GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - A comedy club with roots in San Diego found a new home in downtown Gulfport, bringing live comedy, karaoke, and good food to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The Funny Pages Restaurant and Comedy Club, located on 27th Avenue, is owned by Tristan Odom and brothers Maurice and James Tyler.
The owners said they relocated the concept from California and invested in renovating the space before opening.
“We wanted to remodel. We wanted fresh restrooms and a fresh kitchen,” James Tyler said. “When we came in, we knew everything that needed to be done, and we loved the location. We felt like we could be the spark to help downtown.”
The owners said they used their own home improvement company to handle the renovation work, with Maurice Tyler leading the design.
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“This room said everything — all it needed was some lipstick on this pig,” James Tyler said.
The owners said their background in comedy dates back nearly three decades.
“We started in San Diego back in 1998. We started a comedy club called Stage One, and we kind of birthed a lot of the comedians that you see now,” James Tyler said. “People like Katt Williams came along, Kevin Hart — they all came through us.”
Maurice Tyler said the experience built a lasting community around the craft.
“We became like a comedy community, and they were at our clubs all the time, so we said, man, this is what we do,” Maurice Tyler said.
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Odom described the Gulfport venue as a space for a wide range of guests and programming.
“The Funny Pages is a multifaceted venue. People come here from all walks of life. Every culture comes here for comedy because laughter is healing to the soul,” Odom said. “We do a little bit of karaoke. We do a little throwback R&B night where you get your groove on, and the essence of everything we do is comedy.”
The main floor seats roughly 60 guests in a general admission layout, with a private owners’ box upstairs available for birthday parties and other events.
Chef Joel Anderson handles the kitchen at The Funny Pages and said the combination of food and entertainment is central to the venue’s appeal.
“You’ve got to have food with entertainment. Food is something that comforts you, and while you’re being entertained, that is one of the most ultimate experiences you can possibly have,” Anderson said. “Food brings people together. Food makes people happy. Food makes people comfortable — and that is the business of it.”
Construction is currently underway on The Funny Pages’ patio, which is expected to be completed this spring. Work on a rooftop area is expected to follow.
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