The Lucha Libre & Laughs showcase is clearly a labor of love from producer Nick Gossert. Gossert, a filmmaker, comedian, and bumbling referee, is responsible for not only booking the funniest comics in Denver, but also juggling the schedules of all the wrestlers involved, renting the ring itself, and doing the lion’s share of promotion. Despite the challenge of putting it together, and a few minor setbacks, Lucha Libre & Laughs reaches it’s one-year anniversary this month with Laughmania! This month’s event features comedians Deacon Gray, Kevin O’Brien, Kristin Rand, and Chuck Roy, with wrestlers Delta Jr., El Tecolote, Matt Classing, and International Superstar Colt Cabana and running color commentary from Jordan Doll and Nate Balding. In honor of sunday’s special evening of gutbusters and backbreakers, Westword caught up with Gossert to look back on a year of shows, discuss his love of cheesy Lucha movies, and the similarities between comedy and wrestling.

The show is on sunday, May 11th at the Oriental Theater. Doors open at 6:00pm; tickets cost $10 and are available from the Oriental Theater’s website.

Historically, the arrival of Mayday signaled a call for celebration, for dancing around maypoles and leaving fresh flowers on strangers’ doorsteps. This month in Denver, comedy fans find themselves presented with a May Basket full of sun-ripened giggle blossoms to choose from all month long.

The Queen May of the month is easily Comedy Works, with top-notch headliners at both clubs all through the month, including an ongoing visit from an increasingly less reclusive icon. Readers may in fact notice a suspicious absence of Dave Chapelle on this list, but those shows sold out mere hours after they were announced. As such, listing them here would be little more than a unnecessary reminder to all the Johnny-come-lately comedy fans missing out. By all accounts, his few late April shows have been fantastic and smug ticket-holders are in for a treat.

Fortunately, the calendar is packed with choice choices every week. Opportunities to see award-winning screen stars and living legends take the stage abound, along with conceptually novel local showcases– everything from improv jams to body slams, and even something for the moms (who deserve it).

Kevin McDonald is an actor, improviser, and comedian best known for his work with Canada’s Kids in the Hall sketch comedy troupe. McDonald will be at Denver’s Voodoo Comedy Playhouse all weekend, which kicks off at 9:00pm on Friday, May 2nd with a special edition of The Couch, Denver’s only improvised therapy session. McDonald is also scheduled to perform on his own Improvised sketch show at 8:00pm on Saturday, May 3rd.Tickets for both shows cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The 2 day sketch-writing workshop runs from 10:00am-5:00pm on Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th. The fee is $300. Westword caught up with McDonald in advance of his trip to Denver to discuss bad sketch writing, getting into standup, and the new Kids in the Hall tour.

Andy Haynes is a veteran of several standup scenes, moving from Washington D.C. to Seattle, then from New York to Los Angeles, cultivating his sharp joke-telling style and putting in strong appearances on Conan and the Comedy Central Half Hour. Haynes is also known for his Midnight Run comedy showcase, which enlists comedians, gets them unreasonably stoned, and let them sort through the weirdness onstage. A natural fit for the Sex Pot Comedy brand, Haynes is in town to bring his Midnight Run showcase to an appreciative and equally stoned Denver audience. Featuring Billy Wayne Davis, Noah Gardenswartz, Ian Douglas Terry, local chieftains Nathan Lund and Brent Gill, and as always, ably hosted by Sex Pot’s go-to emcee, Jordan Doll, this comedy show is the perfect way to kick off your 4/20 holiday three days early.

April is a month of rejuvenation and light-hearted trickery, a season of pranks, afternoon showers, and street-sweeping tickets. The truly April foolish thing to do would be to miss out on the fine assortment of comedy shows in Denver this month. With a visit from the reigning ice queen of late night talk shows, a benefit for down syndrome, some great local showcases and an appearance from improviser, singer, and all-around showman Wayne Brady, there’s plenty of levity available to carry local comedy fans through the month. Fortunately, many of these shows are free, which should provide at least a little relief to the unjustly ticketed.

Chris Fairbanks is a standup comedian, illustrator, and skateboarder who has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend,
and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Fairbanks is making the most out of his trip to Denver, with performances scheduled every night. On thursday the 20th, Fairbanks will be at the Deer Pile at 8:00pm, sharing a story for the Narrators podcast. On Friday at 8:00pm at the Oriental Theater, he’s co-headlining Sexpot Comedy’s Vernal Equinox showcase with Rory Scovel and a bevy of local chucklers. Fans can also catch Fairbanks with the Fine Gentleman’s Club at 10:00pm Saturday at the Meadowlark and performing with Andrew Ovredahl, 7:00pm on Sunday at Comedy Works South. Westword caught up with Fairbanks before his busy visit ta talk about Sexpot comedy, Texan highway system and the Tosh rape joke controversy.

Nikki Glaser is a New-York based comedian with a formidable list of credits and an immediately engaging performance style. Despite their raunchy subject matter, Glaser’s jokes are wryly observant and leavened by her considerable charm. Glaser has appeared on @Midnight and Last Comic Standing, as well as the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno until recently, Glaser could be seen co-hosting The Nikki and Sarah Show on MTV. Glaser has a soft spot in her heart for Colorado; she performed her first set at CU Boulder and appeared the pilot episode of the Grawlix’s Those Who Can’t.This friday, Glaser returns to our beloved city to headline Sexpot Comedy’s Weirdo Olympics.
The Weirdo Olympics will also feature sets from David Gborie, who’s one of San Francisco’s funniest dudes, as well local favorites Kevin O’Brien, Sam Tallent and Sexpot’s go-to emcee, Jordan Doll. The show starts at 8 p.m. Friday, February 28, at the Oriental Theater. Tickets are $15.

In advance of the Weirdo Olympics, Westword caught up with Glaser to discuss the end of her show, having a bit stolen, and why she’d move to Denver if she could.

Comedian TJ Miller has a commitment to comedic absurdity that has served him well throughout his career. From his roots in the Chicago improv scene, Miller emerged as one of the city’s most unique standups, remarkable for his madman charisma. In short order, Miller stole scenes and joined impressive ensemble casts in movies like Our Idiot Brother and Yogi Bear 3D. All the while, Miller’s hometown of Denver has remained close to his heart and channeled into song on Miller’s Extended Play E.P.from Comedy Central Records. It’s an exciting time for Miller, with Silicon Valley a new HBO series set to premiere on April 6th and a movie, Search Party, due this summer.
This week, Denver’s prodigal comic returns to his hometown for two nights of shows as a part of his No Cancellations tour. He’ll performing wednesday night at Boulder’s Fox Theatre. Doors open at 8:30pm for the 9:00pm show. General admission tickets are $20. On thursday, he’ll be at the Gothic Theatre. Doors open at 7:00pm for the 8:00pm show. Tickets are $20.50 in advance and $23 on the day of show.
Westword caught up with Miller for phone interview to discuss his tour, bringing absurdity to morning news shows, and why he always brings his best to Denver.

February is winter’s death rattle. The roads are sludgy, the calendar is wonky, and there’s nothing to look forward to except Valentine’s Day –which can often seem more of a solemn obligation than a holiday anyway. Fortunately, there’s a diverse range of comedy events available to light up the otherwise bleak February entertainment landscape. Whether taking in comedian-produced shows with gross names like Tongue Stuff and Tits & Giggles, checking out veteran acts like Paul Mooney, Norm MacDonald, and Jeff Ross, or being a spectator at an Olympics for Weirdos, Denver comedy has a myriad of ways to keep you laughing until the sun comes back.

Beth Stelling is a Los Angeles based comedian who has appeared on Conan, and recently won the internet on Comedy Central’s @Midnight. Her debut album Sweet Beth is available from Rooftop Comedy. Stelling, who cut her teeth in Chicago’s vibrant comedy scene is visiting Denver to co-headline Sexpot Comedy’s Ice Queens and Ice Wizards comedy showcase with Kate Berlant. In advance of the show, Westword caught up with Beth Stelling for an early morning phone interview punctuated by adorable kitten yawns to talk about Ice Queens, the tiny failures of open mics, and co-writing her play Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche.

While beloved Colfax watering hole, the Park House tavern has been a well-regarded live music venue since opening their doors back in 2012, their foray into hosting comedy performances has been a more recent development. Beginning with Bobby Crane’s whimsically named “Jolly Trolley” open mic, the amiable Park House staff has welcomed Denver’s unwashed comics into the fold to utter deplorable things into their high-class sound-system week after week, quickly emerging as an essential part of a local comedian’s tuesday night itinerary. This friday, however, the Park House is doubling down on comedy, by mounting a new showcase featuring some of the funniest comics in town.

Pablo Francisco is a comedian who has performed all over the world and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Mad TV. Reknown for his spot-on impressions and high-energy performances, Rodriguez is in town for a weekend of shows that kick off at 7:30pm tonight at the Denver Improv Westword caught up with Francisco to discuss his Dog the Bounty Hunter, performing comedy overseas, and Shotgun WIllies in a phone chat peppered with digressions and spot-on vocal impressions that print can’t really capture.

Two bastions of Denver’s DIY are closing up shop this year. The Festivus Film Festival, which was founded in 2007, and its spin-off the Laugh Track Comedy Festival ceased operation before the end of last year. Aside from providing many local comedians and filmmakers with a valuable opportunity to network and hone their craft for a hip audience, the festivals coalesced our scenes and paved the way for future festivals, like August’s High Plains Comedy Festival. Westword reached out to the founders and organizers of both festivals for their thoughts on the unfortunate conclusion of their passion project. Read on for their quotes and clips of highlights throughout the years.