Laughter is the best medicine, though it tends to be the worst legal defense. Salute the healing art of improv with today's Groupon: for $6, you get one improv-show ticket (up to a $12 value) to ComedySportz Twin Cities in Calhoun Square, the 2010 City Pages pick for Best Improv Comedy Theater. Your Groupon is good for any performance at the theater, including the self-titled ComedySportz Show Thursdays through Saturdays and the Friday-night spectacle of Cinderella: Unscripted & Uncensored.

Much like a good presidential debate, the self-titled ComedySportz Show gives audiences the chance to shout out suggestions and get into the comedic mix. This long-running improvisational sensation pits two teams of quick wits against one another in a some-holds-barred, refereed stage match. If performers cross the naughty no-no line, the referee sacks their act by cloaking their taboo brain with a shameful brown bag. No two shows are alike because each night features a rotating cast of on-the-fly performers and an ever-changing lineup of short-form games. The winners, determined by laughs and applause, receive no tangible prizes, just temporary immortality.

For improv fans who are old enough to giggle about Dutch-made ovens, ComedySportz Twin Cities also puts on a weekly performance of Cinderella: Unscripted & Uncensored every Friday night at 10:30 p.m. Recommended for audiences 18 and up, this show depicts the tale of poor neglected Cinderella with a little help from audience-suggested twists, turns, and potty jokes. Reservations are highly recommended for both shows, and can be made by phone.

The shows are subject to availability, and reservations are strongly recommended for the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows.

Reviews

ComedySportz Twin Cities won Best Improv Comedy Theater in the City Pages 2010 Best of Awards. Four Yelpers give it an average of four stars, and more than 1,400 Facebookers are fans.

• Comedy isn't usually considered a spectator sport, but it is at this longtime improv institution. Except that in this game, everybody wins. – City Pages
• I had a group of people come for my birthday party… I have been there on a date as well. Both shows were funny, good quality comedy. Make this a part of your night in Uptown. – Kendra P., Yelp