Comics keep laughs coming even with clubs closed by COVID-19

Whenever she’s down, Tiffany Haddish says she finds a good joke can bring her right back up.

That’s why the popular star of TV, film and stand-up decided to crack wise about ways to survive in the year of coronavirus in a nearly empty room recently while dressed in a bright orange pantsuit, protective gloves and armed with a can of Lysol.

With comedy clubs from California to New York dark due to social-distancing mandates, comedians are finding ways to keep bringing the laughs to the public.

In New York, members of the Magnet Theater ‘s popular improv groups gather each night through the magic of Zoom to put on shows from their homes while audiences tune in through the platform Twitch.

“It is tough to perform in your living room in front of nobody,” acknowledges comic Will C, speaking by phone from the living room of his Kansas City, Missouri, home. “All I get is my wife walking by me, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.”

Veteran stand-up comic Bob Zany said he still sometimes pauses during the moments where the laughs — or sometimes the hoots of derision — are supposed to be.

Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada started streaming live comedy shows Monday through Friday afternoons shortly after California ordered all non-essential businesses closed. It was partly a response, he said, to club regulars who complained they’d would be left with nothing to do sitting at home, and to comics who suddenly saw most of their income vanish.

He limits the gathering to no more than five, including the people on stage and a person behind the camera. He’s paying performers $500 an appearance and says some who don’t need the money are donating to charity.

“We are taking a big financial hit,” he said. “I’m even thinking of going and getting a small-business loan.” The comics are taking a big hit too. But Will C is ok with that. Other people are hurting too, he says, and if he can give them a few minutes of laughter every night, it’s worth it.