It all started in the summer of 2018. The Laugh House founders Johannes Brenning and Jonathan Rollins decided to start a comedy club in the basement of a Spanish restaurant on Drottninggatan. The goal was to bring a New York City basement comedy
club vibe to the Stockholm scene. There were plenty of Swedish comedy clubs around Stockholm at the time, but the only English comedy at the time was the first act of a popular open mic club. The charming little club got going slowly but surely as Johannes and Jonathan learned how to run a professional show. Guests laughed every time the chef threw a slab of meat on the grill which filled the basement with smoke. Before long, the 40-seat room was selling out each week. It wasn’t long before the restaurant owners wanted to do something besides comedy. Saturdays would be for Spanish karaoke. The Laugh House was over before its first full season was complete.
But Johannes and Jonathan were having fun now. They didn’t want to quit. They walked around Gamla Stan in the winter/spring of 2019, telling any restaurant with a basement how much better the place would be if they only had an English comedy show there every week. A medieval restaurant took the bait and a strange partnership was born. Guests of The Laugh House would drink meade while sitting amongst flags, insignia and polished wood from olden times. Though fun, both The Laugh House guys and the restaurant knew this wasn’t a perfect fit. Johannes and Jonathan would be on the move again, after a season of up-and-down shows.
The guys found a sports bar that had a nice basement that would be perfect for comedy. They talked to the manager and owner, and before long, The Laugh House had a new home. The Laugh House moved to the sports bar in October of 2019.Things went very well at the sports bar. The Laugh House was starting to get regular guests. Comedians from around Europe were now contacting us to perform at our club. An inspiration trip to London led Jonathan to suggest adding an upstairs showroom to the already functioning basement showroom. The Laugh House would start producing Swedish shows as well, with two shows going on at the same time in the same building. There was nothing like
that in Sweden! It was glorious times for The Laugh House. There was an open mic, Swedish shows, English shows, variety shows and niche shows performed at that sports bar under The Laugh House name. Then came the pandemic, and strangely, a hooligan riot in the sports bar. The sports bar would be closing and changing ownership. The Laugh House needed a new home… again.
The guys needed to find a new place to partner with. They asked around and found a new place. The Laugh House would now be in a restaurant balcony. It wasn’t ideal for a comedy room, but they would maximize the space and work their Laugh House magic. It worked indeed. We had many successful shows in that room. There were shows in English and Swedish, as well as the new “Svartskalle Standup” shows, which catered to Swedes with diverse background, regularly. We loved our time there, but it always felt like a temporary home for us. Eventually, we were back out on the hunt for a location that would fit the club best.
The best weekend clubs have partnerships with hotels. Maybe The Laugh House was done with restaurants. We needed to find a hotel to collaborate with. We were used to this by now. Johannes and Jonathan walked around downtown Stockholm, visiting hotel after hotel in search for a perfect home for The Laugh House. Scandic Klara turned out to be that perfect home. The Laugh House began producing shows at Scandic Klara on April 15th, 2023. The comedy club that began in a basement that held no more than 40 guests is now in a room that can hold 220 guests. 2023 was the year we decided to begin reaching out to comedians across the world with invitations to Stockholm. The Laugh House now had a vision: To make Stockholm the hub of English comedy in Scandinavia. We take that vision seriously, and in the Fall of 2023, comedians from eight different countries graced The Laugh House stage. The 2024 Spring season will continue that tradition with comedians from across Europe.
We plan to continue to strive to achieve our vision from 2024 on. We have begun producing shows in other parts of Sweden as well, and we will continue to grow our presence in Uppsala, Malmö and Gothenburg. We are very proud of what we can describe is our very distinct, Laugh House audience. Our shows bring out International students, expats, locals and tourists every week. Our Svartskalle Standup shows have a very unique vibe, as the melting pot of Swedish society is realized in a room filled with laughter. We will continue to strive to be the best comedy experience in Sweden. We began with the intent of bringing the New York City comedy club vibe to Stockholm. We’re proud of our end result. A growing comedy establishment that showcases hilarious comedy on a regular basis throughout Sweden. Welcome to The Laugh House!
Scandic Klara
Slöjdgatan 7, 111 57 Stockholm
21:15 SHOW START
Drop by earlier for dinner. The bar is open throughout the show.
Hötorget
We’re a short walk from Hötorget subway station on the green line. Scandic Klara is in Hötorget square, just past O’Learys, off the right side of the big movie theater.