This Wilmington club reinvents itself while remaining 'home base' for laughs

In 15 years of existence, Wilmington's Dead Crow Comedy Room has seen its share of magical moments and famous comics, hosting the likes of Michael Che, Trevor Noah, Jim Gaffigan and Nate Bargatze.

But last month might've been the first time a baby got an in-person roasting on the Dead Crow stage, when Wilmington comic Ellie Coleman did a short, open-mic set with her infant son, Cash, strapped to her chest.

"Everybody thinks I named him after Johnny Cash," Coleman said, but she really named Cash after a sketch from comic Dave Chappelle in which Chappelle played a character who purchased a baby with, you know, cash money.

Edgy? Sure, but then pushing comedic boundaries has always been part of Dead Crow's appeal to both performers and audiences: From its 2009 origins as the Nutt Street Comedy Room beneath the old Soapbox music venue to its one-door-down-Front-Street revival in 2014 as the Dead Crow after the Soapbox closed and, since August of 2021, at its current location on North Third Street.

Forgive the inexact comparison, but just like little baby Cash, Dead Crow has been navigating a new world with an evolving identity. Since moving to its current location nearly three years ago, the comedy club has both enjoyed triumphs and faced challenges as it reinvents itself in a larger space while maintaining its status as Wilmington's only full-time spot for comedy.

The club also helps maintain the local scene with a lively, every-Thursday open mic that regularly attracts 40 or more comics doing short, three-minute sets.

"It's one of the few open mics that an audience comes to," said Steve Marcinowski, who's been performing at Dead Crow since its Nutt Street days and is the reining champ of Dead Crow's annual Port City's Top Comic Contest, which will return with a revamped format in June. "That's hard to build."

Since the lifting of the pandemic lockdown, the number of comedy shows in the Wilmington area has exploded.

"The comedy scene is an outlet. It's catharsis," said Wilmington comic Meghan Cook. "When I first came up on the scene in 2018-2019, there were probably 10% of the open mics and local shows going on as there are now."

At least four other weekly comedy open mics exist, including Mondays at Coglin's with Steph Stigma and Tuesdays at Port City Cheesesteak with Brad Allred. Plus, Wilmington comics like Coleman, Lew Morgante, Randy Slack, MT Bottles and Louis Tee all present regular showcases of local and regional comics at other venues.

"We all started at Dead Crow," Coleman said. "It's still home base. Home base doesn't change."

Dead Crow general manager Aimee Elfers said that, rather than seeing those shows as competition, "It drives the interest in comedy and creates lots of opportunities for local comics," who sometimes get to open for touring acts, which play Dead Crow every Friday and Saturday.

Louis Tee, who has hosted shows for the touring comics who visit Dead Crow, said that even with the expanded scene, "Dead Crow is still the gold standard … We perform in bars, in breweries. But the club is a step up."

"It's a great opportunity if you're a local comic. It's the only place in town where you can get that kind of exposure," Slack said. "It's the hub."

The new face of Wilmington comedy

Wilmington comic and actor Timmy Sherrill founded the Nutt Street Comedy Room in 2009 and co-founded Dead Crow with current owner Cole Craven in 2014.

Sherrill was also the longtime face of the club. But when Dead Crow relocated to its current spot, Sherrill helped get the club open but then stepped away to focus on his comedy and acting career. (He did a two-night stand at Dead Crow in early May.)

"That was a huge change," Elfers said. "He did an incredible job of booking and, you know, taught me everything I know."

Brad Allred, a Wilmington comic who works tending bar at Dead Crow, called Sherrill "the godfather of Wilmington comedy."

Some comics say they miss the intimacy of the old Dead Crow. But to Wilmington comic and actor Anthony Corvino, who performs every Wednesday at Dead Crow with the DareDevil improv troupe, "The new space just feels more polished. That lends itself to a greater expectation for the shows."

The club has long enjoyed a good reputation with touring comics and has hosted a number of stand-ups known for playing rooms much bigger than the Dead Crow's capacity of 160, up from about 90 at the old location.

"They want to come do this room when they're working out their new hour," Elfers said. "That's how we got Tig (Notaro)."

In April, shirtless comedian Bert Kreischer, who usually plays much larger venues, pulled his giant tour bus up to Dead Crow for two sold-out shows.

"He talked to anybody that wanted selfies and that was really, really cool," Craven said. "The comedy thing is going well and we're obviously doing more business than at the old location."

On the other hand, Lush, Dead Crow's gorgeously landscaped garden bar, hasn't proven to be a destination outside of show nights. Craven said he'd hoped that people would hang out at Lush when there wasn't a show, but "trying to get people to come here outside of comedy shows, it's been very difficult."

Craven said the club is starting a series of indoor/outdoor Sunday afternoon shows later this month as a way to highlight Lush. The shows will benefit different area nonprofits.

For now, Lush is at least a destination for local comics, who often hang there before or after their sets.

Marcinowski said it took a while for him and fellow comics to settle into their new home. Now that they have, "I've been saying that it feels back to the original Nutt Street days when it was just the comics becoming best friends and just pushing each other," he said. "Like, I'm really watching these new comics become best friends."

Want to go?

What: Dead Crow Comedy Room

Where: 511 N. Third St., Wilmington

Schedule: DareDevil Improv, 8 p.m. Wednesdays; open mic, 8 p.m. Thursdays; touring comics, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For Sunday events, check the schedule online.

Details: Lush garden bar opens 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. DeadCrowComedy.com

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: The Dead Crow Comedy Room is Wilmington's 'home base' for laughs