Comedy Store set for India act

If the Euro crisis and bleak markets have been worrying you, then Don Ward, founder and owner of the Comedy Store is standing by to turn your misery into laughter, literally.

Come July 3, Mumbai will witness the opening of the first Comedy Store, a live stand-up comedy theatre, at the High Street Phoenix in central Mumbai. Comedy Store’s CEO Don Ward along with Indian business partner, Amar Agrawal (managing director of The Spa Group) are set to open the sprawling theatre spread across 24,000 sq feet and will seat around 300 people.

Ward chose India to be the first country for international expansion. Reason: “There is no emerging comedy talent in India and I intend to change that – we are looking for the first Indian stand-up superstar. It’s an incredibly exciting venture, and I hope India embraces the Comedy Store in the same way that the UK has over the past 30 years.”

The Comedy Store in London witnesses over 3,500 people passing through its doors every week and clocked in a whopping £5 million (around Rs 35 crore) last year. In India, Ward is pricing tickets to comedy shows at about Rs 500-Rs700. “Mumbaikars can afford to pay the price for good comedy acts,” he insists. Ward further argues that comedy makes for a reasonably “thrifty” big night out. Drinks, food and tickets for two can dent anywhere between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500.

Ward overshot his intended budget of around Rs 7 crore (he ended up investing over Rs 20 crore) in opening the Mumbai club, but seems unfazed. “Even if 10 per cent of the 28 million people who live in Mumbai walk up to the Comedy Store, I wouldn’t have to worry about my business revenues.” He is confident once the Comedy Store launches in Mumbai, he would be able to expand in Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai too.

Comedy Store is not just a place to laugh off your blues, adds Ward. The British comedy entrepreneur and producer is also readying a multi-cuisine restaurant, with a separate bar and lounge area. “We will be serving an array of Asian fusion dishes in our restaurant, named Canvas. After the comedy, the club will turn in to a music venue and will feature a state-of-the-art sound system, playing international music with a lean towards the latest in Indian sounds,” he says.

For starters, Ward will ferry international comics from his London stores to perform at Mumbai’s Comedy Store but in future plans to develop the Indian stand-up scene. Local amateur comics will also be offered a chance to participate in workshops with professional comedians. Meanwhile to prepare his British comedians for Mumbai’s crowd, Ward is making sure that they read local newspapers, acclimatise themselves to the local culture and build their acts on current topics. Some of the star alumni of Comedy Store include Russell Peters, a Canadian -Indian stand-up and the club attracts Hollywood stars like Robin Williams, Mike Myers and Chris Rock among others.