Comedy wars

I'm getting excited about the competition heating up between the Comedy MIX and Yuk Yuk's. Vancouver has only ever had two clubs going at the same time for brief periods, but I think this time it could work. In the past it's been some upstart independent going up against the established chain. This time around, though, the established chain (Yuk Yuk's) has been gone for a couple years, giving the upstart independent (the MIX) a running start. So now we've got a club on Burrard St. in the Century Plaza Hotel that is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best in North America while the name everyone associates with stand-up comedy in this country, Yuk Yuk's, opens across the bridge on Cambie St., just south of 12th. The MIX should continue to pack them in while Yuk Yuk's should have an easier time of gaining new patrons than most independents do when they start out.

Take a look at these upcoming schedules and tell me this isn't good for comedy consumers in the area:

March 22-24: Ali Wong Erica Sigurdson (the MIX)               Emo Philips (Yuk Yuk's)

March 29-31: Ari Shaffir (the MIX)                                         Glen Foster (Yuk Yuk's)
April 12-14: Tom Rhodes (the MIX)                                Gilbert Gottfried (Yuk Yuk's)
April 26-28: Chris Porter (the MIX)                                      Darryl Lenox (Yuk Yuk's)
May 3-5: Moshe Kasher (the MIX)                                          Aaron Berg (Yuk Yuk's)

There's no sense being loyal to one club. Just go with the act you want to see. Whoever brings in the best acts, wins. Sure, the location and service and full comedy experience factor into it, but ultimately it's about the acts. If you go see someone and laugh your ass off, chances are you'll go back. And they're not mutually exclusive, either (unless you're a comic, but that's another story). With each act playing five shows over three nights every week, you can catch both of them if you so desire.

You'll notice some of the weeks aren't listed above but that's only because Yuk Yuk's still is only listing a few weeks. The MIX has the following dates already booked and listed on their site:

April 5-7: Brendon Walsh
April 19-21: Tom Segura
May 10-12: Ian Bagg

Plus they have the added bonus of being open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Yuk Yuk's is starting things off with only Thursday thru Saturday shows.