The Third Corner of the JK Triangle Plants Its Flag in Tourist Central
The JK Comedy Club brand now operates from three corners of the West End comedy triangle Soho, Covent Garden, and Leicester Square in a deployment that suggests either very careful strategic planning or the realisation that if your model works in one location, there is no obvious reason why it will not work in two more. The Leicester Square location, with 182 reviews at a 4.9-star rating, is the newest of the three and has wasted no time in establishing the JK standard.
Leicester Square as Comedy Territory
Leicester Square is, as every Londoner knows and every tourist discovers, the geographic centre of London’s entertainment industry the square mile of London where the film premieres happen, where the chain restaurants charge the most, where the street performers compete for space with the TKTS booth, and where the density of people looking for entertainment on any given evening is higher than anywhere else in the country. Comedy clubs that operate in this environment have access to an audience that is already primed and ready for entertainment; the challenge is converting that general readiness into specific comedy show attendance.
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square has been converting it at a 4.9-star rate, which suggests the conversion is going rather well. The 182 reviews represent a smaller base than the Soho and Covent Garden siblings, but the rating is equally strong, and there is every indication that the review volume will grow as the venue establishes itself in the neighbourhood.
The JK Formula in Its Most Central Location
The JK Comedy Club formula professional circuit acts, experienced compères, fair prices, well-run shows translates directly to the Leicester Square location. The audience profile here skews slightly more tourist-heavy than Soho and slightly more first-timer than Covent Garden, which is a function of the location rather than the venue’s programming choices. The acts are booked to handle this profile: comedians who can make universal observations, who can do crowd work without making anyone feel victimised, and who can bring a room together across the inevitable cultural diversity of a central London comedy audience on a Friday night.
The Verdict
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square is a well-executed addition to the JK brand in an excellent location. Its near-perfect early rating suggests that the formula is as transferable as the Covent Garden and Soho versions demonstrated, and its position in Leicester Square gives it access to the largest pool of entertainment-ready Londoners and tourists in the country. It is a strong, reliable choice for anyone in the area.
Auf Wiedersehen, amigo!
Alan Nafzger was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son Swiss immigrants. He grew up on a dairy in Windthorst, north central Texas. He earned degrees from Midwestern State University (B.A. 1985) and Texas State University (M.A. 1987). University College Dublin (Ph.D. 1991). Dr. Nafzger has entertained and educated young people in Texas colleges for 37 years. Nafzger is best known for his dark novels and experimental screenwriting. His best know scripts to date are Lenin’s Body, produced in Russia by A-Media and Sea and Sky produced in The Philippines in the Tagalog language. In 1986, Nafzger wrote the iconic feminist western novel, Gina of Quitaque. He currently lives in Holloway, North London. Contact: editor@prat.uk
