Best Comedy Night 2015 | Lucha Libre & Laughs | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Comedy Night

Lucha Libre & Laughs

Most comedy shows thrive on simplicity: a stage, a stool and a microphone. That's why Lucha Libre & Laughs is unlike any comedy show in the city, fusing producer and bumbling referee Nick Gossert's twin loves of wrestling and standup in a unique and unholy hybrid that simultaneously delights two fan bases, each cultivating their own relationship with irony. While it appears as though wrestling is the main attraction, the comedy is fully integrated into the show throughout the matches. In fact, the ongoing color commentary from Nathan Lund and Sam Tallent often becomes the highlight of the evening. At Lucha Libre & Laughs, the chuckles leap off the turnbuckles.

Readers' choice: Comedy Works

Best Comedy Club

Comedy Works Downtown

Comedy thrives in dark rooms with low ceilings. At Comedy Works' historic downtown location, the generally cocktail-besotted crowd is tightly packed into the venue's cozy showroom; once the lights darken, they become an anonymous mob freed from any sense of propriety. Kept satiated by tiptoeing waitstaff, otherwise reasonable people are reduced to giggling delirium by comedians drawn to what is fondly known by fans and professionals alike as one of the best clubs in the entire country. Recent headliners Hannibal Buress, Jim Norton and frequent surprise guest Dave Chappelle are only the start of the funny business at Comedy Works.

Best Gay Improv Show

Queerbots

Keith Garcia

The Queerbots are giving a voice to gay comedy with their new monthly improv show at Hamburger Mary's — and proving that laughter is truly a great unifier. Using typical stereotypes, the all-gay group invites audiences to laugh at them and with them in order to demonstrate just how funny being human is.

Best Drag Queen

Janessa Befierce

Denver's exploding drag scene is teeming with a card deck's worth of queens hoofing and hot-assing all over town, but Janessa Befierce isn't taking a slow pony ride to the top; she's grabbing the reins of a stallion and racing it there. Seemingly in drag seven days a week, Befierce has worked out the kinks of her persona and delivers a polished performance on stages all over town.

Best Drag Bingo

Dolls With Balls

Keith Garcia

Gone are the days of bingo halls filled with old ladies and church-like reverence. In today's game, you'll find that comedy, booze and laughter rule the night. Dolls With Balls at Hamburger Mary's is one of Denver's longest-running bingo games, where you'll find three vivacious vixens — Harley Quinn, Alexandra Winters and Victoria Sexton — dropping balls every Wednesday. Go ahead and invite Grandma — just make sure she's sufficiently liquored up.

Best New Drag Shows

Bitchcraft and Fatale's Dollhouse

The stage at Broadway's isn't the fanciest, but that makes it the perfect spot for a new queen to break in some heels and feel the rush of performance. The energy of these two Thursday-night shows is reminiscent of high school in the best ways: Experienced senior queen bees like Lala Leigh, Amber Domaine and Le'd Fatale pick their favorite underclassmen, then give them a platform on which to cut their teeth and earn their diplomas.

Best Amateur Drag Competition

Tracks Ultimate Queen Challenge

Keith Garcia

With every new season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Tracks hosts a series of viewing parties, and this year the spot will feature its own competition as well, in which a bevy of queens will submit to a sixteen-week boot camp of wigs, heels, makeup, sequins, and the tightest tucks this side of the Platte. The reward is a chance to join the cast of Tracks' own Drag Nation show, where blood, sweat and glitter-stained tears will be met with tough skin and fierce idolatry.

Best Long-Running Drag Show

Denver Divas at Charlie's

The beer may be cheap at Charlie's, but the performances aren't. Every Sunday, a cast of local legends and new faces turns the floor at Charlie's into a Xanadu of drag perfection. Mama hen Shanida Lawya and company treat raucous crowds to three numbers, complete with costume and makeup changes, and immerse themselves in the crowd. Don't be surprised if you wake up Monday morning with a big red lipstick kiss on your cheek.

Best Denver Burlesquer Gone Global

Midnite Martini

It's no secret that Denver burlesque has helped put this cowtown on the map: The notable names who take over intimate stages all over the city also headline major festivals and receive accolades on the global burlesque scene. A case in point is Midnite Martini (aka Kim Townsend), the reigning Miss Exotic World, who earned her title as the Burlesque Hall of Fame's 2014 Queen of Burlesque in Las Vegas last June. The lovely Miss M wowed the judges with a routine that combined burlesque, aerial fabric and a ladder.

Best Gay Bar

X Bar

With a recent renovation that included the addition of an expansive front deck, this watering hole at 629 East Colfax solidified itself as the perfect spot for meeting up with pals and dishing all the recent gossip. The drinks are fast and cheap, natch, and the background music stays at just the right volume, so you can take in all the juicy details.

Readers' choice: Tracks

Best Of Denver®

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