(Charles Passy’s article appeared in The Wall Street Journal, 11/26; via he Drudge Report.)
AFTER OVEREXPANSION, MORE SPOTS ARE OPENING AND ESTABLISHED ONES ARE TURNING AWAY PATRONS
New York is getting serious about joking around.
The city is enjoying a comedy boom with the opening of several new clubs in the past few years. West Side Comedy Club, a 100-seat venue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is one of the latest additions to the scene, launching in early October.
And other venues are adding comedy to the mix. Fishbowl, a bar and lounge at the Dream Midtown hotel, has launched a monthly comedy program, with the next one slated for Wednesday night.
Established clubs say their business has been growing as well. Case in point: Carolines on Broadway, the 284-seat Times Square club that has a roster of such familiar comedians as Tracy Morgan, Kathy Griffin and Dave Chappelle.
Owner Caroline Hirsch says attendance has increased by about 50% during the past 25 years to a current figure of about 150,000 a year.
Comedy is “bigger than ever right now,” Ms. Hirsch said.
(Read more)
Photo: Wall Street Journal
