Twelve Shiny Nickels Standup Comedy Show

Unilocal INSIDER TIP FROM DOREEN (AKA AZN PERSUASION): This show is now in Santa Monica at MI Westside Comedy. I give the venue and the 10pm Saturday night Improv Show 4 stars. I give 12 Shiny Nickels 1 star.
*****
MI Westside Comedy is in the alley between 3^rd street and 4^th street south of Arizona directly behind the big Santa Monica Parking structure on 4^th. If on 3^rd street, go into the food court that has the McDonald’s, Candy Baron, Subway and walk thru to the alley in the back.
This place is small, has a small bar, but if you go on a good night, like the Saturday 10pm improv show it’s pretty good and worth it just for the comedy. I went to the 11pm show 12 Shiny Nickels, but caught the tail end of the 10pm show. If you pay for the 10pm show, they let you stay for free for the 11pm show hoping the lead in will have audiences stay, which should say something right there…
12 Shiny Nickels is described as, «Each show features twelve of the best standup comedians in a row doing their best five minutes of material. We have rotating lineup over 80 comics with a new lineup every week.» The night I went was not great. If anything, most of the comics were unfocused, new, and got off the stage before their 5 min were up. I now question the phrase, «the best standup comedians» as what they are best of isn’t qualified… My Boo said he would go back, I would not.

I like the idea different comics have 5 minute each. I know it is really hard to make people laugh :) Anyways i really enjoy going to this place once in a while and I can definitely can recommend this place to friends who want to have fun and drink beer :)

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a more consistently great comedy show. 12 Shiny Nickels without a doubt is my favorite standup show in Los Angeles. Every comic does about 5 minutes, but don’t let that lead you to believe this is an open mike. The last time I went, I recognized several of the comics from Conan and Comedy Central — and then Maria Bamford was also there. And if you’re not jiving with one of the comedian’s material, they’ll be off the stage in no time at all.
Great show — can’t say enough good things about it. Perfect show to take out of town guests who want to see good LA comedy… which is what I’ve done several times.

BYOB comedy house, great way to change it up if your tired of bar hopping and want a cheap date and want to try something different

Just a bunch of honest, lovable comics. Come support underground comedy for cheap and laugh your ass off! I know it says 12 comics x 5 minutes each, but the show is at least 2 hours.
The show is dignified in the way it’s run. The comics are cute and even more funny than good looking. I always bring my own sugarfree slurpee, but I’m sure you can byob. They also sell can beer for cheap, like $ 2.

Overall good show but counted at least 3 rape jokes (and 2 within one set). Names will not be disclosed.
Really cool set up. Laid back. Fairly cheap drinks.

Not a bad way to spend a Fri/​Sat night when netflix and going to the gym gets boring. The venue is tiny, or otherwise «intimate» for the audience of 10 that was there that night. Out of 12 stand ups, I probably laughed out loud during 9 of their sets several times throughout. Add a little alchy and the night was alright.

A good show for only ten bucks! And BYOB, what could be better?

If you want to have a, «THIS is L.A.» evening, try going to a Twelve Shiny Nickels show. You don’t really experience this kind of stuff anywhere other than LA.
I went to a show with my friend MC Thanksgiving weekend, and we had a blast. It was BYOB, admission was super-​cheap, and I found it through Unilocal.It’s located in a tiny-​ass theater– so small that we felt too awkward to break into the bags of Cheetos that we had brought, but the beers and Mikes Hard Punches etc. did the trick.
The particular night we went, the audience was filled with young twenty-​something vampire wannabees, all beautiful– yet disturbed youngsters.
I would love to take one of my Canadian friends to this place when they visit– I’m sure they’ve never seen anything quite like it.
The idea of 12 Shiny Nickels is 12 comedians (which you’ve likely never heard of) on for 5 minutes each. Some are better then others, some use note-​cards, some are completely lost, some are half buzzed, some are practicing their Leno bits quite seriously. Think of it this way– if they suck– it’s only for 5 minutes, then the next one comes on. Not a big deal.
Out of the lot, there were at least 3 memorable comedians well worth the meager admission charge. The last guy to go on the more of the showstopper– we could barely breathe by the time he was done with his set (more like a 15 – 20 minute set, not just 5 minutes).
Highly recommended, if you like random underground L.A. stuff. Not really recommended if you’re trying to impress a girl on a first date, and she is expecting a date at Maestro’s or something.

Awesome line ups every single time I go. From big name comics to relative unknowns, 12 Shiny books the hottest comedians in town! And it’s BYOB with free beer?! I don’t know why I would go anywhere else.

I’ve been to 12 Shiny Nickels two times, and I was almost crying each time! The price is right for tickets, and the comedians are hilarious. Of course, there are some hits and misses, but I would say that you’re bound to find at least one of the twelve that tickles your funny bone. Each time I went there were lots of jokes about LA, which was really fun.
It’s BYOB, which creates a boisterous and happy feeling among the audience members, and there’s no heckling or Socratic Method for the audience members. (At least, not when the show is full!). Plus, after the show the comedians stand around and chat with the audience members. When I was there last week, I got a compliment on the birthday crown I was wearing from a Canadian comic, which totally made my night!

The best standup show in town. Here’s why I love it.
1) The environment is weird, but is perfect for comedy. Small, dark and focused.
2) There are no hidden fees like parking or drink minimums. The comedians are great and there are a bunch of them, so no matter your tastes, you’ll see a good show.
3) The audiences are pumped to be there and so are the comedians.
4) It’s a show based on love of comedy and the audience, so you know you will always be in good hands. You’ll see only top famous and/​or surprisingly unknown acts.

I am a fan! I love the intimate setting and the real garage comedy. This place is really Low key and there are some good comedien there trying to practice their stand up. Ive been here twice and love it! I plan to show more people this place. Parking is hard because it is in the heart of LA. BYOB and everything will be fin and peachy.

ok maybe im spoiled by my vast adventures of other Comedy Clubs!
I agree with everyone that the price was VERY reasonable for a Saturday night Entertainment ! Very true there was some great hidden talent in there… but 5 min for some was just grueling. I did even catch myself at one point, ehh dare i say, dozing off a little. The other two guys i came with enjoyed themselves so i added an extra star.
Pros
PRICE
CONS
What stirred my was that there was a couple in the audience that the comedians continued to reference to… id like more of their own material too many of them bounced material of these people.
BEER-​$ 2 um NATURAL ICE ewww… only choice?

This is an excellent venue to bring your friends. It’s a cozy theater type atmosphere. It can seat about 40 people in the theater, and you’re right up there with the comics. If you show up early you can also chat it up with the talent if you so desire.
The host, Dan, is a really great guy who is very passionate about what he is doing. Funny man as well! For $ 10 and all the beer you can drink (that is available), it is a real good way to get some entertainment for an hour and a half.
They have 11 comics that run 5 minute sets, and then a headliner that goes for 15 minutes.
While the atmosphere was nice, the people were friendly, the hospitality excellent, I had a hard time with some of the comics who were either not trying or weren’t putting an honest effort into the show. I will still go again but the comedy here feels like it can be hit or miss. Thankfully there is enough variety and talent to make every trip worthwhile.
People are right about the stairs. I’m a guy so I don’t have to worry, but be very careful if you’re in footwear that might have trouble with narrow stairs.
To find the place, it’s very simple. Go to Gardner and Sunset, then head north on Gardner. It’s about 50 ft. north, on the west side of the street. First open doorway.

The best comics, cheapest way to get drunk, and the most fun show in the area. Tell all your friends, this should be the epicenter of alternative comedy in Hollywood, but instead not enough people know about it. So get the word out.
The guy who runs it is hilarious and a real sweetheart, and then everyone goes out after. Awesome!

My original review (below) was from when the show was in a basement in West Hollywood. Now it’s in a classy (okay, RELATIVELY classy) art gallery called «the FAKE.»
This show is great. Not only do they have consistently good comics, it’s now in a great spot, at Melrose and Heliotrope. I like to have dinner at Pure Luck café, get some weird tasty gelato at SCOOPS, then head over to the show. It’s always a good time.
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This hole in the wall is like the CBGB of comedy. You should catch it now, so that in 20 years, when you’re watching a bunch of documentaries telling you how rad it was, you won’t have to be sad that you missed it.

This show is far better than most shows that you would see at a mainstream comedy club where you would pay twice as much money for admission and the drink minimum.
Check out the 11pm show. Get all the beer you want for 10 bucks. See GOOD stand up comedians. And then go out on the Sunset strip. It’s perfect.

Just when I thought I had seen all the comedy shows in LA, I found out about the 12 Shiny Nickels Show at the Gardner Stages. Your ten dollar admission includes an hour of standup comedy, twelve comics, and… (hope you’re sitting down for this)… ALL THE FREE BEER YOU CAN DRINK. Holy moly! I don’t know how they can charge so little but I’m there!
Decided to check it out because Andy Dick was suppose to be there taping for his new reality show (gotta love watching a train-​wreck). The doors open at 10:30pm and the show starts tentatively at 11pm. We arrived a few minutes before 10:30 and were the only people there for awhile. Next time, I’d come closer to 11.
It’s a little bit of an adventure getting to the theatre, it’s located right behind Toi on Sunset Blvd. You go down an alley on Gardner street that looks like something out of Gothom City. A nice man is there to give you a wristband and take your $ 10/​online reservations. You then go down some TREACHEROUS ridiculously steep stairs. Keep in mind, NOT an excellent place to wear your stilettos… Also, quite challenging after drinking boat loads of Tecate.
At first, I was a little skeptical about the unlimited free beer but lemme tell you, they are not kidding! There is a bar stocked with canned beer (Pabst, Miller, Tecate, etc.) and you can get up and have as much as you want before and during the show.
The show was very entertaining, although it was a little disappointing that Andy Dick didn’t show. They were nice enough to let us know he wasn’t going to come and offered us refunds before the show started. Not some of the best comedians I’ve seen but hey, what do you want for $ 10 and free booze?
Halfway through the show they gave away free prizes to people who ordered their tickets in advance… I got a VHS copy of Men In Black 2! Way better than the guy before me that got an at-​home-​pregnancy-​test kit! Whoo hoo!
Really nice people run this show, definitely will be back with more of my beer guzzl’n, comedy love’n friends.

This is a really cool concept for a comedy show where each comic gets 5 minutes and you get to see 12 different comedians who are mostly up and coming. I’m a big stand-​up fan so seeing new comics sharpening their chops and some more established comedians testing out new material is a fun night for me. When the comics are great 5 mins isn’t enough and they leave you wanting more but when they bomb it seems like 5 mins is never going to be up but that’s exactly what makes this show so cool to see, you never know what your’e in for.
This show used to be at the Fake Art Gallery which was a cute spot but extremely small so their new location at the Hollywood Improv in the Lab side of the venue is a nice upgrade and it’s a great deal at $ 6 a ticket. The only downside is for any show at the Lab, they don’t allow food or drinks so you gotta get to the Improv early to hit the bar before the show. 12 Shiny Nickels is a weekly show so it’s a great date idea if you’re looking for something different to do on a Friday night. They go through each 5 min set pretty quick so be there on time or you just might miss the next big thing in comedy!