When the laughter stops

On May 7, comic Dan Telfer hoofed it to suburban Wilmette to appear in a local stand-up showcase at the Mette. A week later, stoner comic Doug Benson puffed out some jokes (at 4:20pm, no less) at Zanies in Old Town. And last month, Hannibal Buress, Kyle Kinane, John Mulaney, Patrice O’Neal and Kristen Schaal manned the mike at the Mayne Stage in Rogers Park as part of the Just for Laughs festival. There was a time when a bus ride to Broadway and Belmont Avenue was all you needed to see those same comics perform, but since the April 10 closure of the Lakeshore Theater, a void in Chicago comedy has yet to be filled.

Despite presenting 280 performances and granting 56,000 admissions in 2009, according to Lakeshore’s former owner, Chris Ritter, revenues were insufficient to fund operations; after three years as a comedy venue, it closed its doors. The 335-seat Lakeshore was a rare breed: It eschewed the two-drink minimum of other venues and spotlighted lesser-known and alt comics including many locals. “It spoke to a new era in comedy,” says Robbie Praw, the head of programming at Just for Laughs, the Montreal-based comedy fest that planted roots in Chicago in 2009 and included the Lakeshore heavily during its first year. “It was the first time I felt there was a space that cared more about the art than the sales.” Says Paul Provenza (The Aristocrats, Satiristas!), a curatorial guide at the Lakeshore, “I’m still crying over [its closure]. Chris was able to create crowds for unknown people, and that was really the dream of the place.”

In the wake of the Lakeshore’s demise, smaller rooms like Lincoln Lodge, Chicago Underground Comedy (ChUC) and Red Bar Comedy Club don’t have the bucks or capacity to continue the Lakeshore legacy. “You can’t pay a big name with $10 tickets unless you can seat a large number of people,” says Mike David, Red Bar cofounder. “You must have a big venue, and [they] have expensive mortgages. Ritter went out on a limb at Lakeshore and booked comics he really loved. That’s a very rare occurrence.”

Telfer, a booker at ChUC, agrees: “The difference between the Lakeshore and the current alternative venues is vast,” he says. “Lots of people in Chicago share Lakeshore’s interests, but nobody has their resources. It would take investors and a talented businessman to truly fill the void.” Telfer has booked Lakeshore regular Paul F. Tompkins for a special ChUC show on July 30.

But could a newer, larger venue become the next Lakeshore? Lincoln Hall, a live-music venue in Lincoln Park, has started booking comedy, albeit sporadically, including sketch troupe Schadenfreude, and the Mette has picked up the Lakeshore’s Art of Local Comedy showcase but doubles as a movie theater and remains off the radar for many Chicagoans.

More promising is the new Mayne Stage. The 266-seat venue is backed with Pritzker dollars and boasts Ritter as general manager. The venue got off to a good start when it played host to half a dozen Lakeshore-type shows at this year’s Just for Laughs fest, but Ritter isn’t certain Lakeshore comedy will be its calling card. “A lot of shows that were incredibly successful at the Lakeshore I just don’t think would translate as well in this room,” he says. “The Mayne Stage doesn’t really have the beer buckets and six shots of Jäger vibe to it.… It will take time for the Mayne Stage voice to evolve.”

Meanwhile, comedy insiders suggest the Lakeshore will somehow reopen with the same artistic vision intact. “There have indeed been discussions about that,” Ritter says, “but it’s too early to call that one way or the other.” Kudan Group, the property management company for Lakeshore’s building owner, Chris Markos, who was unavailable for comment, tells us Markos is willing to make improvements to the building to keep it a theatrical venue. Dance and theater companies have looked at the space.

As for the comics, several tell us they’re still feeling the loss. “The Lakeshore left an indelible impression on me,” Chicago-born stand-up John Mulaney says. “I have very fond memories of performing there and will miss it.” Ritter says comics share their sadness with him all the time. “A lot of people liken the Lakeshore to that girl you’re dating where you just know the relationship isn’t going to work out,” he says. “But it’s great while you’re there.”

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