New Club Comes to Brookfield, Milwaukee Comedy Thrives

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Photo Courtesy ajgrill.com

Comedy aficionados in Southeastern Wisconsin will have a new dedicated space to load up on chuckles early next year when the national Levity Live chain is scheduled to open an Improv Comedy Club at The Corners retail space in Brookfield.

Since one of the benefits of chain enterprises is a consistency of product, the Improv will have a schedule of proven top-tier headliners, full bar and food service and spacious environs to enjoy all that. As for that last point, The Corners’ Improv will offer over three stages spread over 13,000 square feet of space located in the retail complex’s northeast section facing Bluemound Road.

The brand’s origins are humble. It was started by Broadway producer Bud Friedman in 1963, without a liquor license, in the former location of a New York City Vietnamese restaurant. The signature brick wall behind the countless acts playing there was originally the byproduct of Friedman being unable to afford drywall.

The concept has come a long way since then, with stops along the way including a shorting of a TV series on numerous networks, and expansion across the U.S. An easy way to keep abreast of progress on the forthcoming Brookfield location is to sign up for the email newsletter available for subscription here.

Milwaukee’s Blue Ribbon Comedy

One of the several regular events hosted by Milwaukee Comedy in atypical spaces across the city is Blue Ribbon Comedy, held every last Friday and Saturday of the month, 9-10:30 p.m., at Pabst Brewery & Taproom (1036 W. Juneau Ave.). One of the local openers for headliner Jim Egan this weekend, Friday Jan. 25 and Saturday Jan. 26, is AJ Grill.

Grill isn’t a born Milwaukeean, though. “I started comedy in Iowa City, Iowa February of 2013 shortly before finishing my associate’s degree,” he says. “I then headed to the comedy hub of Stevens Point to earn my bachelor’s degree. While I was in college, I ran a monthly comedy show and would routinely invite Milwaukee and Madison comedians up to perform. I then ended up getting an internship here in Milwaukee, which turned into a full-time job after graduating. And, well, three years later I’m still here.”

His work as an environmental educator has inspired some of his shtick. Grill explains, “My day job definitely intersects with my comedy. Mostly because comedy comes out of personal experiences and, 40 hours a week is a lot of personal experiences. I only really truly only have a few jokes specifically about my job. But there are certainly many more jokes I have thought of while at work that come out of a whatever happened to be on my mind that particular day but aren't really ‘work’ jokes.”

“We’re all trying to stand out,” Grill remarks of the city’s bustling comedy scene. “That’s just a part of the game. What I hope that stands out about me, is me. I have spent and continue to spend a lot of time trying to get good at this, and I want my jokes to reflect that. Growth is key.” That growth has extended to what was once a lack of space where Grill and others could hone their artistry in the city, too.

Speaking of what he sees as the resilience of the local comedy scene, Grill says, “In my few years here it has hit some bumps and always come out stronger on the other side. We were operating with two clubs that some of us were getting work from. They both closed and the little work there was dried up. And with the help of Matt Kemple and his crew at Milwaukee Comedy as well as comics putting on their shows throughout the city, we’re as strong as ever. There is a crop of us veteran comics that proudly display Milwaukee’s talent at festivals and venues all over the country, and a crop of young comics that are two years or less into stand-up and they’re absolute crushers. Comedy in Milwaukee has a bright future.”

Grill is contributing to that future not only by playing dates of his own, but producing shows for his fellow comics, such as the upcoming “Live On Air: Stand-Up Comedy” on Riverwest Radio (104.1 FM) and 8:30 p.m., Feb. 13 showcase at Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.).

Here he is from a few months ago at The Underground Collaborative:

Good Problem to Have at Turner Hall

One of Grill’s current favorite stand-up’s, Nate Bargatze, is bringing his Good Problem To Have tour to Turner Hall Ballroom for a 7 p.m., Feb. 1 show. The Southern-born funnyman’s often self-deprecating slices of life and gentle delivery with an almost melancholy hint of a drawl has earned him spots on Jimmy Fallon’s and Conan O’Brien’s late-night shows, Marc Maron’s podcast and, most recently, a special in Netflix’s “The Standups” series. He follows in the entertainment business steps of a dad who was a clown who became a magician; that heritage is reflected in the titles of his two albums, Yelled At By A Clown and Full Time Clown.

Here he chronicles the troubles of disposing of a horse corpse…maybe… and navigating Mount Rainier last summer on Fallon’s show: