Local comedy club focused on fun, mixed lineups

Around the corner from the Comics Lounge, tiny Club Voltaire has been hosting funny, free-spirited shows for more than two decades and the comedians are serving up the laughs every Sunday night, with or without the Comedy Festival.

Jake Zukerman is “not too sure” how he got into standup.

“It just looked like a lot of fun,” he told North West City News.

For the past three years he and co-hosts Kya De Angelis and Montana Papadinis have been mixing up their sets with those of other comics as organisers of the Club Voltaire Sunday comedy night.

The 50-seat venue, down a laneway off Errol St, is “a nice little theatre”, which is both secluded and intimate, Jake says.

“We look forward to it every week. It’s our favourite show to do, a nice event.”

The night, running now for around 14 years, was also beloved of other comics, he said.

“We had Arj Barker come down once. He asked me, ‘how long is my spot?’”.

The organisers like to watch the show as well as perform in it and sometimes “just get enthralled” and forget they are the hosts.

Each week the lineup is “a mixed bag,” Jake says.

Some comedians are sillier than others, some are more professional than others, some are trying out new jokes, some doing stories, some sound effects, singing, dancing.

“We’ve had all kinds of comedians come through.”

In March and April, the Sunday nights have been slotted into the Melbourne International Comedy Festival schedule, with a final show listed on April 19.

Afterwards they will continue.

The club has also been hosting a range of other festival shows, as it has for more than a decade.

Among those still running are: Spineless by presenter of Formula One comedy podcast The Reserve Drivers, Luke Rocca; Psycho or Psychic, a playful clowning and tarot card-reading performance promising “ridiculousness” by Sarah Francis; and The Maiden and the Matron Unhinged, a “riotous” theatre cabaret show taking on typecasting” by musical performers Carol Whitfield and Tayla Thomas.

The Comedy Festival, along with the Melbourne Fringe, has been key in keeping Club Voltaire going, according to owner Lindsay Saddington.

Lindsay originally took on the four-storey Raglan St building for a performing arts school 23 years ago, then shifted to plan B when the school didn’t work out.

With the owner’s permission he “pulled down the walls on the first floor, opened it up and turned it into a performance club” and turned the ground floor into a gallery.

For “quite a few years” he was running a gallery and a club both named after the French writer and philosopher Voltaire, who was an advocate of freedom of expression.

These days the gallery is gone, with half the ground floor converted into a small bar while on the mezzanine there is a tattoo parlour, and upstairs, subleased accommodation.

His being able to sublease the building has been the main reason the tiny venue has been able to survive, Lindsay says.

Over the years there has been regular burlesque, circus, cabaret, live music and open mic nights as well as theatre, art and comedy.

“Mainly now it’s cabaret and comedy,” Lindsay says, “but I'm trying to get a bit more music back.

“And you name it, we’ll do it!”

The 73-year-old gets a sense of satisfaction from seeing up-and-coming acts take off, enjoys mixing with different people and has no retirement plans.

“We really love Lindsay,” says Jake. “He’s great. He’s so easy to work with.

“And he’s always talking to people; he’s got his jokes.

“He holds it down a lot as well.”

Following up from Arj Barker, Jake hopes to see Seinfeld come through the door on a Sunday if he’s in town “or Jimmy Carr if he’s free”.

“I’ll see if we can squeeze him on,” the organiser says.

“Actually, we’re happy with anybody really.”

The free-spirited shows are fun, young, varied and full of good ideas, he says.

“Even when it doesn’t work it’s still pretty fun, we like to think.

“And if it’s bad, we’re sorry but it’s only $10.”

For information on events visit clubvoltaire.com.au or comedyfestival.com.au •