Prior to a recent (last night) visit to the Stardome Comedy Club, it'd been years since I last set foot in the place, or even considered it an option for entertainment in the city. But, my wife's birthday provided us with the opportunity to cap free tickets, so we grabbed a few friends and headed out for some laughs. The Stardome is a breath of fresh air in Birmingham, in the midst of the typical entertainment/time-passing activities - eating, shopping, movies - and does pretty well to host some pretty entertaining and moderately well-known comedians from time to time (e.g., Wendy Liebman, Mitch Hedberg (RIP), to name a couple).
The club itself is rather cozy, in the sense that they essentially try to shove as many bodies in the place as 'tetrisally'-possible. (If you have a problem with people, claustrophobia, or random waiters/waitresses falling in your lap, going through your pockets, or brushing up against your eyelashes, this might not be the venue for you. lol) The best way I can describe it would be to think back (for those of you old enough) to the "I Love Lucy" show, and specifically those episodes in which Ricky was performing with the band live. Notice the way in which the band is seated - two columns of row after row, with a walking path down the middle; that's pretty much Stardome, but with an elevated stage, lights, and a very effective sound system (no problems there).
On a typical night, the "event" consists of an emcee to get the crowd loose and inform them of upcoming events, a feature act to really get the crowd going and entrees and drinks moving), and then finally the headliner/person everyone came to really see. Some of the performers will sometimes show up after the show outside the main doors, to say thanks for coming or pass along wares related to them, the act, or possibly even charities/organizations they might be sponsoring. But there's always a pretty good chance once the show's over, it's a wrap. It all depends on the performer. (Last night's headliner was Paul Hooper (paulhoopercomedy.com), and he was hilariously-random; and he even took the time to come out afterwards and chatted up various attendees including myself and friends. Check him out ---)
Like I briefly mentioned above, Stardome does serve food and drinks which are not exactly 5-star, but basically what you'd expect in a nightclub/bar-type environment; typical fare - wings, chicken fingers, small appetizers (nachos, mozzarella sticks, fried mushrooms), etc. (I can't speak for the stronger libations, although the people laughing hysterically always seem to be enjoying them. lol) And the prices are about what you'd expect at, say, a TGI Fridays or something equivalent, so no worries about breaking the bank during a fun night outing.
So, blah blah blah - Stardome is a cool little place slightly hidden in Hoover, where you can go and enjoy a laugh or several with some friends and strangers, and do something a-typical for a change. It beats paying $9+ for yet another movie... :) Check stardome.com for info about upcoming events/performers. read more