After the Laughter : When the Comics Step Down, the Audience Gets Up to Dance at Irvine Club

Comedy promoter Ray Newton, dapperly dressed in a black, double-breasted suit with a multihued tie, surveyed the audience filtering into Club 88 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

It was nearly 8 p.m. on a recent Sunday, traditionally a slow night for comedy clubs. But this is not the usual comedy club and, with a confident grin, Newton predicted “it’ll be standing-room only.”

He was right.

By 8:30 p.m., more than 300 people were packed into the hotel club across from John Wayne Airport.

Laff Jam, the weekly “comedy dance party,” was underway.

The comedy lineup featured five black female comics billed as the “Beautiful, Intelligent, Talented, Charming, Heavenly, Exotic, Sexy ladies of comedy.”

Laff Jam at Club 88 is that rarity in Orange County: a comedy show primarily featuring black comedians playing to a predominantly black audience.

And as the name implies, Newton and partner Pierre Bastien are offering something else you won’t find at other Orange County comedy clubs: After the comedy show ends around 11, audience members stick around to dance to hip-hop, reggae and funk until 2 a.m.

But until the extra tables and chairs temporarily set up on the dance floor are removed, the emphasis is on comedy.

Because it’s Sunday night and many patrons would otherwise be at home, tuning into the Fox network’s “In Living Color,” a large-screen TV on the stage and five smaller monitors around the room are tuned into the hit comedy show, which airs during the half hour before the Laff Jam comedy show begins at 8:30.

Newton, who says even he would be watching the show if he were home, likes to think of “In Living Color” as his warm-up act. As he said of the club, “I call this my big living room.”

The marriage of comedy and dancing has proved to be a winning combination.

Kris Smith, a Tustin hairdresser, who attends Laff Jam twice a month, likes it because “you get two for one. It’s fun because they feature a lot of people I’ve seen on ‘Def (Comedy) Jam,’ ” the black stand-up comedy show on HBO.

Smith said that being able to dance after the comedy show “is nice because you can finish up your drinks and hang out.”

Marc Williamson, a law student from Irvine, said the club “is one of the few predominantly black places in Orange County. It’s classy; people are dressed nice, (and) it attracts a good crowd.”

And a large crowd.

Since Laff Jam began in September, Newton said, it has been drawing capacity audiences every week. When popular black comics such as Michael Colyer, James Stephens III and Tommy Ford from Fox’s “Martin” sitcom have been on the bill, Newton has had to move the show into one of the hotel’s ballrooms.

In fact, Laff Jam has been going so well that Newton has been asked by the hotel to start a second comedy dance party--with a different flair--at Club 88 on Monday nights. Komedy Roq, a mix of comedy and alternative rock, co-sponsored by KROQ radio, will begin March 8.

Although two-thirds of the Laff Jam audience is from Orange County, Newton said some have come from as far as San Diego, the San Fernando Valley and San Bernardino County.

“I didn’t know it was going to take off this fast,” said Newton, a Detroit native who lives in Placentia. “I think it’s because of the two forces: comedy and dance. There’s a lot of energy in here.”

Laff Jam appears to reflect a trend.

Veteran comedian Robin Montague, one of the women who appeared recently, said she has seen similar clubs in Sacramento, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The trend makes sense at a time when some comedy clubs are losing audiences: “Kids go dancing. And this is a way, if they normally go dancing, to support comedy.”

Although three or four comics are featured on the Laff Jam bill every Sunday night, Newton said they also offer five-minute showcases for amateurs.

“We do like they do in New York and let the audience decide if they’re good enough to get paid,” he said.

Newton, who used to promote comedy shows in Long Beach and Los Angeles, also uses Laff Jam to promote black businesses--everything from photographers to clothing makers.

Before the start of the show on this particular night, he and several other volunteers modeled custom ties created by a designer who had just moved out from Indianapolis.

The purpose, Newton said, is to network.

“There’s a rumor that says blacks will never succeed because we don’t do business with each other,” he said. “We wanted to stop that stereotype and show we can work together.”

The Sunday night comedy show also regularly raises funds for charities.

The club recently begun selling Laff Jam T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “We don’t laugh at child abuse.” A portion of the proceeds go to the Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Center.

The club also gives patrons $2 off the $10 cover charge if they take a can of food to the show. The food is donated to the Exchange Club center, which fed about 81 families at Thanksgiving and more than 100 at Christmas, Newton said.

On Sunday, Laff Jam will veer from its usual comedy show to host the first Southern California Tri-County Comedy Competition.

The contest is co-sponsored by Laff Jam and two other clubs that feature weekly black-oriented comedy shows in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties. It began with preliminaries held at the three clubs in January.

From a total of 90 comics--30 per club--they’ve narrowed the field to nine finalists, all of whom have appeared on “Def Comedy Jam” and other stand-up TV shows: Darryl Heath, Alex Thomas, Dante, Buddy Lewis, Mystro Clark, Jeff Brown, Freeze Love, Ayres Samuels and Michael Sanford.

The first prize winner will receive $1,500; second, $1,000; and third, $500. Comic D.L. Hughley and KKBT radio disc jockey Cliff Winston will serve as emcees.

Because Newton is anticipating a large turnout, the comedy finals will be in the hotel’s grand ballroom, which can accommodate 700. He’s also planning a “huge after-party” that will be open to the public. After that, though, it’s back to business as usual.

The Southern California Tri Comedy Competition will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Club 88 in the Radisson Plaza Hotel, 18800 MacArthur Blvd., Irvine. $15. (714) 575-0276.