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When they met at a 2023 open mic night, Abdullah Ozturk and Xavi Jallois shared their dissatisfaction with their comedy performances.
The audience had been impossible to please, they said – unresponsive, dull, and seemingly uninterested in the comedy.
That evening, as they vented their frustration, neither could have imagined that just two years later they would quit their corporate jobs to run one of Madrid’s fastest-growing expat hangouts – the Spanish capital’s only English-language comedy club.
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Calle Amor de Dios 13 is the location of The Madrid Comedy Lab, tucked in the lively Barrio de las Letras.
Xavi and Abdullah secured the venue in March – a major upgrade in size barely a year after first setting up shop in nearby Lavapies.
“We have grown very quickly,” Xavi stated. It feels like only yesterday when we didn’t have our own place.
In 2023 the two began their journey as an itinerant pair of producers for comedy shows. Each evening, when they left their bank jobs, the pair would take off their suits and ties, and go to their next gig. They were able to hone their craft and become household names in Madrid’s stand-up scene while honing their performance skills.
Soon they realized that there was a huge demand for their products. Madrid is a great place to go for stand-up comedians. Spain’s best known comics are regularly sold out in dozens of theaters. But all of their shows in Spanish.
Abdullah performed in English, as did Xavi. The first was from Ankara (Turkey) out of personal choice; the second, from Santiago (Chile), a native Spanish speaking from Santiago.
Their shows drew increasing crowds, mostly Spanish and expats who wanted to see stand-up comedy in English.
Eventually, two years after getting their start, the pair resigned from their day jobs and made the leap to the Amor de Dios location – their largest venue yet, with a capacity of 75.
Abdullah said, “It got to the point where comedy started to feel like a second full-time job.” “Sometimes I had no time to change after work.”
The Madrid Comedy Lab currently hosts two shows per night, Tuesday through Sunday. Around 8pm, the show’s headliner performs. Then, at 10pm begins the showcase, which features local amateurs, as well as Xavi and Abdullah.
The location is welcoming to all.
Past the bar at the entrance and through a set of dark drapes, a narrow, exposed-brick corridor opens into the club’s showroom – a warmly lit, minimalist space with neat rows of chairs and tables set to face the stage.
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It’s like entering a sanctuary for expats when you walk through the front door. Fragments of conversation swirl through the air in half a dozen languages – though, as you would expect, English quickly becomes the common tongue.
Xavi & Abdullah are always ready to greet guests with a friendly smile. They give them plenty of opportunity to mingle over drinks and socialise before the show.
The Lab is a testament to the fact that it’s easier to navigate social life overseas when you share something with others.
Abdullah noted that several guests had formed friendships and even romances. “We’ve seen a lot of our guests come back as couples or with friends.”
Xavi scans the tickets at the entrance shortly before the show begins, while Abdullah directs the people to their seats. He beams and warns anyone who arrives alone that they may be seated with someone else.
He often says, “We wouldn’t want you to see the performance alone.”
The show starts as the lights go down. The comedy is a refreshingly light-hearted, playing off the commonplaces of expats’ lives in Spain. The jokes are rooted in the everyday absurdities of living abroad – the kind of shared experiences that make the audience laugh not just at the punchline, but at their own all-too-familiar missteps.
Xavi, Abdullah and their unique energy each have their own place on the stage. The Chilean is the true rabble rouser. He loves to interact with the crowd, and does so with quick wits. Although only 27, he commands an audience with the self confidence of a much older comedian.
Abdullah has a more subtle approach. His style blends self-effacing humour with impeccable timing – it hits home with a sharp precision that prompts bursts of rapturous laughter when spectators least expect it.
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You may notice, as the show ends and the lights are turned back on in the showroom, a small detail that tells you a lot about the owner’s ambitions.
The burgundy walls of the room, just across from the stage are covered with black-and white portraits by legendary comedians such as George Carlin. Joan Rivers and Richard Pryor.
Xavi explained, “We only hang photos of the greats who have passed away.” It would be strange for a top comic of today to walk in and see their face on the wall.
Xavi isn’t misguided in his ambition. The Lab, which was founded in 2007, has welcomed many top names from the world of stand-up, such as Todd Barry, Carmen Lynch and Rory Scovel.
“And we aim higher,” Xavi said.
Madrid Comedy Lab provides one of the most heartfelt and original nights out in the entire city. Its calendar is packed with shows in several different languages as well – since the venue opened, it has hosted events in Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, and even Russian.
Say hello to Xavi and Abdullah if you happen to be walking through the Barrio de las Letras. Xavi, Abdullah and their team will be thrilled to welcome you.
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