Laughter is an instant vacation.
~ Milton Berle
Lighten up! After a stressful week – or day – at the office, there is nothing better than kicking back, relaxing and taking in a show. A good laugh might just take your mind off things – or at least help you find humor in many of life’s little jokes.
Funny Bone Comedy Club & Café
145 Easton Town Center
Columbus, OH 43219
614-471-JOKE
www.gofunnybone.com
88 Plum St., Suite 200
Beavercreek, OH 45440
937-429-LAFF
www.daytonfunnybone.com
Mezzanine Level of Newport on the Levee
One Levee Way, Suite 3124
Newport, KY 41071
859-957-2000
www.funnyboneonthelevee.com
The Funny Bone Comedy Clubs are known for bringing some of the biggest names in comedy to Ohio and Northern Kentucky. “We have a great backing and a lot of history,” says Rick Bruner, general manager at The Funny Bone of the Levee. “So we have access to some of the top comics that are touring.”
Since the Columbus Funny Bone opened its doors in 1987, followed by The Funny Bone on the Levee in 2003 and the newest addition, the Dayton Funny Bone at The Greene in 2006, the clubs have featured humorists such as Drew Carey, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Ellen Degeneres, Elaine Boozler and many more. The clubs also feature a lot of up-and-comers, providing a lot of new and exciting shows. The Columbus Funny Bone clubs has nightly comedy shows, so there is never an excuse not to have a laugh.
A full food and drink menu is available at each of the Funny Bone clubs and tickets are reasonably-priced, from $10, depending on the comic and day of the show. “We try to offer a unique and exciting atmosphere,” Bruner says.
Wiley’s Comedy Nightclub
101 Pine St.
Dayton, OH 45402
937-224-JOKE
www.wileyscomedyclub.com
Ohio’s oldest comedy club, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has also played host to numerous widely-known comedians, in addition to many up and comers. “We have had just about everybody,” says owner Rob Haney. The club also features an amateur night on Sundays, so those looking to break into the comedy world can show off their skills.
“Our customers are confident there will be a good show every night we’re open,” Haney says. In fact, he credits Wiley’s success to the fact that “no matter what, we put on the best show possible.”
The club sells “bar food items,” including appetizers, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches and popcorn, to name a few, and features an extensive drink menu. There is a two-item minimum, which can be reached economically with two popcorns at $1.50 each.
Shows are Thursday through Sunday, with tickets starting at $5 for Thursday and Sunday shows, $10 for Friday shows and $12 for Saturday shows. Bigger names draw a higher ticket price.
Go Bananas Comedy Club
8410 Market Place Lane
Montgomery, OH 45242
513-984-9288
www.gobananascomedy.com
Go Bananas features comics that run the gamut. From big names that have been featured on Bob & Tom, Comedy Central, BET and more, to Pro/Am nights on Wednesdays where you get the chance to see local newbies, amateurs and professionals drop new material. Go Bananas also regularly features staff favorites, like Troy Baxley, voted by Entertainment Business Journal as one of the funniest comedians in the country, who will perform at the club March 8-11.
Go Bananas serves “bar food” and has an extensive drink menu, which includes beer, mixed drinks, frozen drinks and shooters and wine by the glass or bottle. The club has shows Wednesday through Sunday, with two shows on Friday and Saturday.
Hilarities 4th Street Theatre
At Pickwick & Frolic Restaurant & Club
2035 E. 4th St.
Cleveland, OH 44115
216-241-7425
www.hilarities.com
Hilarities, a fixture in Cleveland’s comedy scene, has been around since 1986. Five years ago, the club moved to its current location, inside Pickwick & Frolic Restaurant & Club, a 185-seat casual dining restaurant. “It’s not just a comedy room,” says John Lorince, marketing director for the restaurant and club. “It is a 27,000-square-foot venue, restaurant, martini bar, cabaret room and 400-seat comedy theater all under one roof.”
The location seats 400 in its tiered showroom, which includes floor seating and a mezzanine balcony with eight individual skyboxes seating between eight to 12 guests each. The room was strictly built for comedy with great sight lines and custom booth seating, according to Lorince.
The club features almost all nationally touring comedians. Some of the greats that have come through include Caroline Rhea, Greg Proops, Brett Butler, Tim Allen and Paul Reiser. There are shows every night of the week except Monday.
Tickets range between $12 and $15 on weekdays, between $15 and $18 on Fridays and between $17 and $25 on Saturdays, depending on the performer. Preferred seating is available through advance ticket purchases and is included in all dinner show packages.
The Cleveland Improv Comedy Club & Restaurant
2000 Sycamore St.
Cleveland, OH 44113
216-696-4677
www.improvupcoming.com
The only club in the state to carry the name of the premiere national comedy club, The Cleveland Improv features the most well-known comics as well as up and comers just starting to make their name in comedy. “We have the best of both worlds,” says Lee Herlands, general manager at the club.
The Cleveland Improv is located in the Powerhouse, built in 1887 as a powerhouse for the electricity for the trolley cars that ran in downtown Cleveland at the time. The club itself has been open for 18 years, maintaining the appeal of the more “old-style comedy clubs, with low ceilings and brick walls,” Herlands says. “And we have been here so long, so many comics have been through here, from Jerry Seinfeld to Drew Carey, our hometown favorite. It makes us different than some of the other clubs.”
The Improv features a full dinner menu, including steaks, fish, pasta, chicken, pizza, burgers, salads and sandwiches. The room seats 3,090, with priority seating going to guests who have dinner before the show. “It really makes for a fun dinner atmosphere – sitting in the show room, getting ready to watch some great comedy,” Herlands says.
Shows run Tuesday through Sunday, with two shows Friday and Saturday. Tickets range between $10 and $35, depending on the performer and night of the week.
Connxtions Comedy Club
5319 Heatherdowns Blvd.
Toledo, OH 43614
419-867-9041
www.connxtionscomedyclub.com
Connxtions has been serving the Toledo market for 15 years, and, according to manager Sheila Gomez, is the only comedy club in the area that continues to survive year after year. Gomez credits that to the fact that “we are considered an ‘A’ room, so we only get the best comics from New York to L.A.”
Examples of these “A” comics that have performed or frequent the club are Daman Wayans, Drew Carey, Kevin Pollack and Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved by the Bell), who visits the club every six months or so.
The club does foster new talent, holding an amateur night every Wednesday. “If we like the amateur, sometimes they will be invited to come back as our emcee to open the show,” Gomez says.
Connxtions seats 388 guests, and serves appetizers and “tons of drinks – lots of fun ones,” Gomez says. Shows are held Wednesday through Saturday, with two shows Friday and Saturday. Tickets range between $8 and $12, and members of the military receive free admission and guests get in free the week of their birthday with drink specials just for them. Group discounts are also available.
Funny Farm Comedy Club
1620 Motor Inn Dr.
Girard, OH 44420
330-759-HAHA
www.funnyfarmcomedyclub.com
Whether it is a more intimate show you crave or a huge name you have been dying to see, the Funny Farm is likely to satisfy. The club is located in the Holiday Inn Metroplex in Youngstown, with a comedy room that seats 200 and access to the ballrooms that can seat up to 2,000 for bigger names in comedy. It is attached to a dance club and restaurant, in addition to the hotel, so “you can do a whole weekend getaway,” says Funny Farm owner Dave Robich.
The club has been around since 1989, and has featured many big names of comedy, including Jeff Foxworthy, Colin Quinn, Sinbad and Auggie Smith, to name a few. It also hosts up and comers. “We have shows every week, with lots of young comedians that might not be known nationally, but do a great job every time they come to town,” Robich says.
Funny Farm serves a limited menu, since a restaurant is located in such close proximity. Showtimes vary, but are usually Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets generally go for $13.50, but special event shows can cost up to $27.50.
Trisha Barker is staff editor of CityScene Magazine.