Laugh It Up & At 'Em

For most Hump Day revelers, 50-cent mugs of draft beer and half-priced apps get everybody through the night. Not so for Sleep and his gang of fellow comics at Cronies' Comedy Night.Every Wednesday, the Lakewood bone-tickler emcees the open-mic session, just as he did when he started performing routines five years ago at the old Robin's Nest club in downtown Cleveland. "My friend had put my name down on a list of comics. When I heard my name announced over the noise of the crowd, the next thing I knew, the light was on me," says Sleep. "I got the bug." But when the bar shuttered a couple of years ago, Sleep put his act to rest. Or so he thought. Last month, while hanging at Cronies with a beer and a basket of chicken wings, the manager asked him to revive the open-mic concept. "This is a night for comics to come in and sharpen their skills," says Sleep. "Anyone can get up and have at it." The yucks start at 10 tonight at Cronies, 17900 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. Admission is free. Call 216-226-3310.
Wednesdays, 10 p.m., 2008