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Analysis Of Laugh It Up Comedy Club

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In the mood for a funny fix but don't want to leave town, then visit Laugh It Up Comedy Lounge, 868 S. Fort Hood Street, for a night of laughs. The club, which opened Dec. 1, 2016, is a labor of love for the five local owners who wanted to bring humor to Central Texas with Killeen's first comedy club.

It's not only the new entertainment hot spot, with a restaurant and a bar, but also a training ground for comedians. “About 85-percent of comics never play a main club, like the Improv, so they need a place to hone their craft, which is here,” said Darryl Walker, an owner.

Killeen's Kings of Comedy include Walker, Roger DeLandro, Sharon Gilbert and Larry Lazenby and Kesha Stevens, friends with military experience, including several retirees, except Gilbert, the owner of Prestige Beauty and Barber Salon for 25-years. And it's their combined experience that gives them a business edge. “The discipline, structure and know-how we have to develop and implement a plan helped tremendously,” said Lazenby.

Laugh It Up Comedy Lounge is not an urban, or Black, comedy club. “We're wide-open and welcome all comedians, although some can be raw with their jokes,” said DeLandro.

As the two oldest friends, Walker and DeLandro met in 1985 when both were in the Army, and through the years, they worked with the other partners in and outside the military. The club idea was fueled by Walker, Gilbert and DeLandro, who previously produced concerts and fashions shows at the Killeen

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