Mabuhay Gardens, the North Beach club best known as a proving ground for San Francisco punk, is making room for another part of its unruly legacy: comedy.
The revived venue at 443 Broadway plans to present “Syrian Soap,” a 60-minute solo “clown show” created and performed by Edib Farhan, on May 31. The show is being billed as part of a broader push to make the former punk landmark a year-round home for alternative comedy.
“Mabuhay Gardens will enliven San Francisco’s comedy scene like Sketchfest, but year round,” Barb, the venue’s head of comedy, said in statement. “We are honoring Mabuhay’s legacy by activating the venue with both emerging comedians and established headliners — audiences can anticipate standup, clown, mime, and other comedic styles traditional venues simply don’t book.”
The booking marks another step in the reintroduction of Mabuhay Gardens, which became a cornerstone of West Coast punk under promoter Dirk Dirksen from 1976 until its closure in 1987. The club, known as the Fab Mab, hosted the Dead Kennedys, the Avengers, Devo, the Ramones, Patti Smith and other acts that helped define the city’s underground music scene.
The venue has since operated under several names, including Broadway Studios and Fame, before reclaiming the Mabuhay Gardens name last year.
Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg performed early stand-up sets at the venue, while comedian Dave Chappelle filmed an early HBO special there after the original Mabuhay Gardens era.
Williams, who died in 2014, once described hell as “opening for the Ramones at the Mabuhay Gardens.”
“Syrian Soap” is described as a satiric, surrealist work inspired by Syrian soap operas, exile and revolution, according to the event listing.
The San Francisco performance is directed and co-devised by Natasha Mercado. Tickets are available through the venue’s website.