Comedy venue Lil Chuck opens in the Charles Playhouse
Lil Chuck founders Norm Laviolette and John Tobin.
Although we Bostonians have a cantankerous reputation, we love a good laugh. And with the opening of comedy venue Lil Chuck (lilchuckboston.com) in the basement of the Charles Playhouse, we have a new place to bust a gut. Since the 1980’s the subterranean space was home to hairstyle whodunit Shear Madness. When the curtain closed on the final show, Norm Laviolette, the founder of Improv Asylum and Laugh Boston, along with former city councilman, comedy club owner and producer John Tobin, partnered with Broadway in Boston to turn the 199-seat theater into a comedy venue. The intimate space will host everything from improv to stand-up to theatrical shows. Two such shows playing this month are fan favorite Shit-faced Shakespeare and an original show from the folks at Improv Asylum called Kinda Famous where a “famous” local celebrity guest’s interview by the cast becomes fodder for sketches. Right now the list of celebrities includes Matt Shearer from WBZ and former New England Patriots Christian Fauria.
A scene from Shit-faced Shakespeare on stage at Lil Chuck.
Another original show coming to Lil Chuck this spring is a karaoke jukebox musical written and created by Laviolette. The narrative follows Pudgie, the matron of failing biker bar Pudgie’s Roadhouse, and her son Miller Lite who decide to host karaoke nights to save their business. Audience members will be invited on stage to sing key songs of the musical backed by a full cast. “The mandate is that anybody who comes up will look like a rock star. If you love to sing, you can get up and be the star of a show,” says Laviolette.
Whether you want to be part of the joke or simply add to the laugh track, comedy lovers will find something to tickle them at Lil Chuck. And with Boston’s rich history of producing successful comedians you never know which up-and-coming comic today will be a household name tomorrow. Rumor has it that everybody currently on Improv Asylum’s main stage was asked to audition for Saturday Night Live this summer.
Photography by: THE BRAND
