Tampa Bay businesses are opening back up, and comedy clubs are trying to follow suit.
Some of the area's major clubs either have new dates on the calendar, or are gearing up to open their doors again. That means a long-awaited return to live comedy.
But it also means a few changes. When Side Splitters had their first return shows last weekend, capacity was cut by 50%. The staff wore gloves and masks, and received a daily temperature check. The menus, silverware and drinkware were all disposable. The inside and the outside of the club was professionally sanitized, and they installed an air purification system as well. All for a few laughs.
Owner Brian Thompson is just happy to have people back at his club.
"It feels good to be having shows again," Thompson said. "We've had a bunch of people ask during our downtime about doing online or Zoom shows, but there's nothing like live comedy in front of a live audience." That live audience came out in force (albeit a half-capacity force) to see shows headlined by Mike Paramore (pictured), a 10-year comedy veteran based in Cleveland who hadn't performed a live show since March 6.
Paramore said he didn't want virus-related material to be a big part of his set, so he only devoted around 10 minutes to it. He focused on what he learned about himself, because he wanted to bring a unique voice to a situation people have been dealing with for months.
"I always saw comedy as a break from real life, or a different aspect of looking at something," Paramore told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. "If you can't give people a fresh perspective on a topic, don't talk about it, because they've already dealt with it."
Paramore said attendance was very good and the shows went well. As a nationally-touring comedian, he hopes this is just the start to live comedy (and his usually-busy calendar) getting back up to speed.
Those dates were just the start for Tampa Bay, and things will get busier this coming week. In addition to Side Splitters' second weekend back, Snappers Grill & Comedy Club in Palm Harbor will re-open its doors and welcome headliner Chad Zumock to the stage this weekend, June 5 and 6.
Zumock warmed up with a guest spot at Side Splitters last week, and is ready for his first extended set since March 9. But like with Paramore, the audience shouldn't expect too many virus jokes.
"I think we all want to get away from it, so I try to just touch on it and move," Zumock told CL. "I don't think anybody wants to hear about it all the time. We want to move on. It's done. We're good."
With 17 years in stand-up (and nine as a full-time comedian) Zumock felt the loss of stage time, both in his art and his wallet. He estimates he's lost around $10,000 in lost gigs so far. But he was happy with the crowd reaction last week, and hopes things carry over to his own shows in Palm Harbor.
"The crowd was amazing," Zumock added. "They wanted to laugh. They were into it. People want to get out of the house. It's a weird time right now. People just want to be normal."
And while those two comedy clubs are getting back to normal, they won't be the only ones for long. Tampa Improv in Ybor City started preparing its showroom for a new seating layout, and is targeting June 19 as a return date. The performers haven't been announced, but information on their website should be accessible soon.
Bob Shoemaker, owner of Coconuts Comedy Club on St. Pete Beach was waiting since his club is affiliated with a bar (MJ's Watering Hole), but he's now ready to bring the laughs back in a matter of days.
"Great News! We are opening back up! Yeah!!!! I am so happy!," Coconuts wrote on social media after Gov. Ron DeSantis gave the green light to bars to open in Florida's Phase II stage of reopening. "We will open the doors Friday 6/5 at nine o’clock for our nine thirty show. Please call 727-360-5653 for reservations and information. Wow! I feel like I can breath again."
While comedy isn't back exactly the way it was, the first weekend for a comedy club in Tampa gave Paramore hope that there will be a place for stand-up comedy in a post-lockdown world.
"It went above and beyond my expectations," he said. "It made me believe that we will okay, even with parameters and all the restrictions and even with all the concern, we can still get together and do this."
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