22ND STREET
By Alex J. Socorro



At the long stretch of Marcos Highway in Antipolo, the imposing façade of 22nd Street Comedy Bar seems to beckon motorists and passersby.

Façade

Mildly unorthodox in their style of operation, 22nd Street was not expected to survive for long when it started in the same area but with a smaller venue. But after a few years in the trade, business picked up and it eventually moved to their present location.

As one of the pioneers in the comedy bar line of business, 22nd Street now boasts of avid habitues, not only among Filipinos but foreigners as well, due to their select performers and open-minded approach to their program format. “We always try to gauge the audience kung ano ang gusto nila,” says Kai, the general manager of the celebrated comedy bar.

Kai Confiado

Performers are always dependent on the taste buds of the audience. “Nakatutok pa rin kami sa mga bading na performers kasi yan pa rin naman ang trend,” says Kai, who paused to peek inside upon hearing loud laughter from the audience. “But we also have some of those matitinong performers. Actually dinadagsa kami pag andito ang True Faith.” Not just a band, True Faith has a big following among band music enthusiasts.

It would have been grand because of the consistently upward direction of revenues until the comedy bar was hit by a tragedy. With sadness in her voice, Kai relates the accident that occurred a few years back. “Nasa Boracay kami noon, together with the staff for an outing. Accident lang talaga, may niluto yata yung guard na napabayaan tapos ayun, the kitchen was razed by fire. Ang mabigat lang, wala kaming insurance so we had to start from scratch all over again. Parang ayaw na nga namin kaso Mon was thinking of the staff na mawawalan ng trabaho.” Mon’s priority concern is the staff and management is only secondary.

Mon Confiado is Kai’s brother who is the unassuming owner of 22nd Street. The siblings are children of the late actor Anghel Confiado who recently died at the age of 94 in their home after confinement at St. Luke’s Hospital.

Closing shop for quite a while, Mon did a lot of thinking in the midst of giving dole outs for the survival of his staff and crew. To resurrect from the ashes in imitation of the proverbial Phoenix, Mon had to dig deep in his pockets for funds. Fortunately, aside from having good business sense, Mon had developed the good habit of saving for the rainy days. There was a big round of applause when Mon and Kai officialy declared their intention to re-open the comedy bar.

While the building was being renovated, the ever-caring Mon decided on a soft launching in order to provide needed income for the staff. “Dito sa parking na ito, naglagay kami ng mga umbrella. Parang open air kaya kahit may malalaking payong nagdadasal kami na ‘wag umulan,” relates Lala Manalo who handles the cash register. And rain it did not so the soft launching was a success. But in terms of revenue, it could be considered a flop. “Siyempre magastos kasi bumili kami ng pang-outdoor na mga equipment. Tulak nga kami ng P300,000. Noon yun, pero ngayon okey na kami,” Lala adds with confidence but with obvious jitters.

To emphasize the management’s concern for the staff, Lala reveals that the security guard, who caused the accident, is still with them. “Closely-knit kasi ang mga staff kaya parang family na kami lahat dito,” Lala adds with a smile.

Kai and Lala

For a customer, the measly 100-peso entrance is worth it. A kaleidoscope of lighting greets the guests and the decorated stage is definitely eye-catching. Their sound system is the latest of the high end models. “We don’t settle for less kasi pag inferior ang mga equipment mapapansin yan ng mga customers. Kita mo naman, nakakabingi, di ba?” Kai is referring to the clarity of the sound emitted by the gigantic speakers all over the interior of the building.

The management is also deeply conscious of the audience’s reaction to each and every performance on the stage. They have a policy against making fun of anyone, be it a celebrity, a politician or any other famous personality, dead or alive. “Entertaining dapat, yun ang pinupuntahan dito. Kaya walang foul. Lalo na yung mga jokes sa mataba o sa maitim, bawal yun dito,” Kai smiles upon hearing loud clapping inside the comedy bar.

The stage of 22nd Street

Aside from the 22nd Street in Antipolo, there’s one in Las Piñas at the stretch of Real Street which is being managed by Kai’s husband. Their latest branch to open was the one in Cebu. Due to proximity problems, Mon had entrusted the management of the 22nd Street in Cebu to a family friend. “Madaling magtiwala si Mon kaya preferred niya mga kamag-anak o kaibigan,” Lala intimates. And to bolster her claim, she reveals that her husband Jon is actually Mon’s first cousin.

Aside from the festive atmosphere that customers were already used to, 22nd Street maintains a high standard of hygiene and sanitation. “Mamaya isasama kita sa kitchen para makita mo kung gaano kalaki,” says a smiling Lala. Food and drinks, of course, are priced competitively but, especially the food, quality is the foremost concern. “Hindi porke bar eh inuman lang. Marami rin dito nanonood lang tapos siyempre kakain pag nagutom. Minsan merong guest na talagang kakain lang. Para bang happy hour.”

Since the paramount aspect of the comedy bar is the entertaining performance, aspiring performers undergo rigid auditions. “May boses of course, maamo ang dating ng mukha at dapat may lakas ng loob. Makapal, yun, kapal ang kailangan,” says Kai coupled with a grin. It is not unusual to have an unruly crowd sometimes so if the performer is onion-skinned he may not survive the catcalls and jeers. “Pero bihira ang ganun kasi ngayon naman civilized na ang mga audience. Kahit lasing na disente pa rin ang kilos.” Proof of that statement is the fact that they have no bouncer in their payroll although two security guards are manning the entrance.

“Would you believe, dito nag-start si Chokoleit,” adds Kai with a hint of pride. Frenchie Dy, the heavyweight belter who is fast approaching a decent level of popularity, is currently their flavor of the season. That’s aside from the True Faith band which never fails to fill the comedy bar to the rafters, literally.

In the course of the interview, Mon Confiado had arrived, had stayed for a few minutes perhaps just to check if everything was going smoothly, then departed again in his yellow Hammer. “Susunduin daw si Juliana,” Lala whispers with a wink.

The celebrated comedy bar is now a landmark along the stretch of Marcos Highway. And under the extraordinary management of Mon and Kai, 22nd Street is here to stay.