The battle to book big rooms for black comics: 'Why aren't all the comics getting the same opportunities?'
From Sundays at the Laugh Factory to clubs like The J Spot and The Comedy Union, African American comedy is booming, but crossover success stories like Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart are rare:"Why aren't all the comics getting the same opportunities?"
Chocolate Sundaes may be the biggest, but it's far from the only urban comedy spot in town. As the live-comedy Golden Age continues unabated with club attendance ticking ever upward — according to an analyst with IBISWorld, revenue for the comedy clubs industry has increased 16.8 percent between 2013 and 2018 — L.A.'s urban comedy scene is enjoying its own slice of the renaissance.
Even the jargon used to describe the scene rubs some comics the wrong way. "Words like 'mainstream' or 'crossover' — it's like whatever we're doing is not yet good enough," says stand-up veteran Mo'Nique, 51.
Overseeing it all is Nichelle Murdock, 45. It's not exactly making her rich — the club keeps the bar money, she gets the $15 cover charge — but Murdock hopes Crack 'Em Up will someday find its way to a TV deal. Helping her run the show is the colorful maitre d', Uncle Levi, who serves as a father figure to comics. "He's helped people move, picked them up from the airport, helped when their cars break down," Murdock says.
But all too often, the comics he's helped nurture leave Mitchell and The Comedy Union behind. "Comics want to migrate to a place where they can be seen and hopefully get a television show," he says with a sigh. "That's not the Union." Brown is less diplomatic about it. "It's hard to get black people to come to your club and it's hard to get black comics coming to your club," says Brown, whose J Spot is off the beaten path.
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