We used to joke and say that was the last comic having a bad set. Jeff Ross, comedian, actor writer: In the early days, you could see shawarma spinning in the window. I’d stand on my corner and watch the comics go in and out. The Cellar was this place where all the cool comics performed and hung out. for the Boston Comedy Club, which was around the corner from the Cellar. Sarah Silverman, comedian, actress, writer: I first got to know the Cellar when I was 19 and working by passing out fliers every night from 4 p.m. It’s a dark basement with not much of a stage, so you’re eye-to-eye with the crowd.
It was quiet, especially during the week.Ĭolin Quinn, comedian, actor, writer: When I first walked in, I thought, “This is the New York comedy scene that I pictured.” Everybody was smoking (and it’s owned by Israelis, so even more smoking than usual). I got onstage at the Bitter End but with an eye at trying to hang out at the Comedy Cellar. I still have my Panchitos apron with the three pockets and stains. Jon Stewart, comedian, actor, writer: I was living down on Grand Street in 1986 and working at a restaurant down the block, Panchitos. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: “You felt like you were part of something, a strange family of miscreants that lived in a basement on a urine-soaked street in Greenwich Village.” Spike Lee with Manny Dworman, The Comedy Cellar’s co-founder. You’ll hear stories from the first time they stepped into the Cellar to their most memorable night onstage to that one night at the comedian’s table they’ll never forget.
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“No matter who you are, even if you’re an incredible movie star, they all come back.”īelow is an oral history of the club from the people who know it best: the performers, the booker, the owner, and the people who elect to spend several nights a week in a basement for years on end. “It’s like going home to your parents on the holidays,” comedian Judy Gold says later that night. Others arrive and take their seats for dinner, some stopping to say hello to Estee and give her a kiss on the cheek. In the span of a couple of hours, some get up to do their sets and leave. Much of Jerry Seinfeld's 2002 documentary Comedian was filmed at the club, and it also can be seen in a 2006 Pepsi commercial starring former SNL and current Late Night with Jimmy Fallon star Jimmy Fallon.As we talk to Estee upstairs, Cellar regulars Keith Robinson, Michelle Wolf, and Todd Barry are seen taking seats at the infamous comedian’s table in the far right corner of the Olive Tree-the one that inspired Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and serves as the family table for comedians of all levels. Musician John Mayer can also be seen dabbling in stand-up here occasionally. The New York Post regularly rates the Cellar as the best comedy club in New York. The Cellar is located under and connected to the Olive Tree Cafe, where many of the comedians hang out after performing. Also, some rising stars in comedy frequently perform, including Dov Davidoff, Robert Kelly, Sherrod Small, Keith Robinson, Gregg Rogell, and Ben Bailey.Įach week consists of two shows a night on Sunday through Thursday, three shows each Friday, and four shows on Saturday. Regular performers there include Colin Quinn, Opie and Anthony co-host Jim Norton, Mitch Fatel, SNL star Darrell Hammond, Dave Attell, Louis C.K., Nick DiPaolo, Rich Vos, and radio host Marc Maron. A show will consist of between five and seven comics performing sets of roughly 20 minutes each. The Comedy Cellar, like The Comedy Store, uses a showcase format, as opposed to a headline format like most clubs. It is located in the heart of Greenwich Village between West 3rd Street and Minetta Lane. It was founded in 1982 by then standup comedian, and current television writer/producer Bill Grundfest.
The Comedy Cellar is a comedy club, where many top New York comedians perform.
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