with a post-show open mic that's presumably just as wasted. MATTHEW SINGER. Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta St., albertastreetpub.com. 8:30 pm Sundays. Free. 21+.

Wednesday Night at Helium

A change of pace from the weekend residencies of fancy out-of-town comics, Wednesday is when Helium hosts its most creative and often locally focused showcases. There's no fixed format for the club's midweek show, which means that just about anything goes. And whatever it is, it's usually worth checking out. SHANNON GORMLEY. Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., portland.heliumcomedy.com. 8 pm Wednesdays. 21+.

Micetro

The Brody Theater has invented plenty of formats for shows, but Micetro is one of its best. Eight comedians compete by creating and curating multiple characters in a spur-of-the-moment improv scene or by reading a quote, which they must somehow transform into a song chorus. JACK RUSHALL. Brody Theater, 16 NW Broadway, brodytheater.com. 9:30 pm Saturdays. $8. 21+.

Welcome to the Fourth Annual Funniest Five | Portland's Best Weekly Comedy Shows

No. 1: Adam Pasi | No. 2: Caitlin Weierhauser | No. 3: Dylan Jenkins |No. 4: Don Frost |No. 5: Amanda Arnold

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.