monkey business institute

My girlfriend and I went here for the first time recently. We saw a late night show called "The Merge" that combines improv and stand-up. The show was really fun to watch and it was just as fun watching the comedians be real and make fun of themselves as they mess up and laugh, as it clearly isn't scripted. It was good fun that wasn't the incredibly raunchy same old same old stand-up that you see everywhere else.

Highly recommend seeing the Grown Up Show. For $10 per person and no drink minimum it's a deal. We were seated near the stage. All of the comedians are first rate. There is one waiter/bartender, Jake, that takes care of the entire room, with the help of Jessee. You can order food and drinks which comes from the Glass Nickel restaurant upstairs. I will definitely be eating there again next time I am in town. We shared a plate of cinnamon hugs I think it was called. Like a funnel cake but in pieces with icing on top. Plenty to share. Then I got a stitch in my side from laughing so much. We thanked the comedy troupe afterwards and they were all very friendly. Great time.

First comedy show I have ever attended. The cast was funny and impromptu, coming up with immediate responses that cracked me up. I would definitely recommend their adult show and the pizza was served very quickly. They were packed with a full house but there was no waiting. I would have ordered a thinner crust than the regular next time, just a preference of mine, not that it wasn't great crust.

My wife and I saw the adult show which starts at 8:00 on Saturdays. The improvisationists are very funny and there is a lot of audience participation. For $10, this is an incredible deal.

My girlfriend planned a night out for us and purchased two tickets to the 8 pm show. What a great time! We had some pizza and a few drinks while waiting for the show to begin. And once it began we didn't stop laughing until sometime the next morning. Since then we've been back with kids to the family friendly show a few more times. They do a great job at entertaining and keep it very kid friendly during the family show. At six bucks a ticket, you can't really go wrong.Tips: purchase tickets in advance on the website; they often sell out and there is no feeget there early; seating begins 45 minutes before the show starts and it will fill in quickly.be prepared for tight quarters - they pack 'em downstairsMy one complaint is the seating. Most of the tables are fine, but if you get stuck in the back bar area it is very cramped and nearly impossible to try and eat beforehand. We had a party of 7 and they sat us back there and we weren't able to talk much at all during dinner and kept getting bumped around by the servers and people seated at the table in front of us.

Our daughter treated 9 of us, adults and children (4-12) to the show last night, with pizza before,.... everyone loved it!! It was so much fun to enjoy something that was entertaining for all of us. The staff was very friendly and as other reviewers mention, prepurchase of tickets and arriving early for large groups is good advice. (The show started at 5:30; we were told to arrive at 4:45 since we had a large group and we actually got there about 4:30...the staff was very accommodating, served us and we were able to comfortably enjoy the meal and have the table cleared by the time the show started). We definitely will return!

I was looking for something close (within an hour) of us to celebrate our daughter's 11th birthday. I found this on Tripadvisor, looked at the reviews/price and we made reservations ahead of time. They were waiting for us when we got there. Very friendly staff. The comedy crew was funny, entertaining and energetic. They did keep the content kid friendly. The price was reasonable at $6/person and the food was pretty good. I also enjoyed the comedy show. Truly improv material. We would go again.

Thank you very much Kris - We appreciate that you took the time to share your review and we're happy you had a great time! The next time you're in Madison, we'd love to have some laughs with you and your family again.

Thank you very much for coming to see the show, and thank you for the outstanding review. We hope you can come see us again when you visit Madison!

Though most the kids seeing the show at the 4:45pm slot were much younger, my teenagers thought it was fantastic. We got there early, it is small, so seating really isn't a problem. We finished eating about the time the show started (food is general bar food). Kids thought it was great. Lots of younger precocious children, but the troupe handled them well. Very fun night!

The Monkey Business show is downstairs; they have a small space set aside in front of the room. If you get there late, you'll be in the front row--about 3' from the comedy. We got there early (actually too early--a waitress upstairs told us seating started at 7:00, when it's not actually until 7:15). By 7:30 it was pretty full--so be prompt! It was pretty good, although there were some kids at the "adult" show, which clearly had a (limiting) effect on the comedy. But it was still enjoyable. I would recommend eating upstairs or elsewhere first--dinner service downstairs can be slow.

Love the show. Very funny, great venue. Well worth the money.

Our family attended our first Monkey Business show on Saturday night, but it definitely won't be our last! What a fun time! My fiance and I took his daughter along to see the 6pm family show. We were laughing so hard our stomachs hurt from the moment the show started. The performers do a wonderful job of getting the audience involved; asking for topic suggestions and audience volunteers. My fiance had the opportunity to join the performers for a skit, and he had a blast! When we left my 11-year-old step-daughter was singing "That was A-W-E-S-O-M-E, awesome!" and asking when we can see the next show. This is a very affordable, amazingly fun option if you are looking for something to do as a family on a Saturday night. You can even order Glass Nickel food and eat it during the show! I definitely recommend this event. Seating opens 45 minutes before the show begins, try to arrive early to get a good seat!

I visited Madison and went to Glass Nickel for a night out of improv comedy and dinner with friends. The Monkey Business troupe's energy was contagious. The early show is family-friendly and proves that improv can be both PG rated and laugh out loud funny. It was a great night laughter, pizza, and beer with friends. [Cold weather bonus: There is a fireplace there that they said burns in the Winter.]

I went to the 8pm show last night with some friends and we had a blast! Very funny stuff! You could tell that the performers love doing the show and that they wanted us to love it too. If you live in Madison or you're just visiting, take my advice and see the Monkey Business Institute!