Armada Puts Comedy On Tap

“I started this show as a way to stay in practice. But there’s also much talent between Connecticut, Boston, Providence, and New York, it’s also a way to cultivate that talent.” Jonathan Crystal Photos.

It was a bright Thursday night at Armada Brewing Company, as the setting sun cast a golden glow into the tall windows of the Queen’s Lounge. Inside, all eyes were on the stage, where a cavalcade of comics from New England and New York held court.

Welcome to Queens Lounge Comedy, a nascent comedy night held every other Thursday at Armada Brewing Company on 190 River St. Thanks to host Manju Gupta-Koley and Armada owners John Kraszewski and Alex Ivanova, the series is already gaining a reputation as one of the fiercest and funniest ongoing comedy shows in the state. 

The series began as a way for Gupta-Koley, a New Haven resident and comedian herself, to stay sharp and continue honing her skills when unable to travel back and forth to New York. 

“I started this show as a way to stay in practice,” she said after a recent Thursday night show. “But there’s also much talent between Connecticut, Boston, Providence, and New York, it’s also a way to cultivate that talent.”

Mussa, who hails from West Hartford. Jonathan Crystal Photos.

The lineup at this past Thursday’s show featured comics from all over Connecticut and its neighboring states, including West Hartford’s Mustafe Mussa, Gabby Jordan Brown, Jamell Sirleaf, and headliner Wilfred Padua among others. 

In a short set, Mussa—billed as one of the night’s special guests—mused on everything from the billionaires in the doomed Titan submersible (for whom he and the audience had little sympathy) to online dating. 

“I matched on Tinder with a woman who had kids,” he said to a few early giggles. “That’ll make you think: am I horny enough to play catch?” 

Fimiano. Jonathan Crystal Photos.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn-based comedian Chloe Fimiano worried that getting in shape was ruining her comedy. “I’m getting too hot for all my fat girl jokes,” she said. Trying out the audience’s temperature, she joked that she was glad to be in New Haven for the show—because it led to the realization that she wasn’t quite “New York hot” yet. 

The line landed: dozens of attendees laughed. 

Brown told the crowd how she’s been navigating a recent breakup. “It’s been strange because for me, the breakup showed me how many of my friends wanted to sleep with me this whole time—which was zero,” she said.  Playing on the idea of relationships, Jamell Sirleaf gave advice to any young folks in the audience with strict parents—to just keep on keeping on.

“The thing about strict parents is that when you grow up all of a sudden, they’re not strict anymore,” he said to laughs. “Eventually, they give up. So kids, just keep going. Keep drinking, keep smoking. They’ll get exhausted.”

Headliner Wilfred Padua. Jonathan Crystal Photos.

It led into a set from Padua that was as bracingly funny as it was sharp. When he began, Padua explained that he too had strict parents, who perhaps kept so tight a leash because they were immigrants, and for a time undocumented.

“I shouldn’t have let them get away with that,” he said. “When they said ‘Wilfred, you’re in trouble, I should have said ‘No, you’re in trouble. I’m an American.’” 

His lengthy, wide-ranging set covered online dating as Asian man (“We’re the least sought after demographic, but Asian women are the most sought after … if only dudes saw my profile and were like ‘Ehhh…close enough’”) to exploring how firm he was and is in his sexuality. His sneaky punchlines kept the audience on its toes the entire time.

“I look like this—I’ve had to tell a lot of people I’m not gay,” he said. “But at this point, I’m kinda upset that I’m not because I know I’d be really good at it.” 

Liam Dalton. Jonathan Crystal Photos.

Armada Brewing, which opened in April of 2022 and has hosted several community events, proved to be a great venue for comedy. The upstairs Queens Lounge has its own dedicated bar, bathrooms, and a microphone and sound system specifically for the shows.

It is also siloed off from the main taproom, giving the show an exclusive feel. Kraszewski and Ivanova are huge fans of comedy and want to make the location a destination for comics and fans alike.

Gupta-Koley also sees the spot as a destination for comics, she said—especially those who want a chance to do sets in a less crowded and competitive environment than New York or Boston. “I figured comics could, instead of fighting for five-minute spots in the city, hop on the Metro North or the Amtrak and come do a longer set.”

Jamell Sirleaf. Jonathan Crystal Photos.

For Gupta-Koley, building a diverse, expansive community of comics together is also the fun of the experience. “The most beautiful consequence of this is building a strong network of comics,” she said. 

It helps that her approach to acquiring talent is fearless. “Anytime I’m at a show, if I’m a fan of any of the comics, I will reach out immediately,” she said. “I’ve worked in sales for years, so I have no problem being rejected.”

But those rejections seem to be few and far between: the lineups for Queen’s Lounge have been stacked with fresh groups of comics at every show, and the network has been growing. For weeks, an unexpected crowd favorite has been Bella, the brewery’s pet cat. Thursday, she even showed up in several routines.  

“She’s back! I should just get offstage now. I can’t compete with a cat!” said one comic, as the room broke out in laughter. 

Before heading out after the last show, Gupta-Koley credited Kraszewski and Ivanova for their dedication to and support of the show. Because she loves it—and they do too— she takes every opportunity to make the show better.

“They helped me get the first show off the ground in about a month from our first conversation about it,” she said. “It’s an honor and a responsibility when you take the mic. People get babysitters to come to shows, so it’s important to give them a worthwhile experience.”

The next Queens Lounge show is Thursday July 6 at 7 p.m. and will continue every two weeks for the foreseeable future. Learn more here or here.