If laughter is the best medicine, then India just got the whole pharmacy with The Comedy Store opening up at the Palladium, Lower Parel, in Mumbai on June 17. A joint venture between The Comedy Store and Amar Agrawal, it will trade under the name of Horseshoe Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt Ltd. The Comedy Store has been providing 31 years worth of laughs (in UK since 1979) and now with its arrival in Mumbai, it plans to be the first dedicated comedy venue in India, with shows from Thursday to Sunday, comedians from across the world, three comedians every week, for 52 weeks in a year.

Says Don Ward, founder and CEO of The Comedy Store, ?The Comedy Store involves anything that is funny. It basically is the spoken word. It could be observational, political, relationship-based and even satire. We have stand-up comics, improvisational groups and also what we call The Cutting Edge team, which provides the most up-to-date humour in the country, basically the best in topical satire.?

A spacious 24,000 square feet set-up, The Comedy Store auditorium in Mumbai is one of its kind, has been custom built and is an acoustically treated multipurpose venue. Ward explains, ?The auditorium is the ultimate in state-of-the-art venues. It seats 300 people and has 10 rows in a tiered theatre style layout so that everyone is seated in comfortably cushioned seats and gets an unparalleled view of the stage. The sound here is second to none.?

Fulfilling night out

But a ?serious night out? doesn?t consist of a few laughs only. The Comedy Store looks to provide its patrons with so much more. It also has a cafe, restaurant and bar. ?I?ve always wanted to go beyond comedy,? points out Ward. ?I wanted to feed my guests as well. I realised that to travel a short distance in Mumbai, often takes maybe half an hour to an hour. I wanted to provide my guests with a kind of all-available, one-stop destination for a good night out.? Ward also speaks about the Canvas Lounge, which will open in July. ?Our guests will have the unique opportunity to watch a show and then dine in Canvas or dine in Canvas and then watch the show later. A unique feature of Canvas will be a giant 50-feet screen playing special effects and imagery.?

What can audiences expect at an outing at the Comedy Store to be? Stand up comedy performances will take place over the weekend (Thursday to Sunday), while the rest of the week will see the venue offer entertainment options such as music and film. The format will be three artistes each time working in the international standard format of one MC+ two stand up artistes. The MC will begin the evening and introduce both the comics at regular intervals to do their 30-minute set each. ?The acts will be nearly the same one would see at the Comedy Store London or Manchester. Our comedians will be world class and from across the globe,? adds Ward.

Talent tapping

The Comedy Store is also excited about its plans to showcase local comic talent, for which auditions will be held. ?We will be happy to showcase people and bring their talent forward. Slapstick, double acts, magic, etc, whatever can make them a comedy star will be welcomed. We wish to have an Indian show going around India and even taking the star to the UK, as well as to the Edinburgh Festival,? says Ward, adding, ?We will be taking the store to other cities in India. We are on the lookout for the next big comedy star and we are hoping that he or she will be from India.?

Tickets for the shows are priced at Rs 500 on Thursdays (8.30 pm) and Sundays (7.30 pm) and Rs 700 on Fridays (7.30 pm & 10 pm) and Saturdays (7.30 pm & 10 pm). They can be booked through http://www.bookmyshow.com or at The Comedy Store Box Office at the Palladium. ?All the seats are booked this week and next week?s booking has already begun, we believe we will have 70-80% bookings at any given show, if not more. The cost is not cheap but it?s not too high either. It?s a fair price, as the show will last a few hours. The food and drinks will also be reasonably priced.?

So what do audiences have to say about the venue that premiers this weekend? Ryan Correa, proprietor, Events Extradionnaire/Gecko Ent, is ecstatic that we have such a venture here. ?To be able to see live what we?ve been all along watching on DVD will be tremendous fun. I don?t see any real comedy in our country and this will definitely be a big step for us. If the right talent is brought forth through the auditions, we?ve got a winning formula. I?ve heard a lot about The Comedy Store UK and am happy that we will now be a part of it here in India.?

Mumbai calling

Having started 31 years ago in London, Ward had tried an experiment and it worked. There are now two Comedy Stores in the UK, one in London and the other in Manchester. ?I wanted to now look to the Far East. I felt Indians like stand up comedy and probably like to do it as well. So I decided to set up here. We came to Delhi first and then decided on a store in Mumbai. The Comedy Store India is better than the ones in the UK as it has so much more. It also cost more. The star of the show will undoubtedly be the venue.?