Amy Schumer
May 3 at 8; Aladdin Theater

Hot on the heels of Inside Amy Schumer, her new sketch-variety show on Comedy Central, comes the woman herself, an amiable, self-deprecating lass with a wit keen enough to land her a fourth-place finish in season five of Last Comic Standing. Example: Schumer's opinion of male models? “Honestly, they’re so out of my reach that they don’t even register as attractive to me,” she says.

Chris Hardwick
May 9–1l at 7:30 & 10; Helium Comedy Club

The secret of his success has been to claim the crown of Nerdlandia as his own. As the man behind The Nerdist empire and the host of AMC's The Talking Dead, Hardwick has proven that he is indeed the voice of a plugged-in generation. He's also keeping an eye out for his fellow nerds, even offering dating tips: "Incremental changes are the best," he advises. "You don't have to go from zero to Dos Equis guy."

Russell Peters
May 10 at 8; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

As a Canadian Indian ("convenience store, not casino," he clarifies) that grew up in a black neighborhood, Peters has made it his mission to defuse racism through shared laughter. He's well-qualified for this job since his ethnicity allowed him the privilege of being harassed by both whites and blacks as a youngster. He's also a staggeringly successful comedian—Forbes magazine listed Peters as earning $5-15 million a year! He's definitely doing something right.

David Alan Grier
May 17 at 9; Bagdad Theater

He's a familiar face to anyone who grew up watching In Living Color, an able impressionist and a quick-thinking improviser, who inhabited a number of characters on the show, including the fabulous Antoine Merriwether, the cohost of Men on Film and no-nonsense shop teacher Al MacAfee. When he's not doing the funny, Grier can be found on Broadway—he studied Shakespeare at Yale—as a serious thespian, starring in David Mamet's Race and currently in a relaunch of the Gershwin musical Porgy and Bess.

Ross Mathews
May 17 at 8; Aladdin Theater

From gay intern to gay intern with a speaking part! Mathews got his start as "Ross the Intern" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and has moved on to become a regular reporter on the E! Network turning up with some frequency on red carpets alongside Guiliana Rancic. Thus, we can expect plenty of caustic observations about celebrities and the crap-tastic clothes they wear. It's about time someone was brave enough to take on this taboo subject! Mathews just released his first book, Man Up: Tales of My Self Delusional Self-Confidence, that details his rise from small-town obscurity to pop-culture pundit.

Patton Oswalt
May 24–25 at 7:30 & 10; Helium Comedy Club

Really, this man needs no introduction. And considering that he's hot property as a television guest star (Justified, Burn Notice, Parks & Recreation, to name a recent few), it could well be that opportunities to see him perform stand-up might be on the decline. If you haven't seen his one-take filibuster from Parks & Recreation, please drop what you're doing and watch.

Natasha Leggero
May 30 at 8 & 10; Mississippi Studios

"Bragging about having sex with a prostitute is like bragging about getting Dorito's from a vending machine," says Leggero. "It doesn't take any special skill." When Leggero isn't putting folks in their place—rappers, Rite-Aid employees, and conservative politicians are among her targets—she's wondering why in the world women want to become parents. "You can't do anything, you can't go anywhere—it's like getting a DUI from the universe."