Those looking for comedy in the Louisville area can get a double dose on Wednesdays. The Louisville comedy scene continues to branch out into non-traditional venues, and it's no surprise. I went to two different comedy shows last night at the Comedy Caravan and at Groucho's in Germantown.
Wednesday Night Raw at the caravan was just that. It was raw. The show is hosted by Jay Cox who brings a gruff approach to hosting, even reminding one of the comedians "The flashing light means your time is up, get the f*ck off the stage", which is important as many comedians tend to overstep their time limits and need a reminder here and there that a show has to run on track. This show is pre-booked and felt more like comedians letting off steam or messing around with each other. It ranged from sets that fell flat to sets that didn't really consist of any strong material besides messing with audience members to some funny material. Comedy Caravan has a long standing history of booking mostly "blue collar comedy" and "mid-west friendly" comedy, so these week night shows allow for more locals to get involved and the topics to vary. Stick around for the entire show and get your $3 entry fee's worth; the best comes last as the last sets are by the upcoming featured acts for the weekend.
Next, I headed over to Comedy in the Fishbowl at Groucho's Karaoke Bar in Germantown. Although, this show is free and an open mic, the sets were much more polished, intelligent and hilarious. The crowd was literally screaming with laughter at times. Part of it may be that the room is smaller and people are closer together, allowing laughter to catch on more easily but....aw, who am I kidding? The sets at Fishbowl were hilarious! The comedians were all on their A game, and the audience was great. Kent Carney did a great job hosting the show, but the hosts rotate every week. There was just a powerhouse line up. Chris Vittitoe, Craig Williams, Tyler Jackson, and Sean Smith were all heavy hitters, keeping the audience in stitches.
If you're looking for something to do out in Louisville on Wednesdays and you like to laugh, perhaps this double whammy of comedy is the thing for you. Show starts at 8 p.m. at Comedy Caravan and 10 ish (Heavy on the ish) at Grouchos.
Sean Smith does a Black Eyed Peas impersonation at Comedy in the Fishbowl
