What has the Comedy Store got in store for us? (Comedy Store)

Member Name: Mildew82

Product:	Comedy Store
Date:	29/08/09 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great class of comedians, good food and drink available, easy access

Disadvantages: Small venue and limited seating which can be a little uncomfortable and cramped

If you're looking for a night of unbridled hilarity then the Comedy Store is the place to be. There are only two stores around at the moment - one in Manchester, the other in London (the one I will be reviewing).


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A boring bit of history about The Comedy Store
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The Comedy Store grew from the seeds sown by a man named Don Ward way back in 1979 above a strip club in Soho where he was trying to recreate the success of the US comedy clubs. In the beginning the store operated by calling in "would-be" comedians and using a "gong" system whereby based upon the audiences reaction they would be gonged off when they were deemed no longer funny.

By 1982 the store had moved to 28 Leicester Square where it took over the premises permanently in 1985. It was at this time that the Comedy Store Players improve group was formed. By 1993, the store yet again had to move due to increasing popularity and now resides at 1a Oxendon Street with seating available for 400 people.


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Now famous names that have performed at the Comedy Store
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To name but a few:

Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmonson, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Clive Anderson, Paul Merton and Ben Elton, Arthur Smith, Julian Clary, Harry Enfield, Rob Newman, David Baddiel, Jack Dee, Mark Lamarr, Eddie Izzard, Tony Slattery, Steve Coogan, Jo Brand, Lee Evans, Sean Hughes, Frank Skinner, Lee Hurst, Phil Jupitus and many more.

Not a bad calibre of celebrity comedians, eh?


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The Store
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There are many different nights of different comedy styles to choose from:

Monday (the last Monday of the month) - King Gong
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Emulating the way the Comedy Store was run back in 1979, this night calls for "wannabes" to book themselves in to the competition and give it a go. It is even possible for members of the audience to hop up on stage and have a bash themselves.

The night is run by a compère who warms up the audience with a short routine before handing out three red cards to three random audience members. Each contestant will get 5 minutes to show off their stand up skills, but if the crowd turns cruelly against them (and they are actively encouraged by the compère to be as rude as possible) and each of the three random card holding audience members holds up their card then that contestant is "gonged" off stage. If they make it to the full five minutes they will be met by a short burst of "Hallelujah".

The successful contestants that last the full 5 minutes get called back at the end and the audience decide who gets the King Gong Crown.

The funniest part of this night for me not actually from the stand up comedians as sadly most of them find out comedy isn't as easy as it looks. It is actually from the humorously snide comments the compère makes about the failed contestants, and also as an experienced comedian their short routines.

Every Tuesday at 8pm - The Cutting Edge
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I've never been on a Tuesday, but as I understand it, The Cutting Edge (first started in 1990) involves 6 comedians performing improvised jokes based upon topical news suggestions from the audience. I think this night is a lot more interactive than just a pre-planned routine from an individual as the 6 comedians need to work together (or sometimes against each other) as a team. The audience will be treated to gags, a joke competition and even songs.

These 6 comedians will be chosen from the following pool of highly skilled comedians so I guess it is pot luck which ones you will get:

Martin Coyote, Steve Gribbin, Paul Thorne, Andy Parsons, Alistair Barrie, Sean Meo, Ian Stone, Alun Cochrane, Sean Collins, Roger Monkhouse, Rich Hall, Mitch Benn, Rob Rouse, Scott Capurro, Paul Sinha, Stephen Grant, Zoe Lyons, Sarah Millican and other guests.


Every Wednesday and Sunday at 8pm - The Comedy Store Players
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This is Improv Night. With no script a team of 6 comedians to be chosen from Lee Simpson, Paul Merton, Neil Mullarkey, Jim Sweeney, Richard Vranch, Andy Smart, Steve Steen, Stephen Frost, Josie Lawrence and other guests will have to create sketches from suggestions from the crowd.

The team will play lots of different games, ranging from just one player to six and some games might be that one player has to guess their name, address and occupation from the antics of the other players or they have to be acting out a scene and suddenly switch emotions throughout.

The night I saw this I had the fortune to see Phil Jupitus who was absolutely brilliant along with the five other comedians. For me, this show wasn't as laugh out loud funny as King Gong or just the straight stand up, but some of the improvisations they pulled off were extremely clever and exceptionally inventive which worked out to be a thoroughly entertaining night.


Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm - Best in Stand Up
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This is a night of two halves, and the format is to have a first half of two first-class comedians separated by a newbie comedian trying out the professional stage for maybe the first or second time to be repeated in the second half by three more comedians.

With this night you are guaranteed to have a blast as the range of styles and methods of delivery these comedians have are so varied there is bound to be something for everyone. The second time I came to this show I did find the newbies a little nervous and as a result their routine suffered a bit, but they had such a short spot this really didn't mar the evening too much and the regular comedians kept the laughs flowing throughout the night.

The first time I came to this show one of the "newbies" only turned out to be Michael McIntyre which was an awesome surprise and just shows the class comedians that The Comedy Store can attract.

Another thing I love about this night is the way the comedians have to deal with hecklers, there's always someone drunk enough to think they can outwit the comedians, but they are masters at putting the hecklers in their place! Fantastic!


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Prices
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King Gong - £5
The Cutting Edge - £15
The Comedy Store Players - £15
The Best in Stand Up - ranges from £13 - £18 depending on how many comedians are booked.


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The Facilities
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Food and Drink
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Located just off Leicester Square you can have the luxury of frequenting any of the bars or eating out at any of the restaurants beforehand, or you can get food and drink from the in-store bar. You can get a range of simple pub food from here from burgers to kebabs to salads which are fairly reasonably priced, plus a great wine selection and all the normal beers and spirits you'd expect to find in a bar.

Full details can be found at http://www.thecomedystore.co.uk/page.php?id=14& ;location=1.

Between 6:30pm - 7:30pm you can also take advantage of Happy Hour to get you in the mood for some comedy!

Seating
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There are 400 seats available forming a horseshoe around the stage which is pretty small as stages go, so you have the option of sitting at the side or straight on, and you do feel like you are incredibly close to the comedian(s) so be very careful if you decide to heckle as the comedians are pretty close to you too.

The seats are a little crammed in and can get a little uncomfortable after a while, but I suspect with enough alcohol this problem will soon fade into the background.

Toilets
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There are ladies, gents and disabled toilets available and at the beginning of the night these toilets (I can only vouch for the ladies) are in a good state, but this does tend to deteriorate as the night and amount of alcohol consumption progresses so try to get in there early.

Transport
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The Piccadilly Circus tube is located right outside the store so it is quite easy to make your getaway before the masses escape, or you can walk a few minutes further to get to Leicester Square tube station.


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Conclusion
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The Comedy Store is quite simply a fantastic way to get a great night of laughs. You can pick what style of comedy you want to go for and at no more than £18 maximum for any night it is a supremely cheap way to get some excellent entertainment. With great a great food and drink menu and a great line up including some very high profile comedians you can just sit back, relax and get blown away by some clever and imaginative comedy.

Just make sure you get there early, and if you do have the misfortune to sit at the front please try to look inconspicuous. Highly recommended.

Summary: Guaranteed a great night out full of laughter and hilarity at a nice cheap price