As the winter weather slowly takes over, there are fewer opportunities to enjoy the outdoors here in Omaha.  

 

While there is plenty to do downtown as far as food and drinks go, this past weekend my roommates and I decided to try something different.

 

On Friday, Comedian Kevin Nealon (SNL, Weeds) performed at the Omaha Funny Bone at Village Pointe.  This was my second time in two weeks visiting the comedy club on a friday night, and I can guarantee it is nothing short of a good time.

 

While the venue is not particularly large, it is actually not terribly difficult to secure tickets even on the day of a show.  The cost of a ticket to a show at the Funny Bone varies  based on the act, but don’t plan on spending more than $20-$25 on a ticket.

 

The club’s location in Village Pointe makes it somewhat of a local hidden gem in late night entertainment.  If you have ever been to Village Pointe to do some shopping, there is a good chance you walked right by the Funny Bone without even noticing it was there.  The club is on the second story of the shopping center, tucked back near Pancheros.  

 

My only real complaint with the Funny Bone would be their recommendation to arrive 45 minutes before the show.  While our show wasn’t until 9:45, we arrived at 9:15 to a ridiculously long line of ticket holders waiting to enter the venue.  Mix this with a long, narrow hallway, the box office right inside, and hoards of people attempting to leave the venue through the same doors people are arriving and you got yourself a good old fashioned fire hazard.

 

The club could benefit greatly from expanding their space and moving into a larger area to accommodate people coming and going.  Additionally, I think it is plain silly to tell people to arrive before the previous show has been let out, its an utter traffic jam inside.  I realized after my second time being there that this is all most likely part of an act to make the place look busy with a line out the doors.

 

The only real disadvantage to arriving later is being seated farther away from the stage, however there is not a seat in the building where one cannot see or hear the comic onstage.

 

As soon as you walk into the main bar area, the walls are covered with signed head shots of famous comedians that have visited the Funny Bone over the years. The atmosphere is quite friendly and certainly enhanced by the fact that you have to wait shoulder to shoulder with everyone before the show starts.

 

It is best to go in a group of four people to fill an entire table.  However, I’ve also been there with just one other person and we didn’t have to share a table with another group of two.

 

Upon being seated, we were immediately helped by a friendly waiter to their extensive food and drink menus.  The Funny Bone is a 21 and over comedy club, so be sure to bring your ID.  The Fluffy Russian was a drink favorite at our table and the coffee liquor certainly kept me laughing late into the night.

 

I would not recommend spending as much time browsing the actual dining menu as the drink menu.  The food was nothing special, and certainly not cheap.  However, every patron is required to purchase something under their two item minimum club policy.

 

The seating is intimate yet comfortable.  We were dead center two rows from the back and had no trouble seeing or hearing any of the material on stage.  There are some tables where half the chairs are arranged to face away from the stage and it makes for a kind of awkward seating arrangement once the show begins.  They assign your party a table once you make it to the front of the line but I am sure you could ask to be seated elsewhere upon request.

 

Each show features two opening comics followed by the headliner of the evening.  An entire show from start to finish is typically between an hour and a half to two hours depending on the act.

 

Kevin Nealon’s set was nothing short of hilarious.  He was extremely laid back about discussing his time in show business and told some great stories of all the ridiculously famous people he has interacted with over his career.  The club also does a great job of making the comics accessible after the show to interact personally with audience members.

 

The Omaha Funny Bone is located at 17305 Davenport Street, Suite 201 in the Village Pointe Shopping Center off 168th and Dodge.  Average cost per person: $35-$40 (ticket and drinks).  Support stand-up comedy!