Tag Archives: comedy

Broadway’s Comedy/Bar is now Emerald City Comedy Club and is taking on A-list renovations

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Hesseldahl confronting the old walls before the club’s opening in 2023

By Calvin Jay Emerson

Some jokes go over better than others. Broadway’s Comedy/Bar is gone. With the Emerald City Comedy Club, a new start is underway.

If you ever walk north from Capitol Hill Station, you’ll likely pass under an unlit neon arrow. Wrapped around it is a swirling black ribbon, labelled “High Line”, indicating its former purpose. Given that the dive bar of the same name closed five years ago, it now only serves as a reminder of the changes at 210 Broadway E.

Its most recent identity was as Comedy/Bar, a comedy venue that, despite attracting national controversy, has maintained a friendly following. They’ve provided a space to go for a reliable laugh and discover new comedy talent.

However, owner Dane Hesseldahl knew that the club hadn’t reached its full potential. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar: bright lights in a dark room and the feeling of going big time on Broadway

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Work started last week to bring laughs and a new entertainment venue to Capitol Hill’s Broadway. As the lease was signed and building access granted, construction began on Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar. Comedy is a dark undertaking.

“Sunlight is the enemy of stand-up comedy,” owner Dane Hesseldahl told CHS during a visit to check out the work in progress.

CHS reported here in February on the plans in the old Highline space above Broadway just north of E John for Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar, part of a long-running stand-up comedy presence at Capitol Hill’s now-shuttered Jai Thai.

As CHS visited last week, a team was working on the kitchen and prepping the concrete floors to be ground down and sealed to create an industrial vibe. Once complete, tables, and chairs will be brought in, aiming for a dark and intimate, speakeasy feel in the dramatically dark space.

Hesseldahl is hoping to create a small venue that feels like performers have made the big time. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum hosts first ever Disabled List Comedy Festival

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The performers of the The Disabled List regularly make 12th Ave’s Northwest Film Forum their home stage and this weekend will celebrate their first ever comedy festival with a two day event at the venue.

The Disabled List Comedy Festival runs Friday and Saturday 7 to 9 PM and features a bill of regulars from the “live comedy showcase featuring comics with disabilities,” special guests and performers, plus New York-based headliner Gibran Saleem and music from King Khazm.

“I think our goal is to scream louder and give people an opportunity to join our community. In the future, we would love to expand into other states … really facilitating some sort of a system where we can get more comedians out there with disabilities,” comedian and organizer Kayla Brown told the Seattle Emerald.

Tickets are $0-$20 pay-what-you-can and donations are encouraged. Wheelchair seating is at capacity for Saturday but still available on Friday.

The Northwest Film Forum is located at 1515 12th Ave. You can keep track of The Disabled List shows at facebook.com/disabledlistcomedy.

 

Capitol Hill is getting a club dedicated to laughs — Club Comedy Seattle coming to 15th Ave E

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(Image: Club Comedy Seattle)

After years of helping to keep the city’s scene alive with shows at bars and restaurants, Club Comedy Seattle is bringing a new stage to Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave E in a dedicated, comedy-first venue.

When you are starting a fully dedicated club — even after months of pandemic and uncertainty for area performers — people ready to tell jokes will find you, Club Comedy’s Rick Taylor tells CHS.

“We really don’t know what we’ll find,” Taylor says of the city’s performers and appetite for shows. “But when you open a club, people start to show up.”

For now, Taylor is keeping the soon to open club under wraps, trying to build a bit of anticipation toward a hoped-for opening at some point this month.

But, when it opens, he’s promising the “nicest, most well-appointment comedy club in Seattle.” Continue reading →

With Dirty Thai cocktails and punchline plans, Bites of Bangkok now open on 15th Ave E

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Pranesh Sharma is now pouring on 15th Ave E. The laughs are coming soon.

With plans for a familiar recipe combining Thai food and comedy, Bites of Bangkok is now open on 15th Ave E.

What? You’re not familiar with the traditional Capitol Hill pairing of live comedy performance and the cuisine of Bangkok? Let Capitol Hill residents Jansri Parichat and Pranesh Sharma delight you. Continue reading →