Buffalo Comedy: Adele Givens and other comedians take over Buffalo this weekend.

(Above: Adele Givens. Via @adelegivensSuchalady on Facebook.)

By Jason Pomietlasz

I have it on good authority that Sean Penn skipped the Oscars to see live comedy. While far from a role model, if he can miss the third most important night in showbiz, surely you can put off giving your Spotify playlists clever names to leave your house and see local comedy. 

Friday – Sunday, March 20 – 22

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. Times vary, tickets $32.99 – 207.44 (Couples package).

Adele Givens won the Crown Royal Comedy competition in 1990 and she hasn’t stopped working since and has been anointed the “Queen of Comedy.” Givens’s catch phrase “I am such a #$%@#% Lady” has gone viral and you’ve probably heard someone use it.  Givens had her own morning radio show on WGCI 107.5 FM Chicago. 

Friday, March 20 

Buffalo Comedy Collective, 155 Chandler Street, Buffalo. 

Comedy Sportz match-up. Two teams “competitively” play short form improv games with suggestions from the audience, who also decides the winner. 7 p.m., tickets $18. 

BCC’s longform house team, “You Are Here,” will perform several longform styles based-off audience suggestions, with of course, every moment and character invented on the spot. 9 p.m., tickets $12. 

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo. 

The Happy Hour Improv Jam. Try improv for the first time with experienced improvisers or practice what you have already learned. 6:30 p.m., tickets $5 or pay what you can. 

Improv Collider, BIH house teams “Bedelia” and “Inconvenient Truth” will perform different long-form improv styles. 7:30 p.m., tickets $10 presale or $12 general admission. 

Good Neighbors, a monthly show featuring notable Buffalonians telling stories which improvisers use to craft scenes, with proceeds going to charity. This month’s monologist is Joe Petri, co-owner of Gather & Game, with funds going to Journey’s End Refugee Services. 8:30 p.m., tickets $22.15 presale, $27.35 general admission or pay-what-you-can at the door. 

Magic Beer Bear Cellar, 799 Seneca St., Suite B, Buffalo. 8 p.m., free.

Comedy in the Bear’s Den, Annamarie Depalma, Jesse Winterhalter, Mike Shanks, Tana Barajas, Andy Ticco and Kevin Andrews will perform in the heart of Larkinville for free. 

Saturday, March 21

Buffalo Comedy Collective, 155 Chandler Street, Buffalo. 

ComedySportz Saturday match-up. Two teams “competitively” play short form improv games with suggestions from the audience, who also decides the winner. 7 p.m., tickets $18. 

BCC Writer’s Bloc: Sketch and Standup Show. BCC’s writing team will bring to life sketches they’re been putting on paper for the last several months, interspersed with standup sets. 9 p.m., tickets $12. 

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo.

Musical Improv Mixer, sign-up to try musical improv, maybe for the first time. You will be paired with a fellow improviser and the scene will lead into song, facilitated by the host. You should have some improv experience. 7 p.m., tickets $11.75 or pay what you can. 

The Movie, From Memory, The Musical, featuring “Various Factors” with Opening Act “Glitter Glamour.” Think of all the great movies that have been made into musicals in the past few years; Back to the Future, Death Becomes Her, Frozen, etc. Bring the title of your favorite movie and watch it be turned into a musical with songs, dialogue and choreography made up on the spot. 8 p.m., tickets $22.15 presale or $27.35 general admission. 

The Meading Room, 106 Evans Street, Hamburg. 6:30 p.m., free. 

Open Mic Night at The Meading Room. A mixed open mic where you can sing a song, tell a joke or recite some poetry. And like they say at the Meading Room, come out and hang instead of staying home and beating your mead. 

Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, 310 4th St Niagara Falls. 8 p.m., tickets starting at $79.

One stage, two legends. Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall will co-headline. If you had TV in the 90s, there’s a good chance you know who these guys are and what they do. I try to keep it positive but some negative things have come up with Leno recently but unless you’re Conan O’Brien, you shouldn’t have a problem with him. And Hall is good friends with Eddie Murphy and he’ll probably mention that in his set. There is a low ticket alert for this event.

Sunday, March 22

Buffalo Comedy Collective, 155 Chandler Street, Buffalo. 7 p.m., tickets $25.25

Just a F*ckin Damn Good Standup Comedy Show. Steve Way, from Hulu’s “Ramy” will headline and it will feature John Miso, Andy Ticco and Kai VonDoom. 

Hard Rock Cafe, 333 Prospect Street, Niagara Falls. 6 p.m., tickets starting at $20.  

Big Wigs Drag Comedy Show. Darienne Lake and Aggy Dune will share stories, mixed in with standup and songs. Lake and Dune have performed together and shared their history, fashions and camp for over 30 years.

Electric City, 433 Pearl St., Buffalo, 6:30 p.m., tickets starting at $35.99.

The Dollop podcast was born when comic Dave Anthony thought to introduce an unknown story from American history and read it to a different comedian each week. His first guest was Gareth Reynolds and they immediately clicked and social media told Anthony to keep Reynolds. Sticking to the formula of Dave reading Gareth a story he has never heard, The Dollop has millions of downloads and regularly tops the podcast charts.

Monday, March 23

Tudor Lounge, 335 Franklin Street, Buffalo, 8:30 p.m. 

Comedy Open Mic Comedy. Start your week by hearing new premises and jokes. Once again hosted by the venerable Don Johnson with a bucket draw. Sign-ups at 7 p.m. Free.

Tuesday, March 24

Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen Street, Buffalo, 9 p.m. Free

Rust Belt Comedy Showcase, Buffalo’s longest running comedy show hosted by Jake Samson and Jake Piskor also known as the two Jakes. Signups at rustbeltcomedy.weebly.com. Free. 

Third Space Cafe & Entertainment, 777 Main St., Buffalo, 7 p.m.

The Early Bird Comedy Open Mic. The first mic of Tuesdays hosted by Brody Walsh and Connor Mink. Signups start at 6:30 p.m. Free.

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 7:30 p.m., tickets $13 – 184.99 (Couples package).

Tyler Fischer has performed on America’s Got Talent, guest starred on NBC’s Chicago Med, and has over 200 million views for online videos. He was named “The Best New Impressionist” by the New York Times and “NY’s Funniest Comedian” at the NY Comedy Festival. 

Wednesday, March 25

Milkie’s Elmwood Lounge, 522 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo. 

Comedy Open Mic Comedy. Sign-ups at 7 p.m. or online, show starts at 9-ish p.m. Hosted by the super funny Jesse Winterhalter. Free. 

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 

Open Mic, where over twenty comics will perform their best 3 minutes, 7 p.m., free with two-item minimum.

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Have a comedy event you want to add, email lakeeffectcomedy@gmail.com.