Venerable venue vivified in Balto CORRECTION

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on September 14th, 2007

Marc Unger emailed us to stress that he is not one of the owners of Magooby’s, though the article (and our posting) may have made it appear so.

Punchlines in Parkville is the title of the Baltimore Sun article on the grand re-opening of a comedy club in suburban Baltimore called Magooby’s. Formerly Tracy’s at the Bowman, the club is launching this weekend under the new name and management.

The article tells of brothers, Andrew and Marc Unger, who saw potential in the withering venue, which had been offering comedy for the better part of the past two decades. Andrew is a radio show host, Marc is a standup comic.

Andrew Unger said Tracy’s, which has been in operation as a comedy and nightclub for more than 20 years, had some definite potential. With the help of his colleagues, he made a variety of changes to the club’s appearance, promotions and service.

“Tracy’s looked a lot like a banquet room,” Unger said. “We wanted to … give the place a more upscale feel.”

It’s a story being repeated over and over lately. If you refurbish it, they will come.

So often, comedy club owners or managers will live for many years with an acceptable level of empty seats, dismal decor and a generally unenthusiastic staff. So gradual is the decline that they fail to recognize it until it is too late. (Even comedians can fall into the same rut with regard to material or performance.)

It takes a new pair of eyes (and, often, deep pockets!) to identify the problem and realize the potential. It’s encouraging to see a venerable venue taken over and made over. The enthusiasm, regardless of whether it’s partially amped up for the benefit of the media, is good to see. The Ungers’ tale should serve as a wakeup call to anyone sitting atop a moribund comedy club.

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