On a Saturday night in August, comedian Kyle Morrisey took the stage at a storefront in Temescal. Originally from Oakland, he now lives in San Francisco. Morrisey apologized for wearing a Giants hat in Oakland and got laughs for jokes about Bay Area traffic.
Since 2014, “Critical Hit” has grown to become one of Oakland’s longest-running comedy shows. This year, the East Bay Express readers voted Critical Hit the Best Comedy Night in the East Bay. T
he weekly show fills the void of no official comedy club in the Town with a fun and caring crowd and an unlikely venue — “It’s Your Move Games,” a board game shop on Telegraph.
Inside the long, narrow room, red curtains drape over the shelves of board games and 70 folks fill the rows of seats to see local and even international comedians.
Affordable drinks and laughs are never guaranteed at a comedy show. However, in Oakland, one can head over to 49th and Telegraph Ave. on any Saturday evening and see comedians like Morrisey or Kiry Shabazz live.
From watching Comedy Central to hosting comedy shows
It’s not an accident that the show is held at a board game store. Erik Krasner and Hayden Remi’s idea was to have a comedy event at a board game store because they figured there would already be chairs available – players sit at tables for games already. It wasn’t until Krasner moved in the neighborhood that they stumbled upon “It’s Your Move.”
Remi grew up nearby in Rockridge. He remembers binge watching Comedy Central in middle school before his parents got home.
“I’d just watch like four hours of whatever was on,” Remi said. “I must’ve watched every Live at Gotham, every Comedy Central Presents, and every Premium Blend.” This is where his love affair with the craft began.
In college, he became the editor of a UC Berkeley comedy magazine and a comedian.
Krasner and Remi began their comedy journey together as editors of “Heuristic Squelch.” They then decided to co-produce a show.
From free pizza to filling chairs
The folding chairs weren’t always so easy to fill. When founding producers Hayden Remi and Erik Krasner originally started the show over a decade ago, it was a free show with free pizza that put butts in seats.
“The place was packed because we were giving away free pizza,” Krasner said. “We were losing money on zero revenue and a heap of Little Caesars.”
“A lot of Critical Hit’s success is [because] we are dedicated to quality. We are dedicated to bringing a quality diverse line up consistently.”
Hayden Remi, co-founder, Critical Hit
Since then, the charge for their carefully curated shows. The quality of the comedy show keeps people coming back.
“A lot of Critical Hit’s success is [because] we are dedicated to quality,” Remi said. “We are dedicated to bringing a quality diverse line up consistently.” They vet their comedians through a screening process which requires comedians to submit footage.
Notable comedians that have performed at Critical Hit include Mohanad Elshieky, Francesca Fiorentini, Matt Lieb, Caitlin Peluffo, and Taylor Tomlinson.
“The thing about building a show is you need to build trust with the community,” Remi said. “We show up every week and have only cancelled one show, unexpectedly, in 11 years. Winning audiences over week by week, we have an enormous amount of repeat business.”
It hasn’t always been smooth. Competing shows come and go. They paused the show during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless they stayed committed to Oakland and remained at the same location.
‘It’s a lil more raw, more punk, more diverse’
Over the years, others like Tirumari Jothi and Adrianna McCain joined their crew. McCain joined in 2023.
“It’s very cool and special to be involved in a show that feels so ingrained in the community,” McCain said. “They are very smart and make good decisions. They’re very organized and very hardworking. They do it at a local business.” “It’s a dream! The whole team is great.”
Hosting the show at a board game store gives the show a community feel and brings an audience that cares about comedy, according to Jothi.
“Oakland is where people are trying to experiment a lil’ more,” Jothi said. “It’s a lil more raw, it feels. A lil more punk energy to it. I like the feel of an Oakland show. I think the audience is a lil more diverse.”
No two-drink minimum. BYOB.
Don’t worry about a two-drink minimum at this comedy show. Critical Hit is
It is B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Booze).
Though Oakland doesn’t have an official comedy club, this crew embraces its indie-punk presence and location.
One attendee, Joel Spears, called the show, “the most organized punk thing you can do” with “punk rules where you can bring your own booze.” Galnadgee Joe Johnson added, “You can get a ticket at a decent price here. “I love the BYOB, ‘cause you can get whatever drinks you want from the corner store.”
Best in the East Bay
Critical Hit keeps attracting new patrons by posting fliers throughout Oakland on telephone poles. They also maintain an extensive email list of attendees.
Critical Hit proves why it’s the best comedy show in the East Bay by remaining community-centered and consistently delivering a quality product. San Francisco has the Punchline and Cobbs. LA has the Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store. Oakland hosts Critical Hits every Saturday at It’s Your Move, a show where everyone wins.
This story is funded by a grant from the East Bay Fund for Artists 2 at the East Bay Community Foundation.
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