The Lab At The Hollywood Improv

I had a great time with my friends here. Love the decorations both outdoors and indoors. It’s wonderful to see walls filled with pictures of famous comedians. Servers were attentive and friendly. Cheesecake was pretty good. I really love the long tables in stage area perfect for groups of friends. The dark seating area was really pretty looking. Comedians took awhile to heat but when they did they were excellent. Perfect place for fun.

Cool comedy spot, saw one of my favorite east coast comedians –Amanda Diva! This space felt very New York. Dark and dim, more intimate venue. Can’t wait to return

Comedy is great but the waiters suck. My waiter literally said FUCK in my face with an angry voice after I paid him with a $ 100 bill. Came back and thought that I won’t notice that he had given me less change. Please be careful, seems like something he does. He hardly apologized for it.

Best place to go to see and meet your favorite comedians. They always have ticket specials and well known comics.

So because I am a Unilocaler I was able to achieve two free tickets to the Improv. I really didn’t pay too much attention to who the comedian names were because I only know a few names. We had a good time it was a very fun crowd and it seemed very personal. The big treat at the end was to get to see Dane Cook. I am NOT going to lie I’m not his biggest fan because quite frankly I don’t think he’s really that funny, but he does have a big name so I did appreciate to see him for that purpose. Sorry Dane if you read this. Thank You Unilocal and thank you and Improv for having such a cool setting.
My other favorite part about the experience was having drinks and appetizer in the bar prior to the show. There are two bars at this venue we sat in the outer bar which is more street side. it is very calm and relaxing and cool in there.

Such a Nice Urban Monday Comedy, cool Croud, Great Drink, appetizers, laughter the whole Night

The Hollywood improv is my favorite place to go for stand up. They always have a great line up of comedians and friendly staff.
But I would think twice before ordering food here. The first time I ordered the chicken tenders I was sick all night with food poisoning. The next time I went, the ceasar salad took me out. The mixed drinks have cheap alcohol in them. If you order «sex on the stage» it will sneak up on you. The desserts on the other hand are fantastic. I ordered the carrot cake and it was perfect! Don’t come for the food, come for the entertainment!

so funny! anthony jeselnik killed it

Seating = horrible
Lighting = nonexistent
Food = distasteful
Drinks = sailor strong
Service = OK
Comedy = genius :-)
Overall…I give it 4 stars because it is a comedy club and they are there to deliver good comedy! I have been to the Ontario Improv, in Ontario, CA many times. And every time I order a water with my drink they NEVER bring it. I ordered a melon something alcohol drink which i wanted to be fruity but was REALLY strong… and NO melon in it. Just vodka and a splash of OJ. I ordered a regular water to go with my drink that I never got… I thought it was an Ontario Improv thing to never bring you a water with your drink, even after you ask the waitress, but I guess it is simply an Improv thing!!! that is shaddy boots!!!
So I also got the Nappa salad that was just OK. just as bad as the Ontario Improv food. And I got some nachos (yes i am a fat fatty that likes food)! The nachos were also just OK.
So what brings me to the 4 stars?!? It is a comedy club and I was there for shits and giggles! Steve O and the guys leading up to him were FUNNY AS HECK! I greatly enjoyed the comedy!!! So if you want to laugh and NOT drink nasty stiff drinks or eat nasty food or be in a position to see the entire stage… then come for the comedy! (FIY…they do have a two item minimum so you will either settle for NASTY food or SHITTY drinks. but it is your choice).

It has very bad seating. If you are unlucky and they put you close to the stage, you are forced to look at the performers from a very uncomfortable angle and position. There is not much space between the seats anyway so you need to sit extremely close to whoever next to you.

On Saturday I attended the Day of the Dead festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery (
), which, by the way, was awesome — definitely consider going next year, if you haven’t heard of it yet. It’s only $ 10 to get in and it goes on all day.
Anyways, my friend and I left the festival around 9:30 and hopped on a bus to get back to his place in Silverlake, where we wanted to play some cards and cruise out to Cha Cha Lounge. On the bus, we got supremely distracted by this tall, military-​looking dude who was literally giving himself a shampoo via his hoodie. As in, dumping soap in his hoodie, then rubbing it on his hair and then rubbing it out and then deodorizing — all within his hoodie and while seated on the bus. He also zipped pants legs onto his shorts, clearly preparing for some sort of hot date. He eventually got off the bus, and that’s when my friend and I realized we were now at Melrose & Crescent Heights — we’d gone west instead of east! We immediately hopped off the bus and checked our handy iNext Bus iphone apps and realized that the next bus would not come for 45 minutes.
Furious, we started walking to the next bus stop. That’s when we passed the Hollywood Improv and realized that Bobby Slayton, one of his favorite comedians, was performing. We immediately asked if we could go in. The doorman said yes, as long as we held to the two drink /​person minimum. We went in and seated ourselves in the back of the crowd.
The important thing to note here is that the audience all looked rather normal and classy, and we had our faces painted like sugar skulls, since we’d gone to the Day of the Dead festival. Bobby Slayton immediately called us out — «Great, a couple of DEAD people just came in and sat down». The waitress served us a beer each and then we asked to close our tab, and she didn’t protest. We sat for 30 minutes and then hopped on the correct bus.
Thanks Hollywood Improve for letting us in with no door fee and not giving us crap about our ghastly experiences. One of the best ways to kill time if you got on the wrong bus.

Comedy here is great! LOL comedians, edgy jokes, very broad demographics for laughter. I was satisfied. I would suggest sitting in the front near the stage will get you wet and badgered. It never fails! For some odd reason comedians LOVE to make fun of the audience members’ so sitting in the front row is a no-​no for shy people and loud laughers. Also for some odd reason… maybe I was at a great angle… but I saw SOOOO much spit fly throughout each set. I would suggest not sitting directly in front of the stage!!!
And there is a 2 item minimum. Rather that’s a drink or appetizer. DO NOT get the nachos. They were a gross waste of $ 13 (9.75 for reg nachos. The chicken was in cold unseasoned cubes. GROSS plus it was more chip than toppings, which made for a dry experience. The Mahi Thai’s are yummy I would suggest that as a drink but they are pricey. If your on a budget stick to beers and water you cant go wrong there.

Went here with a friend on a random Saturday night. Decent prices for beer, and the show was absolutely hilarious! I definitely recommend this place, it’s a great time!

Classy joint!

Well, this was a bag of fun. My boyfriend and I were searching around on the internet for some kind of comedy or improv show to take our friends to on their last night in town… and we happened upon this. Ten dollars per ticket to a show called «OBV». Short for, «obviously», apparently. We didn’t know anything about it, and so we set our expectations to «meh». Kind of like setting your blasters to stun, except nothing like that.
Anyway, parking wasn’t ideal. There was a small valeted lot, which was full by the time we got there. Dan ended up dropping us off at the entrance and parking a few blocks away. Not a great way to start an evening, admittedly, but once we were all seated… the laughs began pretty much right away.
There were 3 comedians and a poet. Two of the comedians were quite funny, one was okay after the first few minutes (the first part of her set was actually a tad grating on the nerves), and the poet was… enthusiastic. Not my cup of tea, exactly, but interesting nonetheless. I’d do it all again, I think, except I’d skip the last part of the show which, near as I can figure, was filler to cover for someone who didn’t show up. There were two people up on stage; a blonde with a stethoscope, and a man dressed as a priest. It was more on the awkward side than the funny.
I did enjoy myself quite a lot, though, and it ended up being a great way to spend the last night with our friends.

The Lab at the Improv is a great place to see all kinds of up-​and-​coming and experimental comedy, from standup to improv to sketch. Jamie books a very interesting, eclectic and funny room, and I’m not just saying that because he books Curly Maple Surprise, my sketch group. The theater itself is clean and comfortable, and most shows are only five bucks. What more could you want?
NOTE: In the additional questions below, I am checking that the Lab is not good for dancing, but please don’t let that deter you.

This place sucks. You can’t drink inside the Lab, BOO Boring! I like my comedy with cocktails please. They have a bar on the other side of closed doors. Honestly I felt likes I was sitting in my friends backyard watching a band practice. The door guy was nice. The manager was a dick. Comedians were funny.

The Lab has become a beacon of indie comedy on «the strip» — shows are usually 5 bucks with a promo code, there are drink specials at the bar, and you can park at most of the meters nearby for free after hours.
I’ve been running a show there for 4 months, and find it a great alternative to UCB — you can see acts like Eddie Pepitone, Clownvis, Aparna Nancherla, Ali Wong, Brent Weinbach, and a ton more. The new management has their sh*t together and are building a community that I’m proud to make and see shows at!

My one-​man show, Stevie Mack’s Diary of a Crackhead has been running at the IMPROV Comedy Lab since June 2011 and they really know how to treat talent right! I Love this place and now I call it home
The manager, tech crew and venue staff has worked with me every step of the way to make sure I and my audience have the best possible experience. They’ve renovated the theater, stage and lighting to make it warm, artsy, attractive and as a result, there’s tons of quality shows there weekly.
No food or drinks are served there in the Lab, which is excellent for a theater vibe, no unnecessary distractions or drunk hecklers, unless they arrive drunk… LOL
My one-​man show, Stevie Mack’s Diary of a Crackhead is currently running on the last Monday of each month at the Lab and the next one is coming up! For tickets and info visit:

Good times!
This is a small venue on the side of the Improv. If you want to be up close and personal with some up and coming acts, come here.
Tickets are peanuts and the shows are awesome. No alcohol served here, but you can go to the bar next door at the Improv before the show starts and have a few. The show lets you out into the hallway of the Improv so no waiting in line to get back to the bar :-)