Tuesday-Saturday
January 24-28
Claude Stuart
with TBA
Claude Stuart is a human cartoon onstage. His hilarious physicality, his shameless stories of his consistantly bad luck, his unpredictable audience improv, and his nonstop energy make him stand out as a unique, top-notch, "must-see" comedian.
Stuart has appeared on numberous television shows including "Comics Unleashed"; "That 70s Show", "Scrubs", "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period!", "Last Comic Standing II", "Yo Momma!", "Oblivious!", "Talk Soup" and "Beverly Hills 90210". He has also appeared in feature films like Starship Troopers, Man on the Moon, and Fifteen Minutes of Fame which was produced by Don Faison of "Scrubs".
Claude is also the star of "Dick Nobody", the hit series on the Comedy Time network; and he recently won his episode of "Make a Hot Girl Laugh" for Comedy.com. He has also performed in numerous USO shows for the troops and television commercials for Doritos, Honda, Heneiken, Jeep Cherokee, Grapenuts, and even Midol (seriously).
With a career that was launched by winning "The Funnies Person in SMU Contest" back in 1995, Claude Stuart fell in love with and began pursuing stand-up comedy. (SMU technically stands for 'Southern Methodist University' however Claude is convinced it stands for 'Sex, Money and Underwear'.)
Claude worked for HBO's "Dennis Miller Live!" for three seasons, and he has made several appearances on the nationally syndicated "Bob and Tom" morning show, but this week will be your chance to see him live and in person during only his second ever headlining appearance at the Funny Stop Comedy Club.
Brian Teague Takes The Title
As 2011's First "Ohio's
Best Amateur Comedian"
Contest Winner At The
Funny Stop Comedy Club
Congratulations go out to Brian Teague who was crowned as "Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" in the contest finals which were
held on Monday, April 25th at the Funny Stop Comedy Club.
Qualifying for the competition began on the first Tuesday of the year with over 100 participants working their way through
the preliminary rounds. The best performers moved on to quarter-final eliminations and 18 of them advanced to the semi-finals.
The top amateurs advanced into the finals.
Based on the judge's rankings and audience response, Brian Teague received the top score to take the title.
Special recognition also goes out to Steve Ferrenz, Eric Brewer, Victoria Busberg, and Jarod Prestone who rounded out the
Top 5 finishers in 2011's first contest.
Teague adds his name to the list of previous champions which includes Dan Schwartz, Bryan Birker, and co-champions Black and
Brendon Biddlecombe who were the winners of the 3 contests which were held during 2009 as well as Anthony Savatt, Lisa Pierce,
and co-champions Cameron Amigo and Joey Zsa Zsa who won the three 2010 amateur competitions.
2011's second contest is now underway with preliminary rounds being held to open the show each Tuesday night.
If you have 5 minutes of clean material and would like a chance to take the stage in the Funny Stop's amateur competition,
contact Nidal at 330-923-4700 to be added to an upcoming lineup.
Performers From "A To Z"
Made Their Mark In FINALS
Of Funny Stop's Last
"Ohio's Best Amateur
Comedian" Contest Of 2010
On Tuesday night, December 28th a standing room only crowd had the opportunity to see the one dozen amateurs who survived
the preliminary qualifiers, quarter-finals, and semi-finals to reach "THE FINALS" of 2010's last "Ohio's Best Amateur
Comedian" Contest take the stage at the Funny Stop.
Nearly 100 performers had taken the stage over a 4 month period of time to open the Funny Stop's Tuesday night shows in an
attempt to advance to "THE FINALS".
During "The Finals", each contestant performed 5 minutes of clean material and the panel of judges used their professional
experience to score the performances as to rate the audience support and response for each amateur.
When the numbers were tallied, the contest finished in a tie!
Congratulations go out to our alphabetic bookends, Cameron Amigo and Joey Zsa Zsa who were crowned the co-champions of the
"Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" Contest at the Funny Stop.
Special recognition also goes out to Dan Crosjean, Tim Danko, and Kyle Hamhurst who finished in the Top 5 of the Finals.
Other performers who qualified for the Finals included Dave Berry, Steve Evanicky, Matt Farrell, Dr. Jay, Markus Martin,
Tyler Ross, and Tome Tome.
Amigo and Zsa Zsa join Anthony Savatt and Lisa Pierce who won the title in the pair of amateur contests held earlier this
year as well as Prince James and Ben Palmer who won the competition for current and former emcees.
As the new year begins, so too will be the first preliminary qualifying opportunities for the 2011 editions of the "Ohio's
Best Amateur Comedian" Contest at the Funny Stop.
Lisa Pierce Takes The Title
Of "Ohio's Best Amateur
Comedian"; A Brand New
Contest Gets Underway On
Tuesday, September 14th
The "Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" Contest at the Funny Stop which began in April came to an exciting conclusion on
Monday, September 13th when the club hosted "THE FINALS!"
The hundreds of performers who took the stage to open months of Tuesday night shows in an attempt to qualify for the
contest was narrowed through preliminary, quarter-final, and semi-final rounds.
The 15 performers who survived the full eliminations process performed their best 5 minutes of material for the standing
room only crowd, panel of judges, and a representative of the Record Courier newspaper.
Based on the decision of the judges, which was heavily influenced by the audience's response to the performers, the newest
"Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" is a mother of 3 from Hudson, Lisa Pierce.
The remainder of the Top 5 finishers were China Man, Ray Felton, Kyle Hanhurst, and Luca Yaniro.
The other 10 excellent amateurs who advanced to the final round included Nick Contanese, Alex Crad, Dan Crosjean, Marty
Drexler, Eric The Great, Spider Jones, Joe Kowalcheck, Chris Menetta, Matt Morgan, and Yo Simply Sam.
An all new contest gets underway on Tuesday, September 14th and will continue until year end.
If you have 5 minutes of clean material and would like to have your chance to perform in the Funny Stop's spotlight, contact
Nidal at 330-923-4700 to be added to a future Tuesday night's contest line-up.
Anthony Savatt Crowned As
Champion Of 2010's First
"Ohio's Best Amateur
Comedian" Contest At The
Funny Stop Comedy Club
On Monday, April 19th the Funny Stop hosted the finals of its multi-month long "Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" contest.
The finalists qualified by surviving 3 elimination rounds in the competition. Each presented their 5 minutes of material
in front of the "standing room only" crowd in the Funny Stop showroom during the first ever, exclusive night for the
contest finals.
Multi-time contest bridesmaid, Anthony Savatt was the unanimous choice of the panel of judges as the newest "Ohio's Best
Amateur Comedian" at the Funny Stop.
Eric Keller, Anthony "Spider" Jones, Chinaman, and Chris Sinchock rounded out the top five finishers as judged by our panel
and overall audience reaction.
Savatt will add his name to the trophy which saw Dan Schwartz, Bryan Birker, and co-champions Black and Brendon
Biddlecombe who were the winners of the 3 contests which were held during 2009.
Congratulations to all of the amateurs who took the stage throughout the months of eliminations in the Funny Stop Comedy
Club's "Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" contest. They are welcome (along with any new entries) to participate in the
next contest which has preliminary qualifying rounds being contested as the opening acts of each Tuesday night's shows
at the Funny Stop.
If you have 5 minutes of clean material, contact Nidal at 330-923-4700 to be added to a future Tuesday night's open mic lineup.
Thursday-Saturday
February 2-4
Basile!
Three Nights Only!
BANG - you laugh! POW - you grab your sides! CRUNCH - you try to catch your breath!
Once you've seen this comedian's rough and tough opener, it's hard to believe that off-stage he's also the voice of Universal Studio's beloved "Bullwinkle Moose."
Critics call his opening bit the funniest in the country when he appears unplugged and in concert to sell-out crowds in comedy clubs and theatres across the U.S.
A pinch of Basile turns the ordinary into the extraordinary! Basile's spicy blend of improvisation and characters make for a great recipe for your entertainment pleasure.
Yes, he has a soft side - but this "teddy bear" is stuffed with high explosives that will blow the audience through the roof!
Headliner Schedule
January 24-28
Claude Stewart
January 31-February 1
John King
February 2-4
BASILE!
February 7-11
Dan O'Sullivan
February 14-18
Mark Anthony
February 19
U2O Dead of Winter
Metal Jam
February 21-24
Chad Zumock
February 25
TJ Miller
February 28-March 1
Tim Folger
March 2-3
Tammy Pescatelli
March 5-10
The Disgruntled Clown
March 13-15
Sid Davis
March 16-17
Tim Cavenaugh
March 20-21
Rick Allen
March 22-24
Reverend Bob Levy
March 28-31
Bob Gollub
Enjoy Our Various, Nightly
Food & Drink Specials
A Different Item From Our Foood & Drink Menu Is Offered At A Discounted Price Every Night!
Be sure to ask your server for the evening's food and drink specials.
Funny Stop Comedy Club's
2011 "VIP Card" Now Available
Enjoy Over $1,000 Value For Just $99
Our most popular, money saving, promotion ever has returned for 2011.
Launched in 2010, the Funny Stop Comedy Club's VIP CARD program has saved audience members literally thousands of dollars
on their admission price to the shows offered each week at Northeastern Ohio's top rated comedy club according to the
Fox 8 HOTLIST and the Akron Beacon Journal's BEACON'S BEST programs.
The Funny Stop's 2011 VIP Card offers FREE ADMISSION for the card member and one guest to any show on Tuesday, Wednesday,
or Thursday nights as well the 10:30 PM show on Fridays from January 1 through December 30, 2011.
A pair of regularly priced 10:30 PM Friday show tickets would run $20.00
Take this amount and multiply it times 52 weeks of the year and the Funny Stop 2011 VIP Card offers over $1,000 in
savings during the year.
Funny Stop Comedy Club 2011 VIP Cards are currently available for purchase at the showroom door or by contacting the
box office at 330-923-4700.
Pick up one for yourself or as a gift for your favorite comedy fan.
For full details, click HERE.
Prince James & Ben Palmer
Are The Winners Of The
Funny Stop Comedy Club's
Inaugural Emcee Competiton
Congratulations go out to Prince James and Ben Palmer for being the final round winners of the inaugural "Emcee" competition
at the Funny Stop Comedy Club on November 17th.
With a format very similar to the "Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" Contest which opens each Tuesday night's linup, the Funny
Stop offered a special, nearly 2 month long competition on Wednesday nights, exclusively for just for current or former
emcees at the club.
During the preliminary rounds which began on September 22nd, three to four emcees performed 10 to 15 minutes of "not too
dirty" material with two emcees from each performance being selected to move to the next round of eliminations.
As with the "Ohio's Best Amateur Comedian" contest, audience support and audience reaction were one of the key factors
our judges used to select those who have advanced each round as well as our first Wednesday "Emcee Contest" champions.
This contest will be used to advance the winners up another rung on the comedy ladder, with both Prince James and Ben
Palmer earning a position a week as a co-Feature performer in the future at the Funny Stop.
Other emcees earning a spot in the contest finals were Mike Scanlon, Shawn Boyd, Oliver Gray, Anthony Savath, and Dan
Swartz.
Based on the feedback received from our audiences, look for the Funny Stop Comedy Club's "Emcee Competition" to return
next Spring to our Wednesday night program.
Over 20 Performers & Officials Took The Stage
During "A Toast To Mike Veneman" Fund Raiser
On Monday, January 18, 2010 the Funny Stop Comedy Club hosted "A Toast To Mike Veneman", a fund raising
event to honor the longtime legend in Northeastern Ohio comedy.
The event was one of his last public appearances as Mike Veneman lost his battle with ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, on Saturday,
October 30, 2010.
A huge audience was entertained and moved by the rapid fire comedy, sincere remembrances, previously untold stories, and
governmental recognition during the bittersweet event which was highlighted by the more than 20 individuals who took the stage
to honor Mike.
To see a full list of those who gave their time to appear at "A Toast To Mike Veneman" and to view several photos from the
event, click HERE.
Thanks To All Of The Talented Performers Who Appeared At Our 20th Anniversary Celebration
Back Row (L-R) Mike Scanlon, Stan Piatt, Mike Wypasek, Pete Barak, Mike Veneman, Mayor Don Robart, Todd,
Charlie Wiener, Rodney Bengston, Marv Conner, Kirk Bogos, Mike Conley, and Bill Boronky.
Front Row (L-R) Stuart Warner, Dan Long, Tony Barak, Lucy Bebee, Lionel Hamilton, John Rathbone, Mike Gersh, and Tommy Chong.
Absent from picture: Kathy Dice and "The Real" John King.