Oct 17, 2022

The Bamboo Club: Tiki Ha Ha

Laugh at Local Comedy

By Gina Valencia

“Comedy is fun!” said co-owner Jim Ritson. “I hope to continue seeing new faces come in and laugh.”

Every 3rd Thursday of the month, The Bamboo Club hosts the Tiki Ha Ha stand-up comedy night in their spacious outdoor tented patio. “There’s a lot of energy and momentum right now for comedy in Long Beach,” said show-producer and host Christian Senrud. “This city has the potential to be a destination for comedy fans who don’t want to trek all the way to LA. Amazing comics have been super receptive to coming down to work out their material outside of the Hollywood bubble.”

Tiki Ha Ha performances have sold out every Thursday since starting, giving a solid indication of the popularity of local stand-up.

"We're supposed to have fun in our dreams,” said comedian Marty Wurst during his set. “Live out our fantasies, fly, have an affair, DO SOMETHING. Last night I dreamt I used TurboTax. I don't even know if I got a refund, I woke up.”

Marty from New Jersey, who has dubbed himself The Wurst Comedian, has been doing stand-up for 9 years.

“Seeing an audience laugh at a joke I wrote that morning—there’s nothing quite like that quick turnaround,” he said. “And [I love] the free appetizers.”

While the roster of comics changes monthly, Tiki Ha Ha uniquely always includes DJ London Guzman and magician Christopher Wonder as part of the show.

How to Describe Wonder?

He’s a hilariously curated hodgepodge of circus, magic, punk, and vaudeville performed specifically for adults, and not the faint of heart. Gifted a magic set by his grandfather at the age of 6, Wonder is a magician who performs comical acts. “I started out as a traditional magician,” Wonder said. “But became so bored and [messed] up so many, many tricks, my style just naturally became, well, funny.”

He enjoys the response he gets from the stand-up audience “because it’s something unexpected in a comedy show.” From the endless scarf pull, to spinning plates, to hypnotizing a chicken (Yes! Taught by his grandfather), Wonder with his boyish grin has a way of mesmerizing the audience. “I believe magic is not about shoving a girl in a box,” he said. “It’s about transcending terrible situations. My show walks a line between tragedy and somehow making it work….Magic.”