Ben Bailey

Thu., June 25, 8 p.m.; Fri-Sat, June 26-27, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $15-$30, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, heliumcomedy.com.

by Chelsea Calhoun

[ comedy ]

Ben Bailey's in town, but before all you crazy Cash Cab fans hail every yellow taxi you see, you should know that the host of Discovery Channel's vehicular game show is here performing standup — something he's been doing for the past 15 years.

Cash Cab features Bailey, a licensed cabbie, as he drives throughout New York City, quizzing patrons about trivia and offering cash prizes to those who stay in the game long enough.

His standup act, though, is what keeps him sane.

"I have to do comedy, or I'd go to bananas," says Bailey. And since becoming the "Cash Cab guy," he's tried to create a robust routine that relies on observational and sometimes crass humor, and doesn't leave audience members thinking, "What? This guy only talks about his show?"

"I'm fine with being the Cash Cab guy, but I really wanna show them that I'm more than the Cash Cab guy," says Bailey. "That sounds really Afterschool Special, doesn't it?"

Thu., June 25, 8 p.m.; Fri-Sat, June 26-27, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $15-$30, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, heliumcomedy.com.