Established in 1985 and located in Downtown Cleveland, Hilarities 4th Street Theatre is Ohio’s go-to comedy club. With a cocktail bar, VIP cabaret space and Pickwick The Restaurant – a 185-seat eatery specialising in rustic American cuisine – it is also one of the largest comedy venues in the US.
With a capacity of 400 and several internal venues to consider, Hilarities recently revisited its sound system for the first time in 20 years. Club owner Nick Kostis had contacted NPi Audio Visual Solutions and agreed a project to address the Frolic Cabaret Bar, Hilarities main stage and the Martini Bar. NPi chose Renkus-Heinz IC Live X models, as well as the IC8 line arrays and point source C Series loudspeakers.
‘I’ve used Renkus-Heinz in multiple projects across my career and in my seven years at NPi,’ says James Wise, Systems Operations Manager at NPi. ‘Hilarities needed a solution that would give full-range audio with an accentuated vocal spectrum, as 90 per cent of what they do is focused on speech. The main room was quite challenging to configure, so the beam-steering capabilities really helped. While other companies have attempted to duplicate this technology, there’s some secret sauce that Renkus-Heinz has that outperforms everything else.’
The building is also almost 200 years old, so care had to be taken when mounting the loudspeakers on the walls. For the main stage, NPi chose the IC Live X models with Dante. One set of loudspeakers is placed on the ground level of the venue and another at the balcony level for full-range response during the comedians’ performances and the musical intros and outros of the show. ‘They don’t always fill the balcony seating, so we wanted to be able to shut off the upper-level speakers when they’re not needed to minimise reflections in the room,’ Wise says.
‘In the Frolic Cabaret room, we chose the IC8 boxes with an SA112 subwoofer. This system is used for comedians, but it also hosts a Mystery Dinner theatre show that Hilarities runs for half the year. Even and consistent sound throughout this specific space was key, as well as a full 20Hz-20kHz spectrum of audio for the actors, backing tracks and sound effects.’
In the Martini Bar – a VIP area that has music separate from the rest of the venues and a live performer – NPi added Renkus-Heinz’s CX82s. These models deliver the high-quality reinforcement the smaller space needed.
As part of the project, NPi also installed a control system throughout the building, along with an A/V-over-IP solution. All control is carried out via a QSC Q-Sys Core 110F V2, including audio, video, stage lighting and individual control for the multiple venues. The system was designed so that each space can be used as a separate venue or combined as one large integrated club. This installation has opened new business for Hilarities, as the venue is now able to host large events including weddings and parties without any technical constraints.
‘Nick wanted Hilarities to be world-renowned, so to achieve that we had to look at what would set it apart from the rest,’ Wise summarises. ‘Some of these solutions are still in the works, including a video wall and architectural lighting, but the system from Renkus-Heinz has already delivered a cutting-edge audio experience that goes beyond most other comedy clubs.
‘Hilarities has been a fun and rewarding project that has been great to watch come together. We started this venture in July 2023 with many meetings and design changes to meet and exceed their expectations, and a year later we have installed a sound system that has done just that.’
More: www.renkus-heinz.com
