Former Laff's manager opening a new Albuquerque comedy club in Winrock Town Center

Randy Butler has been in the comedy business for more than three decades, not telling jokes but running comedy clubs.

“Comedy is definitely making a resurgence right now,” he said. “But in the ’80s it was peaking, and it was like rock and roll. You had Andrew Dice Clay selling out Madison Square Garden multiple nights.”

Butler is bringing Hyena’s Comedy Club to Albuquerque early next year, part of a larger plan to expand his comedy club business. The comedy club is one of several new businesses, including office developments, a health clinic and a new food hall, set to open in Winrock Town Center as part of the shopping area’s revitalization.

Hyena’s Comedy Club is based in Texas, with a location in downtown Fort Worth that will celebrate 30 years in business this December and a club in Dallas that’s run for 15 years. Butler and his business partners want to expand the business rapidly, with plans for 15 more Hyena’s locations in the next four years. The first will open in Albuquerque.

The comedy club will be located in the Winrock Town Center, a spot chosen because it is near several restaurants, making it easy for patrons to enjoy a classic night out: dinner and a show. The club will offer five appetizers and plenty of drinks. The liquor license process has slowed down opening, but the comedy club should open its doors in February.

The club will bring in big-name talent and funny acts that could be the next big thing.

“A lot of the shows are really good from the comedians that are really famous, but there’s a lot of comedians out there that haven’t hit that fame yet, but they’re just geniuses, and I like to think of some of the acts that we’re going to be bringing in as funnier than famous,” Butler said.

Butler is no stranger to the comedy scene in Albuquerque. He was a manager for Laff’s Comedy Club in the ’80s, where he saw comedic talents like Jerry Seinfeld, Dana Carvey and Ellen DeGeneres sell out Albuquerque shows.

“You never knew who was going to be at your club that week, who would end up at the Tonight Show the next week and be famous after that. You only had to be on the Tonight Show once to be a famous comedian back then.”

Butler eventually moved to Fort Worth, where he leased a vacant property to open his own comedy club. But he didn’t have the money to open a club, so he rented a 600-seat venue in downtown Fort Worth called Caravan of Dreams and booked shows to raise the funds he needed.

“I believe it was Tommy Chong, Ellen DeGeneres and Bobcat Goldthwait. Those three shows always stick out in my mind just because it was the first time I worked with Ellen, and it was right before her show, and she was super sweet, fun to work with, and the shows sold out.”

While shows still sell out, comedy tastes are broader these days, thanks in part to the internet age.

“The internet has brought down any sort of barriers that (geography) can bring in sometimes. I think that everything works just about, the main thing is, and the most important thing is, to be funny,” Butler said.

One of the biggest challenges of running a comedy club is staying on top of new technology, but the foundation of standup comedy — someone funny with a microphone and an audience — hasn’t changed much.

The qualities that make for a good comedy club also have not changed. Venues only need three things, said Butler, “a good sight line, good sound and a funny comedian.”