Bricktown Comedy Club

[Pete]

Coming soon to 401 E. California, which is directly north of the IHOP on Joe Carter Avenue.

https://www.facebook.com/bricktowncomedy/

[Easy180]

Excited about this announcement especially if they can land A list talent. It should do well if they can.

[elitespy]

The website just went live and they have some solid acts coming through, very excited for this.

https://www.bricktowncomedy.com/

[Roger S]

Nice! Christopher Titus in April... been hoping he would come back through the area.

[HOT ROD]

looks very nice.

I especially like the specials they have, targeting different audiences for different days/times. College night, Military night, Ladies night Thursdays (brilliant), Open mike free adminssion.

Hopefully this will ensure their success.

- I think more places in OKC should "start" their entertainment calendar on Thursdays instead of just doing the typical Friday and Saturday. In this regard, I think the BEC is brilliant making Thursdays as ladies night.

[Jeepnokc]

Pretty strong talent coming lined up Just bought tickets for Ryan Niemiller show. Hopefully they will have decent food and drink options and not just a bunch of sweet run of the mill bar drinks

[Mel]

IHOP is going to love this.

[Pete]

National headlining comedy acts coming to new club in Bricktown
by Miguel Rios

A Washington-based entertainment company will open a comedy club and arcade bar downtown by the end of the year.

BARK Entertainment, which opened its first comedy club almost a decade ago, expands its portfolio with Bricktown Comedy Club. Located at 401 E. California Ave., the club will have its first show Dec. 27 and continue with a slew of shows every Thursday-Saturday. Work has already started on the space located east of the Bricktown Ballpark and between IHOP and the Bricktown Events Center.

“We’re going to have national-touring headliners every single weekend,” BARK CEO Adam Norwest said. “We’re a family business, and we have three other comedy clubs — two in Washington State and one in Wisconsin. It’s my wife and I and my parents. My dad’s retired Air Force, so the Air Force community is one of those things that drew us to Oklahoma City initially. And also the fact that you guys took our [Super]Sonics.”

Because of the group’s experience running other comedy clubs, Norwest said they have developed good connections with well-known comedians.

“A lot of times, a new club won’t be able to attract that talent, but if you’re like, ‘Hey, it’s us from Tacoma,’ they’re like, ‘OK, we like you guys,’” he said. “Our theory is that we have to make three people happy. We have to make the comedians happy and the customers happy and the staff happy, and if everybody’s happy, then there’s no way we won’t succeed.”

Bricktown Comedy Club has already booked big names through May 2020. MMA fighter turned comedian Brendan Schaub is the club’s first performer Dec. 27. Ryan Niemiller, who placed third on the most recent season of America’s Got Talent, performs Dec. 28. The club is also opening just in time to ring in the new year.

“We’re also doing our New Year’s Eve shows with John Heffron, who won Last Comic Standing,” Norwest said, “and we’re going to be giving away a pair of tickets at each show that will get you in for free to every single show in 2020.”

A couple of Wayans brothers, former SNL cast member Jay Pharaoh and Margaret Cho, Nailed It’s Nicole Byer, among many more, are also booked for future shows.

“It’s cool to think that we get to bring people to a city they’ve never been to and to give people a chance, like, ‘Hey, you can come see David Wayans live.’ And not all of the comedians do it, but at least half of them meet people after the show and do pictures,” Norwest said. “Just to have access to somebody who’s been on Saturday Night Live for six years or someone that was a finalist on America’s Got Talent, it’s cool to bring those people somewhere new.”

Damon Wayans

Tickets for shows are already for sale online. Norwest said the company’s other clubs don’t typically start selling tickets until a few weeks out from a particular show. Most comedians also perform multiple times, either on the same night or consecutive nights.

“If there’s someone you really want to see and you have a certain date and time that you want to see them, then get your tickets as soon as possible,” he said. “But if you’re flexible, then you can probably wait until two weeks before. You may not get to choose which showtime or which date you want, but you can still probably see the show.”

Loony Bin Comedy Club is the city’s most well-known comedy club, but Norwest said their models are different. Additionally, Bricktown Comedy Club will have the benefits of being in downtown Oklahoma City.

“They bring in very funny comedians, but it’s half an hour out of downtown and it's not necessarily the nationally recognized acts,” he said. “We like downtown and the Bricktown area especially. … We’d been hoping for a Bricktown location and looking on and off for like two or three years, just trying to find the right spot. So I do really believe in the market, and the response has been good so far. I think people seem really excited.”

Norwest said the club can also help companies or groups book a comedian for a party or accommodate large groups in the venue.

“A lot of times people will want to book a comedian for their company holiday party, and so we can find a comedian to go to you. Or we have group events at the club, private or public,” he said. “It’s a great spot if you have like 30 employees or something and you want to take everyone out to do something. We can accommodate groups, smaller groups and larger groups.”

The comedy club will feature a full bar and what Norwest calls “really good bar food,” with a bulk of it being gourmet sandwiches. The group also plans to open a small arcade bar connected to the club.

“It’s called Gamer’s Arcade Bar. We have one in Spokane, and it’s just a small arcade bar next to the comedy club. It’ll be a good place to go before or after the show or even if you’re not going to a show,” Norwest said. “We’ll have good happy hours there and everything. That’ll be open sometime in the middle of November, so it’ll be open a little before the comedy club. It’s just a fun little addition.”

Norwest said the club and arcade will offer residents something different to experience downtown.

“I would encourage people to come see a comedian, even if it’s somebody you haven’t heard of,” he said. “Even if they’re not famous, our goal is to book people who are super funny. If you go to a comedy movie, I think you have a 50-50 chance of it being good. And these people are professionals, even if it’s not someone you necessarily know. Their job is to make you laugh for an hour and a half.”

Visit bricktowncomedy.com.

[tyeomans]

This is great! OKC definitely needs more entertainment like this!

[catch22]

I believe this taking over the Gadgetz and Gizmoz Place which folded before hey could open. It was an escape room thing.

[Pete]

I believe this taking over the Gadgetz and Gizmoz Place which folded before hey could open. It was an escape room thing.

Yes, the same space.

Gizmos actually opened as a bar but didn't last long.

[catcherinthewry]

I heard Argus Hamilton mention this on the Marc Maron podcast. I hope it does well.

[Colbafone]

Eh, it's okay. It's no Great Clips though. Speaking of, this would have made a great Great Clips location.

[cappa]

Eh, it's okay. It's no Great Clips though. Speaking of, this would have made a great Great Clips location.

is it ever not a great location for a Great Clips?

[HOT ROD]

this is a home run for Oklahoma City/entertainment and downtown nightlife specifically!! Every major city must have a good comedy club, downtown and now OKC will.

Special thanks to the fellow Washingtonians who are expanding their portfolio to my hometown. I especially LOVE that the national acts will perform Thursday - Saturday!!! Something likely new to OKC (going out on Thursday night) but very common in other big cities.I

And looking at who is coming already, OMG - I may even try to plan a return trip and see/support. I hope everyone else will support - the city is filling just about every entertainment option, and downtown at that!! Cheers!

[Pete]

275-seat Bricktown Comedy Club opens tonight

by Miguel Rios

A new comedy club bringing national headliners to downtown OKC is now open. Bricktown Comedy Club had two shows last weekend and already has comedians booked through July.




Bricktown Comedy Club, which is operated by family-owned BARK Entertainment, is bringing comedians like Jay Pahraoh, Damon Wayans, Dave Attell, Nicole Byer, Margaret Cho and many more next year. The club can seat 275 people each show in a cabaret-style seating arrangement.

“People in Oklahoma deserve live entertainment and want live entertainment, and artist want to give that to them,” BARK CEO Adam Norwest said. “I think the farthest seat from our stage is 30 or 40 feet, so you pay $40 and you can be that close to Damon Wayans. That’s not something that you can do normally. … It’s cool getting to bring it to that level, and some of the comedians like to meet fans afterward. They don’t usually have time to do that in a theater with 1,000 or 2,000 people, but they can get through a line of 200.”

Bricktown Comedy Club will be connected to Gamers Arcade Bar, which also opened this past weekend. Though the two are connected, Norwest said you don’t need tickets for a show to enjoy drinks or games at the bar.

“It’s great if you want to go before the show or after the show or even on a day when we don’t have a show,” Norwest said. “We have like 25 or 30 games. We have a really amazing mural that was painted by a local artist, Chris Presley. It says, ‘Welcome to Bricktown,’ and has a montage of a bunch of video game characters. … To me it’s more of a bar that happens to have video games that you can play and it gives you something to do.”

BARK Entertainment has opened three other comedy clubs, the first of which in Tacoma opened in 2011. It’s club in Spokane, Washington also has an arcade bar connected to the comedy club. Bricktown Comedy Club will feature a full bar with 10 beers on tap, bottled beer, wine and what Norwest calls “really good bar food,” with a bulk of it being gourmet sandwiches.

Norwest said the club and arcade will give people in Bricktown something slightly different to do, making for a great date spot.

“One of my favorite things about our first club is we have people who come in and say, ‘We had their first date here. We celebrated and got engaged here. We have kids now,’” Norwest said. “I take full credit for it. If the marriage doesn’t work out and they got divorced, maybe the should’ve came to more comedy shows. We at least take responsibility for love happening. But it’s a great first date or date anyway, because you don’t have to be funny. Somebody else can be funny, and it lightens the mood and eases tension.”

Tickets are generally $10-$20 per person but can be higher for special events. There are also two levels of tickets: general admission, which are for seats on a first-come-first-served basis, and premium tickets, which guarantee seating in the front couple of rows.

National comics
MTV’s D.C. Young Fly and Friends performs tonight at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Last Comic Standing winner John Heffron performs for the club’s New Year’s Eve show Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

“If you don’t know who [John Heffron] is and you just want to come check the club out and see a good show, I promise times a million, you’ll think he’s funny,” Norwest said. “Some people have expressed concern about Bricktown on New Year’s Eve, but that’s why we have two shows. We have the 7:30, so you get out of there at 9 o’clock and get home before anything gets crazy, or we have the 10:30 show. You can countdown to midnight and then go party it up in Bricktown. I’m just super excited about that show.”

Norwest said he’s particularly excited about Dave Attell’s shows in February but is proud of being able to showcase a variety of comics.

“He’s probably the one I’m most excited about just because he’s someone that I really enjoy watching,” Norwest said. “He’s somebody that’s famous and has a name just because he’s so good at comedy.”

One of the club’s latest bookings is Trevor Wallace, who got started in comedy through Vine before creating various viral YouTube videos.

“I’m super excited about that. And that was really cool to book too because that’s one I know we had to offer it on and it just sat there forever, and then he came to our Tacoma Comedy Club Dec. 10 and right afterwards he got confirmed,” Norwest said. “My mom actually went to his show … and she thought he was really funny, and she’s never seen any of his videos or anything. So it always makes me happy that somebody is good for any general audience that might not know who they are.”

Norwest, a retired comedian himself, said the most common question he gets is whether or not he’ll ever perform at one of his comedy clubs.

“I say, ‘No.’ I say, ‘I retired’ … but I think Kiss is doing their seventh retirement tour right now, so I won’t say goodbye forever. You never know what’ll happen,” he said. “I will say, when we tested the sound system out, I thought, ‘Oh this is good. I want to tell jokes here.’ … I’ll make a deal that if I ever come out of retirement, it’ll be Oklahoma first.”

Since the news about the club broke, Norwest said he’s heard a lot of positive feedback and enthusiasm from the public.

“It’s awesome. It makes me feel validated in the financial investment behind it, and now I just got to make sure that we follow through on what people are expecting. I’m not too worried about it, but I definitely want everyone to have a good time,” he said. “At the same time, I would say, if you come in the first couple weeks, be patient with the staff. They’re all very nice, but it’s a lot to learn. I think that we all, myself included, forget that sometimes when we go to a new business.”

Visit bricktowncomedy.com

[shawnw]

Presumably no relation between Bar K and BARK Entertainment :-P

[Pete]

Presumably no relation between Bar K and BARK Entertainment :-P

No, there isn't.

This place is a bigger deal than more realize. It's really big on the inside and they have tons of great acts on their schedule, many for multiple nights and performances.

Really a fantastic addition to Bricktown and OKC in general.

[shawnw]

Oh I think it's great and overdue. Miss there being a comedy club in the core. Spent several birthdays at the previous comedy clubs in Bricktown before they closed.

Glad they've diversified with the arcade bar to keep the cashflow going on non-show nights.

[Pete]

They have tons of nights already booked through March.

This is on a scale we've never had here, even back in the glory days of comedy clubs in the '80s.

[Jeepnokc]

We went last night for the Ryan Neimiller show. It was their 2nd night open. Overall impression was we enjoyed the evening, seems to be well managed and we would return. Their POS system went down which probably contributed to the few kinks they had. It still ran fairly smooth. The location is great as there is the big lot in front that only charges $5 to park or it is a short walk to the Bass Pro lot.

A huge problem at establishments like this (hello Michael Murphy's piano bar...talking to you) is cramming the seats and tables in so tight that you can barely fit in your seat. They have not done that here and I was comfortable on the 2nd row and I am a big guy. Place was clean and they seemed well staffed. They push they are a family owned business but couldn't figure out if it was an OKC family as they mentioned they had other locations in Washington.

Food and drink prices were fine. Will try and post the menu. We had two apps and they were basic frozen throw in fryer apps. We did not check out the Arcade bar as it is 21 only and we had our two daughters with us. (18 to get in to the show) Decent selection of drinks but drink menu is the typical girl driven sweet drinks like bahama mammas and cactus coolers.

Entrance and exit was through a choke point so you had to wait in line to get in (understand as it is a place they seat you) but the exit is through the same choke point and it is where they put the performers also so makes it a little tight getting out. Be nice to have separate exit with a little space for the artists to set up their meet and greet and sell their merchandise.

The comics were excellent. This will be a great asset to OKC and Bricktown.

[SEMIweather]

Based on your description, this place seems very similar to the Denver Improv Club.

[Pete]

[GoldFire]

So excited for this! I always try to catch a show at one of the clubs in NYC when I'm out there, and I've wished we had something similar. Obviously this won't be quite the same experience where you get a collection of comedians, but still really great to have a similar setup with some great comedians coming through. Looking forward to seeing Jay Pharoah in a few weeks!

[Pete]

Their sign is up: