By Brittany McDanel

A huge roar of laughter is heard from outside the entrance of the Comix Café in Colvin Eggert Plaza on Sundays.  Comedy Sportz, an improv show held at 7:30 p.m., is the latest “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and so much more.

            Randy Reese, owner of Comix Café is also a player in the show.

“It’s intelligent. You have to have a brain in your body to understand it,” he said.

            Here is how it works:

The People

• two teams, four players on each team

• a referee

• an announcer, also called “Mr. Voice”

The Games

• musical chairs

•  acting out  stories from audience suggestions

• singing songs using words audience members write down on cards

• the worst things to say as what the audience decides

• Comedy Sportz is like Mad Libs acted out. The team who did the best job, or who is the funniest “wins” the show.

The “rules” of a no- rule show

• “Brown Bag”: making dirty or bad jokes, or using dirty or bad words.

• Judges from the audience will award points to teams after games.

• Or, any foul the referee wishes to make, just to engage the audience.

      The club has a total of 16 players, or improvisation comedians, but only 10 play each Sunday. Players also work at any location that Comedy Sportz is offered, and this type of improv is all over the nation. Teams could even travel to different cities and play against a whole different set of people. The uniqueness about the show is no two are ever alike, nor could the funniness be duplicated.

            “One of the hardest things is explaining it,” Reese said.

            Comedy Sportz is a different style of comedy. Dan Dore, a graduate student at Buffalo State College and another player, describes the show as no two ever being alike, because the players don’t know what the audience will suggest. The whole idea is not to have a routine, but to act on impulse.

            “Once you see it, you’ll come back,” Dore said.

Kevin and Jennifer Cratsley of Buffalo have been to the club almost a dozen times. They prefer a night of laughter, food and drink to other establishments around Buffalo. Comix Café offers a great menu and good service as well, they said.  

      “It definitely has a wide atmosphere of entertainment,” they said. “Friends get free tickets; we get free tickets, so we come. It’s a good time with friends without puking in the morning,” they added.

      Alana Kranitz, 25 of Williamsville, and her friend Staci Carter, 32 of Buffalo, also enjoy the show and the club quite often.

      “I don’t know of any other comedy clubs [in Buffalo],” Kranitz said. “If you want to have a good time, and be able to relax, this is where you should come,” she said.

      “It's improv. It’s on the spot. You never know what to expect,” Carter added.

      The comedians don’t know what to expect either. The aspect of a live audience makes an unpredictable show. Brian Greene, who is a player from Milwaukee, has also performed stand-up since 1984.

“When it’s going well, nothing beats it. When it’s going bad, nothing is worse,” he said.

Contact Brittany McDanel @ mcdabr77@buffalostate.edu           

John Kehoe(left) and Sally Thelen(right) compete for audience laughter at the Comix Café. Photo by Brittany McDanel

The Comedy Sportz cast after the show. Top row from left to right, Dan Dore, Amy Faletta, Brian Tabak, Sally Thelen, Karen Reese. Bottom row from left to right, Bill Baldwin, Randy Reese, John Kehoe and Brian Green.