Since breaking into DC’s comedy scene five years ago, Rola Zaarour has noticed a trend across all of the events she’s produced: When a couple or a group of friends attends a show, a woman usually booked the tickets. “There are more women than men in the DC area,” she says. “And I think, sometimes, not enough caters to that when it comes to comedy.”
This realization prompted Zaarour to open her own, aptly-named DC Comedy Lounge, which will put on its first show this Saturday, April 4, on U Street. Still looking for a permanent venue, it’s the only fully woman-owned comedy club in the city. (DC Improv, another prominent club in the area, is partially owned by Allyson Jaffe.) “DC is an underrated stand-up comedy scene—for a city this size, there’s a lot of comedy going on and a lot of great clubs like DC Improv and DC Comedy Loft,” she says. “I think what’s missing is a fully woman-owned DC comedy club, and so I thought it’d be a great opportunity.”
For the foreseeable future, Zaarour plans to host twice-monthly events in a pop-up format. A GoFundMe she started in February has already raised more than $2,600 toward operating costs. “I’ve just found that the support has been really phenomenal,” she says. “So far, people are excited about it.”
Zaarour intends to feature a diverse lineup of comedians at her upcoming shows. “There are a lot of great female comedians, and I will be booking male comedians as well,” she says. “It’s woman-owned and woman-run, so there’ll be a feminine touch, but we’re not discriminating against men or anything like that.” Saturday’s bill features local acts Keith Correy, DJ Gaston, D Lo, Cerrome Russell, Mahmoud Jaber, and Paz Soto. “It’s not just about the lineup—it’s about the ambiance,” Zaarour says. “When the customer walks in, I want them to feel like, ‘Oh my god, this is an exciting night. I’m transformed.'”
In developing a theme for her club, Zaarour was inspired by Amazon Prime TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which follows a New York woman in the late 1950s who gets into stand-up comedy after her divorce. She’s curating her shows with a midcentury theme, and encourages guests to attend in vintage cocktail attire. “Women like to go out and dress up,” Zaarour says. “I just thought it’d be a really nice opportunity to create something with more of a feminine touch, where you get to dress up, you get to be glamorous.” On opening night, a pianist and opera singer will perform the era’s hits—think Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never.”
Zaarour hopes the 1950s motif carries beyond the club’s aesthetics. “These people didn’t have phones. They had landlines. They could go and hang out in public and not be on their phone for hours,” she says. “I’m craving this sort of in-person connection, and I think others are as well.” Zaarour, who performs under the name Rola Z, has built her career on the principle that humor can help us cope with tragedy. “I got into comedy five years ago because my life fell apart, and nobody goes into comedy because they’re happy,” she says. “I found that if I make fun of something, if I laugh at my own pain, then other people laugh at their pain—even if it’s a completely different kind of pain—and we all heal together.”
Along those lines, Zaarour hopes her club can provide some levity during a tough time for the city. “In the end, I just want people to feel seen, and that when they’re there, they’re happy,” she says. “They come back for more, they feel like they’re in community, and they feel a lot less alone.”
DC Comedy Lounge will host its first show on Saturday, April 4, at 7:3o PM (1359 U St., NW). Tickets are available for purchase online.
