The Punchline Comedy Club closed April after 33 years at the same location. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Since the Punchline closed down off in Sandy Springs in the spring after 33 years in the same location, the owners have been hunting for a bigger, more modern space.
But Chris DiPetta said the two best options are at least 18 months away from being available. So they are seeking temporary digs and are seriously considering what has been Jerry Farber‘s Side Bar at Landmark Diner on Roswell Road in Buckhead.
The deal, DiPetta said, is not finalized.
Jerry Farber, one of the deans of comedy in Atlanta, performs at his club Jerry Farber’s Side Door on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in Atlanta. Farber has been at the business 50 years and celebrated his 75th birthday Saturday with a roast. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM
Farber, a veteran stand-up comic in town, has been running his Side Bar in a 110-seat space in the diner building since 2010. While he has hosted some comedy events there, he has focused mostly on jazz. He is seeking a new locale for his club in Buckhead. (Farber is going to do his last performances at the Side Bar Sept. 4 and 5 but will be hosting events through the end of the month.)
He said Landmark owner Tommy Lambros is willing to double the space for the Punchline.
Unfortunately, even 220 seats would be smaller than the Punchline had been. DiPetta said he still wants a bigger space but he doesn’t want to wait much longer without a location, even if it’s temporary.
DiPetta said if the Buckhead spot works, he and co-owner Jamie Bendall could potentially keep it operating while opening a new Punchline up in the northern suburbs. (In the past, there have been multiple Punchlines in other locations, including downtown.)
Interestingly, if the Punchline does use this space, it’s less than a mile from rival the Atlanta Improv, which opened in 2012.
DiPetta is fine with that. “I don’t care,” he said. “They encroached on my territory first. They didn’t care being three miles from us. It won’t bother me to be four blocks from them.”
Landmark Diner has run an entertainment space for many years. Most recently, Jerry Farber had been overseeing it but the Punchline might take over. CREDIT: WSB-TV
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