Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle

Michigan's first comedy club and its longest-running one, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle opened on January 4, 1979 and has anchored downtown Royal Oak since 1990, in the old Daily Tribune newspaper building on South Troy Street. Tim Allen and Dave Coulier both started out on the Castle stage, and owner Mark Ridley — who still handpicks the talent himself — originated the three-comedian format that is now standard across the industry. The 400-seat reserved-seating showroom runs national headliners Wednesday through Saturday (recent and upcoming bookings include Kyle Kinane, Pauly Shore, Big Jay Oakerson, Joe List, Phil Hanley, Emo Philips and Tim Meadows), alongside a weekly open mic, showcases for the club-taught comedy classes, and the Detroit to Austin Comedy Challenge. 18 and over, two-item minimum.