Dodging the New Year’s Day doldrums, Ray & Laura brought a special Friday night edition to Small’s this month.

Happy New Year! Nothing helps to ease back into the workaday world of 2015 like a little laughter, and there were a lot of laughs to choose from on Friday, January 2nd, when a special Friday-night edition of Ray & Laura’s Comedy Showcase brought a whirlwind of short sets to Small’s in Hamtramck.

Co-host Ray Hollifield (50 percent of Ray & Laura, and 100 percent of Ray).

With regular co-host Laura Witkowski unfortunately absent due to a family emergency, Ray Hollifield called in pinch-host Blain Hill, who has plenty of practice from hosting the inaugural Blain & Diego Comedy Show, a showcase at New Way Bar on December 19th. Regular installments of Blain & Diego will take place the first Friday of every month (except for the first two shows; you can stay up to date following @BlainHill & @DiegoComedy).

Ferndale comic Andy French, who brought laughs to bear on the loss of his mother, proving, as he said, that anything can be funny when you look at it right.

The first half of the evening was short sets, featuring 12 comics in approximately five-minute increments. Performances ran the gamut of seasoned to uncomfortable, but the energy was more or less unflaggingly supportive.

In the absence of Laura, Catye Palomino was the only female comic of the night, representing Grand Rapids here on the Eastside.

Following a brief break, the comics were back to the stage for Stand-Prov, a stand-up/improv mash-up, where comics improvise based on audience suggestions collected in a jar during the first part of the show.

Show closer and surprise drop-in Josh Adams brought the house down. He’ll be at the next Ray & Laura’s, but you can catch him all over the place this January – not to be missed!

The recurring event represents Ray and Laura’s best efforts to generate momentum around the Detroit stand-up scene, and from the energy in the standing-room-only crowd, it is a welcome addition. You can catch all the regular Ray & Laura action on the first Thursday of every month, over at Small’s.

Small’s: 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; 313-873-1117; www.smallsbardetroit.com