The Ice House used to be, strangely enough, an ice house before it became one of the first comedy clubs. Situated modestly a half block off the main drag (Colorado Street), about a mile and a half from the Old Pasadena hot spot, and entering through the alley you might underestimate the caliber of the talent.

If John Caparulo's performance is any indicator, I say strongly, don't underestimate this place. Sure, the warm-up acts were off and on, yet nonetheless pleasant. But Caparulo tore it up. He stepped on stage and simply took over. Here's a quote from my gf, "Everything he said was funny." And that sentiment was echoed by the other two in our group. Short, stout, unassuming, looking more like the guy who forgot to bring the beer to the Super Bowl party, Caparulo shared his gift of funny with all of us, and all of us laughed. Not half the audience, not three-quarters, ALL of us. And not half-heartedly, ours were good solid bent-over laughs. Thank you John. I simply can't remember seeing a comedian so consistently funny through a 45min to 1 hour stand-up set, since uhm… ever. (And I used to flip burgers in the back of a comedy club in Chicago.)

So see Caparulo if you can and try out the Ice House in Pasadena if you're in the LA area. We suggest getting there at least 45 minutes early to wind through the confusing configuration of queuing that apparently works for them. It worked for us.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --