Update: Fri., April 16 -- New information has been obtained. JD's Comedy Cafe is closing. It will reopen under new ownership in July under the name Milwaukee's Comedy Cafe. According to one source, the building will be remodeled and "restored to its old glory."
JD's Comedy Café is closing its location at 615 E. Brady St.
But according to the cafe's Web site it's "relocating." No information on a new site is listed, just a note that it will be made public as "more information becomes available."
JD's is on a parcel of prime real estate, so a new development on the site wouldn't be a surprise. The building is owned by the Safina family who own and operate Tutto in Downtown Milwaukee, and for years owned Giovanni's restaurant that was located just to the east of the Comedy Cafe where a mini mall now stands. According to the City, the building is assessed at $667,000.
Comedy Café has been a stand-up comedy destination in the area for nearly 30 years. Drew Carey, Tommy Chong, Bobcat Goldthwait, Emo Phillips, Andrew Dice Clay, George Lopez, Judy Tenuta, Rita Rudner, Jay Mohr, Ellen DeGeneres, Tommy Davidson, Darrell Hammond, Larry the Cable Guy and Pauly Shore have all graced its stage.
Calls and e-mails to JD's Comedy Cafe have not been returned, so we'll continue to monitor and update the story.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
