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Laughing at this effort could be a good thing

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published September 28, 2007

Jeff Dobish traveled the country making people laugh and even owned his own comedy club. But after years on the road, the Canada native and stand-up comic left the stage for a more stable life.

More than a decade later, Dobish's wife persuaded him to do a set at the Improv in Ybor City. He got the itch again and, with no comedy club in Brandon, Dobish has opened Bonkerz in Oak Park Plaza.

During a recent visit to the club, I asked Dobish why he and fellow general partner David Depristo believe a comedy club can make it here.

Pull up a chair and join us.

Why Brandon? Why a comedy club here?

A lot of people say to me, "Why Brandon?" I say, "Why not?" Look at the people that have moved out here in FishHawk and Valrico and Brandon and Riverview. Being a resident of Valrico, you've got to drive 35-40 minutes to go anywhere like downtown Ybor. It's expensive and it goes off on Friday and Saturday nights. I wanted something where if my wife and I wanted to have a date night, it's five or 10 minutes away.

What's your outlook on nighttime entertainment in this area?

When you look around, really, the only thing to do in Brandon is go to O'Brien's, which is fine. But we're teaming up with them so that a Friday or Saturday night is a lot more responsible. What we want to do is really spin this area around as the place to be on a Thursday or Friday night.

How many people do you need each night to be a success?

We're looking for about 150 to 200 people. When you can feel the comic sweat, it changes the whole show. When you're right there and you feel what he's going through and someone is doing a good job, it's why live theater is so popular. I like it because nothing's canned and nothing is, "Let's have another take at it." You only have one shot. So with a room of 200 on Friday and Saturday nights, we'll have a shot at being extremely successful.

You've been open two weekends. Is it going okay so far?

Yeah, okay. I think in Brandon, unlike some other areas, it's longevity that's going to make a big difference here.

Does the affiliation with Bonkerz, a national franchise owned by Universal Studios, indicate that this effort will be different?

I think so. Obviously, you're not going to see the huge, huge names here because we don't have the seats. But what you are going to see is recognizable TV names. People that you've seen on TV from Last Comic Standing to Fox to HBO. The reason why we teamed up with Universal Studios and Bonkerz is that you get such a wide variety of talent. The guy who's here this week, Dale Hoffman, plays a two-foot drum set. That's how he does his whole show - from behind a drum set. It's different than somebody whose just straight, in your face stand-up.

I've been out here since 1993, and this location has been almost everything. Where do you get the confidence to think you can make it in this spot?

That's part of it, confidence. I've heard from everybody that this location has been 17 different bars, so that's part of the challenge. Is it so much having a successful comedy club or is it doing something that's a huge challenge? A world-class place to go takes time and that's the challenge.

DESSERT: A postscript from Ernest

On Wednesday nights, the club will have multiple shows from magicians and Dobish hopes to give 10 percent of the proceeds back to local schools. He also wants to offer fundraising opportunities to nonprofits and youth sports teams.

Fast facts

Bonkerz Comedy Club

Where: Oak Park Plaza (779 W Lumsden Road)

Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, doors open at 7 p.m. All seats $12. Family Magic Night on Wednesdays, doors open at 5 p.m.

Information: 951-1265 or www.BonkerzBrandon.com

[Last modified September 27, 2007, 08:03:41]