COMEDY THIS WEEK
Cap City Comedy Club. AriShaffir,7:30and10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $20-$25. Open Mic, 8 p.m. Sunday, $3-$8. Punch!, 8 p.m. Tuesday, $7-$11. Bryson Brown, 8 p.m. Wednesday, $12-$17. Bruce Bruce, 8 p.m. Thursday, $28-$33. 8120 Research Blvd. No. 100. 512467-2333, capcitycomedy.com.
ColdTowne Theater. Hot on the heels of their last sold-out run, must-see LGBTQIA comedy troupe Martini Ranch is back at the ColdTowne main stage with an all-new show about what happens after coming out of the closet, from tender moments at home to public displays of desperation. 7 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 29. $10. 4803 Airport Blvd. coldtownetheater.com.
Esther’s Follies. In this month’s series of sketches, President Trump and Putin continue their steamy and secretive bromance, but with Mueller closing in, collusion is brewing and snitches are snitchin’. The White House is also rolling out Space Force auditions to create the best military in all the universe. And in nonpolitical news, while Whole Foods may be under the Amazon corporate umbrella, you can still find love in the cereal aisle. From magician Ray Anderson comes “Magic Mirror,” a trick about the story of the haunted Driskill Hotel. 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8 and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in September. $25-$35. 525 E. Sixth St. esthersfollies.com.
Hideout Theatre. “La Vida de los Muertos” is a fully improvised story that takes place in a fantastical and joyous underworld, with each performance accompanied by local mariachi group Crockett High School Mariachi de Oro and an all-Latinx cast in full Dia de los Muertos-inspired costumes and makeup. And, of course, there will be plenty of blacklight. 8 p.m. Saturday through Nov. 1. $15. 617 Congress Ave. hideouttheatre.com. Institution Theater. At “Anything Live!” the improvised comics of the Institution present a cornucopia of entertainers, from stand-up comedians to wrestlers — all the misfit entertainment acts that don’t fit anywhere else. 8 p.m. Thursdays. Free. The Clubhouse, 3800 Woodbury Drive. theinstitutiontheater.com.
Tim Allen at Bass Concert
Hall. Who hasn’t heard of Tim Allen’s story? His troubled beginnings, which included a prison stint? His trademark grunt, which catapulted him to fame in the hit series “Home Improvement”? Hey, the guy even played Santa Claus! Allen made news last year when his show “Last Man Standing” was abruptly canceled by ABC and rose like a TV phoenix with a new home on Fox. Through all of it, Allen has been solidly touring as a stand-up. The larger-than-life Bass Concert Hall is the perfect setting for this larger-thanlife comedy star. 8 p.m. Sept. 21.$65-$85.BassConcert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Drive. texasperformingarts.org. —Brently Heilbron The Velveeta Room. Johnny Taylor with Jered McCorckle, 9 and 11 p.m. Friday, 9 p.m. Saturday. $10. 521 E. Sixth St. 512-469-9116, thevelveetaroom.com.