If you missed it, the Little Mountain Gallery, a long-time comedy venue, shut down at the end of 2021.
With it, comedy shows essentially left the Riley Park-Little Mountain neighbourhood - but not for long.
Bodzy Wash, a weekly show hosted by Brendan Washbern and Mike Bodz launched this summer. The pair are busy with the weekly stand-up night at a recently vacated shop next to the Shameful Tiki Room; it's set up as a small theatre space.
"A lot of the venues are getting closed down so we're trying to start a new one," says Washbern, who notes the area used to also see shows at Hood 29, which has also disappeared.
With two shows a night featuring four or five comedians (and maybe a drop-in set), Bodzy Wash regularly brings local comedy back to the neighbourhood, while most comedy nights stay in the city's core.
"People like that it's right down the street, it's so much easier than commuting downtown," says Washbern. "There's a lot of foot traffic there—non-stop during the day."
"We also have A/C, so that's a big selling feature," he adds.
The show also takes advantage of a space that would otherwise be empty.
The pair are hustling to keep the venture going; in one case Bodz set up a lemonade stand to draw in potential audience members (and caught the eye of one slightly touchy woman). At the same time, they're not sure how long they'll stay in the location, though they're booked through mid-August.
"We're just going to do it week by week really," says Washbern. "We're going to try and keep it going as long as we can."
Bodzy Wash is every Thursday with shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.
