One of the UK’s leading comedy clubs has banned guests with botox in a move that’s no laughing matter for those with “reactionless” faces.
Top Secret Comedy Club has hosted some of the biggest names in comedy, with star acts Jack Whitehall, Amy Schumer and Dave Chappelle gracing the stage in their Drury Lane and Kingsway clubs.
In a drastic move, those with botox will be unable to see similar stars live at the London venues after stand-up acts shared concerns that audience members with frozen faces aren’t reacting to their jokes.
Botox is a neuromodulator, a type of injectable that temporarily disrupts the nerve signals to the muscles that prevents them from contracting and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
The rise in “tweakments”, particularly among twentysomethings, has risen sharply in recent years, with an estimated one million botox injections carried out in the UK each year.
Mark Rothman, the Top Secret Comedy Club owner, claimed the eyebrow-raising decision to ban guests “up to their eyeballs” in botox was the “last resort” to prevent losing talent who perform at the club.
“Our incredibly talented comedians are fed up with performing to reactionless faces,” he said. “I've had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions.”
He continued: “Comedy thrives on connection, and facial expressions play a huge part. We want people to laugh, cry, frown, sneer, but frozen faces from Botox impact the entire atmosphere.
“We hope trialling this ban will help move the needle and get facial reactions back into the room – for the benefit of our comedians and the audience.”
Andrew Mensah, one of the venue’s regular stand-up acts, added: “Performing to an audience with frozen faces can be incredibly tough.
“Comedy is a two-way street – we feed off the energy and reactions of the crowd. Mark and the team are always devising new ideas to support us comedians – this must be his best one yet.”
Meanwhile, comedian Paul Chowdhry, who is set to perform at the club this month, said: “My face barely moves on the stage – I wouldn’t want to see the same thing staring back at me.”
From 5 March, the Top Secret Comedy Club audience members will be vetted by door staff trained to carry out ID checks and “expression tests” designed to detect the botox.
Rothman warned: “We’re dead serious about the ban and if you're surprised we need to see that! We are looking forward to welcoming faces old and new, that can still move, in our venue soon.”
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