The Groundlings Theatre & School

I attended the 10pm "Completely Different Late Show" on Friday, May 15 and was completely blown away by the Improv. As a Chicago transplant I felt a twinge of guilt for buying a ticket at Groundlings as opposed to LA's own Second City, however I can see why Groundlings has the rep it does. The show opened with a jaw droppingly well sung (and hilarious) song improv by Arianne Price. Arianne later performed as a Latina LA News Reporter who left the audiences in sidesplitting laughter. Other standouts included the sly Hugh Davidson, the young Mikey Day and the deadpan Wendy MacLendon. This show was so consistently good, (I even enjoyed the extremely tall director who had an amazing rapport with the audience) my only concern was as to why the audience was only half full. This is a show that garners standing room only audiences. Run! Don't walk!

this place is great but you have to make sure to get the showtimes before going. i don't think they have it everynight.

The Groundlings was my first foray into the comedy club scene, but I don't think anyone else could top it. It was genuinely funny, very real and the cast was stellar. The skits were creative and the music was great too! The intimate setting made the experience all the better. I highly recommend going to Groundlings whether it's your first time or your millionth time to a comedy club!

We saw the Completely Different Late Show and it was very clever and funny. Wasn't super-polished like stand-up that's been rehearsed a gazillion times and some performers were definitely better than others but we wanted something different and it was a fun night. It's a small theatre so there's no bad seat in the house.

Had fun at this funfactory. Comedy was fun - and enjoyed the environment. Def one of the better laugh lounges. Sometime a bit raw for my taste, but raw is sometimes good.

This place is outta my college-pocket range, but every time I go, Im always happy for "supporting the arts" esp. when the "arts" is like this. Not only are the skits funny, fresh and original, they're well thought out, too. I didn't fully realize this until the end of the night when I was flipping back thru my program and saw that the skits were somewhat centered on a theme. That just made the night all the better. Overall, great young talent--exciting to watch and wonder where they'll go from here.

Troope works together to create truly original material. Have only seen one bad performance over the last fifteen years -- where the chemistry did not work.

Born out of counter-cultural 1960s comedy troupe the Committee, Melrose Avenue's Groundlings have been practicing their high-octane brand of anything-goes improvisation for nearly three decades. Audiences know the group for their wacky sketch comedy and lightning audience participation rounds, but for aspiring comedians and writers it's the Groundlings School that's the real draw. With courses in beginning and advanced improv, sketch and monologue comedy, the school has trained several generations of young wits. Its alumni includes a laundry list of "Saturday Night Live"-ers (Phil Hartman, Julia Sweeney, Will Ferrell, Laraine Newman), Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson and Emmy-winning "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow. The theater was also the home of Paul Reubens' early, raunchier version of "Pee-Wee's Playhouse." With pristine standards and a pool of hundreds of talented newcomers to draw from, the troupe offers some of the quickest, cleverest improv in town, cozily presented in their own 99-seat... Read more

I have heard about this place from many people with alot of great comdedians being a product of this place. It was hilarious skits that the...

I have had many good times here. The reason I got hooked on The Groundlings is that my mom took me there before I was 18, you can get in th...

I have been a major fan of The Groundlings comedy troupe in Hollywood for years. This is an all improv group whose alumni read like a who's...

SOOOO funny!! I first came to the Groundlings in college and loved it! The cast is hysterical and works well with each other. As always, an...

Of course, I had heard all the usual stuff -- like that this is the breeding ground for 'Saturday Night Live.' I went on a Friday night for the improv comedy. The friends I went with said it could be hit-or-miss. In the hour-plus performance, all ten or so members blew me away. Truly some of the funniest, most intelligent performers I had seen on a stage. People would be crazy not to at least stop in for a night.

Remember these words: "It's a work in PROGRESS." Some of the skits are side-splitting funny; others, um, in need of some work. If you like to see up-n-coming acts, check it out on Sunday. That's where they try out new comedians & most of the new material.

The Groundlings theater troupe is a breeding ground for "Saturday Night Live" talent. I almost don't want to write this review, because they seem to be one of the best-kept secrets in LA. Two shows a night, tickets are like $7 or $10 depending on the show. And you will die laughing.