Maybe laughter is the best medicine.
A growing number of comedy troupes and stand-up comics are making the rounds around town, competing for your laughs — and your dollars. Several comedians say that in the past year they have seen bigger audiences and more opportunities to perform, and some say it’s the economy.
“People need a laugh. It’s definitely hard times,” said Odyssey Michaels, a local comic.
“Some of it has to do with the economy and the state of our country. Not to get political, but during Bush’s second term, the psychological climate just went down, like the whole country got depressed. Even now, we’re still trying to work out of that depression and Obama is like the rebound girlfriend,” Michaels said, borrowing a line from fellow comedian Kenny Chu.
Recognizing that demand, Michaels has parted ways with the Richmond Funny Bone at Short Pump Town Center, where he ran the monthly open mic night. He is preparing to open his own club at the Comfort Inn on Broad Street called Rita’s, an acronym for “rolling in the aisles.”
Starting Dec. 11, Rita’s will have stand-up shows on Friday and Saturday nights. The room has space for 125 people and the cover starts at $10.
Michaels said one reason for stepping out and starting his own club is to offer a place for comics to practice their routines. Until recently there have been few places in town for comedians to try out new material on live audiences, save for the once a month open mic at the Funny Bone and the 9:55 Club, which holds monthly shows on the second floor of Bottom’s Up pizza.
And that means Richmond may become an even bigger breeding ground for aspiring comics.
But most are keeping their day jobs.
“There are far more comedians than there are comedy stages in the country. Everyone is looking for work, even comics. It’s a tough business,” said Michaels, who still plies his trade as a carpenter by day.
Michaels said the pay is all over the map, depending on who you are and who is doing the booking, but he said the rates are the same here as they are across the country and are as follows: emceeing a show pays between $25 to $50 a show, feature acts get between $50 and $125 a show, and the headliners get paid $150 and up into the thousands of dollars for bigger names.
“It is a grind,” said Michaels. “There is a lot of politics involved, a lot of networking involved, and not pissing the right people off.”
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The origin of today’s emerging scene can be traced to the 9:55 Club, which was started by comedian Ray Bullock in 1999. Following stints at two now-defunct Richmond restaurants, the club has called the second floor of Bottom’s Up in Shockoe Bottom home for the past two and a half years.
“It started out as an avenue for me and a few other individuals to get stage time,” Bullock said.
Since then it has become a breeding ground.
Bullock said about 100 comics have come through the club, and some have gone on to be successful full-time comedians, such as Lee Camp, who now makes appearances on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
Bullock said he pays all of the comedians he books, and there is no cover for the monthly shows. The restaurant pays Bullock a flat fee and a percentage of food and beverage sales.
And instead of hurting the business, Bullock said the recession is actually helping.
“People want to laugh more than anything,” Bullock said. “I’ve seen more people come out to our shows during the recession than when the times were so great and so wonderful.”
For about four years, 9:55 was the only room in Richmond. Then the Funny Bone opened.
“The more that’s going on, the better. When you have just one stage to perform at, you never know what it’s like to perform in front of another crowd,” said Bullock.
Opening in 2003 along with the rest of Short Pump Town Center, the Funny Bone has been able to draw big-name talent to a town that had often been passed over by touring comedians. The original Funny Bone opened in Pittsburgh in 1981 and now has locations in 25 markets around the country.
Rick Bruner, the general manager at the Richmond and Virginia Beach locations, said the Funny Bone has expanded the local audience for stand-up in addition to serving as a launch pad for local comedians.
“Honestly I think the comedy scene in Richmond is growing, and more people are getting involved,” said Bruner. “As far as Richmond goes, there is a comedy scene that was never there before.”
Many local comics who sharpened their skills at the Funny Bone are now touring professionals, including Jon D. Miller and Micah “Bam-Bamm” White.
Like Bullock, Bruner said the recession been a plus for business.
Established comedy clubs like 9:55 and the Funny Bone aren’t the only ones trying to cash in.
Take Café Diem in the city’s Museum District.
Monday is generally a slow night for bars, but Joe Hafkey and Jared Cullum started an open mic night six months ago on the first and third Monday.
“It’s a Monday night, so they are not getting a lot of business that night, so they are willing to have a comedy open mic,” said Cullum. “Joe set it up, and so far it’s been pretty much packed every time.”
Cullum is an illustrator by trade and has been doing stand-up for a year, starting off with gigs at the Funny Bone and the 9:55 Club. He said he has noticed big changes in the past year alone.
“It is becoming more of a community and more of a scene,” said Cullum. “A year ago, when I started, there was nothing for it, other than the Funny Bone amateur night.”
With so few opportunities, it is hard to grow.
“In order to grow you have to do it a lot, you have to be in every situation possible, getting heckled, a quiet audience or bombing,” said Cullum. “Doing it once or twice a month like it was when I started, it’s difficult to grow, but now there are open mics opening up every week.”
Al Harris is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to Al@richmondbizsense.com.
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