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It’s a no-laughing matter.
A world-famous comedy club has banned people with Botox — for a hilarious reason.
The Top Secret Comedy Club in London’s Covent Garden has prohibited attendees from sitting down to enjoy the show if their faces are “frozen” from injections.
On March 5, the team began conducting “expression tests” along with standard ID checks at the front door to guarantee everyone who enters can depict how funny — or not funny — they find a joke.
The “tests” were implemented after comics repeatedly complained of looking into an audience of straight faces after telling their best jokes.
“Our incredibly talented comedians are fed up with performing to reactionless faces,” owner Mark Rothman told The Independent.
“I’ve had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions.”
Botox is the brand name of the most popular neurotoxin injection, which temporarily disrupts the nerves from communicating with the muscle, which prevents it from contracting, often reducing the intensity of facial expressions.
An estimated one million Botox injections were given in the UK last year, the Independent reported.
While this may have you looking younger, it won’t help you get into Top Secret Comedy Club.
“Comedy thrives on connection, and facial expressions play a huge part. We want people to laugh, cry, frown, sneer, but frozen faces from Botox impact the entire atmosphere,” Rothman said.
He’s not wrong.
Research has shown that Botox injected into the forehead altered people’s brain chemistry, impacting how they interpreted other people’s emotions.
“We hope trialling this ban will help move the needle and get facial reactions back into the room – for the benefit of our comedians and the audience,” Rothman said.
Andrew Mensah, a comedian who regularly performs at the venue, defended the decision.
“Performing to an audience with frozen faces can be incredibly tough,” he insisted.
“Comedy is a two-way street — we feed off the energy and reactions of the crowd. Mark and the team are always devising new ideas to support us comedians — this must be his best one yet.”
