Big Laughs in Sin City

Comedians have been killing it in Las Vegas since the 1950s when guys like Shecky Greene played the New Frontier with an up-and-comer named Elvis Presley as the opener. Check out some of these acts to find out what’s so funny about seeing comedy in Sin City.
Kathy Griffin

Now upgraded from the D list, Kathy Griffin brings her raunchy, take-no-prisoners humor to Las Vegas for two performances. Griffin is perhaps best known for her Emmy-winning Bravo reality series, “My Life on the D-List,” but she’s also a hard-working stand-up comedienne whose act specializes in the killer celebrity take down.

March 15 and May 23
10 p.m.
Terry Fator Theatre, The Mirage
$59 to $79
www.mirage.com

Bill Maher

“All marriages are same-sex marriages. You get married and every night it’s the same sex.” One never knows in which direction Bill Maher will point his barbed shaft of satire, but likely targets are righty politics, religion, the media and pot. Maher is host of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” and directed the popular documentary “Religulous.”

March 22 and 23
8 p.m.
The Pearl, Palms Casino Resort
Starting at $50
www.palms.com

Bruce Baum

From the department of you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it: Bruce Baum’s “Paper Bag Rock ’n’ Roll,” in which the Southern California-based comic re-creates classic rock hits by banging empty grocery sacks against a microphone. Baum has appeared on “The Simpsons” as himself and is coauthor of the hilarious “Letters From a Nut” books.

March 24 through 30
8:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Laugh Factory Las Vegas, Tropicana
$35
www.troplv.com

Henry Phillips

Guitar-strumming comic Henry Phillips’ unlovable loser persona is hard not to laugh at. Phillips has appeared on “Comedy Central Presents,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and the podcast “WTF With Marc Maron.” His film “Punching the Clown” won the Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival and is becoming a cult classic with indie film fans.

March 25 through 30
8:30 and 10 p.m.
The Improv, Harrah’s Las Vegas
Starting at $29
www.harrahslasvegas.com

Jeffrey Ross

The “Roastmaster General” only roasts the ones he loves, so get ready for a whole lot of love when Jeffrey Ross headlines on the Strip this spring. Ross has participated in some 11 Comedy Central roasts for celebrities including Pamela Anderson, James Franco, Charlie Sheen, Joan Rivers and Donald Trump. He hosts “The Burn With Jeff Ross” on Comedy Central.

April 5
10 p.m.
Terry Fator Theatre, The Mirage
$40 and $50
www.mirage.com

Lily Tomlin: An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin

Let’s hope that comic genius Lily Tomlin brings along a few friends for her Las Vegas show, like devilish Edith Ann, Trudy the Bag Lady and erstwhile telephone operator Ernestine, who is now unleashing her inimitable brand of effrontery at a health insurance claims department. Since rising to national prominence on “Laugh-In,” Tomlin has become one of America’s most beloved comediennes.

May 11
3 p.m.
Reynolds Hall, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
$29 to $79
www.thesmithcenter.com

—Anne Burke, Brand Publishing Writer