When I first arrived here, the funniest thing about Berlin was the word Brustwartzen (Breast Warts – Nipples). Luckily in the past few years the English Comedy scene has boomed and I need not look through a German-English dictionary for my entertainment.
The ex-pat community sent out the bat call for humour and humour they were given. The best comedy nights in Berlin are not set in expensive comedy clubs but rather in the back rooms of local bars, which is personally where I prefer to get my laughs.
‘We are not Gemused’
Where: Sameheads, Richardtsr.10 (U-Bahn Karl Marx Str)
When: Every Tuesday from 8.30pm (Get there early or reserve online to avoid sitting in the front row – where they will involve you)
Price: €4 and a free vodka shot
Berlins’ Comedy darling, Caroline Clifford, co-hosts ‘We are not gemused’ (gemuse is the word for vegetable in German) in the eighties-loving bar Sameheads, deep in the heart of Neukölln. I actually lived on the same street when I moved to Berlin 10 years ago and it didn’t even have a corner shop. Now it has an Italian Street Food restaurant, a cafe serving dishes with fruit and vegetables dug out of its own organic perma-culture garden and about as many hipsters as you can imagine. Gentrification personified.
Each comedian on the bill gets about 10 minutes to try their luck, many of whom tend to be involved in the other nights featured here. So if you have only one night for comedy whilst in Berlin, don’t worry because you are probably gonna get some of the same acts.
Cosmic Comedy
Where: Volksbar, Rosa-Luxemburg Str.39 (U-Bahn Rosa-Luxemburg Str)
When: Every Monday at 8.15pm
Price: €6 with a free shot and free pizza before the show
This is an Open Mic event so if you are feeling comedic, then get yourself signed up! Set right in the city centre, so you may not have to wander too far from your hotel to get your giggles. With free pizza and a shot, they are practically paying you to go.
Comedy Cafe
Where: Roseggerstr.17 (S-Bahn Sonnenallee)
Website: comedycafeberlin.com
Touting itself as Berlin’s first international and alternative comedy stage, cafe and bar. They offer events pretty much every night, so check out the website for what’s on whilst you are in the city. This January they have started their ‘improv-comedy’ course, so you leave Berlin with something more than a beer belly.
