Amid economic gloom, comedy club laughs it up at second anniversary bash

The TakeOut Comedy Club celebrated its second anniversary last week. Comics and fans joined founder Jami Gong at the Elgin Street studio for some pot-luck dinner, videos of old performances and party games. It was just like a teenage basement party without parents telling them to turn the music down.

In less than two years, the club has established itself as the leading venue for stand-up comedy. Two of its regulars have even achieved television success - Vivek Mahbubani now hosts a regular programme on ATV, while Vince Matthew Chung was a winner on last season's Amazing Race Asia. However, Gong feels everyone has come a long way.

'The biggest difference is the comedians,' he said. 'The club has been a springboard for a lot of things, but going on stage on a regular basis, everyone has improved. They're not just better comedians, they're better people. It's improved their self-confidence, creativity and charisma. People noticed even when they see the same comic doing the same joke, the delivery is better, the lines are tighter and it comes across funnier. That's just experience.'

Gong noted that in tougher times, people want to laugh more. Even local Chinese audiences are venturing to what many call the gweilo ghetto to see what this stand-up comedy is all about. 'A lot of local Chinese never go to SoHo, but they come down here. We get a lot of calls asking where we are located.'

The club's official anniversary is the end of next week, with Al Ducharme performing from February 5 to 7.