I've been meaning to check out the free "Your Terrible Ex!" show at The Riot Theater for a few months now. But it takes place at 10pm on a Friday night, and I tend to have to wake up early the next day. So what finally brought me out to this area of JP? A free ComedySportz Improv show courtesy of CSZ Boston and the Yelp Elite Culture Club. With ComedySportz at 8pm - 9:30pm (free for me that night only, otherwise $15 plus $1.50 fee) and Your Terrible Ex! from 10pm - 11:30pm (free all the time, whether for you or for me), I decided, yes, it was time. I would show up for the first, and just simply stay put for the 2nd. Being a girl arriving by myself, I drove by maybe 6-8 times before a driver magically appeared to get into the car situated right on the corner by The Riot Theater. I didn't want to park too long a walk away, although there were some spots maybe 3 blocks off on South Street. According to their website, The Riot Theater, is housed in A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra's storefront rehearsal space, and seeks to bring quality comedy to a part of Boston that has a wealth of support for the arts but little in the way of a regular comedy scene. ComedySportz was fun and entertaining, and entirely family friendly - but I knew this already from a past experience. Ideas were requested of the audience, so it was interactive and what I imagine improv to be - thinking on your feet with information that you have no control over. A myriad of games were played, each with its own name and rules, such as Pile Up, Dirty Hand Randy, Five Things, I Can Do Better, Four Corners, Twinsies (with actual physical audience participation) and 185. I found out that night for the first time that ComedySportz is not just a Boston Institution, but is located in 23 cities across the country, and even in Manchester, UK and Berlin, Germany! That was pretty cool. After the ComedySportz crowd (aka tonight's loyal fans) exited to high fives from our show's cast, a new group took over the space, removed the score screen, set up some folding chairs along the stage, and adjusted the audience's seating a bit. We were told that Your Terrible Ex! would start 5 min late as always. A single private bathroom was available for use, and concessions were available at a table by the entrance. As often happens at events, the headlining show was preceded by a pre-show. And this evening, the guest comedy troupe was The Gorge, a four person group. Perhaps I missed something, but I didn't remember any audience participation. They just flung themselves into acting out a number of situations that confused me and seemed to confuse their improv partners as well. After The Gorge were done, Naffy Improv took over the stage for Your Terrible Ex!, interviewing one eager audience volunteer about his ex with whom he and his current girlfriend (who had introduced them) were no longer friends with. Taking from the interview the fact that he'd gone to museums on dates with this art student ex, the cast ran with it and came up with a skit that took place in a museum. Swears and certain intimate body parts were tossed nilly willy. The scene from Ghost was reinacted to a degree. Children died. Wine was bought; then promptly broken over someone's head. Oregano was requested. Naffy did a bit better on the improv front. Professionally, both groups were a bit lacking, as they would react to each other's bits when as actors they should not have. But hey, it was a free show that runs on donations. Based on this one visit, my order of preference by sheer entertainment value would be: ComedySportz, Naffy, guest group. Background music beat through the wall from Jeanie Johnston Pub & Grill next door, where it was suggested that we could grab a quick shot since The Riot Theater didn't have anything alcoholic. read more

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This review is for Riot Stand Up Comedy at the Riot Theater in Roslindale, Saturday night at 10pm. I would not recommend this comedy venue for anyone over the age of about 30. On this evening, the audience was made up of comics and friends and partners of comics, and then there was our group. It's a very small space, so we immediately stuck out. Initially we didn't find the host or the first couple of comics very funny, and we politely chuckled and smiled. As the night wore on, the comics seemed to take offense that we were not laughing, and took it as a personal challenge to "break" us down, until toward the end of the evening the entire focus was on us. The jokes also got more vulgar with one pointing to our group to see if we might want to try a couples swap. The last straw was the next comic who worked himself up to saying he wanted to blank us and we just walked out. I can understand that this is a venue for budding comics to try develop a craft, but this group of 20- and 30-somethings couldn't connect outside their own generation. Some jokes were mildly funny, but too many had obscure references and missing punch lines. Even more, most of them didn't grasp the basic concept of comedy--present your material and if it doesn't get a laugh, you move on rather than take offense and single out or bully people not laughing. read more

Extremely intimate venue location with folding chairs with a very small elevated stage and unfortunately no ventilation. (The actors were all sweating before the intermission along with me and my jacket.) The location probably holds about 30 people with 3 rows. There are no bad seats, but everyone was worried about sitting in the front for the potential of being volunteered. Not sure if it was just me but there was also a distinct, strange smell that bothered me the entire show. I saw the Friday night ComedySportz performance with my SO. At the front entrance they have candy and water for sale, but no other concession offerings. If you check in you can get $1 off your purchase of candy. Finding parking in JP can be extremely tricky especially since all the side streets are residential permit parking. I would recommend just going up/down South St. if you have time to see if someone is leaving or if there's a spot a few blocks away. Shows here are very affordable and they have the free one every Friday Night called "Your Terrible Ex!" that I might consider checking out next time. read more

The Riot Theater is a boon to JP. What used to be the second half of a religious statue shop now belongs to a tiny indie theater that has been going strong since late 2014. Improv? Check. Stand-up? Check. Comedy Sportz? Check. The sky's the limit on what kind of comedy can be workshopped here, and it's a great place for both seasoned performers and for comedy newbs looking to break in. The shows are as affordable as your average local rock show, and this tiny theater is one of my new JP destination spots. Thanks Riot, for helping keeping JP weird, arty, funny, and awesome! read more

Riot Theater Company - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

A wonderful little gem of a theater, and worth checking out virtually during COVID for sure!

Went to my second riot x show last night. Basically, 30 2 minute or less original plays performed by riot x peeps. I enjoyed 27 of 30 which is really good. The plays ranged from sad to hilarious with more on the funny sad. The theatre is in down town Roslindale and the show is worth a visit. If you are hard up or cheap, gold star often has reduced price tix. They also do improv at different times and dates. read more

This the worst experiences I have had. Unprofessional. Lacking any thought of what they had to say. Oh by the way "bullying" the few people in the audience that came to see them. Instead of a comedy show, it was more little kids trying to provoke and have the last word. HORRIBLE C Newquist Please continue to the end of reviews Scott K had excellent insight to their immaturity read more

You could easily walk by the Riot Theater without even noticing it's there. Be someone who notices. You won't regret it. There's no riot and there's really not a theater either but that's what makes this place so great. When you walk in, you'll be surprised they host shows there. When you leave, you'll wonder why they don't host even more shows there. The Riot Theater is a fantastic, intimate, affordable theater and comedy venue. I've been lucky enough to perform at the Riot as well as take in some of the comedy shows they offer on a weekly basis. It's a great spot to check out what's up and coming in Boston comedy without spending a fortune on a drink minimum. Pro user tip: If you're a drinker, there's no bar at the Riot so pre-game at the Jeanie Johnston next door. You'll spend less money at the Riot & the Johnston than you would at some venues on tickets alone. I recommend the Stand Up Break In (stand up comedy) show on Thursdays at 9:30. read more

This place is intimate and dope. The low-price is due to the underground vibe of the theater, the talent is definitely more than worth it the cost. It's cool to see these talented performers who are grinding it in local theaters and bars. Stand ups on Thursday are bound to end up on late night, and the weekend teams Naffy and The Gorge have some amazing performers that could end up on NBC. VERY FUNNY! read more

They are currently having virtual shows (check out their website for more info) and they are hilarious! Highly recommend to anyone who wants a nice break from the daily struggles of living in a pandemic. read more

This comedy club is great! They have different acts every week performing along with themes as well. Price is free on Friday nights but they have cheap shows to attend during the week as well. HIGHLY recommend. read more

I came here with my boyfriend on Friday night for the "Your Terrible Ex" show, and we were immediately digging the atmosphere! These guys really brought a seemingly shy audience out of their shell and they were just freaking hilarious. Their Russian accents are impressive as well. Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

Found this gem through word-of-mouth, went to the 8 p.m. show last night. Audience participation was the foundation of the routines. Turning out skits on the fly can't be easy, but they did a great job. Might be hard to find if you're not familiar with the area, but well worth your effort. read more

Can offer good underground/electic performances. VERY small venue. Saw Naffy group and Improv Jones comedy show. Great show to see local improv. Free show every Friday night. Very cool. Audience participation is a must to keep this going. Come ready to laugh and encourage actors. read more

Came last Friday to see the Your Terrible Holiday show. We were very pleased to have Jiayong Li open the show with his standup comedy. Li is definitely a rising star. The guys and girl were funny and likable. It was a good time and we plan to visit again. read more

I watched the Comedy Sportz improv group on a Friday night. Parking was available on South Street, but only because of being very early. The Comedy Sportz improv group were creative, dynamic and hilarious! I hadn't laughed in a long time, and I was in stitches. read more

All must check this out!! So unique....looking forward to going back

Free Friday night shows at this place are awesome. Highly recommend attending. The Naffy improv group in particular was great at the show I saw. Keep JP weird! read more

I saw Fine Line here with my wife and they were awesome! 3 really funny teams performed, and we had a blast. It's great to have a comedy theater here in JP, really convenient for us locals. I definitely recommend watching some improv here! read more

Just had a fantastic outing to Riot Theater with a group of 10. Hilarious show, very intimate setting, and a super night all around. Its so nice to have something like this in JP! Highly recommend!!! read more