Click above to buy a $12 ticket to Greg Giraldo on Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. (a $31 value). Click on the links below for other dates and times:

• Buy here for a $14 ticket on Friday, March 5, at 8 p.m. (a $33 value)
• Buy here for a $14 ticket on Friday, March 5, at 10 p.m. (a $33 value)
• Buy here for a $14 ticket on Saturday, March 6, at 7 p.m. (a $33 value)
• Buy here for a $14 ticket on Saturday, March 6, at 9 p.m. (a $33 value)

Comedy has come a long way since Trog the Cavemedian and his side-splitting act that involved making the audience watch him skin a moose in a funny way. See the progress for yourself with today’s Groupon for one ticket to Greg Giraldo’s stand-up at The Improv Comedy Club, which is conveniently located downtown. The value of your Groupon also includes an appetizer. Like most comedy clubs, The Improv chooses your seating, enforces a dress code, and requires an additional item purchase.

Founded in New York City during the ‘60s, The Improv has since grown to be one of the top laugh houses around, having hosted celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Tim Allen, Huckleberry Hound, and Jim Carrey. Greg has appeared on Comedy Central, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Marcus Welby, M.D. several times, and developed his own short-lived sitcom on ABC. You can watch Greg perform with a mouthful of appetizer that’s included in this Groupon. Improv’s menu includes ultimate nachos ($12.99 value), roasted jalapeno and lobster con queso ($9.99 value), or the ahi seared tuna ($11.99 value).

It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and roughly 317 to tell a bad joke, so it’s best to leave the funny business to the pros. Featuring an intimate setting, great food, and an abundance of booze-fueled, breath-shortening hilarity, The Improv will help you fulfill the daily dose of 8.5 laughs recommended by the American Chuckle Association.

Reviews

Reviews can be mixed, but most agree that the entertainment provided at the Improv Comedy Club is a regular hootenanny, and the food is great. TripAdvisors give three stars alongside fanatical Facebook fans: > * Our server was a lof [sic] of fun and we never had to wait too long for drinks. We shared a few appetizers which were yummy. The nachos are enormus [sic] !!! My friend got the bourbon burger. She let me try it and I was impressed, very good! My friend then somehow got hypnotized and ended up on stage! It was a lot of fun, we will definitly [sic] return to see another show! – awall1985, TripAdvisor > * I couldn’t believe the food was so good. We were very hesitant to by the package for dinner and show because we figured that the comedy club couldn’t possibly have food we would like. Boy were we wrong my husband and I ate every last bite of our Surf N Turf the filet melted in my mouth – villegirljudy, TripAdvisor > * first time on 4th street this weekend and it was the time of my life…im definitely coming back [sic] – Adam M Hays, Facebook

And check out comedian Greg Giraldo’s 2007 interview with Rebecca Weiss of the Cornell Daily Sun: > * Daze: [Laughs] Who, yourself excluded for argument’s sake, is the funniest person you’ve ever met?… G.G.: See that’s an interesting question because there’s a difference between professionally funny, those comics I think are funny, and the funniest people you ever meet, who are very oftentimes just raving psychotics on the subway. They’re not being intentionally funny, but they’ve probably provided more mirth and laughter than any professional comedians out there. So I don’t know. The person that makes me laugh most in real life is Danny Bonaduce.