I didn’t see this groundbreaking show when it debuted a few years ago. Since then, #MeToo came into the mainstream and has challenged the stigma and culture of shame and silence around sexual assault.

If anything, #MeToo’s continued unmasking of serial sexual predators has only amplified the need for a show like Rape Is Real & Everywhere. It puts rape jokes in the hands of comedians who are survivors and it prioritizes their experiences, their healing, their voices.

Twenty standup comedians will perform throughout the show’s run, but the iteration I saw on Sunday  (September 8) was breathtakingly funny, surprisingly hopeful (they’ve all survived, they’re all here), and, of course, horrifying and enraging.

These are among the darkest of jokes, but they’re also some of the funniest, most mind-blowing things I’ve ever heard. The majority of survivors never actually get justice. A stage, a microphone, and a spotlight might just be the closest they’ll ever get, and that makes for a depressing reality as well as a powerful, unforgettable show.