Comedy in the Cellar Debuts at 210 Live in Highwood

Highwood's most eclectic dining and entertainment venue, 210 Live, brings many acts to its stage, since it arose from the re-branding of The Alley, the venerable bowling alley, bar and live music destination in the suburb just north of Highland Park. On any given night, visitors to 210 Live will find down home blues, jazz, rock and everything in between being performed from the stage in the completely reimagined and rehabbed interior.

The large space and professional stage, lighting and sound has made 210 Live a draw to local and national groups, including notable tribute bands such as Terrapin Flyer (Grateful Dead), Have A Cigar (Pink Floyd) and American English (The Beatles).

210 Live also plays an integral role in many of the Celebrate Highwood events and fests that occur each year, during the spring, summer and fall.

This past Thursday, 210 Live debuted a new, monthly, stand-up comedy showcase, Comedy in the Cellar, produced by Highland Park based Funnier By The Lake Comedy.

The new showcase marks the return of comedy to the venue. Throughout 2014 and 2016, while still The Alley, Funnier By The Lake coordinated monthly comedy shows that were a hybrid of showcases and open mics, a decidedly looser version of the Comedy in the Cellar production.

The Comedy in the Cellar showcase launched on Thursday, June 21, and delivered hilarious sets from a lineup of professional comedians, Mona Aburmishan, Peter-John Byrnes, Laura Hugg and Kevin Kellam, all of whom feature and headline throughout the country and internationally (and that doesn't just mean Canada!). The show was opened and emceed by local stand-up comedian and Funnier By The Lake Comedy founder, Larry Bloom.

Bloom has been bringing live stand-up comedy to venues in the north suburbs since 2014, beginning with 210 Live's previous incarnation, He produces showcases, dinner-and-a-show nights and one-off special events, as well as ongoing showcases at Small Town Brewery Taproom, in Wauconda (yes, all the way up in Wauconda), and The Comedy Nosh, each month at Max and Benny's Restaurant, in Northbrook. For just under three years, Bloom notably ran a regular comedy showcase at Billy Corgan's Madame Zuzu's Teahouse, in Highland Park until the establishment's closing in March of this year.

"The Zuzu's shows were amazing. I produce several shows each month but that one was always special to me," says Bloom. "Highland Park is my home, and it was great to be responsible for the only live stand-up comedy in town."

Bloom explains that losing the Madame Zuzu's location was tough, and he was determined to find another spot to present live comedy. "I met with several owners and managers, had some false starts," Bloom says.

At a chance meeting recently with one of the partners of 210 Live, the subject of doing live comedy came up. And, this time, everything lined up.

"The suggestion was to do shows in the intimate event room in the lower level," explains Bloom. "That was my thought, too, as I had the idea for a north shore 'comedy cellar," as a nod to the famous club in New York City."

The inaugural showcase hit all of the marks, according to Bloom, with a fun audience that arrived ready to laugh, great sets by every comedian, and the sense that Funnier By The Lake Comedy and 210 Live can build a following for a premier event that nobody else is offering in the area.

The ongoing Comedy in the Cellar series will be held at 8pm, on the third Thursday of each month. For more information, visit www.210Live.com or www.FunnierByTheLake.com.