Latest news with #ComedyBar
Toronto Star
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
French indie-pop duo, Newfoundland rockers and comedy stars highlight our Departure Festival picks
MUSIC Lee's Palace 529 Bloor St. W. Noeline Hofmann (Sat., 7 p.m.) The 20-year-old Hofmann, hailing from southern Alberta, brings her plains-inspired country and Americana to the Bloor Street staple. Sully Burrows and Noah Derksen round out the bill. Papooz (Sun., 7 p.m.) French indie-pop duo Papooz, of 'Ann Wants to Dance' fame, who have been likened to fellow countrymen Tahiti 80 and Phoenix, stop over on their Resonate tour. British singer-songwriter Cornelia Murr opens. Rivoli 332 Queen St. W. Showcase (Sat., 7:30 p.m.) Five new Canadian artists — Pacific Estate, Fionn, Jenny Palacios, the Flamingos Pink and Dopamine Dream — take over the revered Queen West spot. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Horseshoe Tavern 370 Queen St. W. Nick Earle & the Reckless Hearts (Sat., 8 p.m.) The Newfoundland band headlines a night of rock, featuring Propter Hawk, Tomboy and Richard Tichelman. The Garrison 1197 Dundas St. W. Pan Arcadia and Cab Ellis (Sun., 6:30 p.m.) Anthemic New York rockers Pan Arcadia share a bill with jazz-fueled New Yorkers Cab Ellis, fronted by Connor Abeles. Caroline Rhea, here attending the Los Angeles premiere of the Hulu series 'Mid-Century Modern,' performs at the Comedy Bar on Queen Elizabeth Theatre 190 Princes' Blvd. Pete Holmes (Sat., 7 p.m.) The creator and star of the HBO series 'Crashing' and the host of the 'You Made It Weird' podcast and author of 'Comedy Sex God' — all one person — performs standup. Comedy Bar 2800 Danforth Ave. Caroline Rhea (Sun. 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.) The veteran standup, talk show host and actress ('Sabrina the Teenage Witch') headlines the east-end comedy hot spot.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Detroit gets some laughs on Valentine's Day with opening of the Comedy Bar
Detroit has long been a hub for rising talents in the comedy world. Just ask Tim Allen, who honed his craft in his early days at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, or Keegan Michael-Key and 'Detroiters' creators Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson, who are Planet Ant Theatre alums. This Valentine's Day weekend, a new venue is joining the Motor City comedy roster. The Comedy Bar is opening in the lower level of the Norwood, a restored event space at a location with a long history in Detroit's New Center neighborhood. Club co-owners Kyle and Sahar Lane, the husband and wife behind the Comedy Bar in Chicago, say they have been looking for a while to expand to Detroit. The Windy City-based couple is teaming up on the project with Detroit-area co-owners Michael Labombard and Shelby Baron. 'There's something so unique about the way Detroit supports small business, supports the arts and creativity. It's the first major city that we've really looked into that has made us feel very welcome, and we really felt we would have support coming in to the city,' says Sahar Lane. Kyle Lane says he feels connected to region because his grandmother and great-uncle were born in Dearborn and his father worked here for a long time as a general manager of a Steak 'n Shake. The Comedy Bar in Detroit plans to book a diverse group of comedians. Describing humor as a communication tool that unites people from all walks of live, Kyle Lane says: 'We're sort of like an ice cream shop. We offer all the flavors.' The club has set up shop in the basement of the Norwood, which is at 6531 Woodward in the New Center area, which is part of the New Center Commercial Historic District. The district was added in 2016 to the National Register of Historic Places and has a vivid past as the former home to businesses including Crowley's and Mr. Song Millinery, which became nationally know for Luke Song's creation of Aretha Franklin's hat for President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. According to the website for the Norwood, the site originally was home to the Norwood Theatre, a movie theater built in 1915. Other online sites devoted to Detroit's historic buildings say the theater closed in 1949 and later became a space for retailers including Sanders and a Payless shoe store. Detroit's Comedy Bar co-owner Labombard, a founding member of the Comedy Bar in Chicago, says the club will bring a new entertainment option to a neighborhood that has seen growth in restaurants. Calling himself 'a true-blue Detroiter' who lives about a minute from the club, he says, 'We're very excited to become part of the revitalization.' The vibe of the basement club space is very 'art deco, Great Gatsby,' according to Labombard. 'It's got that underground, New York feel,' he adds. Kyle Lane describes the mood of the lower level, which can seat around 200, as 'an elevated comedy club experience" with elements like a craft cocktail menu. There also is an affiliated Comedy Bar in Pittsburgh that is part of Sahar Lane's goal of having a dozen such clubs by the end of the year. 'I'm creating a small business mom-and-pop comedy coalition of different independently owned comedy venues that want to work together, to give us more buying power in the industry, to be able to get these bigger names and route them across many cities,' she says. The current schedule of headliners kicks off on Valentine's Day weekend with Calvin Evans, who'll be performing Friday and Saturday. A Chicago native who has studied at Second City, he has appeared on several TV shows, from NBC's 'Chicago PD' to IFC's 'Sherman's Showcase' and Showtime's 'Shameless.' Stef Dag is set to appear Feb. 21-22. The host of the digital dating show 'Hot and Single,' she tours the globe with her stand-up act and has directed digital videos for publications like Vogue and Vanity Fair and written digital sketches for the like of Bill Hader and Rebel Wilson. Detroit's own Mike Stanley is set to perform on Feb. 28 and March 1. A popular touring act, Stanley has worked with a stellar list of comedy stars like Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr and Marc Curry. On March 14, Anthony McKinley, aka Scruncho, is booked to deliver his gritty comedy, which got him dubbed 'king of the underground' by Vibe magazine. He has toured previously with Eddie Griffin, Katt Williams and Mike Epps, who last year premiered his own comedy club in downtown Detroit, One Mike Detroit. Then on March 15, Tiera Oleary, or My Cousin Tiera, who hails from Chicago's west side, will be headlining. A creator of viral videos, she was a finalist in 2022 in 'Saturday Night Live' star Kenan Thompson's Road to New York competition. For more information and a full schedule of upcoming artists, go to Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@ 6531 Woodward Ave., Detroit Comedian Calvin Evans is headlining the opening weekend. 7 p.m. Fri.-Sat. (Feb. 14-15) Tickets start at $25 All shows are ages 17 and older; there is a two-item minimum purchase (soft drinks, beer, wine and liquor). Seating is first-come, first-served and most tables are for four people. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Comedy Bar brings laughter to the New Center
