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Tiffany Haddish, Colin Jost and others coming this month
Long before its current cultural boom, Denver enjoyed a reputation as a comedy-lover’s dream — thanks in large part to the nationally respected Comedy Works club, and the headliners and hungry local talent it cultivated.
We’re happy to report that between theaters, A-room clubs like Comedy Works and The Denver Improv and a number of reinvigorated local showcases, that reputation remains firmly intact.
Here’s the best of the best in the metro area (and beyond) in February.
Aspen Laugh Festival returns with one of its strongest lineups yet, having evolved from a placeholder for the long-defunct U.S. Comedy Arts Festival to a solid (if drastically smaller) event in itself. In its eighth year, headliners include public-radio darling and master crowd-worker Paula Poundstone; ”Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost; Comedy Central roastmaster Jeff Ross; stand-up storyteller Mike Birbiglia (“Don’t Think Twice”); red-hot comic/actress Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”); improv mainstays The Second City; and a handful of free “Après Comedy Hours.”
fest.
Tiffany Haddish will also visit Denver’s Paramount Theatre the night before her Aspen date for a pair of shows as part of her #SheReady tour. Thanks to the success of “Girls Night” and her recent “SNL” hosting gig, Haddish is one of the most sought-after comics in the country right now, but a handful of passes are still available for both sets as of press time. 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 at 1621 Glenarm Place. Tickets: $45-$55, altitudetickets.com.
Colin Quinn has long been a comic’s-comic, but for those who prefer to sit through a show rather than stand in the back of the room guffawing (as comedians tend to do), the former “SNL” Weekend Update anchor and longtime New Yorker is playing Comedy Works South as part of his “One in Every Crowd” tour. Feb. 8-10 at 1226 15th St.
“Sticks & Stones” is a new comedy-debate show that’s no doubt looking to fill the hole left by “Arguments & Grievances,” which formerly attracted diehards to Vine Street Pub & Brewery on Sunday nights. Hosted by Christie Buchele (Pussy Bros.), the show will feature a rotating lineup of the Mile High City’s funniest on the last Wednesday of each month. The first installment features Cody Spyker, Bradley Galli, Rachel Weeks, Janae Burris, Harris Alterman, Zach Reinert, Aaron
Urist and Nathan Lund debating Bad News vs. Fake News, Melania vs. Ivanka and more. Feb. 28 at 1624 Market St. Free. blackbuzzard.com. DL Hughley is a few years removed from his best-known work — his late ’90s sitcom “The Hughleys” and the breakthrough “The Original Kings of Comedy” tour — but he still commands a strong audience as a national club headliner. See what he’s up to (or at least has been thinking about) outside of his frequent late-night and TV-news appearances when he visits this sprawling northeast Denver room. Feb. 23-25 at The Denver Improv, 8246 Northfield Blvd., Unit 1400. Tickets: $30-$55, denver.improv.com.
Also worthy: Stoner favorite Doug Benson, Feb. 17-18, at the Comedy Works at Larimer Square; and cranky genius Dana Gould, Feb. 22-24, at Comedy Works South.