Much like the cast of Mary Poppins, I love to laugh. I may not sing songs about it while floating around the ceiling, but I still feel very strongly about the need for laughter. One of the best ways to ensure a solid few hours of merriment is a glorious night of stand-up comedy. For bonus laughs, get tickets to a stand up show in a real comedy club. You know, the kind with the two drink minimum. Between the tasty drinks and the contagious giggles of those around you, there will be plenty of chuckles for all.
Sasheer Zamata flexes her comedic muscles every week on the Saturday Night Live stage in New York City, but during her break she’ll be lighting up The Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta. This talented young lady boasts not only a featured spot on SNL every week, but she also co-created a successful ongoing web series. Sasheer brings her personable charm and youthful approach social commentary to the Atlanta stage. The Laughing Skull has placed a two drink minimum on the evening, so have your ID’s at the ready.
If you’d like to get your laughs locally, then you can head down to hear Matthew Lumpkin tell some jokes at the Porterdale Bar and Grill. Matthew declares himself a family man, and his intelligent and no-nonsense approach to observing the world around him makes for an entertaining night of stories. This stand-up veteran, and “Saints and Sinners tour” participant, knows the ins and outs of performing for a live audience. Although there’s no drink minimum, feel free to have a beer or two. You are at a bar, after all.
To get your fill of more local talent, you can always check out Last Laugh Saturdays at the Rockdale Auditorium on the last Saturday of every month. Missed July? Don’t worry, you can still catch a show in August. This evening of laughter includes a constantly changing line-up of comedians, so you’ll never see the same act twice.
All this comedy talk got you inspired to grab a mic and try it out? Check out the comedy venues in your area, because odds are that they host the occasional open mic night where amateurs can come out and try their routines on an audience that isn’t their friends and relative. Typically, you’ll get less than ten minutes on the stage. It’s the plenty amount of time to craft a small but impactful routine. And if you decide two minutes in that the stage just isn’t for you, then you can rest in the solace that you’ll be off of it soon.
Good luck on your comedy quest, fellow laughers. Keep your snorting to a minimum and your body grounded in the earth’s gravitational pull. Otherwise Julie Andrews will make you sing with her.
