Improv Aslyum, 216 Hanover Street. The Improv Asylum, located in the North End, is the place to exercise your inner ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ fan. The cast of comedians performs a new set every show and presents a combination of comedy sketches and improvisation. The fun part about the Asylum is that the audience makes the show, and no two shows are ever alike. The Improv Asylum gets mixed reviews because the subject matter and quality of the jokes depend on the creativity of the audience.
Some of the games performed at the Asylum include ones in which the comedians serenade an audience member with a song composed on the spot, in his or her honor, or where the audience writes down lines and the comedians must randomly integrate them into a sketch. Only in this situation could the line ‘Boston University is not in the practice of providing weekend love nests for its students’ make it into a skit about a traffic accident.
The Improv Asylum is incredibly student friendly and is an ideal place to go for a good laugh. A two-for-one student price is available for the Asylum’s Wednesday and Thursday shows, with a coupon (available in the Collegiate Coupon book or on their website: www.improvasylum.com) and a student ID. Shows are Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. for $15, regular price, and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., at $20 each. Alexa DeGennaro, Contributing Writer
The Comedy Connection, Faneuil Hall. The Comedy Connection isn’t the most intimate club, but it offers plenty of laughs. Nestled above the food stands and shops in Faneuil Hall’s Quincy Market, the club claims to host ‘the best local and national comics. Seven nights a week.’
The club’s claims ring true; any night of the week you go there, you will end up laughing. National acts like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle have sold out the club’s 450-person setting. But even on Monday, open mic night, the club is half full and out of the 15 comics who take the stage, at least half are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
The Comedy Connection isn’t your typical comedy club: it is well lit, spacious and has picture windows that overlook Faneuil Hall. The club offers food, but it leans heavily towards finger foods and drinks. The menu boasts 15 different martinis, a slew of mixed drinks and liquors, but only two draft beers.
The ticket prices run from $10 for open mic night to $30 for national acts. When headed for the Comedy Connection make sure to bring your credit card; the drink menu doesn’t have any prices and there’s no way of knowing your tab until you get the check.
Either way, the Comedy Connection is a good way to spend a night; you’ll walk out of there with lighter spirits but unfortunately, a lighter wallet, too. Noam Reuveni, MUSE Staff