Thursday, December 22, 2016

Wednesday Mic at Penelope's Bar And Lounge

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  1. Penelope’s is a classy bar in downtown Oakland. Metered parking prevails on the streets, but if they are occupied, there is a paid lot across the street. While Penelope’s is a full bar, they don’t serve any food. But that’s okay. Just one block over there are four restaurants.
    Johnny is the owner of Penelope’s and produces the open mic, which has been going on almost three years as of this posting, but he does not host. Jim was the guest host the night I went up, and Johnny took time away from working behind the bar to do five minutes himself, going up just before me.
    Talent gets five minutes, the light at four. This room is for comedy only. No music, poetry, or spoken word. Just spoken jokes. Maybe some visual ones as well. There are no language restrictions. Signup is first come first choice, and there is an honor system in this room. The sheet will get passed to you fourth if you were the fourth comedian there. I arrived at 7:20pm and there were eight comedians already there. The signup sheet was given to me ninth, and I took the fifth spot, with other talent waiting their turn. That everyone was on board with the honor system I thought was cordial. I’ve seen feeding frenzies at other venues in San Francisco, absolutely devoid of respecting one another.
    The room seats about 21. There is a muted TV just above the corner of the bar to the right of the entrance where the platform stage is, but the TV is changed to a still logo promoting comedy at Penelope’s, so it’s no distraction. Everyone in the bar is there for comedy. You’ll have an attentive audience. There were 14 people in the room by 7:30. The platform stage is six inches, and there is one mic. On the signup sheet there are 20 slots.
    We started the evening early, 7:50pm, with Jim opening with a few minutes after telling the room the rules at Penelope’s open mic. There were 21 people in the room, Johnny included, who was as attentive an audience as any bartender/comedian could be. I heard him laugh while I was on stage, which was about 8:15 and when other comedians went up as well. Attendance had increased to 25 peeps when it was my turn. By 9pm the room had thinned to 19.
    As a perk and a Thank You, Johnny comps each comedian one shot (with a second shot glass of water for those who need the chaser), and the talent and room together call out, “Party central!” before the talent upends the amber liquid. I had to tip Johnny handsomely when I paid for the beer I had. I thought that was rockin’ of him to comp a drink.
    Guys, like all the venues I’ve reviewed in the Bay Area, this is a room to do. Certainly as long as you’re on time, you’re guaranteed a spot. And while five minutes is not a lot of stage time, the room happens early enough that you might get a second open mic in. The audience listens to the talent, and Johnny brings a lot of energy to the room, and the comped shot, especially in these cold winter nights, will warm anyone’s cockles this holiday season.
    But I am confident any week is a good week at Penelope’s.

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