Originally posted Friday, December 14, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Stand-up comics who do theater or arena shows like to test out material in the place where they started: comedy clubs. They’ll often make surprise appearances, sometimes with a notebook in hand. It gives them a way to see if a joke they think is funny gets any reaction from a crowd before taking it before a bigger audience or a TV special.
Tiffany Haddish, the rising film star, is shooting a comedy with Rose Byrne called "Limited Partners" in metro Atlanta and has been stopping by Midtown's Laughing Skull Lounge regularly when she has a spare moment or two. She is prepping for a tour that begins later this month, mostly on the West Coast.
On Wednesday night, she was itching to do something super late but owner Marshall Chiles had no show scheduled. It was 10 p.m. and he offered up an idea: they'll use social media, charge $11 for an 11 p.m. show that night and see who shows up.
Haddish, who Chiles describes as humble and accommodating, posted an Instagram story and Chiles spread the word on Laughing Skull social media sites. He also asked if patrons eating at the Vortex next door were interested in seeing her.
In the end, they got 53 people in the door, an impressive figure given it was 60 minutes notice. The venue holds about 80. (Chiles did it for free. He paid some of his wait staff and gave the rest of the proceeds to Haddish.)
"Limited Partners," the movie Haddish is shooting here, features her and Byrne playing two hard-charging best friends who build a successful company. But tensions arise when Salma Hayek's character offers to buy them out. Hayek becomes the corporate puppet master pulling the string to create acrimony between the two partners. Deadline compares it to "Superbad" meets "Bridesmaids."
Haddish recently filmed the movie "Night School" in Atlanta with Kevin Hart. She also shot Lil Rel Howery's "Uncle Drew" here.
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