ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996 TAG: 9608160030
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
Almost 12 years ago, The Roanoke Comedy Club found its home in the Patrick Henry.
Then the hotel's management changed and it moved to the Hotel Roanoke.
Then the Hotel Roanoke closed and the comedy club moved to its own downtown building, which also housed a local restaurant.
That didn't work out either, and the comedy club finally moved to Fiji Island Restaurant on Townsend Road.
"The moves kill you, obviously," said Jimmy Butler, who started the club in 1985. "It got to the point where we decided to put it to bed."
So this weekend, after the last scheduled acts leave the stage, The Roanoke Comedy Club will become a dream that didn't quite work out. The reality, Butler said, is that it wasn't taking in enough money in these final months to keep it going.
The moves, coupled with a harsh winter, hurt.
"There's still a market here for it," Butler said. "I just can't do it anymore."
Butler will continue his job at Truegreen Lawncare Co. He may get into something else comedy related, he said, but it won't be a club.
The Fiji Island Restaurant, will continue to serve Polynesian and American cuisine as it has for nearly 25 years, but without the comics who have played here three nights a week since November. In September, the restaurant plans to open a nightclub in the Tiki Lounge, where the comedy club has been. The nightclub will feature '50s and '60s music and dancing, said owner Jeff Foutz.
While the comedy club was open, it featured comics with now-familiar names - Rosie O'Donnell, Martin Lawrence, Anthony Clark.
"When Rosie O'Donnell came through, she was nobody," Butler said. "When Martin Lawrence came through, he was nobody. We're not going to pull in Robin Williams - those guys are going to be at the Roanoke Civic Center. But we see the stars of tomorrow."
Tonight and Saturday, the star of tomorrow is Florida comedian Frankie Paul, with special guest Nancy Ryan. Shows will be held at 8:30 and 10:30 each night, Butler said.
"And that's it."
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB