Stand up to rib tickling comedy

Watch UK’s well-known stand-up comedians Sean Meo, Paul Tonkinson and Ian Stone bringing the house down with funny acts, side splitting comedy and endless laughter right here in the city.

They will be performing between June 4 and June 7 as part of the Comedy Store tour being held as a prelude to the launch of the Comedy Store, UK’s leading comedy club, here.

“Since comedy is subjective, our aim is to find out what tickles the Indian’s funny bone,” says Don Ward, co founder cum CEO of The Comedy Store and ‘producer of everything funny.’ The Store which started out in Soho in a club called Gargoyle has now become Britain’s premier comedy venue.

The Comedy Store completed 30 years on May 7 this year, a celebration of which will see them launch their Mumbai chapter in November at Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel. “We want to introduce to the city an alternative and refreshing form of entertainment, besides honing Indian talent,” says Deepak Bedi, CEO, Horseshoe Entertainment which has entered into a joint venture with The Comedy Store.

The idea behind the venture is to bring stand-up comedy to Indian shores, which till now sees comedy mainly as slapstick or mimicry. Bedi adds, “The focus is on pure stand-up, which includes operational comedy and one on one interaction with the audience.” Starting out in English, there will be a systematic process for choosing the Indian acts, whose talents will then be fine-tuned. Once a month, there will be open mike sessions, for amateurs. Whilst the youth, with their command over different languages and awareness about world affairs is the main target, both Ward and Bedi are quick to affirm that performing at The Comedy Store is open to everyone.

The initial weeks will see international artists from all over the world perform three times a week. “Locals and expatriates will get a chance to display their comic skills. There will also be master classes wherein individuals from all walks of life will learn the rudiments of stand-up comedy,” explains Ward about their future plans.

“I find that Indian comedy is akin to British comedy,” says Ward for choosing India for opening the Store.

One word of caution — the comedy at The Comedy Store is adult comedy. The Comedy Store at the Palladium, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel is already under construction. Although it is being built on the lines of the London store, there are some differences. “It’s going to be like a club, where people can come, enjoy a bite or a drink and get entertained at the same time. Seating will be in two levels, accommodating around 500 people,” explains Bedi.

Ward, commonly known as the ‘ha-ha man’, was a stand up comedian for ten years and used to do road shows for performers like Cliff Richards. He started The Comedy Store after observing the popularity of comedy acts in the USA. Ward auditioned raw talent from the ads he gave and chose the best to go on stage and perform, live. Russell Peters, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Mike Myers are just some of the names that have staged their acts in the hall of The Comedy Store.In September 2000, Don opened his one and only branch outside London, in Manchester.

The Comedy Store tour will take place at Blue Frog (June 4), NCPA (June 5) and ITC Grand Maratha (June 7). You can book your tickets on www.bookmyshow.com / comedystore or call 3989 5050. Tickets are also available at the venues.