Mary Huth has lived in the Hancock Park area for 22 years. She raised twin boys, who are now officially men. Which means…it’s time to launch a monthly comedy show and work out the past 22 years through her standup act.
Huth has launched Whippet at the HEXI, a standup comedy show in a unique and elegant setting.
“I spent a long time looking for a venue,” Huth says. “I wanted something offbeat. I looked at sex stores, plant stores, even a trailer park.” Luckily she found the ideal space in her own backyard, at the Deco Building, a black-and-gold Art Deco masterpiece on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile.
The 1929 building was originally a bank (the vault in the back is kept open). After 1970, it served several other purposes before being purchased by an Indonesian-American company in 2016. Since 2022 it has been leased and managed by HEXI: House of Explore Indonesia. Indonesian clothing, fabrics, foods and coffee are sold in its spacious lobby—which now becomes home to Whippet Comedy on the fourth Sunday of every month.
Huth reports, “Our first show, in January, was a resounding success! We had 70 people in a gorgeous Art Deco venue with a killer lineup of established and emerging comics.” A green room on balcony allows performers to look down on the audience—but not in a condescending way.
The theme of the series, says Huth, is “Comedians who haven’t hit yet but are doing interesting things at a certain level.” She includes herself in that category: after working at the Wall Street Journal and raising her twins, she got inspired by a workshop by Pretty Funny Women.
“I had been to so many cruddy comedy shows and thought I could do it better. It’s the arrogance of inexperience; comedy is hard,” Huth says. Now she performs 10-12 shows a month. Besides helping her up her game, the immersion exposes her to a lot of comedians.
“I’m strategic about who I pay to see,” she says. “LA has a deep pool of comic talent.” On the other hand, she notes, comedy now has a new trajectory: get a million TikTok followers and go on tour. But works on social media doesn’t always translate to a live show.
With co-producer Derek DelCore, Huth is now preparing for the second Whippet show, on Feb. 25. One unique feature: audience members can bring their own food and drink. Or they can obtain wine and beer by donation or purchase nonalcoholic beverages and snacks.
The next Whippet Comedy Shows are on Feb. 25 and March 24, at 7:30 (doors open at 7:00) at the Deco Building/HEXI , 5209 Wilshire Blvd., near LaBrea. Admission is $12. The show runs about 90 minutes. To purchase tickets, click here.
