Timonium's Funny Bone: Magooby's Joke House

If the heart of Timonium is the Maryland State Fairgrounds and Padonia Station is its hard-partying liver, then Magooby's Joke House is the town's funny bone.

The regionally recognized comedy club opened its doors on Deereco Road about three months ago after moving from a small basement room, under a restaurant, in Parkville.

The five-level showcase venue more than doubled its audience capacity with the move and has featured national headlining comedians and celebrities.

And now the club is planning a show big enough to match its larger space: a marathon performance in January that will seek to break the Guinness Book of World Records for longest comedy show.

"We decided to move because this opportunity opened up to get this, what I would say, beautiful, large venue that holds up to 400 people," owner Andrew Unger said. "It's one of the largest venues on the East Coast. By having more seats we can attract bigger acts."

From Thursday to Sunday, Magooby's boasts talented performers with credits ranging from Comedy Central to mainstream late night talk shows.  

Magooby's has quickly filled the void of diminishing comedy clubs in the Baltimore region, marking its presence in the old Timonium Dinner Theatre as anything but a joke.

"In the comedy world, you use the terms A-room, B-room, C-room, based on the way the club looks, how many people it holds, but most importantly the types of acts that you book," Unger said. "This is an A-room. We're booking comedians with many years of experience and many credits and it's the only A-room in Baltimore."

While Andrew manages the day-to-day "nuts and bolts" operation behind Magooby's his brother Marc Unger, a national headlining comedian, provides the reputation and creative input. Marc headlines at his brother's club only three times a year, but said he's been known to pop in occasionally to try out new material or sharpen his set.

"Through [my brother's] hard work, he turned a basement into one of the best weekend rooms in the country," Marc said. "He creates a good environment for the audience and the comedian."

Marc is keen to not wear out his involvement on stage at Magooby's, joking that he doesn't want it to become "Marc Unger's living room." But the veteran comedian lends his comedy connections to Magooby's and his creative insight to make the club an inviting place for laugh seekers and entertainers.

Marc started performing stand-up in 1991 in New York. He took a break from 2000 to 2007 after becoming "burnt out" and "disenfranchised" by the political, business side of the entertainment industry.

"Coincidentally I made the decision to get back into standup when Magooby's first opened its doors," Marc said of the club's grand opening three years ago in Parkville.

The Unger brothers often bounce ideas off one another, culminating into a perfectly balanced punch line of business meets art.

The brothers are in the process of planning a world record attempt at the longest stand-up comedy show, as an example of the shared genius.

The appropriately named "Really, Really, Really Long Comedy Show" will be performed in mid-January. The marathon will feature a number of comics performing around the clock, with Marc kicking off the show on a Monday afternoon.

Their grand attempt resonates with the feel and magnitude of the 400-seat space. The amphitheatre style setting forces featured comics to be at the top of their game.   

"Comics like smaller clubs because you don't have to work the room as hard," Andrew explained. "Everyone is packed into a very small space. So no one gets lost.

"Laughter is infectious," he continued. "When you're close together like that it certainly seems to be easier to get laughs. … With this larger venue, your weaknesses will be exposed. If you're not a strong comic and you can't grab the audience you're going to die a miserable death."

Professional stand-up comedian Joe Matarese was able to rise to the challenge, bringing down the house during a recent weeklong engagement in Timonium.

"Any club that can get 300 people here on a Friday night, I'll definitely blow it up," Matarese said. "It felt like when I acted out they received it more. If I stopped and just kind of like thought about something, they laughed. You can take your time. It's not like you're planning it, but somehow when you are on stage you feel like moving and feel more theatrical."

Matarese has made a name for himself in the comedy world as comic who isn't afraid to put hecklers in their place. A YouTube video titled "The whole crowd tries Heckling Joe Matarese! A huge mistake!" features the veteran comic lashing out at rude interrupters in the audience to huge applause.

Matarese said he doesn't like being taken to "that place," but crowds love it. On a Friday night at Magooby's an unfortunate accident short-circuited Matarese's microphone with five minutes left in his set.

He seamlessly continued his show, shouting his remaining jokes, all the while acting as if he had been shot whenever a feedback pop echoed throughout the theatre.

One man in the farthest row began shouting at Matarese that he couldn't hear him from five rows back.

Matarese wasted no time putting the man in his place, while keeping everyone else in stitches. The man, beaten down with punch lines, would later purchase Matarese's comedy album, "When Comedian's Attack," after the show. He offered Matarese "all the cash he had in his pocket," which totaled $9.

Magooby's central location in Timonium was a strategic maneuver by Andrew to lure people away from the hassles of city parking, while keeping his core audience from Parkville and the surrounding communities.

"Now we can get Towson, the colleges, Cockeysville, Randallstown, everywhere," Andrew said.

The name Magooby's is a tribute to Andrew's children who were nicknamed Mr. Magoo and Mr. B, when they were younger.  

"As a little kid he looked like Mr. Magoo. He's cute now. But he started off very Magoo-like," Andrew joked. "I wanted something quirky as opposed to something like The Comedy Cellar or the Comedy Cave."

Magooby's averages 150 people per show, according to Andrew. Shows from Thursday to Sunday vary, but often the Saturday early show leads in attendance figures.

The club offers a light fare menu and alcoholic beverages. Standard ticket price is $14, with a two-item purchase minimum.  Even the menu at Magooby's is funny. I, personally, can't think of another place where I can order a "Nipple Clamp" and not be kicked out promptly. (It's a shooter folks. Take it easy.)

 "To be perfectly honest, you start a business to make money. … But if you're going to work everyday at a business you should do something that you enjoy doing," Andrew said "The truth is that I enjoy bringing laughter and joy to people. … When people leave with smiles, it makes me feel like I'm doing something positive with my life. I'm not curing cancer, but when people come in miserable from their jobs and they leave happy that's the joy of this business."