SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY COMPETITION
Each November, 32 comedians—give or take a Canadian—invade Seattle’s dark basement bars for a chance to compete for, basically, food treats and justification to continue living seasonally with mom and dad or on your couch while they work on their rom-com screenplay and masturbate to old Lenny Bruce jokes.
Tonight marks the first in a month of comedy battles: Sixteen challengers will compete with five minutes of their funniest material for your laughter and each other’s respect, which is a little like envy in short pants. The top five comedians with the highest scores at the end of week will move on to the semifinals; the rest will return to jobs at Best Buy or the Molson factory. Annex Theatre, 8 pm, $15 adv/$20 DOS, all ages.
ADAM CAYTON-HOLLAND, BRYAN COOK & JIM HICKOX
Denver comedian Adam Cayton-Holland has performed across the country with Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle, but this is his first Seattle appearance. Why not give him a proper Seattle welcome by showing up and laughing moderately? Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater, 7 pm, $7, 21+.
HARI KONDABOLU
Perennial Seattle favorite Hari Kondabolu is returning for two nights of new material about racism, sexism, homophobia, and baseball. Did you catch that? NEW MATERIAL! And if he doesn’t make you laugh, Kondabolu promises to stick around after the show to answer all of your technology questions and/or fix any broken computer hardware you bring. Odd Duck Studio; Monday at 9 pm, Tuesday at 7 and 9 pm; $6 adv/$8 DOS. 
Let’s see…
Far from performing in “Seattle’s dark basement bars”–the Seattle International Comedy Competition has, so far, taken its 32 competitors to theaters on Capitol Hill, in Auburn, over on Whidbey Island…as well as a restaurant in Port Townsend, a dj-dance club in Bellingham, a comedy club in Kirkland…as well as both Comedy Underground locations in Seattle and Tacoma.
Going into the Semi-Finals, these performers will perform at the gorgeous Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia, the equally gorgeous Edmonds Center for the Arts in Edmonds, Theatre on the Square in Tacoma…they’ll perform in the sold out 600-seat Pacific Showroom at the Skagit Valley Casino and a pizza-serving movie theater in Kelso.
And, in the finals, they’ll play a private show for the Washington Athletic Club, the amazing Admiral Theater in Bremerton, the Mt. Baker Theater in Bellingham, the quaint Vashon Theater on Vashon island…
This year’s roster include comedians from all over the United States in Canada–many of whom have legitimate television credits and are making a living doing comedy full time. Three of them are former finalists in this event.
Most importantly–this has been one of the most consistently funny rosters in the 32 year history of this competition.
These are very talented performers, Cienna…and they’re doing good work and they’re participating in a well-respected and important event (one that drew talent scouts from ABC, CBS, G4TV, Cartoon Network as well as various LA-based talent agencies… They’re competing for over $15,000 in prizes–with $5000 going to the winner, along with a $1000 advance on a recording contract with a major comedy recording label (and a paid headline weekend at the Comedy Underground.)
32 comedians (eleven of them from the area, three of whom have moved on to the Semi-Finals), 23 shows in 26 days…major prizes and industry interest.
This event isn’t the joke your blurb makes it out to be, Cienna…and neither are the comedians who were chosen from over 400 who applied or showcased to be part of it.