Self-proclaimed as the "the nation's premiere comedy venue," the D.C. Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant has much to live up to. Though this venue has only been tickling funny bones since 1992, the club chain originated in New York City in 1963. This chain can proudly chalk up credit for kick-starting the careers of stars like David Letterman, Richard Pryor, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Andy Kaufman in front of that signature exposed-brick background.
But as one descends into the small yet swank basement, it is a bit of a stretch to imagine that talents such as Chris Rock and Drew Cary once graced this very room. Tables are intimately placed around the stage in such a way that it's impossible to escape the details of the conversation going on at the next table. The upside is that seating is quick and efficient. Get in, get settled and order - that's the call of the day.
For those who frequent comedy clubs, the format is no surprise. The host (Phillip Morris) warms up the crowd before an up-and-coming young talent (Andy Hendrickson) gets his half-hour to shine, followed by the headliner for a big finish. Friday night's star was Joe Recca, winner of BET's "Coming to the Stage," a "Last Comic Standing"-esque talent search.
Unlike most shows, however, where the host is usually the youngest of the three performers, this one's emcee had more than a couple of decades under his belt. But along with the slowed reflexes and silvered hair comes the license to make a plethora of it's-true-go-ask-your-parents and back-in-the-day jokes. But the audience responded with hearty laughter to Morris' references to the Arcadian life, "Way back when Spam was something they served morning, noon and night in prisons and boy scout camps."
But Hendrickson, the attractive new talent, was not to be outshone. His glorious 25-minute skit was littered with the stock jokes one would expect for a young, white, city-dwelling male: being young and lazy, being young with no money and being young with no girlfriend. Yet his quirky and unanticipated twists blended with the quick pace of the routine to charm the audience.
The headliner was no letdown either, at least for the first 30 minutes. One must admire Recca's fluid mobility between the uneasy issues of poverty, racial stereotypes and natural disasters. At times, one had no guilt about outright chortling at the irony of life's unfairness and misfortune.
But racially themed "black jokes," as Recca called them, can only hold out for so long. By the finishing stretch of the routine, one began to sincerely appreciate the feature act's enforced time cap. In all fairness though, Recca did warn, "I never have new jokes. I only tell the same jokes over and over again. I've been doing stand-up for 18 years, and I never use new material. Just the same thing. Over and over again."
Nonetheless, thumbs up for this famous laughter joint. For those looking for an interesting, not so run-of-the-mill dinner date, this is it. Also, the food is pretty good and, for $5 - $9 an item, decently priced too (Make sure to try the Raspberry Souffl? Cheesecake!). There is a two item minimum order requirement per guest, but one gets the impression that it's not strictly enforced. Be forewarned, however, that since dinner and the show are all lumped into one 2-hour chunk, it may be necessary to have a follow-up event in mind.
