Yakov Smirnoff Comes to Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA, July 19, 2014 - Comedian Yakov Smirnoff will perform at Santa Barbara's Comedy Hideaway on July 25, 26, and 27. Comedy Hideaway is located on the second floor of Apero, a popular restaurant on State Street. The showroom is run by Santa Barbara comedian Andrey Belikov, who like Smirnoff hails from the Ukraine. Smirnoff joins a long list of celebrities to headline Comedy Hideaway, including Bryan Callen, Todd Glass, and Maz Jobrani. The comedy shows are designed to make the comedians more accessible to the audience and is widely regarded as the best type of environment for comedy.

"I choose rooms that have the right dynamics for comedy," said Belikov. "These rooms are by definition more intimate, something that appeals to the audience and performers alike."

Best known for his TV sitcom "What a Country" and roles in such films as "Moscow on the Hudson," "Brewster's Millions" and "The Money Pit," Smirnoff now owns and operates a theater in Branson, Missouri. In his act, Smirnoff now focuses less on the difference between countries and more on the difference between men and women, and solving problems within relationships. Does he still have the goods?

"I worked with Yakov the other night at Flappers [comedy club] and he killed," said comedian Dana Eagle, who appeared this month on Last Comic Standing. With a recent appearance on the hugely popular Marc Maron "WTF Podcast" Yakov is on pace to make his big return.

The Comedy Hideaway is located inside Apero Restaurant, 532 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Smirnoff will perform Friday through Sunday, July 25-27, 7:30 pm and 10 pm. For more information, visit SBcomedy.com.

Yakov Smirnoff is also one of the names looking very closely at the first annual Santa Barbara Comedy Festival scheduled for spring 2015 by Andrey Belikov.

About Comedy Hideaway: Comedy Hideaway has been labeled as "the face of comedy in Santa Barbara" by The SB Independent. The comedy club hosts live comedy shows with stand up comedians every Thursday at 7:30 and 10:00 p.m. in Goleta. Comedy Hideaway brings funny stand up comedians to the stage from Comedy Central, Showtime and HBO. The Santa Barbara comedy club features standup comedy shows every Friday and Saturday evening. Visit the website for comedy tickets and follow the Facebook page for special showtimes. Call 805-364-2999 for further information.