Looking for laughs

The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe is the city’s lone improv group. Photo by Collin Richie

On a Wednesday night at The Station, it’s an hour before showtime. Local comics start filing in as the host, Robert Rau, finishes a fried seafood platter.

“This place is heaven compared to where I started,” Rau says, mentioning he used to host a weekly open mic night where the comics were ushered on stage in between musical performances, and the reactions were hardly favorable.

A stand-up comic and part of the improv troupe The Family Dinner, Rau has brought the jokes for the past five years. He feels comfortable at this open mic, which features anywhere from 12-15 local comics and a traveling headliner. He is confident that The Station’s event could stand up against any other open mic in the country.

Regardless of the venue, Capital City comedians know each other well. But their options to shine are limited—while there are other comedy shows around town, there are no comedy open mics outside of The Station’s event.

“I could see Baton Rouge supporting three more open mic nights easily,” Rau says.

Many of the local comedians have day jobs. Sometimes, they’ll travel for gigs and perform along the Gulf Coast. It’s not the most ideal situation, but getting on stage makes them feel like nothing else does.

“[Being] up on stage is still pretty nerve-wracking,” Rau says. “If [the material is] something new, I still get that hesitation in my voice.”

He points to the stage, where he and the others will soon tell anecdotes, a temporary escape from the daily grind.

“You tell it up there like a human being. It’s the reason we keep going back,” Rau says.

WHERE TO SEE COMEDY IN BATON ROUGE

The Station hosts Open Mic Night every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. 4608 Bennington Ave. 926-0631.

Manship Theatre hosts The Family Dinner comedy troupe’s monthly spoof nights. Hartley/Vey Theatres hosts the troupe’s practices and improv classes every Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Just Jokes, a comedy club inside Allure Nightclub, features local and traveling comedians regularly. 4715 Bennington Ave.

The Spanish Moon features regional comics monthly during its Green Room shows. thespanishmoon.com

Editor’s note: This article has been updated since its original posting.