Call the Ontario Improv - (909) 484-5411
Mention the Promotion word:
LAUGH
Limit of 4 free tickets per customer (while supplies last) for the following performance:
Wednesday, October 17 - 8:00 p.m
Ryan Sickler is performing - get your asses there!
The Laugh Lounge Gets Dirrrrrrty
Line-Up:
Matty Ballgame
Brian Swinehart
Dave Hanson
Dana Min Goodman
KT Tatara
Ben Gleib
Ryan Sickler
Shaq’s Donkey Dong, Dash of Downs, Sneezing Dicks…the Laugh Lounge got dirty last night…and I loved it! (more…)
Line-up:
Quinn Dahle
Josh Mullins
Matt Bronger
Jen Murphy
Sean Green
Daryl Wright
Dan Gabriel
Ian Bagg
Friday night…8pm…THE Hollywood Improv…that’s a prime time show. You know how many people were there…maybe 30…if we count the wait staff. Ian Bagg deserves better than that…in fact…stand-up comedy deserves better than that. Honestly…it makes me sad. The Improv needs to get their act together quickly…because they are getting lazy…not only with promotion of their shows…but with supplying a quality product, innovation, and creativity. If they don’t start applying fundamental business principles to the comedy business…they are going to go the way of the Comedy Store very quickly. You heard it here first. Look…the folks over at the Laugh Factory (with the exception of Brother Woods…great guy) are a bunch of douche bags. Jamie Masada and his staff treat patrons like shit…and I’ve heard worse about the comedians. But I can tell you this…he knows how to run a business. Friday and Saturday nights are packed there. He puts up the best comedians…during the prime time shows. You have to do that…for the good of the game. I’m going to get to the comedians now…but stay tuned for my blog on how the Improv can improve…I’m going to offer my suggestions because it’s by far my favorite club. I love it. And I don’t want it to become the Comedy Store.
Quinn Dahle
Quinn definitely brought it back around this time. He was faced with a small, tough crowd…and I felt like he did a good job loosening things up. Plus he didn’t say everyone was from Comedy Central when introducing them. Still would like to see more personal intros…but he did a great job. This is the great thing about comedy…I love watching improvement and struggle…and the process. It’s fascinating to me.
Josh Mullins
I guess Josh runs the room at Le Stats down in San Diego. A lot of my favorite comedians go down there…so it sounds like a good room. Josh is pretty low key and solid with his material. Nothing is popping for me…but he dealt with the small crowd well. This was a tough show folks…seriously.
Matt Bronger
I think I’m spelling his name wrong (PLEASE IMPROV…get a line-up card for every table…it’s a simple promotional tool that will help everyone…I promise). Matt was mostly clean. Started a little slow and all over the place…but I’ll tell ya’…the guy closed pretty strongly. I loved the joke about not being able to find your penis in freezing cold weather at a Chicago Bears game when you are in the bathroom…that’s a riot. Plus the owl stuff was very funny.
Jen Murphy
Jen was totally cute…sorry…I’m a dude…that’s the first thing I noticed. Not as hot as my girlfriend…but still (threw that in just in case…you know what I’m sayin’ fellas…). She said her vagina was sagging…hilarious!
Sean Green
Sean popped in for a quick 4 or 5…nothing is sticking with me.
Daryl Wright
There is nothing like discovering a new comedian who is really funny. It’s awesome. Daryl was great. He went up with the all important…”I don’t give a fuck attitude” and just had at it. His clan material was stellar. He’s really good…looking forward to seeing him again.
Dan Gabriel
Dan is very good. I love the jokes about having a baby in a week instead of 9 months…awesome. He’s polished…you can tell.
Ian Bagg
OK…let’s just say it right now…Ian Bagg is gifted. He is truely a gifted comedian and I don’t understand why he doesn’t have a show, a tour…something…christ. He goes up there…and just starts firing away with what almost seems like nothing. I’m not sure he has writting material. He uses the audience in a way that is more unique than anything I’ve seen before. Is there a better “crowd worker” in the business? If so…I haven’t seen him/her. I really love going to see him…and so should every other person who enjoys stand-up comedy…because he is one of the VERY few stand-up comedians who will give you a different show every time you see him. His skill level is incredible. At this show…some dude in the audience got served his divorce papers that night. Perfect. Ian tried to hook him up with some lady in the audience…just awesome!
I wish I could tell you the line-up for the show…but there was no “line-up card” (at some point people are going to pick-up on this), no list, and the host Dave Forseth, made it almost impossible to hear who he was introducing. I mean…it was ridiculous. If you’re the host…your job is to say every comedian’s name clearly. Give them a good intro…make the crowd anticipate their arrival on stage. it’s an unselfish position to be in…if you can’t do it…get the fuck out of the way because you are fucking up the show! You will never hear me give a comedian a hard time…bad set, no laughs, bad material…it doesn’t matter…you have my respect…UNLESS you are a bad host.
Dave had a tough set…I don’t mind that…I’ve seen Dave before at Red Rock…I like him…but Christ…at the very least…say the names of the comedians clearly so we know who’s going up. Folks…if you haven’t noticed…I believe the host job is ULTRA important. You are like the point guard for the comedy show. You need to look to make other people better. Be a team player. If you’re a shoot first host, so to speak, you screw up the whole show. Stephon Marbury is a shitty point guard…Steve Nash wins MVP’s…I’m just sayin’.
Anyway…Matt Baetz was in the line-up…I really like him. I think he’s one of the top up and comers in the city…he mailed in this performance though…got a little drunk he said…ahh well…shit happens people…you have bad days at work too.
I think a guy named Henry Phillips was there too…I wish I had a name. He was very good.
Zack Pollard - good set…good mic work…needs to write probably.
Pat Ney - I like Pat…he’s pretty good.
There were a few other folks…but again…I can’t help you if I don’t know names. This is fundamental in comedy btw…for club owners, promoters, comedians….if the audience doesn’t know your name…you’re screwed. Everyone needs to help each other out. Say your name clearly…give a website…make a line-up card…it’s simple stuff…word of mouth will carry you far. But the tools need to be in place. I bet 90% of people walk out of a show going…”I really liked that one guy who told that joke about carrots. What was his name again?” Basically…you just lost a fan/a sale/a walking billboard. Think about it.
Line-up:
Zack Pollard
Matty Ballgame
Erik Lundy
Christina Pazsitzky
Ron McGehee
Lachlan Patterson
Andrew Norelli
I grabbed a couple visiting from Minnesota off the Sunset strip to come see this show…they loved it…good stuff!
Zack Pollard -
Zack was really good as the host. He took the job seriously and introduced the comedians with energy and very clearly…I can really appreciate that. I think his material needs development…but he has good stage presence and verbal skills.
Ballgame -
Always coming with new material…his joke about catching up with old friends was absolutely stellar…that’s a keeper!
Erik Lundy -
This is my second time seeing Erik and he just seems frustrated by comedy and his heart isn’t there. He had a tough set.
Christina Pazsitzky -
She’s off the charts good…I love her. I want her at my 30th birthday. She’s dirty and clean…and smart…her material is great…she’s quick. She has the goods to be big time.
Ron McGehee -
I’ve seen Ron kill…tonight wasn’t it. His marriage material wasn’t hitting home with this crowd…but he kept plowing ahead with it. I respect that. That stuff happens.
Lachlan Patterson -
So good. Laid back…great material. Canadian. You’ll love this guy.
Andrew Norelli -
Norelli officially became big time in my eyes. I’ve seen him 3 times…and he hit it out of the park. BTW…Norelli has been doing comedy for 10 years…so who the fuck am I to say he’s big time now…he’s an established comedian. But to me…he has the material…the attitude…the presence…to be big. He just doesn’t have the name recognition yet. In my book…he’s as good as Byrne and a few other guys at that level. He and Sickler are killer. I’ll get Norelli to my 30th too. His joke about customer service at Sprint had me screaming…and his joke about Indians was priceless. Love this guy!
Line-up:
Taylor Williamson
Taylor Morgan
Kyle Smith
Jason Gillearn
Matt Fulchiron
Greg Fitzsimmons
Matt Ballgame billed this show as the one year anniversary…reality is…this show has been going on for over a year and just keeps building momentum. The audience keeps getting bigger and the comedians keep getting better. Ballgame’s show is a step above everyone else’s. From a audience perspective…you get to see the top headliner’s in the country and the best up and comers in the city. This isn’t a workout room…and Ballgame doesn’t throw up 12 comedians so that the audience just gets bored as shit. Even I don’t like that. For the comedians…you get a highly organized highly professional show. Great environment…great mixed crowd…and a line-up with other great comedians. You go in…you laugh hard for an hour and a half…and you our out. Best comedy show in the city!
This show was packed with frat guys…which threw a few of the comedians…very interesting to watch their reactions.
Taylor Williamson…solid.
Taylor Morgan…first time seeing her. She was good…dirty…I always like dirty and it worked well with this crowd. We talked before the show and she told me she was going to break out that material…so it worked.
Kyle Smith…I like Kyle a lot. His nickname joke is hilarious…Kyle “The Hookerstabber”. Awesome.
Gillearn…always solid. He never gets old to me. He’s not big nationwide…but in L.A. he’s the man.
Matt “The Fullcharge” Fulchiron…not gonna lie…he was off his game. The crowd may have thrown him.
Greg Fitzsimmons…what can you say…he’s a genius. I would love to spend an hour talking comedy with Greg. He’s awesome.
Highlights (and a couple of lowlights) from the last couple of shows I’ve seen at the Improv:
I saw Dave Attell a few weeks ago. Just an amazing comedian…like we all know. He successfully pulled of a Virginia Tech joke like only Dave can. Big shout out to Dee for setting me up at this show. Also want to note that Gillearn had a great set. But Dov Davidoff clearly came on stage RIPPED. Dov has an odd style…but it really screwed up his set. In general, I have been seeing a lot comedians coming to the stage high or drunk. It needs to stop. These guys are unable to perform this way. They may think it makes them better…but it screws them up…from Sarah Silverman to Dov Davidov…it just doesn’t work.
Saw the Sklar Bros. last week headline at the Improv…so impressive. The chemistry they have on stage is amazing. The Jew stuff is hilarious! Also, Orny Adams was excellent. However, an abrassive comedian from Pittsburgh needed some help (can’t recall his name…if the Improv did a line-up card…maybe I would…hint…hint!). His material was decent…but he didn’t know how to handle the crowd…and he kept walking away from the mic.
I need to call out Sadihki Fuller again…he’s a terrible and inconsiderate host. He continues to mess up other comedians names…which is shit! It’s SHIT! If you’re going to be the host…get it right…or go home. I don’t think he deserves to host there anymore. That’s the first time I’ve ever spoken those words about a comedian…but it’s a joke (no pun intended).