A typical night at the Napa Valley Opera House tends to make this reporter feel conspicuously young. I’ll let my hair down from its ponytail and trade my flip flops for a pair of heels in an attempt to blend in. But Saturday night, at the Opera House’s Best of the San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition, the ponytail prevailed.

The usually homogeneous Opera House crowd was transformed into a diverse collection of people of different backgrounds, ages and socio-economic situations, even taste in apparel. The crowd displayed a smattering of designer cocktail dresses, young couples sporting denim jeans. Somewhere near stage right was a bachelorette party where a bride-to-be donned a veil and plastic tiara.

The Opera House, it seemed, had gotten a facelift.

In a town where the common complaint from young people is that there is nothing to do on a Saturday night, the Opera House tapped into a new market. Twenty- and 30-somethings migrated from downtown bars and found themselves at the Opera House, but they weren’t there to see the opera.

The Best of the San Francisco International Stand-up Comedy Competition, was, well, just that, a two-hour highlight of previous Comedy Competition performers. Call it a Cliffs Notes for comedy.

Featuring comedians Vargus Mason, Rob Brackenridge, emcee Miles Kehoe and 2000 Comedy Competition winner Danny Bevins, the show brought worlds together under the same roof.

Opera house… meets pot jokes.

Pot jokes galore, in fact. One couldn’t help but laugh with Kehoe as he relived his failed attempts at functioning while under the influence. After all, why do people go bowling when they’re high? And no, one must never eat peanut butter after smoking a joint.

The evening’s biggest crowd pleasers were Vargus Mason and Danny Bevins. Mason, who took second place at the 2002 Comedy Competition, is a regular at the Los Angeles Improv and the World Famous Comedy Store, where he has performed with Drew Carey, Damon Wayans and Chris Rock. His television credits include Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham,” “Comics Unleashed” with Byron Allen and NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”

Mason’s afffability and intellect provided insight into the idiosyncrasies of everyday life. By taking simple observations — so simple they are often taken for granted — and turning them upside down, Mason hit the truth and the funny bone at the same time.

From his story about the one who got away (“Bring back my Playstation!”) to his confusion over a woman’s tendency to draw lipstick past the edge of her lips, Mason was right on, and the audience was right there with him.

He also noted the seeming incongruity of a comedy night at the Opera House. After one particularly raunchy joke, Mason laughed to himself, “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do that joke in Napa … Don’t get me wrong, though, I love old folks.”

Jaws dropped and looks were exchanged. He didn’t mean that, right? Or did he? Either way, Mason had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.

The headliner of the comedy show was 2000 Comedy Competition winner Danny Bevins, whose credits include the HBO “Comedy Festival” and Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” as well as successful runs in several prestigious national and international comedy competitions.

Bevins, who made his “I hate the world” philosophy immediately clear the moment he stepped on stage, greeted the audience with an insulting pun. Think “Napa” meets Don Imus’ racial slur. The insult drew the loudest — and longest — laugh of the night.

From start to finish, Bevins was disturbingly funny. Smart and cynical, he meandered back and forth across the stage as he spit out biting one-liners and harsh social criticism.

And let’s just say he suggested a few useful tips for making the workplace more fun, such as decorating your cubicle as a torture chamber. For the unemployed, he suggests applying for a job as a bus driver and telling the prospective employer that you’re a narcoleptic (“But, it’s a government job; we can’t discriminate!”).

“I love it when the audience gets offended,” Bevins laughed. “I love it when someone comes up to me and says, ‘You know, that joke really offended me.’ I say, ‘Really? I’ve got to move that joke up to the top of my list!’”

One got the feeling that this comedian wasn’t joking.

Congratulations to the Napa Valley Opera House for putting on a smart, daring show that extended beyond its usual comfort zone. Don’t misunderstand: There’s nothing in the world like opera, but sometimes, a good laugh just hits the spot.