The newly renovated space is set to open in April. by Charles Mudede Capitol Hill’s Comedy/Bar opened in 2023 in a space once occupied by the Club Lagoon (famous for the edgy Lamborghini on its roof). The comedy club, founded and run by comedians Dane Hesseldahl and Jes Anderson, was, for the most part, a surprising success story. It had a number of hit nights (for example, Queers to the Front), and became the go-to destination in a neighborhood that was a comedy desert. The club also received a creed-bump from the viral story that it rightly cancelled a show by four "comedians" who were on that regressive/anti-woke/politically incorrect tip. Surely the Comedy/Bar was in a situation not dissimilar from that expressed in the 1984 theme tune for the movie Breakin': "...there's no stopping us."  Well, there was one thing, which Gwen Guthrie made plain in the 1986 tune, "Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ on but the Rent." When the Comedy/Bar opened, the city was still recovering from the lockdown, and this, according to Hesseldahl, resulted in a lease that was affordable but, alas, limited to two years. As the end of that time neared, the owners were informed that the rent would indeed increase, and they found the increase had no relationship with the club's income. What to do? Expand the club's size and operation and book bigger names. But how do you do this when you are living paycheck to paycheck? Turn to investors. This turn met with immediate success: two investors with deep involvement in the comedy industry, and sufficiently deep pockets, offered the Comedy/Bar a lifeline. But the investment came with major changes to the club, the first of which was the venue's name (it's now the Emerald City Comedy Club). The second was a significant increase in seating—from a 100-seat venue to a 275-seat one. This, according to Hesseldahl, will make it "the largest dedicated comedy venue in Seattle." "With this new capacity," Hesseldahl said to me during drinks at Post Pike Bar & Cafe, "we’ll be an attractive alternative for comedians who have traditionally only played larger venues like The Neptune or The Moore. We’re taking over the entire floor and fully reimagining the space to create the best possible comedy experience." The new club is expected to open in late April. Though Hesseldahl declined to name the investors, he made it clear that he and Anderson “would be part of the transition [and would] retain an ownership stake, and [Jes would] be helping with operations and booking as we move into this next phase." ...read more read less