From big name comedians to open mic nights, the Improv always seems to have something going on. The Improv also hosts the most exciting event in amateur standup each year—the Improv Finals, or "Cream of the Crap," as it has been lovingly dubbed. Some people may have a problem with the Improv's two-drink (or food item) minimum, but we at the Metro look at it as an ante in poker. It's only there to get things started, plus the jokes are always funnier when judgment has been impaired.
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The be-all, end-all of South Bay comedy clubs, this place is classy. How classy is it? Oh c'mon now, don't start that. Plus, the headliners here are big, and the openers are talented Bay Area funny people who've worked their way up the circuit. It's a sizable place, but the multilevel seating makes every seat on the bottom floor seem like a good one. The drinks are absolutely hideous, but you still have to buy two of them. It works out OK when somebody bombs, in general liquid lubrication is not required for the caliber of comedian the Improv usually brings to town. -- Metro Bars & Clubs, June 16, 2010
2009 BEST OF SILICON VALLEY Reader Survey Winner - First Place
Best Comedy Venue
The Improv is a true gem in San Jose's crown. It brings some of the biggest names in comedy to the South Bay. On off-nights, aspiring local standups take to the stage; on the weekends, headliners like Alonzo Bodden, Tom Arnold and Maria Bamford perform. That's a lot more fun than trying to see them on pay per view.
Since The Improv opened a few years ago right in downtown San Jose, it has been a solid destination for gut-busting, world-renowned comedy acts. Comedians who you never thought would play in San Jose get booked regularly and play to a full house every time. Plus, the venue is first rate (it’s located in the site that was once the San Jose Theater, a chic art deco playhouse in its heyday), the food is decent and the drinks will definitely help the comedy become even funnier.
The Improv is Downtown San Jose's incarnation of the Improv Comedy Club, and one of the nicest venues in the national comedy club chain's portfolio .
2008 BEST OF SILICON VALLEY Staff Pick and Reader Survey
Winner Best Standup Comedy Venue
2007 BEST OF SILICON VALLEY Reader Survey Winner - First Place
Best Standup Comedy Venue
With a bad comedian in the White House, we want—we need—some real laughs ... and a couple of stiff drinks in the bargain. That’s where the Improv steps in, with big-name acts (Jamie Kennedy, Eddie Griffin to name a couple of recent headliners), open-mic free-for-alls, a goodly chunk of the annual San Francisco Comedy Competition, cutting-edge standups—all this and dinner too: food for the stomach and the funny bone.
— Metro, Silicon Valley's Weekly Newspaper, September 26, 2007
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62 S. Second St, San Jose, CA
+1 408.280.7475