The previously packed small, intimate rooms that host the world’s best headliners are thankfully filling back up, and you don’t wanna miss out in the month of May. There are some true “killers” (relax, it’s an industry term) coming through Phoenix, so be sure to peruse some of our finest, hand-picked selections.

5.6 – 5.7

Tony Hinchcliffe at Stand Up Live

Don’t let the slender frame fool you, Hinchcliffe’s comedic timing and dark, edgy humor will hit you like a 300 lb. linebacker. The host of the long-running “Kill Tony” podcast (where open mic’ers and everyday citizens do one-minute sets in front of a panel of stand-up all-stars), his first Netflix special (2016’s “One Shot”)  held the distinction of being captured in one continuous shot (a la the infamous Copa Cabana scene from Martin Scorcese’s “Goodfellas”). Be sure to catch the Comedy Store veteran, and bring the thickest skin possible. Single tickets $25. 7 + 9:45 p.m. 50 W Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ; standuplive.com // @standuplive

5.9

David Sedaris at The Orpheum Theatre

From humble beginnings as a housecleaner and Macy’s department store Christmas Elf, to one of the premier and talented humorists working today, the author stands alone as a singular voice in the literary world. Breaking out after an appearance on NPR in 1992, sharing several selections from what would become “The Santaland Diaries, he is the author of well-known collections of personal short stories and essays including “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” and “Calypso” which the Washington Post named a Best Book of the Year (2018). In advance of the release of his latest offering, “Happy-Go-Lucky,” the evening is sure to be filled with his signature sardonic wit and endless amounts of entertaining and enthralling anecdotes of his unique life. $29 – $69. 7 p.m. 203 W. Adams St., Phoenix, AZ; phoenixconventioncenter.com // @orpheumphx

5.20 – 5.22

Bruce Bruce at the Tempe Improv

From his humble beginnings in Atlanta, days as host BET’s “Comic View,” to many film and television appearances (“Idlewild,” “XXX:State of the Union,” “Undercover Brother 2,”) Bruce has carve a distinctive niche and name for himself over the last 30 years. It’s a great opportunity to see him in an intimate club or theater setting, after coming off several national concert and stadium tours (“LIT-AF Tour” with Martin Lawrence and “The Real Mike Epps Tour”). In addition to releasing his first book “Baby James Brown,” he’s been featured on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, his own “Comedy Central Presents” special, plus guest starring role alongside Loretta Devine in Netflix’s “Family Reunion.” Add in hilarious guest appearances in music videos for Ludacris, the Ying Yang Twins, Outkast along with standalone episodes of top-tier podcasts like Marc Maron’s “WTF” and Kevin Hart’s “Comedy Gold Minds,” and you’ve got a larger than life comedic presence you won’t’ want to miss. $30-40. 7 + 9:45 p.m. 930 E. University Dr. Tempe, AZ; standuplive.com // @standuplive

5.26

Chris DiStefano at Stand Up Live

With an upcoming Netflix special (“Speshy Weshy”) yet no stranger to stand-up, the Queens native initially rose to success after featuring as one of the breakout comedians on MTV’s Guy Code/Girl Code series, in addition to starring turns on Benders (IFC) and his own CBS sitcom. With several appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Seth Meyers and numerous Comedy Central specials (“38 Waist”) and appearances, his playfully aggressive but endearing stage presence can also be felt in his successful podcasts, “Chrissy Chaos” and “Hey Babe”, co-hosted with Impractical Jokers’ Sal Vulcano. $35-45. 7 + 9:30 p.m. 50 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ; standuplive.com // @standuplive

5.27 – 5.29

Dave Attell at Stand Up Live

The consummate road dog and pillar of New York’s best rooms, Dave Attell is a true “commedian’s comedian.” From his debut HBO special “Captain Miserable” to more recent entries like “Road Work” and “Bumpin’ Mics” with fellow stand-up stalwart Jeff Ross, he mixes gutter-level rauch with an indescribable reaffirming comfort that only he could pull off. A regular headliner at The Comedy Cellar, numerous sitcom appearances (“Arrested Development,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” etc.) and countless projects for Comedy Central (including a revival of “The Gong Show” and his signature series “Insomniac with Dave Attell”), this is a chance to see an incomparable living, working legend today. $30 7 & 9:45 p.m. 50 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ; standuplive.com // @standuplive