FOLIO
Words by Johvan Merilus
Jacksonville may not exactly be New York City when it comes to a vibrant entertainment scene, but the River City has been growing by leaps and bounds, especially when it comes to comedy.
For decades, the city’s focus when it came to entertainment was typically music. However, comedy has had a long-standing relationship with comedians, dating back to the early 1900s.
Pat Chapelle, a Jacksonville native, had a traveling group with a talented roster of African- American performers called The Rabbit’s Foot Company. In 1901,the company was led by Arthur “Happy’ Howe, one of the group’s leading comedic acts.
Howe was joined by fellow comedians Charles “Cuba” Santana and a dynamic comedic duo known as Butterbeans and Susie. Though the group was originally formed to be just musicians, it was these pioneering individuals who first brought the art of comedy to Jacksonville and contributed in showcasing Jacksonville’s talented comics throughout their performances.
As comedy continued its rise, it needed a place for comedians to be able to come together and tell their jokes. Enter the Comedy Zone. Since its opening in 1991, the city’s largest and longest operating comedy club has become the cornerstone for the comedy scene in Jacksonville.
Becoming the city’s premier comedy club is a heavy title in its own right, but continuing the legacy from decade to decade is the true accomplishment. Leah Washburn, who has been the operations manager at Comedy Zone for nearly a decade, spoke of just how popular the club has become in attracting names well-known to Jacksonville like Eddie Griffin, Bob Saget, Steve Harvey, Ralphie May, Chelsea Handler, to name a few. “I mean, I have Ron White, Chris Tucker, Howie Mandel and T.I,” she added. To be able to attract the level of comedians Comedy Zone does speaks volumes about the room and the management. It also means the next generation of comedian star power now have a reason to stop in Jacksonville — and maybe even be discovered.
For comedy in Jacksonville to grow, it needed to elevate itself to attract not only up and coming talents but established comedians (either on their way up … or their way back down), individuals who stand on stage with just a microphone and cause a room full of strangers to join in a communal moment of laughter.
Danny Johnson is one of those people. A stand-up comic since 1998, the Jacksonville native is perhaps best known for his Dry Bar Comedy Special and hosting a podcast with other comedians. He, for one, has been able to witness just how much Jacksonville’s comedy landscape has changed over the years.
“From when I first started to now, there are a ton more venues that are having comedy nights than when I started,” said Johnson.
From the beginning, he was able to witness the humble beginnings of Jacksonville’s comedy scene.
“There was a room in St.Augustine called the Gypsy Cab Company and then maybe a few open mics here and there, but now there’s something new every other night somewhere in Jacksonville,” Johnson added..
The more Jacksonville embraced comedy, the more brave souls took their chances taking the stage for the first time. A lawyer by day, Mike Freed is also a local comedian who’s performed his fair share of shows since 2016. To him comedy is an opportunity that continues to grow for those who love it.
“Though comedy can seem unrehearsed, the best comedians are the ones who spend a lot of time quietly writing their jokes until they’re really tight and then get as much stage opportunity as they can,” said Freed.
In 2018, Daisy Tackett found herself being one to join those who look to bring laughter to those here within the city. And as a five-time winner of “Best Local Comedian” in the “Folio” Best of Jax issue, she knows the ins and outs of performing in Jacksonville. As her reputation continued to grow, she saw why comedy in Jacksonville has forged its own identity and why it’s important to keep it going.
The most important thing about it is the sense of community in making people laugh,” she said.
Along the way, Tackett has been able to gain perspective not only the potential that the culture of comedy holds in Jacksonville but the flaws that can be improved upon.
“There’s not a lot of women that are getting booked on shows, and I want more women to showcase the local talent,” Tackett said.
In highlighting this, she expressed how Jacksonville may be changing in comedy, but it will only continue to get better as it has certain goals and barriers still in need of being broken.
Comedians are emerging more throughout the city and a lot more are even specifically traveling to Jacksonville to perform. With the city constantly growing, its demand for diverse entertainment continues to increase.
And we could all use a good laugh right about now.
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