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| - So there are about a dozen comedy clubs and shows on the Strip. I've been to most of them.
Let's talk about the venue: the V Theatre in Planet Hollywood. The theatre is located up a long narrow flight of stairs from the entrance on the Miracle Mile shopping arcade (an elevator is around somewhere for those who need it, but I haven't used it), and it creates a traffic nightmare as people swarm out of one hourly show and the audience for the next show attempts to swim upstream like salmon seeking to spawn. This space looks like it was an architectural leftover intended to be used for storage, or maybe HVAC machinery. It is a tall, narrow, oddly-shaped room with a stage wedged in on the left side. The seats look like they were appropriated from the conference rooms, and are set up in 4 long rows that trap the people in the middle and prevent them from getting out or receiving drink service. But okay, so the room sucks. That need not be a reflection on the comics. Let's move on to them.
The host is a nice enough guy, but he still needs practice. He's relying way too heavily on the "where are you from?" and the "anyone here celebrating a birthday?" style of comedy. Lazy. Write original bits.
The first and headliner comedians were ok, but relied way too much on race-based humor for my taste. I can tolerate a little of that stuff, but prefer humor that is insightful and not based on tired and increasingly obsolete stereotypes.
They *did* have a visiting comic who did a short set that had some incredibly funny material in it, but it was a little too edgy and risque for most of the room, who sat in silent confusion as the joked sailed over their heads.
A note about that: many if not most of the audience got their tickets comped or at steep discounts. It seems like the Planet Hollywood runs the V Theatre as a factory, running cheap shows every hour, and giving out tickets gratis as a way of making low-rollers feel important and valued. The crowd skews older and heavily touristy, especially at the earlier shows. I think the average age at the 6 PM Elvis impersonator show is about 60. (At this comedy show it was down around 35 or 40.) Consequently it's harder to build up a good comedy energy in this room, which does the comics no favors.
Also, a note about drinks. Prior to the show, they stage everyone in a cocktail bar that looks out over the Miracle Mile shopping arcade from balconies. The drinks are heavy: $16 for my whiskey and soda (although refills are only $11). On the other hand, my whiskey and soda came in a pint glass, which lasted me for almost the entire 1-hour show. As I mentioned before, the seats are so crammed together that only the people near the aisles can get waitress service, so don't plan on that.
Conclusions:
The Las Vegas Live Comedy Club provides some entertainment, but is markedly inferior to its peers in the "low-end comedy club" category, such as the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana or the LA Comedy Club at Bally's. While the show there is more entertaining that sitting in your hotel room watching TV, you can probably find a better show for the same or less money elsewhere.
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