National Comedy Theatre

I thought the show was really excellent. I took a date here and we were laughing the whole time. Overall their improvisational skills were extremely impressive. I’d highly recommend checking it out.

So much fun! Don’t be scared off by the audience participation, it’s is highly encouraged but not mandatory. And you just yell out things from your seat if you want, no getting up on stage or anything. I thought the all ages thing would make it childlike, but not at all. Just good, clean humor and a cast that will do just about anything for a laugh. Go see a show! You won’t regret it! Just get there early, parking can be tricky.

I went to their improv show & I genuinely enjoyed myself. Seriously couldn’t stop laughing from beginning to end. I went to the 945 show and was so surprised how fast the time went, we got out around 11ish and to say the least it ended way to soon. I’m coming back that’s for sure, great price, clean environment & it’s definitely a great way to spend your evening night. BUT keep in mind open hours/​days are Thursday — Sunday !

Such a fun night out. Went with another couple and it was a great night. Kept it clean for families to enjoy but was still hilarious. Real, genuine improv. Had us laughing hard and all the staff were super welcoming and friendly! Will definitely be back.

Went New Year’s eve with my wife, sister and her beau. The show is very interactive, spontaneous and just plain funny. There are two comedy teams of 3 that compete in different formats with a lot of input from the audience; A referee/​MC and the booth operator/​DJ. I am writing this five stars based on the show. Concessions were minimal but enough (candy and beer were my choices)… I was very disappointed there was no popcorn popping in the machine! The New Year’s Eve show had a special food selection along with dessert. They set up to serve champagne before midnight but we scooted out to bring in the new year with the kids. All in all this was a very good time in a small but intimate setting. A comedy was clean, intelligent and did I mention spontaneous! Very improv! Bravo NCT-​SD… Break your legs!

Had a great time with hubby on their New Year’s Spectacular Event. Highly recommended for those who are looking for clean and witty humor!

BEST DATE EVER!!! Or any fun night!!! My husband and I came for some clean fun and laughs and this was INCREDIBLE!!! Such amazing actors and just fun improv. I didn’t know how great improv could be. We will DEFINITELY be back soon!!!

This place is GREAT!!! Every scene is completely off the top of their heads, not rehearsed at all and always in a two or more group interaction. These comedians are the best I’ve seen in a long time. The interaction with the audience is great! Most of the scenes are involving the audience in some way or another. Prices are definitely worth it.(which is not expensive at all) They do have a non-​rated show once a month but is mainly family oriented, no swearing, racism or inappropriate acts. I went with my two girlfriends and had a blast! Please give this place a try!
they offer some refreshments as well, soda, water, beer, popcorn ect.

Good, clean, cheap fun. My girlfriends were in town visiting and one of them has been here before. We were looking for something low key to do on a Saturday night and she suggested coming here. It’s a good thing we purchased our tickets for the 7:30pm show earlier in the day because by the time we arrived at the theatre they were sold out!
It’s a small theater with lots of audience participation. This is not a stand up comedy place, but rather a lot of little skits/​games which kind of reminded me of Who’s Line is it Anway? The performers are required to keep the jokes clean so this is a completely acceptable place to bring children. The performers are extremely talented as they have to go by what topics the audience pick at that moment.
There is a small concession stand where you can buy beer, soda, water, popcorn, etc. We arrived right when doors opened so we could get seats in the front. The theater isn’t that big so I’m assuming if you got last row seats you would be ok.
Definitely was glad my friend suggested that we do this and will be back in the future! I love that the show will be different each time because it’s based off of what words the audience yells out. Also, they have a variety of skits so it’s not always the same things.

I’ve been coming here for a couple of years now and I have never been disappointed in a show! Last night was no different; we came to see the Halloween Spook-​tacular and it was amazing!
The theater was All decked out for Halloween and they played some holiday themed games, my favorite was the Walking Dead game. I was laughing so hard I was crying.
If you’re looking for something different to do on date night or have a bunch of girl friends that need a night out, you should check this place out!

This place is hilarious. The performers are incredibly talented. You can buy snacks & booze which is a definite plus. It’s super affordable and they have military discounts. Me and my boyfriend go here every year for the halloween show. It never fails to disappoint!

I love attending NCT!

What happened? This is our sixth time to National Comedy Theatre, and we have always really enjoyed it. Tonight we felt ripped off! Exceptt for the girl, the actors had no energy, and appeared bored. The show lasted less than an hour. It felt like they were just putting in their time to pick up a paycheck, not like they wanted to entertain. In the past, the actors appeared to be having fun, but not tonight. NCT had been a highlight of our San Diego trips. Now, I don’t know whether or not he will come back, because you tonight was so disappointing.

I’ve been to this comedy theatre a couple times now, and each time I’ve left with a health dose of laughter. What more can you ask for?

I was introduced to National Comedy Theater (NCT) because someone invited me to their stand up comedy class showcase. The theater is cozy, and you really feel up close and personal with the performers. It was a great experience, so I decided to take the six-​week course for stand up comedy. Tony Calabrese and Maria Herman are the best instructors I could have asked for. They are incredibly talented comics who can effectively teach and coach their students to success. I always strongly recommend NCT to all my San Diego friends, whether they are interested in stand up comedy or improv. The classes are very reasonably priced, and the biggest benefit from NCT you get is the community of people who support each other in their journey to bringing out their FUNNY side!

If you’ve seen «whose line is it anyway,» then you have a general idea of what to expect here. I believe they have various types of evenings, but at least the standard Saturday night show is of the «whose line» style.
So I would have to say that your enjoyment of the show will be directly related to the extent to which you enjoy «whose line.» If you go into it hoping for standup comedy or any «bits,» you will be disappointed. This is all improvisation, and these guys are good — only a few flops here and there — but for the most part, quite enjoyable.
As others have said before me, the lack of any sort of adult humor is disappointing, but they are clear about this going in, so you can’t dock them for that. What I mean is there is zero hint of sexuality, race jokes, swearing, or even jaded/​sarcastic tones. It is very Disney-​friendly. And the regulars know this, as there are several children in the audience.
They offer a small concession stand of snacks and drinks (no wine or liquor), and the prices are reasonable. Three dollars for a small popcorn, two dollars for some candy or a soda, etc.
All in all, personally I can’t rate this place super high, but I did enjoy myself for what it was, and I would feel comfortable recommending it to someone that likes improv.

I’d had the National Comedy Theatre on my bookmarks list for a long time and used last night’s date night as a reason/​excuse to finally check it off. And… I was a bit disappointed. Date night was still fun, but the NCT isn’t the reason why. :(
The idea behind NCT is that it’s an improv comedy show with audience participation. Other reviews have mentioned that it’s like a comedy competition between two teams. I was looking forward to all of these things, but none of them materialized. I suppose improv can be done without the use of props, but they sure would add to the show, even (maybe especially?) if they were used sparingly, and there were none for this show. The audience participation was at about a 2 on a scale of 1 – 100. We were asked for suggestions exactly two times, but not a whole lot was done with those suggestions. And the competition factor was non-​existent and there weren’t teams of comedians. The comedians would sometimes pair or group off, but this was done in an individual rather than team way.
Nothing was particularly focused and I get that improv is comedy on the spot, made up as they go, but it was a bit confusing (and not funny) trying to follow along.
Beer, soft drinks, and snacks (I think?) are on offer, but there is not a full bar. Drinks can go into the theater with you.
Bottom line: It was $ 24 for two of us for a one hour comedy show. We had a couple of tiny chuckles, but it wasn’t worth the money and I highly doubt we’ll return.

How does this place have such high ratings!!! Felt like it was a total waste of time and money… was pretty bummed I didn’t go to the Comedy Store instead that night.
First time coming to an improv show and I expected so much more. Basically a game of charades between two teams of theater nerds. Rules were set that everything had to be PG (nothing sexual, no cursing, etc) pretty boring! Making the show slightly raunchy would have been so much fun, after all it was a 9:30pm showing with all adults. Also rather than creating fun situations with current events and pop culture for the teams to act out they were given very random scenarios.
So upset I left having not lol’d once :(Not amusing at all.
Only reason they get 2 stars and not 1 is because parking was easy in the neighborhood and drinks were offered at reasonable prices.
Not coming back, not recommending to others.

I was skeptical of spending one of my valuable vacation nights watching community improv but I am glad we went. While some bits fell flat the overall experience was fun and worth the $ 17 /​$ 12 (students) cost of admission. Plus you can buy and drink beer in the theater! I wouldn’t go out of my way to go to another show but if you want a couple of laughs and a good time you could do a lot worse.

My wife and I ventured out to catch one of the shows and thoroughly enjoyed it!
The comedy was good without being too charged, Like their website says, these shows are «clean and appropriate for all audiences.»
The theater is small and has an intimate feel, so you are in close proximity to the performers.
There are no drink or age minimums. It was nice to not be required to buy alcohol.
This is an unusual and creative way to spend your evening.
Audience participation is necessary for the skits to be performance ready, so go ahead and shout out your ideas.