Upstairs at 413 Murray Street, five comedians work the room for 90 minutes while you and your date eat pizza and try not to make eye contact with the one doing crowd work. This is where you want to be for a first, second, or fiftieth date. Here’s our argument for why…
There seems to be a lot of public discourse lately about what the best, or even acceptable, options are for a first date. Some are arguing for a simple coffee or a walk to casually get to know each other. While others suggest it has to be more intentional and planned, like dinner somewhere nice. Both are right; both are wrong. There’s also another option — do something fun where there’s no pressure, more closeness, and laughs aplenty.
Comedy Lounge is one of the few Perth venues that ticks the box for a perfect date night. You laugh, you eat, you drink, and a professional handles the conversation for an hour and a half.
Here is how you make the most of a date night at the Comedy Lounge.
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Better than dinner because…
Look, we love dinner. And usually we’re suggesting everyone go out to a fancy restaurant with a perfect Italian wine list full of names you struggle to pronounce and are fun to say, like Montepulciano.
But a first date at a restaurant can often be like a two-hour interview where one person typically has to carry the conversation, and you’re forced to commit for the evening with no easy out. You sit across from each other, taking turns asking surface-level, boring interview questions under the guise of conversation. The waiter awkwardly (or thankfully) interrupts every nine minutes or so to top up your drinks. The struggle is real.
Comedy Lounge does the opposite. You sit beside each other, which is already a better option for a date. You react to the same things, or you don’t, which gives you an easy in for a bit of banter and light teasing, especially when you think a joke lands, and they just miss it.
The comedian does all the hard work and carries the night, while you get all the credit for suggesting it. You’re just two people sitting in a dimly lit room, along for the ride. When eventually the comedian hands the reins back to you, you have the comedy show to talk about — even if you usually suck at conversation, you got this easy.
The Showcase: Definitely book this one
The Showcase runs Friday and Saturday at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Five professional comedians, 90 minutes, a fresh lineup every weekend. Need we say more? We’re going to anyway.
It’s the same philosophy that’s brought Chris Rock, Jim Jefferies, Sacha Baron Cohen, Russell Peters, and Arj Barker through over the years. International touring comedians sit alongside established Australian names and Perth comics good enough to share the stage and get some laughs. You can book a Friday and end up watching someone who headlined arenas the week before, or whose Netflix show you’ve watched on repeat. You won’t get that at the Italian restaurant you were going to pick.
The programming for the night does the heavy lifting for you. No single comedian carries the night, so if one set isn’t for you, the next one might land. By the time the Showcase closes, you’ve watched five different styles of laughs, all in the time you would have spent arguing about mains and dessert.
The 6:30 pm show leaves the rest of the evening open so if things are going well, you can move on to dinner and drinks somewhere nearby. The 8:30 pm show suits dates where pre-drinks come first.
For a first date, this is the safest booking on the calendar. The variety means no flat nights, and the 90-minute runtime gives you a clear window without committing the whole evening.
Thursdays: the third date stress test
The Gong Show, every Thursday at 7:00 pm, is the unpolished version. Comedians take the stage knowing the audience can gong them off if their material doesn’t land. Some sets leave the room in stitches. Some get pulled mid-bit. The unpredictability is what makes it fun. I’m pretty sure you would have seen this style on many movies and TV shows over the years.
It’s also a good way to find out early whether the person you’re seeing has a sense of humour and whether yours matches theirs. A second or third date works better here than a first — by then you’ve hopefully established enough common ground to laugh at the same things, or to disagree about them without it derailing the night.
Sundays, starting June
In June, Comedy Lounge launches Sunday Sesh, a new Sunday afternoon slot. A 5:00 pm session where you can sit back, watch the professional comedians do their thing, grab a bite, and still be home early enough to get a good night’s sleep so you’re ready for Monday morning. This is the more relaxed date night option with the person you’ve been seeing for a while.
Can you think of a better way to close out the week and welcome a new one than by sharing a few laughs?
Front row or back?
When you walk in, whoever you’re with will ask it: should we sit at the back? The answer is no.
Crowd work is part of what you’re paying for. The comedian might ask what you do, what you’re drinking, or why you’re there. None of it’s designed to humiliate you. And it can often be the funniest part of the whole evening. It also gives you something to talk about afterwards, and a fun memory that you’ll remember for ages.
If your plus-one is genuinely allergic to attention, the room’s design means you don’t lose out in the experience by sitting further back. Every seat has a table. Every table has a great view.
How to book
The Showcase runs Friday and Saturday at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. The Gong Show is on Thursday at 7:00 pm. Sunday Sesh launches in June with the first show on Sunday, June 21st.
Tickets are available on the Comedy Lounge website; walk-ins are subject to availability. The venue is upstairs at 413 Murray Street, Perth.
Keep an eye on the calendar or subscribe to the mailing list for special events and solo shows.
