New York’s Most Storied Comedy Clubs (and the Legends They’ve Launched)
HBO’s Crashing, by way of Judd Apatow and Pete Holmes, premieres February 19 at 10:30 p.m. The series is in and of the New York stand-up scene; fittingly, it’s filmed primarily in the West Village. Both the cast and the plot are similarly comedy-centric: When an overly nice-guy aspiring comic (Holmes’s roughly autobiographical character) walks in on his cheating wife (played by Lauren Lapkus), he winds up temporarily homeless, sleeping on the couches of fellow club-dwellers. Hence, “crashing.”
Lapkus and Holmes are only two of the heavy-hitting comics to grace the series. Artie Lange plays a fictionalized version of himself, as does T.J. Miller. And, there’s cameos galore (by Sarah Silverman, Hannibal Buress, and George Basil just to name a few).
“One of the things that’s fun about the show is that it’s built to have a lot of guests parts,” Apatow tells us over the phone. “Artie Lange hadn’t acted in 14 years when we shot the pilot, and he’s a really talented actor.” He continues: “The show gives opportunity to a lot of young performers and to people that have been around awhile. So many people are really hilarious and interesting, but not everybody gets an opportunity to show who they really are. Sometimes they don’t fit the part of the show they’re auditioning for, but here, it’s tailored to who they really are.” (Catch our full conversation with Apatow here.)
To celebrate the renowned New York comedy scene and the tangled web of faces and places that define it, we took a look at three of the city’s most venerable venues, and some of the notable names that have dared to take the mic.
Comedy Cellar
Since it first opened doors in 1982, this cozy subterranean venue on Macdougal Street has played host to legends and legends-in-the making. Founded by writer/producer Bill Grundfest and the late Manny Dworman, the Comedy Cellar remains a family joint — Dworman’s son, Noam, now owns the place. Famed (and debatably feared) booker, Estee Adoram, has also been there from the get-go; she started as a hostess in the ‘80s, and has quite literally run the show for over three decades. Olive Tree Cafe, the ground level eatery at 117 Macdougal, is also Dworman-owned, and similarly inimitable. The designated “comic’s table” has served as a gathering place for acts.
Even if you don’t frequent the Village, you probably recognize the club from the opening sequence of Louis C.K.’s Louie, Jerry Seinfeld’s documentary Comedian, or from the countless references from big-name comics that attribute their success to “the Cellar.” Basically, if there ever was an iconic New York comedy club, it’s this one.
Carolines
In 1982, former department store marketing executive Caroline Hirsch co-founded namesake club Carolines with two friends. At first, it was a cabaret venue with mediocre turnout, but shortly thereafter, Hirsch pivoted and began booking comedians. (Fun fact: Jay Leno was the first comic act, and that was before his Tonight Show run). Carolines took off — the demand was there, and at the same time, the venue set itself apart. The Chelsea space was upscale, a juxtaposition to the somewhat gritty scene.“‘Carolines is the first yuppie comedy club … Instead of looking like it was built out of orange crates … it resembles a successful stockbroker’s apartment,” said Letterman booker Robert Morton in a 1985 New York Times feature. In ’87, Carolines relocated to South Street Seaport, and in 1989, TV series Caroline’s Comedy Hour, filmed at the club, premiered.
In 1992, Carolines moved to Times Square where it stands today. Its enduring influence in the comedy realm extends beyond its theater district walls: Hirsch, still the owner, produces the New York Comedy Festival, which will celebrate its fourteenth year in November.
UCB Theatre
Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh — the Upright Citizens Brigade — moved to New York from Chicago in 1996. In 1999, after seeing success with their eponymous sketch comedy television show, the troupe opened now-New York-institution Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. At first, it called a former strip club on West 22nd Street home. It eventually moved into the current West 26th Street space, where lines of hopeful show-goers often still stretch around the block. When UCB regulars began landing SNL gigs (including Poehler in 2001), the ante was upped: UCB Theatre became a launchpad for rising comics to a greater extent than ever before, a place to get noticed.
In 2005, UCB expanded to the West Coast, in 2011 an East Village location opened, and in 2014, a second theater in L.A. launched. Today, UCB Theatre remains a mecca for all things comedy — stand-up, sketch, improv, variety — as well as a respected institution for classes.
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