rs are down dramatically from earlier times, but there are still some 100,000 people a month who go to see comedy in the city. One thing that sets Los Angeles apart is the fact that so many comedians live there. Clubs in other parts of the country have to rely on comedians' schedules bringing them to town, but in Los Angeles the comedians are local. This means that top talent can be seen any night of the week, and this helps attract the comedy-prone audience. The stars among comedians use the clubs as a place to test new material or polish old material. Many also like to be seen in the clubs because so many who have appeared there have jumped to roles on television situation comedies when they were spotted by the networks on stage (Crisafulli 6).
Among the competing clubs thriving in Los Angeles are Igby's, on Pico since 1983; the Ice House in Pasadena, a comedy club since 1978; the Laugh Factory in Hollywood; and others. All have had to face a downturn in the size of the audience in spite of being able to maintain a necessary level. The Improv had an annex in Santa Monica but closed it because of a reduction in business. In 1979 there were some 20 comedy clubs, and this number increased to 400 by 1989. Some 100 clubs have closed since then, and business is reported to be down between 10 percent and 40 percent since a profit peak in 1990. Some clubs have given up the struggle and have eliminated comedy altogether and remained open only as bars. Others book less comedy and more music while still retaining some association as comedy clubs (Crisafulli 7).
One of the elements considered to have fueled the comedy boom before this was disposable income, and a tightening in the economy has reduced the level of disposable income and caused many people to rethink the way they spend their entertainment dollars. In some respects, the boom years of comedy clubs was a time of inflated expectations. The comedy boom developed as t...