Kung Pao Kosher Comedy

5 years in a row and I plan on coming back for the 6^th next year. Great program, funny comedians, and 7 courses to boot. If you haven’t gone before, you really should check it out.

I was looking for something different to do on Christmas night and different is exactly what I got!
Get there EARLY and have your tickets in hand. The line got crazy long. My daughter and I were expecting a balcony table and ended up on the floor right next to the stage, we were thrilled. The restaurant is totally cheesy and gaudy, think pink and gold and cheap Hanukkah decorations. Tables had 10 people each and you’re served family style.
The food was really bad, like really, really bad. But we didn’t come for the food. We both tried a bite of everything and decided to stop at a pizza shop we saw open on the way home. The waiters were quite unfriendly and wouldn’t make eye contact. My daughter wanted water without lemon and I had to ask three waiters a total of five times, her glass was never refilled.
The comedy was hilarious! Worth every penny of the ticket cost. I would definitely go back, I’ll just have dinner reservations made after the show. I’m giving four stars because the comedy totally made up for the funky food. If the food was good the five star rating wouldn’t be nearly enough.

My wife Margaret and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend Christmas with the family a few years ago: Chinese food in Chinatown with Jewish stand-​up comedians. There are two options: dinner and a show or appetizers and a show. We went with dinner and a show. Dinner was served family-​style at large round tables containing at least 8 – 10 people. The food was good, not outstanding, but the comedy was exceptional. All around, 2 thumbs up.

I’m having a hard time giving a bad review b/​c the money goes to charity, but anyone attending this expecting a decent meal should be warned. The comedy was good even the though the MC was totally unfunny. At least the other three comics made up for it, although Mahtma Moses really knows how to drive a joke into the ground and beat a dead horse (he should audition for SNL).
The food was atrocious. This is happening in the heart of Chinatown and the food was lower quality than a buffet or food court in the Midwest. They put out a ton of tasteless and greasy dishes rapid fire and you had to race to get a couple of mayo covered shrimp (weird) or a single greasy piece of eggplant. Then the waiters came by and if you hadn’t choked down your cruddy dinner fast enough they seized your plate.
Just a thought, make the food better. Charge more if you must. Clearly the attendees of this event are really on the old side, if you want to attract a younger crowd and make the event sustainable you need to improve the overall quality of it. Great concept, poor execution.

I’ve been to 5 years of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, and I’m done. The seating is super-​cramped and uncomfortable, the show is terribly over-​priced at $ 45/​ticket for the cocktail show, the food/​drinks are from hunger, and the comedy is… well, a mixed bag. Some of the performers are funny, some are not, but at the end of the day, it’s just not worth the cost of admission!
I go to a lot of comedy shows. I love to laugh, and enjoy a good stand-​up show! I’ve seen oodles of acts at Cobbs, the Punchline, the Laugh Factory, and many smaller clubs where amateurs try out their shtick. Again, some comedians make me laugh, some don’t…and that’s okay! I’m not the final arbiter of who is or isn’t funny. But I WILL say that Kung Pao Kosher Comedy is BY FAR THE MOST EXPENSIVE comedy show I’ve ever been to… and I’ve seen some big headliners, from Craig Ferguson to Jon Lovitz, Dave Atell to Jackie Mason, etc.
Why is it worth $ 45? Hmm, the seats are narrow, the Chinese banquet hall-​style tables are over-​crowded so that you’re practically in the lap of the person next to you, the egg rolls are cold, tiny, and not very tasty, and if you’re really lucky, you might be sitting behind a pole where you can’t actually SEE the comedians you paid so much to witness!
Ms. Geduldig is unfunny and her jokes are recycled from show to show (I know, I’ve been to enough of her shows), and very few people laugh at them. Fair enough, she’s the warm-​up act, not really a headliner herself, she’s just there to take the audience’s temperature. But honestly? For a show that expensive? Get a GOOD opening act! Swallow your pride, realize you serve your customer’s needs better as a producer, and give someone funnier the spotlight!
Of the shows I’ve seen, you know who stands out as the only seriously funny performer, in my opinion? Elayne Boosler. She was HILARIOUS!!! I’d definitely pay to go see her again… but not $ 45.
I know I must sound really stuck on the price, and that’s because I am. I realized this year after having seen two other really funny Jewish-​related shows around «the holidays» that this show was a) the most expensive of the three, and b) the only one that was just meh. And then when I told a friend this, she gently suggested that maybe the reason we all pay so much is because we’re a captive audience: Jews at Christmas who feel left out by the onslaught of goyish-​everything this time of year who will support nearly any Jewish show as a knee-​jerk reaction.
In other words, we’re being taken advantage of. Instead of getting a nice, comfy seat in a beautiful auditorium such as the Herbst Theatre for our 45 bucks, we’re getting crowded in like sardines in a dark, not-​so-​pretty Chinese banquet hall. Instead of having the possibility of buying decent cocktails from friendly servers at a comedy club, we get hawked bottles of cheap beer and horrible chardonnay from industrial-​looking carts that are rolled around by the restaurant staff, many of whom can’t communicate very well in English (which can complicate purchase). Instead of ALL of us being able to see the stage, some of us get to sit behind giant columns that hide the performers… are these seats discounted, the way they would be at a baseball game or concert? No, of course not!
So why are we spending so much for this show?
Because as Jews we are just so happy to do something Jewish, ANYTHING Jewish this time of year, even if it costs too much and doesn’t make us laugh very hard.
Anyway, I’m done. Next year? I’ll stick to seeing The Kinsey Sicks’ «Oy Vey in a Manger» and ODC’s «Jewish Nutcracker.» And who knows? Maybe there’ll be other, wonderful Jewish-​oriented shows this coming December for me and my friends to enjoy! But if not, c’est la vie; if I get the urge to giggle, I’ll check out the online calendar for Cobb’s and see what’s going on there instead.
Still want to check it out yourself? For those of you who require WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY, know that you will be asked to a) let them know ahead of time that you are in a chair, b) only be seated in the back, for THEIR convenience, not because the seating in the front is any less-​accessible, and c) your sight-​lines may be blocked by a pole/​column. If you complain about the latter, you may be treated in a condescending and/​or brusque manner by the volunteer staff who may not be entirely sure what else to do with you (as I was). I’m also pretty sure that there isn’t currently a WHEELCHAIR-​ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM in this restaurant, but you should, of course, call the restaurant to double-​check, in case this has changed.

After talking about going to Kung Pao Kosher Comedy for years and years and years, mom and I finally made it this year. Parking was actually easy — I think we parked for the «cocktail show» as the dinner show people were leaving. Price is pretty steep. Laughed a lot — especially after a few glasses of wine ($ 5 each). Ate manu egg rolls (free, mediocre, but so so crunchy). Clearly a tradition in some families, but not mine.

The only reason that I’m giving this place two stars is because of Avi. He was really funny but the other comedians weren’t exactly my favorite. The audience was laughing a lot though. So something they were doing was right.

Great comedy. Took the whole family, from age 11 to 88. It was family appropriate. Worth the price.
The food was just ok. Don’t go expecting gourmet food. There was a lot but Panda Express is better. Not spicy at all. I needed to add soy and spicy mustard for flavor.

my second kung pao was as good as my first! 2010 show was a hoot. obrigado, lisa. my son and i loved it… again!

This is always a really fun event — I look forward to it every year. As for the comment about shrimp, it is important to remember the incredible dissension in the Jewish ranks about what qualifies as «kosher.» For some people, a kosher meal must be cooked in a certified kosher kitchen with certified kosher ingredients.(Kung Pao does not advertise this as being true for this event.) Others will eat no pork or shellfish, but could care less about the certification of the kitchen or the food. Others don’t want meat and milk served in the same dish, but don’t mind if they are at the same meal, while others keep kosher at home but not at Chinese Restaurants. This is why the Jews are not «taking over the world.»
They could never agree on what night to hold the meeting…

Yet another great year of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy! I love the event including the venue, the host Lisa G., the great talent she assembles every year and the food. I can’t believe someone complained about the shrimp not being kosher. IT’S A CHINESE RESTAURANT FOR CHISSAKES the kitchen isn’t kosher. I loved it! Kudos on another successful year KPKC!!!

Wow, I can’t believe the person who wrote about the shrimp. GET A LIFE! No one said the show’s food would be Kosher (do Chinese keep Kosher? I think not), and IF YOU DONT WANT THE SHRIMP, DON’T EAT IT!
At my table we were almost stabbing each other with forks to get at the delicious shrimp (and other tasty treats), AND WE’RE JEWS, so get over it. What some people will find to bitch about … On top of that, you’re so rude as to put the organizer’s personal response online? And you give the whole event 2 stars? How ’bout you stay home next year — more shrimp for the rest of us.
And BTW, what made you think the food was Kosher? It’s called KUNG PAO KOSHER COMEDY, not Kung Pao Kosher Dinner. If you’re so stupid that you don’t know Kosher relates to the comedy, not the food, then shame on you.
As for the show — SENSATIONAL! Funny and enjoyable. We’ll be back for sure. Great way to spend the holidays with friends, loved ones, and fun strangers. And like Hebrew National always said, you don’t have to be Jewish.

I go to this every year, and I’m never disappointed. Lisa picks unique and smart comics for her show, like this year’s Dr. Katz, what a great find! And it’s a genuine community event, this show is all about the audience. It’s like a big family dinner every year, and you can’t help but to meet new people. I don’t like going to «comedy clubs», but this show I do like!

And the founder of the company sent me a lovely little message because she does not believe I am titled to my own opinion.
«lisa g. has sent you a message on Unilocal:
your scathing review of my show, Kung Pao Kosher Comedy
„Tyler,
Please e-​mail me at [removed for privacy] to discuss your unfounded and scathing review. 2000 – 3000 people attend Kung Pao and are entertained every year. Your review is very nasty, is full of untruthful comments, and unwarranted. Hordes of people are laughing, not 3.
It’s easy to post something nasty about someone or something on the internet, but I invite you to speak to be in person.
Please contact me.
Thank you.
Lisa“
»

I FINALLY made it to the King Pao Kosher Comedy show this year and I took a non-​Jewish date and we both loved it! I didn’t realize how important it’d be to me for my new guy to at least laugh at Jewish jokes, so he passed this test (not that I planned it as one) and the comedy show passed as well! I enjoyed the dry humor and truly loved seeing Lisa in her tux! CUTE! I’m bringing my folks next year! FOR SURE!

This was my second year of attending KPKC, and I wish I had attended earlier years. I genuinely enjoy this show and others by producer/​perfomer Lisa Geduldig, who consistently puts together lineups of diverse, intelligent comedians who otherwise might not find voice in the wasteland of genitalia laden rants spewed by and for drunken frat boy types. While not Jewish myself, I appreciate this inclusive, alternative celebration of Jewish culture that’s presented with enough intelligence and taste that everyone from teens to seniors can appreciate.

I can’t believe that Susan I. and I went to the same show last night. And what’s this self-​hating Jew crap?
Gayle and I had a great and repeat time at this year’s Kung Pao Kosher Comedy. In fact, we thought that this year’s line up of Dan Naturman, Page Hurwitz, David Brenner and of course Lisa Geduldig was the most consistently funny show that we had attended to date. I was even happily «included» into Dan’s routine as the «Oil Guy». And as far as David’s Brenner’s creative process and delivery (with current material BTW), we were in the hands of a comedy master. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long long time.
We both also appreciated that Lisa stopped by our table before the show at our Chicken Soup table to say Hi. She puts a lot of hard work into creating, promoting, and producing these performances and it shows.

Our annual «Christmas party» in a two jew office is to round up some cronies to help uphold the ancient Jewish custom of eating Chinese on Christmas by attending Kung Pao Kosher Comedy.
What could easily be a 5 star affair is awarded a mere 3 because the producer, Lisa Geduldig has been telling the same jokes for as long as I can remember, and because the dinner shows are packed so tight that there isn’t a comfortable seat in the house for a normal sized human being, and with round tables half of the audience is not facing the stage and there is no room for them to swing their chairs around. And the food isn’t particularly good.
We keep coming back because the entertainment is consistently great, with this years highlight being 81 year old Shelley Berman, who delivered some good laughs but a very nontraditional stand up routine, wandering around the audience and poking fun, etc… wrapping up with a brilliant, poignant monologue so true to the season and TRUE family values… a wonderful piece of acting that has me all verklempt just thinking about it.

How did this all start? A nice gentile girl in Chinatown, going into a Chinese mafia restaurant to watch talented Jewish comedians?
Well, it all began with the separation of church and state, you see. I work for the government, and some would say I shape young minds. So, I try to keep my little religious symbols (Christmas trees) out of the workplace. But, I have a coworker who is Jewish and has a heart of gold, who insisted that I have a mini tree on my desk. When she brought it into my room, I became antsy about church and state intermingling. What would my boss lady say? What would Thomas Jefferson say? Isn’t this wrong?
Seeing my PC-​ometer freaking out, my coworker said…“It’s alright Kara, just tell them a Jew gave it to you.” And with that bit of humor, all seemed right in the world, and I made peace with my little tree, the Old and New Testament, and yada yada yada…
Jewish humor just makes me laugh. It’s self-​deprecating, corny, and witty. so I had to have more, and this is where Kung Pao comes in…
I heard about this event through
and bought tickets for the cocktail show. I had so much fun, and I felt like I had crashed a Jewish-​Chinese wedding.
The comedians were very entertaining, and they made me chuckle, he he he he, and do my patented huhhhhuuuhhhuuuhhh. What more can you ask for? Laughter really is the cure-​all, second only to matzo ball soup…
P. S. The food isn’t that great… eat somewhere else before you go…

Oh, yes. This is FABULOUS. A new Christmas tradition.
What is Kung Pao Kosher Comedy? It’s a bunch of Jews sitting around eating Chinese food on Christmas, listening to Jewish comics (and we are mighty funny people, I must say!).
The show runs for four nights – three nights before Christmas, and on Christmas itself. Each night, there are two shows – the dinner show and the cocktail show (which is later and doesn’t include the option of dinner). After hearing that the dinner can get pretty expensive, my boyfriend and I went for the cocktail show on the 23^rd. It was fantastic.
The show this year was hosted by Lisa Geduldig, and the comics were Cathy Ladman, Dan Ahdoot, and Stephanie Blum. The crowd is mostly middle-​aged, but we didn’t feel out of place (we’re in our mid– late-​twenties). It IS Jewish humor, but my boyfriend is Chinese and he understood most of it (and thought it was hilarious), so it’s not something only Jews should experience.
I’ll be back next year!