Photo courtesy of Noah Telson, Comedy Café Berlin. Check out their English language comedy podcasts for some quality lockdown laughs!
They say laughter is the best medicine, and Berlin’s comedians are stepping up. One beloved institution that’s heeding the call is the popular Comedy Café Berlin (or as it’s known on the circuit, CCB). Its cozy bar and 70-seat theatre nestled on Neukölln’s quiet Roseggerstraße might be devoid of its usual chuckles now, but the five-year-old club and comedy school’s renowned English improv, sketch shows and stand up nights are set to continue online with a packed schedule of donation-based podcasts. A family affair, Noah and Josh Telson, the German-US brothers behind CCB, certainly have the credentials to keep us giggling through our state-imposed quarantine. Josh (37) is an alum of the famous Upright Citizen’s Brigade (along with Amy Poehler!) while Noah (33) cut his teeth first in college theatre and then as part of Berlin’s Comedy Sportz troupe (now Comedy Shorts) after moving to the Hauptstadt in 2010, followed by Josh the next year. Their flagship podcast, Temperature Check, kicks off tonight: a weekly blast of snappy, topical humor that shies away from “too much banter”. The regular format incorporates sketches from guest comedians (yes, your CCB favourites will be there), a news trivia segment, interviews – making an appearance in the inaugural episode is international name Philip Markle, who runs the Brooklyn Comedy Collective in the brothers’ native New York – and, of course, it wouldn’t be CCB without a bit of improv! This week, the co-hosts are joined by scene stalwart Caroline Clifford, of the Berlin Stand Up School, and the endlessly witty Antonia Bär. We can’t wait! You can catch Temperature Check on exberliner.com every Friday night and the rest of their upcoming schedule via the CCB website. In times where the choice is laugh or cry, why not go with cry-laughing instead!