Defining the border between the suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood in Melbourne is Smith St. The section of this street between Gertrude and Webb Streets can be considered the epicenter of comedy in Melbourne. In the seventies and eighties it was the long time home of comedy institution The Last Laugh. Many different rooms have been held at Vibe & Caz Reitops Dirty Secret over the years and there are currently four regular rooms operating on a weekly or fortnightly basis, the most recent being Comedy On The Green.
Grumpy’s Green is a lounge in every sense. A wide range of eccletic seating is arranged around the stage including booths along the wall, couches, bar stools at the bar and cabaret style seating located at the front. The stage itself is located in the front window and is an interesting split level construction that lends itself to many uses, however most acts were content to use the higher part as a table for their beverages.
There is a mezzanine level which has more booths and couches. A number of performers mentioned that this gave the room a kind of Thunderdome come grand theatre type of view from the stage. The only unfortunate aspect with this is that punters upstairs are deceived into thinking that the venue is bigger than it actually is, so their chatter can become quite loud when the show is on.
Through a glass door are some beer garden areas including a smoking area for the Nicotine addicted. The toilets are also located out here with the men having to trek up the stairs and all the way to the back of garden past the water tanks and recycling. By the way, Grumpy’s pride themselves on their ecological practices.
The bar offers a huge range of local beers (most from microbreweries), wines and spirits. A food menu of strictly vegetarian fare is offered with produce sourced from local sources, with pizzas being a popular item. It is a great place for a Sunday meal while having a laugh.
This room is organised by comedian Richard McKenzie who has close ties with the bar’s owner and has pushed to make comedy and his Trivia night (Grumpy Bastard Trivia held on Wednesdays at 7pm) important additions to Grumpy’s entertainment schedule. From what I’ve noticed of the published line ups he seems to have taken on the MC duties every fortnight and he certainly has a track record of being a wonderful host. The other performers selected by Richard are mostly established names in the Melbourne scene and you are always guaranteed a solid evening of comedy.
Comedy on the Green happens fornightly at Grumpy’s Green on Sundays. Keep any eye on our gig guide or visit the Grumpys Green Website for line ups.