Norcross comedy club embraces area’s diversity

Upcoming show: Bruh Man From the 5th Floor, Dec. 31

The other clubs:

Punchline Comedy Club, 280 Hilderbrand Drive N.E., Sandy Springs. 404-252-5233, www.punchline.com.

Atlanta Improv, 56 E. Andrews Drive N.W., Atlanta. 678-244-3612, www.theimprovatlanta.com.

Laughing Skull Lounge, 878 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 1-877-523-3288, www.laughingskulllounge.com.

Uptown Comedy Corner, 800 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-881-0200, www.uptowncomedy.net.

Atlanta has been building its stand-up comedy scene in recent years, with a fifth major club now open in Norcross called Legends Comedy Theater.

Next to a nondescript Food Depot off Jimmy Carter Boulevard, the 278-seat theater is the brainchild of Bryan Gatlin.

A longtime concert promoter who set up package comedy shows at the Atlanta Civic Center featuring the likes of Rickey Smiley and Bruce Bruce, Gatlin gathered a couple of investors and spent $100,000 fixing up what he suspects was a former Chinese buffet.

“I wanted something that was built for comedy,” Gatlin said. “It’s nice and clean. And there’s free parking. We won’t gouge you for every little thing.”

He opened a few weeks back catering first to black audiences. For one night earlier this month, Gatlin spent some serious marketing money to hire Wanda Smith of V-103’s morning show to promote and host a series of shows featuring actress and comic Melanie Comarcho. They sold out.

And on Dec. 9, he hosted auditions for Nick Cannon’s MTV2 sketch/improv comedy show “Wild ‘N Out.”

But Gatlin has begun to broaden his comedy slate, with a Hispanic comic on Dec. 13 (Carlos Rodriguez) and an Asian-American (Jamie Ward) on Dec. 20. To him, it’s a way to tap the growing diversity of the region.

Four other clubs in metro Atlanta focus exclusively on stand-up comedy, on top of several bars and restaurants that hold weekly open mic nights.

The smaller Laughing Skull Lounge in Midtown caters to that hipster in-town crowd. Both the Atlanta Improv in Buckhead and the long-running Punchline in Sandy Springs, comparably sized to Legends, book a variety of mostly mainstream comics.

Uptown Comedy Corner is Legends’ closest rival given that it targets a black audience.

Some comics who tried out for “Wild ‘N Out” said they now prefer Legends over Uptown, which they feel is hampered by its location next to a strip club on Marietta Street. Plus, parking at night can cost up to $20.

“I like this club better,” said Navaris Greene, a Decatur resident who has done stand-up for several years. “I like the look, the energy, how the club is set up.”

There is also a lobby for patrons to wait before entering, which Uptown lacks. Gatlin, a lover of comedy, posted photos of comic legends, including Joan Rivers, Jim Carrey and Martin Lawrence.

“It’s comfortable for the comedians,” added Big Horne, another stand-up comic. “They have a green room with a PlayStation 3!”

Craig Wilson, a co-owner of Uptown since it opened downtown eight years ago, said he isn’t perturbed by Legends’ arrival. “I wish them well,” he said. “From a geographic and demographic standpoint, it doesn’t bother me much.”

As for having a strip club next door, he said, “It’s not a big deal. They’re good neighbors.” Plus, he said he has no control over the parking, which is a leased lot. “If you go out in Atlanta, you have to pay for parking.” he said, though he admits, “I feel for the audience. They walk in and they’re down $15 already.”

Wilson said business at Uptown is up and down depending on a variety of factors any given week. “It’s a living,” he said. “That’s all I can say.”

Jamie Bendall, who co-owns the 32-year-old Punchline, said he hasn’t seen this many stand-up clubs in town since the mid-1990s, when comics were getting sitcoms left and right.

“We have a little luxury being the preferred room of many acts,” Bendall said, and big names will often stop by the room to practice for theater shows. One night recently, he had both George Wallace and Jeff Foxworthy stop by to test material.

Atlanta Improv, which is 2 years old, has been amping up its headlining talent in recent months, hosting the likes of Norm MacDonald, Paul Reiser, Jon Lovitz and Jeff Ross.