There’s been no shortage of shortages over the last couple years, but one of the most difficult has been the deficit of laughter - and things worth laughing about. And let’s face it, we could use the healing power of laughter now more than ever.

Fortunately, Miners Alley Playhouse is filling that prescription for audiences with its comedy, “Moon Over Buffalo.” And it’s arriving two years later than was originally planned.

“We were one week away from opening our production on March 20 when everything shut down. We had to just keep postponing the production,” said Rory Pierce, who is directing the show. “Especially after everything we’ve been through, we thought people could use a good laugh. So, we thought it would a great fit to bring back.”

“Moon Over Buffalo” runs at Miners Alley, 1224 Washington Ave. in Golden, from Friday, Jan. 28 through Sunday, March 20. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The theater is requiring masks to be worn by all audience members and proof of vaccination for everyone 12 years old and older.

Written by Ken Ludwig, the show follows Charlotte (Abby Apple Boes) and George Hay (Larry Cahn), an acting couple touring with a repertory company that’s performing “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Noel Coward’s “Private Lives” in Buffalo in 1953. What ensues is a comedy of errors as everything that can go wrong does, thanks in no small part to folks like Charlotte’s deaf, old stage-manager mother.

“The great thing about the show is that it gives every actor the opportunity to laugh at themselves,” Cahn said. “It’s a love letter to actors and a spoof of actors at the same time. It’s right in the wheelhouse of what so many of us like to do.”

Both Cahn and Pierce said they were surprised they were how easy it was to return to a show that was halted so close to getting off the ground. And the time between the two productions allowed Pierce to fine tune some things around the staging. And with most of the cast from the first attempt returning for this one, it’s a way to finally close a creative loop.

“When you have the opportunity to bring your own live experiences into a show like this, it’s one you have to take,” Pierce said. “For audiences, the show is an opportunity to forget about their own lives for a while, along with everything else going on in the world, and have a good time laughing at people in sillier situations than you are.”

Cahn agreed.

“The show is just silly,” he said. “There’s no message here - it’s just funny.”

Information and tickets can be found at minersalley.com/moon.

Go on a dinosaur adventure with Nizar Ibrahim

Coloradoans - like all humans - love dinosaurs. What’s not to love, after all? And if you love dinosaurs and want to learn about the Spinosaurus, a semiaquatic dinosaur, the University of Denver has you covered.

The Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, 2344 East Iliff Ave. in Denver, with National Geographic Live are presenting, “Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous with Nizar Ibrahim.” The event will be at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Ibrahim takes viewers on his trip to the deserts of North Africa as he searches for clues to life in the Cretaceous period.

Secure tickets at 303-871-7720 or at newmancenterpresents.com.

Don’t be afraid of seeing Virginia Woolf at the DCPA

Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is one of the towering achievements of the theater. The story of two couples who fight with each other for a messily drunk evening provides audiences with the chance to witness some of the most searingly written dialogue and characters to ever tread the boards.

Directed by Margot Bordelon, the Denver Center of the Performing Arts is staging a production in the newly renovated Singleton Theatre, 1400 Curtis St. in Denver, through Sunday, March 6. The cast features Jon Hudson Odom, Kelly McAndrew, Isabella de Souza Moore and Paul David Story.

For tickets and information, visit www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — ÑBA Leather at the Mission Ballroom

As is so often in the case, the best and most interesting music is being made in the independent and alternative scenes that don’t receive all the shine and radio play. This is true in almost all genres but is particularly true in rap, where practically every city and region has its own ecosystem. The ÑBA Leather tour is taking some of independent rap’s best voices around the country and they’ll be stopping in Denver.

Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist and Boldy James will all be performing at the Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9. As a producer, The Alchemist has worked with all three of the other performers and made some of their most dynamic music. This will be a fantastic show, so get tickets at www.missionballroom.com/event/421144-mission-ballroom-denver-tickets.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.