Remember the first time you got dumped? Or the worst time you got dumped? Maybe it wasn’t such a huge deal, or maybe you’re still wading through the fallout from a messy separation — or maybe you’re still not over the One Who Got Away.

Probably, re-living the lower points of your own romantic past isn’t the most uplifting activity, but admit it — hearing about other people’s heartbreak tends to make your own pain a little more bearable.

Enter The Divorce Show, an NYC-based revue that lets comics vent about their failed relationships. While hanging out with newly-single friends tends to be a little tedious, hearing some of the smartest stand-ups out there dissect divorce (and the myriad, unexpected ways it’s impacted them) is as enlightening as it is entertaining. Cathartic both for performers enjoying a sympathetic ear and audience members who can relate (unless you’re one of those one-in-a-billion couples who met on the playground, chances are you’ve got an ex or two you’d like to forget), the show explores the ways our lives change when we’re learning to live on our own again.

We talked to Divorce Show creator Barry Weintraub to learn more about why comedy’s great at masking pain — and why it just might be a good idea for Austin’s attorneys to check out the show’s two Moontower appearances.

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What can we expect to see at The Divorce Show?

This is the first time it’s leaving New York State, so it’s subject to other states’ laws in the subject of divorce. We’re really excited about this one, we’ve got a great lineup: we’ve got Margaret Smith, who’s a six-time Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and comedienne who not only brings her great comic style, but she’s got kids and she was married to a woman, so that breaks one of the walls on our show.

We’ve got Pat Dixon, a two-time divorcee who, in addition to being a comic in New York City, also hosts an occasional burlesque show and has been seen on Comedy Central in his own half hour special. Steven Kent McFarlin, who also goes by the name ‘Spanky,’ is an Austin resident, born and bred in Texas; he too is a two-time divorcee. And Shayla Rivera, who is a single mom, who also has roots there in Texas.

So, we’re really looking forward to this lineup we have for both nights. The trick is, we’re doing this thing sort of after work and before dinner. A lot of the downtown folks might want to come in — you know who we really want to reach out to? The attorneys. If you’re in the divorce court field, come to the show; you’ll have a couple of laughs and might pick up a few clients.

What inspired The Divorce Show?

Well, I went through all of the legal entanglements of a divorce without ever having to marry, and I tell that story onstage — I don’t like to talk about it too much out of feat of waking a sleeping mummy, an evil spirit. So I was exposed to divorce through the courts and dealing with attorneys, and that’s how I first got the idea.

I looked into it and I was surprised by how little is catering to such a large market; if 50% of people get divorced, there’s a ton of people who A. have this common theme to laugh at, and B. they want to get out of the house, have a couple of drinks and meet people. What better place than a comedy club to do that?

There are some excellent shows (like The Mental Illness Happy Hour and Here to Help) that are grounded in comedy but take a more intimate approach to interviewing; what do you think makes comedy well-suited to inspiring more serious conversation?

Laughter is always the best therapy, and anyone who takes life too seriously isn’t going to enjoy the ride. Laughter is a great way of breaking down walls and getting people to think and focus on important issues. If you get them to laugh at something, it gets the mind moving, and some of the things you’re laughing at might stick with you.

Comics are pretty bright people and they come from many, many different fields; some people go right into comedy, some people live entire lifetimes then turn to comedy, so they can bring a lot of life wisdom. The comic who brings a lot of life experience to the stage is the one who will relate to a lot of people, and the key to success is relating to as wide an audience as possible.

I think that might be a reason people are reaching out to these audiences, and that’s why I think The Divorce Show has a lot of potential — because there are just are so many people who share the commonality of divorce.

Plus, there are so many aspects of it; there’s the flat out legal aspect, which I went through, there’s being a single parent, there’s dealing with the abusive spouse, or the stupid spouse, or starting over again, or dating. And the comics have all been through it.

Do you think comedians in particular tend to have bad breakup stories?

I guess comics have their reasons that things don’t work out, but I don’t know. They might be a little more susceptible; comics are on the road, it’s really hard to keep a relationship together. But as you’ll see, with our act, some of these guys got married very young, which is a mistake we can all make — when you’re not ready you’re not ready. But if you live your life traveling, it’s hard to keep a relationship alive, because you’re not together — and I would suppose there’s some temptation out there as well.

But what we like to say is, one bad breakup qualifies anybody to be a part of this show, because whether or not it was a legal marriage we’ve all been through that horrible relationship that ended badly. It’s a point of reference we can all relate to.

And you can learn a lot from the show, I like to say. Especially when comedians are concerned, their pain is your gain. A lot of people learn through comedy; while you’re laughing, something sticks in your head, and it may be the thing that gets you through the agony of it all. And even if its not… take a night off from your pain, laugh a little bit. The pain will still be there in the morning.

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Barry Weintraub (and 70+ other comics) will be performing at the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival April 25 - 28.Single performance tickets and festival passes are available now.