Finding the Funny
by Bob Howard

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Speakeasy Comedy Lounge

 

Location. Contact Information, Parking: The Speakeasy Comedy Lounge is located at 5101 N. Scottsdale Rd., in front of the Clarion Inn on the east side of the street. It is on the south end of the building which also houses Papi Chulo’s Restaurant. Get show information at www.speakeasycomedylounge.com or by calling (480) 543-1043 or (480) 374-0587. They also have a Facebook page. There is plenty of free parking right next to the building as you enter off Scottsdale Road. This is the same location used by Standup Scottsdale (not to be confused with Standup Live) when that show first moved to Scottsdale.

Show Times and Tickets: They do one show at 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday night. Tickets are usually $12 per person but check on their Facebook page for special codes. They only take cash at the door.

Beverage and Food Service: The adjacent Papi Chulo’s restaurant serves excellent Mexican food at reasonable prices. They do serve food in the comedy show room as well, but I would suggest having dinner before or after the show at a full sized table. There is a two item minimum in the showroom with a good selection of appetizers and food if you want a full meal.

The Venue: This is an intimate comedy room that has a capacity of around 80. The stage is close no matter where you sit. It is a good setting for comedy with nice lighting and sound. The room is rectangular and there are small tables for drinks or appetizers but not really big enough for four people to have dinner. The room is devoted to comedy with no television sets to turn off. They do need to limit traffic through the entrance during the show as the noise from the bar and dining area is distracting. Another drawback is that it is a little far north on Scottsdale Road to be considered part of the downtown Scottsdale bar scene.

The Comedians: This show started in August of 2011 and is run by local comics Brian Mullan and Mike Kennedy who also appear frequently. They primarily use local comics but have started to bring in out-of-town headliners as well. The night I attended, they put up eleven local comics because it was 11/11/11. This is a lot of variety and the overall quality was a step above what you are likely to see at the free shows locally.

The addition of the Speakeasy makes Scottsdale the place for weekend comedy with three different venues serving up a wide variety of comedy on Friday and Saturday nights. With different starting times at each club, you really have a choice of going to a show that starts on the hour from 7 through 10 every Friday and Saturday night.

Rating: c+* This is a nice place to go if you want to get a Mexican dinner and then walk right into a comedy show. The other clubs in Scottsdale will probably have a little bit stronger show until they establish regular headliners here, but this show will always be a cut above the free midweek bar shows.

(*Note: Ratings are based on the overall quality of a club. CCC=best; CC=above average; C=average.)

Bob Howard is a full-time family law attorney in Scottsdale and a part-time comic. If you would like to contact him, send your email to rhoward@jekel-howard.com.