Sponsored by The Comedy Clubhouse.
The Comedy Clubhouse has placed Barcelona on the comedy map, and is considered one of the leading centers of this art form. This year it hosts the Barcelona Fringe Festival, comprising 10 days of hilarious routines!
Barcelona Metropolitan spoke with New Zealander John Allis to find out how, when and why he decided to open the Comedy Clubhouse three years ago. Today the club does 20 shows a week in English and Spanish, sometimes in Catalan, Italian, French and feature a wide variety of themes.
Barcelona has long had its share of comedy theaters but it seems that John may have finally found the right formula in raising the caliber of the art; the club has successfully attracted international standup superstars, such as Trevor Noah from The Daily Show, Michelle Wolf who is killing it on Netflix and Mark Normand to name but a few. But the group prides itself on also developing local amateur talent into professionals, like Kyla.
Kyla Cobbler, image courtesy of The Comedy Clubhouse
Kyla Cobbler
Kyla started working for John as a bartender and cleaner a few years back. Now she steals the show and cracks up the audience with her brilliant Irish wit. She jokes that her biggest challenge is that when she speaks in English, English speakers don’t understand her unmistakable Irish accent. On a more reflective turn Kyla discusses the art of understanding the audience and cultural hurdles this may pose when there is a massively varied audience in Barcelona. Artists must be able to read and adapt to their crowd. She adds “It has been so organic and made so easy by the community and my friends that I feel like I know I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the Barcelona comedy scene.”
James Regal, image courtesy of The Comedy Clubhouse.
James Regal
Originally from London, James has been in Barcelona for over 11 years. In 2019 he started doing comedy and within two years he started producing shows. He is the proud creator of Roast Battle and also runs another show called Lolliamorous, which is a live speed-dating show where the audience gets to date each other on stage and then talk to comedians and a sex expert afterwards.
All three are part of a burgeoning yet fast growing comedic família. They took an outrageous gamble in the middle of semi-lockdown to take on a bar. And really, that changed the game: they created the foundation and groundwork to build the Comedy Clubhouse. The proof is in the pudding. This year they will be putting on the first-ever Barcelona Fringe Festival, taking place from November 1st until November 10th.
Kyla sums it elegantly, “It was put together by the amazing and creative team at the Comedy Clubhouse. And we are going to overthrow the city, not with water pistols, my friend, but with laughter, with the medicine of laughter. So there’s going to be loads of shows at all different events and venues. There’s going to be comedians from all over Europe and the UK coming in and bringing their best work, their silliest work and loads of nonsense.”
Sponsored by The Comedy Clubhouse.