The Comedy Store – Sunset
By: Paul Benevich
If you are a fan of comedy, then a night out at the Comedy Store is a must. Of all the comedy venues nationally, The Comedy Store on Sunset is one of the most famous and storied venues. It has fostered and matured some of the nation’s top comedians, and alumni include Richard Pryor, Dave Letterman, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Griffin, Kevin Hart, Andy Kaufman, Michael Keaton, Sam Kinson, Martin Lawrence, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Howie Mandel, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Joe Rogan, Ray Romano, Bob Saget, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Pauly Shore, David Spade, Jimmy Walker and Robin Williams to name only a few.
A little history
The Comedy Store was launched in April 1972 by Sammy Shore and Rudy De Luca and shortly after, Mitzi Shore (Pauly Shore’s mom) acquired the venue in her divorce from Sammy shore.
From that moment on, Mitzi Shore became, the mother of comedy. The Store was one of the first venues where you could find a night of comedy. Before that, comedians were generally opening acts for a night of music and dance. Mitzi Shore helped foster a comedic night out where an audience could watch one comedian after another.
Launching comedic national talent
Mitzi created a platform where inspiring comedians could practice and mature their craft and Mitzi was the gatekeeper to America’s comedic talent. Every inspiring comedian that wanted to perform at The Comedy Store had to audition. The Store is famous for its Potluck Monday which still exists today, where hundreds of inspiring comedians sign-up on Monday and then 15-20 lucky participants are randomly picked for a 3-minute audition, and when Mitzi was still alive, it was Mitzi that you had to impress. If you were able to catch Mitzi’s attention, she would pull you aside and invite you to perform again as a non-regular. The current talent gatekeeper is Adam Eget.
When Mitzi was running the show, if you were lucky enough to be invited back, you had to start as a doorman working at the club, to get additional time in front of an audience. Even today, almost anyone you see working at the Comedy Store is aspiring comedians trying to earn another opportunity to perform in front of a live audience and improve their craft.
This framework was amazingly successful and the reason why there are so many successful Comedy Store Alumni.
Although Mitzi is no longer with us, the Potluck Mondays live on. The Potluck Mondays are in the original room. Click here for tickets if you want to watch these comedic hopefuls perform on Potluck Mondays. As an audience member, don’t expect polished performances but appreciate the guts it takes for these want-to-be famous comedians to get on stage and perform live. Most will bomb, but perhaps you will get to experience the emergence of a future national star.
For Comedy Store Tickets click here.
The Tonight Show – national stage
When Johnny Carson and the Tonight Show moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1972, it put The Comedy Store on the map. Performing on the Tonight Show was a way a comedian could attract a national audience overnight. In the ’70s and 80s every comedian wanted a chance to perform on the Tonight Show and the Tonight Show sourced much of their talent at the Comedy Store.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Just as Malcolm Gladwell suggested in his book “The Tipping Point,” It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a Master. Well, the Comedy Store was where comedians could perform show after show leveraging three different stages to work jokes, perfect their style and find their voice, and hopefully master their craft. Mitzi created this platform that allowed talented up-and-coming comedians to push their boundaries and get the live audience practice necessary to capture the national stage.
When an audience buys tickets to one of the three stages to watch comedy, you are participating in the development of these comedians. You get to watch as these comedians try and test new comedic bits and share in their success and failures. Testing new bits on stage is vital to perfecting a joke and this is the process whether you are an aspiring up-and-comer or a successful and nationally recognized comedian.
A night of comedy and some surprise guests
What is great about heading to the Comedy Store is you get to watch a mix of experienced and less experienced comedians in a given show. Also, the Comedy Store has such enormously successful alumni, that on any given night, you might have someone unexpected drop in to practice a bit.
According to The Comedy Store Showtime Documentary, the night before the 2020 Oscars that Chris Rock and Steve Martin were co-hosting, both were residing at the famous Chateau Marmont and they wanted to work on some of their timing. They dropped in at the Comedy Store and at the end of a comedic session, they took over the stage and practiced their Oscar bits in front of the audience. How crazy would it have been to be in the audience that evening and get to watch two of the most accomplished comedians on the stage together? The crowd obviously went nuts.
These drop-ins are very common at the Comedy Store.
The Comedy Store has infiltrated America’s pop culture. The Comedy Store alumni are everywhere including in sitcoms, movies, and talk shows. Whether you live in Southern California or traveling to Los Angeles, this is one of those iconic venues everyone should visit.
Make a night of it
The Comedy Store is a great place for a couple of drinks – Note: There is a two-drink minimum required when you attend. If you want to have dinner before or after a show there are a slew of restaurants within a ½ Mile of the venue. Head out to Carney’s Hollywood for a burger or to the Pink Taco for great gourmet Mexican food.
Click here for a list of restaurants.
Parking
When I last attended, they advertised parking directly adjacent to The Comedy Store for $16. According to the Comedy Store Website, they do not have parking at the venue.
Click here for more info on The Comedy Store.
Click here to purchase tickets.
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