There’s some funny business going on at The Corners of Brookfield.
Brookfield Corners LLC, the joint venture that built and owns The Corners development in the town of Brookfield, announced its newest tenant would be the comedy venue Improv after it opens in early 2020.
The 13,049-square-foot entertainment venue will include three live performance stages with full food and bar service, located in the currently vacant space underneath the Arhaus furniture store just south of Bluemound Road.
Construction work will begin on the Improv this summer, with an opening scheduled for early 2020.
Phil Shalala, chief marketing officer of Improv owner Levity Live, said his group has long considered Milwaukee a potential location for a new comedy venue.
“Honestly, our comics do really well there,” he said. “There’s a really good scene with regards to live events, festivals and standup comedy.
“That market just works really well for us to be positioned in that part of the country. So, we’ve always had our eye on it; we always wanted to be in the area.”
The Corners specifically had a vibe that fit well with what Levity Line was looking for, he added.
Robert Gould, vice president of U.S. operations at IM Properties, which is part of the joint venture that developed The Corners, said talks had taken place for some time about bringing Improv to the mixed-use center. He said when seeking tenants his group emphasizes the experience they can provide.
“Improv perfectly aligns with that,” he said.
Shalala said the venue will include acts from both top-level and mid-level acts, as well as group sketches, podcasts and some original formats that may some day lead to a larger act or a television show.
“You’ll see a wide range of … comedy entertainment coming out of this room,” he said.
Improv was founded in New York City in 1963 and now has 23 locations nationwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Improv stages have hosted the likes of Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres and Dave Chappelle, among other big names.
Gould said the particular area where Improv is going in is fast becoming the entertainment corridor of The Corners. Other nearby attractions include the Café Hollander restaurant, the Lake Country Social restaurant, set to open this summer, and a Silverspot Cinema, expected to open this spring.
Other retailers and restaurants located at The Corners include Von Maur, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, Goddess and the Baker, Kendra Scott and L.L. Bean.
The Corners, a 750,000-square-foot town center, opened in April 2017 on a 19-acre site bounded by West Bluemound Road, North Barker Road and I-94. It is comprised of 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 244 luxury apartments and parking for more than 1,700 cars. The $200 million development was first unveiled by the Marcus Corp. in 2011.
