Comedy competitions are infinitely more enjoyable than tragedy contests, where competitors must pique audience pathos with nothing but Grecian masks and Elizabethan hand gestures. Flex languishing laugh muscles with today's Groupon: for $25, you get one admission to the "Big Bang Show", VIP access, and $20 worth of buffet fare and drinks at Nova 535 Unique Event Space in St. Petersburg (up to a $60 value). The show is held at 8 p.m. the first Thursday of each month beginning Thursday, March 3. The dinner buffet opens at 7 p.m.

The boisterous variety show features the multifaceted talents of local performers and fetes interactive onlookers with comedic crescendos from the Got Jokes? improv troupe. As hollow funny bones get their fill from the on-stage antics, more serious appetites are sated with a buffet spread of freshly prepared cuisine. Explore the elevated VIP lounge complete with a roomy balcony, perfect for hob-knobbing with your favorite contestants, and snag spirited adult beverages from the full bar before settling into your comfy, stage-adjacent seat. The fourth season of the energetic competition brandishes a lively panel of local celebrity judges who crown a winner at each show based on audience votes and the contestants' best puppy-dog faces. The champion chortle master takes home a $250 cash prize and the opportunity to garnish his or her checking account or mattress bank with a $1,000 grand prize, culminating on June 2.

The elegant 7,000-square-foot modern art lounge and event space blankets its brick walls with multihued regional masterpieces and celebrates myriad organized occasions, from lavish weddings to corporate cat cotillions.

Reviews

Tampa Bay Metro Magazine readers named Nova 535 Best Blank Canvas in 2010. Metromixers give the venue a 3.5-star average rating.

• This multi-purpose space encompasses both the historic and the modern. – Tampa Bay Metro Magazine