LBC Laugh Factory

Laugh Factory owner explains Long Beach flop

September 22nd, 2008, 4:11 pm · 6 Comments · posted by Kelli Skye Fadroski

I was feeling really bummed about the show at the Laugh Factory on Saturday night. With all of the hype and all of the no-shows, it left me hoping this wasn’t a sign of things to come for the place. The venue itself, as I said in the article, was spectacular — any comic (at least the ones I know) would be stoked to perform on a stage like that.

My spirits were lifted today, however, whenLaugh Factory owner Jamie Masada called me to explain, but not defend, the opening-night mishaps.

According to Masada, a series of unfortunate events took place . The valet parking situation hadn’t been worked out. Dane Cook had to cancel at the last minute due to promotion obligations for his new film My Best Friend’s Girl. Jamie Kennedy had an accident on the 405 on his way to the show. Brad Garrett had to pull out last-minute as well — hard to do much else on Emmys weekend — but he will be performing at the venue in a few weeks. (Details coming soon. Check back at laughfactory.com).

Masada calls Saturday’s event a “soft opening” and plans to do an even bigger event in about six weeks, in which he hopes to have even the smallest of kinks fully worked out.

Masada, who has owned the Los Angeles Laugh Factory for 29 years, has always been a huge supporter of the stand-up scene. So many comic greats have graced his club -Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy, just to name a few. Masada says he created the beautiful $10 million Long Beach spot because he wanted to give comedians the type of venue they deserve to perform in.

“A lot of places just open up a club, they paint it black and put up a spotlight and a mic and then say, ‘We’re a comedy club,’” he says. “They don’t give the comics the dignity they deserve.”

He loves comedy and says that without comics, he would be lost.

“When I came to this country (from Israel), I was sleeping in a garage,” he says. “Absolutely, without stand-up comedy, I would not be where I am today.”

Bottom line: Masada’s goal is to ensure everyone has a good time, and is backing his word. If you had tickets to Saturday’s event (and can prove it) and came away dissatisfied, Masada wants to hear about it. You can reach him or one of his staff members at 323-848-2804.