Great Escape: Magooby’s Joke House

Growing up, my family always placed a premium on comedy. Making each other laugh was pretty much the best thing you could do, and having someone laugh at something you’d said was to receive the highest compliment. I’m guessing that’s true of many families, even if the brand of humor that made your clan laugh was different than it was in my house (we preferred sarcasm, for the most part).

Like a lot of people my age, my first taste of stand-up comedy was courtesy of HBO, which seemed to show the now classic “Bill Cosby: Himself” movie at least once a day when I was a kid. Later on, I discovered Saturday Night Live, and then more recently comedians like David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Louis C.K. and Jim Gaffigan started making me laugh. While I like to listen to their CDs in the car – great for lightening the mood during the stifling traffic jams on I-83 – seeing stand-up comedians in person is a lot of fun.

My husband and I went to see both Cross and Oswalt in Baltimore (at the Ottobar and the Golden West, respectively) and also at a club and an auditorium in Washington, D.C., but we may not have to travel that far again for comedy, thanks to the recently opened Magooby’s Joke House in Timonium.

Previously located in Parkville, Magooby’s move to Timonium allowed the club to grow into one of the largest comedy clubs on the east coast, according to its website. Magooby’s features top local comedians an A-list headliners from the national scene, like JB Smoove, who will take the stage for five shows, starting Thursday, March 10.

This will be Smoove’s first appearance in Baltimore, just as he is becoming a household name. Thanks again to HBO, you’re most likely to know Smoove from his hilarious character Leon on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Smoove also has a role in the new movie “Hall Pass,” which ranked fourth after the weekend’s box office figures were tallied.

Smoove will perform at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with shows at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets to see Smoove are $25, and are purchased at the door, but you can be sure to get a seat by reserving your tickets online ahead of time at http://www.magoobys.com/tickets.php . You must be 18 or older to attend a show at Magooby’s (teens seated with a parent or guardian are admitted on a case-by-case basis). And of course you must be 21 and hold proper ID to drink alcohol. Each guest is required to buy two items from the menu. The club is located at 9603 Deereco Rd.  in Timonium, sharing a free parking lot with the Post Office. For more information, visit the website at http://www.magoobys.com/aboutus.php or call 410-252-2727.