Buffalo Comedy: Full slate of national, local talent on area stages

By Jason Pomietlasz

Abraham Lincoln was born on this day in 1809. He taught himself to read which means he was wicked smart and he was a staunch advocate of seeing live theater and comedy. He was half right. 

Thursday, Feb. 12

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo.
Improv Mixer, a relaxed environment to try out improv or just to watch. Sign-ups at 6:45 p.m., 7 start. $5 suggested or pay what you can. 

Mr. Goodbar, 1110 Elmwood Ave (second floor), Buffalo, 8 p.m., $5
In lieu of open mic, comics will play The Dating Game, based on the classic game show from the 1970’s, in honor of Valentine’s Day. 

The Caz, 2221 Seneca St., Buffalo. 7 p.m., tickets starting at $15

Local comic Rick Matthews’s “Therapy Comedy Session” show will take place monthly at the Caz. This month Matthews is joined by Pat House, a nationally-touring comedian based out of Philadelphia. House’s last album “Heard Enough Yesterday”, hit #1 on the iTunes comedy charts and is available on Spotify.

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

Carter Anderson started in theatre and radio before he decided to become a full-time comic. Anderson then won the House Of Hyjinx and the Western Oregon Comedy Competition and took second in the Comedy vs. Tragedy Competition. And after being named “One of The Indisputable Geniuses Of Comedy” by The Portland Mercury Magazine in 2018 he knew he made the right choice. 

Friday – Saturday, Feb. 13 – 14

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. Times vary, tickets $15 – 164.99 (Couples package).

Jonathan Kite brings his 250 celebrity impressions to Helium for Valentine’s Day weekend, that includes Donald Trump, Vince Vaughn, Tom Hanks, Seth Rogen, Brendon Fraser, Jason Statham, Jeff Bridges and Robert Downey Jr., to name a few. You may recognize him from “2 Broke Girls” where he played Ukrainian cook Oleg. Kite studied improv at Second City and The Groundlings in Los Angeles and is a founding member of “L. Ron Jeremy,” which set the national Cage Match Competition record at Improv Olympic West Theater, winning 52 weeks in a row and then retired undefeated in 2010. 

Friday, Feb. 13 

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. 

Stand-Up Open Mic night, every second Friday of the month. Comics get five minutes and must sign up here: virtual sign-up sheet for a chance to perform. You can sign up in person but there is no guarantee that you’ll make the list. 9 p.m., tickets $5. 

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. 

Danthannie: Three-Prov from the Faculty. For the lay person, this means BIH faculty members Dan, Annie and Anthony will perform long form improv with high-energy, rapid character switching, and strongly defined relationships. 8 p.m., tickets $13.83 presale or $16.95 general admission. 

Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State University, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. 7 & 9:30 p.m., tickets starting at $46.25. 

Stavros Halkias will do back-to-back shows at the Rock. His latest special “Fat Rascal” is streaming on Netflix and he just finished the indie comedy “Let’s Start a Cult,” which he also wrote and produced. Halkias appeared in the Oscar nominated “Bugonia” with Emma Stone and he would appreciate being asked if Stone really shaved her head for the movie. His popular podcast “Cum Town” ended in 2022 but is still available on most podcast platforms.

Saturday, Feb. 14 

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’s “Script Tease” troupe will improvise an entire movie inspired by Valentine’s Day and audience suggestions. 9 p.m., tickets $18. 

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

“Various Factors,” a broadway-esque improv musical comedy show where everything is made up on the spot, including lyrics, melodies and choreography. All inspired from audience suggestions. 8:30 p.m., tickets $20 presale or $25 general admission.

Piano Karaoke. Sign up to sing a song with a live piano player, or just hang out and watch people butcher your favorite song. A ticket from Various Factors gets you in for free, otherwise $5. 9:30 p.m.

Keybank Center, 1 Seymour H Knox III Plaza, Buffalo. 3 p.m., tickets starting at $82.50.

Jeff Dunham’s “Artificial Intelligence” Tour comes to the heart of the Waterfront. Dunham is one of the most financially successful and most maligned comics of the last decade. He has the distinction of being “Billboard’s Top Comedy Tour” for three consecutive years, “America’s Favorite Comedian” via Slate, and holds the Guinness World Record for “Most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour.” Some people just like puppets who say borderline offensive things. 

Sunday, Feb. 15

Revolver Records, 810 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. 7 p.m., free.

Open mic comedy at Revolver Records. Along with comedy, there will be live music by comic Jameel Key and the bar and store will be open. Hosted by Kevin Thomas Jr. and Tyrone Macline. 

Monday, Feb. 16

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. Free.

Tuesday, Feb. 17

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

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.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

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

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

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 7:30 p.m., tickets $32.99 – 184.99 (Couples package).

Misha Brown started creating online content in 2021 and 7 million ‘besties’ (followers) later has led to hosting Wondery’s “The Big Flop,” which regularly tops the comedy podcast charts and he was named one of USA Today’s “Comedians to Watch.” Brown’s debut book, “Be Your Own Bestie” drops this month. 

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