After seeing to it that MGM Springfield’s ROAR! Comedy Club opened its doors to start 2019, John Tobin is onto the next venue — and now it’s Worcester’s turn to get a little bit funnier.
WooHaHa Comedy Club, located in the city’s culturally blooming Grid District, will officially open its doors this Friday night (January 18) with Providence native Paul Mecurio cutting the figurative ribbon for the room with a trio of shows throughout the weekend. Joining him will be Brian Glowacki, who will be getting well-acquainted with the room as the club’s house emcee for the first four months.
While the anticipation to see the doors open is mounting, Tobin fully acknowledges that, while he’s excited to see the club finally up and ready to go, the chance to join Worcester’s consistently flourishing arts scene has come at a fairly drawn out, tedious price. Originally slated to open in October 2018, the construction delays have had the New England comedy guru chomping at the bit, but he’s no rookie when it comes to dealing with the chaos that comes with opening a club.
“If I had my preference, I would’ve liked to be to have been open by now, but I mean, there’s been a lot of anxiety about it because of the delays we’ve had, but I can’t jump up and down and scream about it,” Tobin tells Vanyaland. “It happened with Laugh Boston, when we were delayed five months, so I’ve gone through it before. But once it goes off in Worcester at eight o’clock on Friday night, then I’ll be even happier.”
Headaches aside, Tobin is still elated to see the doors open after several years searching for a space in the Woo, at the urging of longtime friend and former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray. And while most of Tobin’s business is run in and around Boston, he’s certainly no stranger to Worcester, which he feels only plays to his advantage as he’s working to get the room off the ground.
“[Murray and I] have been friends forever, and he’s been telling me to get down to Worcester forever and to be part of the renaissance of the city,” admits Tobin. “I’m used to Worcester, having run the Aku-Aku back in the day, and I feel like I know at least half the people in the city, either through working in government in a previous lifetime or vacationing on the Cape, where it feels like we have 95 neighbors from the city [laughs]. It’s a great city, with so many great things happening to it, so to be opening our doors this week is huge.”
Beyond it being just a natural next step in erecting comedy clubs all over the region and continuing to bring both local and national names to the masses, Worcester holds a special place in Tobin’s comedy heart, and he feels that the art form is integral to the blooming selection of entertainment the city has to offer. “I think comedy is a huge part of the cultural offerings of the city,” says the West Roxbury native. “The first time I ever saw Jerry Seinfeld was at the [Memorial Auditorium] in Worcester, and I saw Eddie Murphy at the Centrum in ‘87 or ‘88, and I’ll never forget those times… So for me, Worcester has always been a special place, and it’s always had a great comedy history. Now, to see the next generation of comics pick it up and continue that legacy is pretty cool.”
In addition to overseeing the development of WooHaHa, Tobin has also been working tirelessly to revitalize the space behind Park Grill, once occupied by the now-retired Dick Doherty. That space, an 80-seat room re-branded as The Comedy Attic, will be opening its doors next Friday (January 25) with a set from Will Noonan, and Tobin is hoping the formula that has helped clubs like Laugh Boston and Nick’s Comedy Stop gain popularity will translate in Worcester.
“It’s the same deal like with Laugh Boston, where that’s more of a national headliner spot, and Nick’s Comedy Stop is more for local names, we’re gonna be doing the same sort of thing with the WooHaHa and the Attic, and we’re going to be presenting a great selection of comedy in those rooms.”
John Tobin has done a lot for the comedy scene in New England over the years, and at the end of the day, he’s just trying to make tough times easier for comedy fans one show at a time, and use comedy as an escape from everyday stresses. “Life is stressful for a lot of people,” he notes. “Maybe you’re raising kids, or juggling two or three jobs to try and put food on the table, just trying to make ends meet, and I see comedy clubs as safe islands from [those stresses]. Of course, the comedy isn’t safe, but you sit down and listen to really smart people question the absurdities of life and challenge the status quo, and kind of just bask in their creativity with the way they make you laugh.”
WOOHAHA COMEDY CLUB GRAND OPENING :: Friday, January 18 at The WooHaHa Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St. in Worcester, MA :: 8 p.m., $20 :: WooHaHa event page :: Advance tickets :: Featured image via the venue