Gotham Comedy Club
Gotham Comedy Club is a famous venue for stand-up comedy in New York City. The comedy club is situated in the heart of Chelsea on 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The club has been named by USA Today as ‘One of the Top 10 Places in the country to see stand-up comedy[1]’ and has been awarded as New York City’s ‘Best Comedy Club’ by AOL City Guide[2]. Well known for drawing superior talent, Gotham has welcomed some of the comedy world’s heavyweights including Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black and Dane Cook. Other notable comics to take the stage at Gotham include Colin Quinn, Greg Giraldo, Tom Papa, Adam Ferrara, Jay Mohr, Dean Edwards, Pablo Francisco, Jim Gaffigan and Gabriel Iglesias.
Native New Yorkers Chris Mazzilli and Michael Reisman opened the original Gotham Comedy Club in May 1996 on 22nd Street in New York’s Flat Iron district. Ten years later, work began on a new location in Chelsea on 23rd St., in a 1929 building next door to the historic Chelsea Hotel. The new 10,000 square foot flagship location opened in May 2006 and provides New York with live performances from today’s elite comedians as well as up-and-coming comics. The theater seats 300 people for performances, while downstairs the “Vintage Lounge,” holds up to 75 show-goers for pre and post-show cocktails. Spear-headed by Chris Mazzilli the original 3,300 square foot space later became The Metropolitan Room – a cabaret-style bar staging nightly music performances and shows[3].
Inspired by the famous nightclubs of that era, Mazzilli used the period’s Art Deco movement as his starting point in the design of the new $2.5 million space. The interior walls are painted in a warm red tone while the back wall of the stage is the signature Gotham yellow. The entry walls also feature photographer Dan Dion’s pictures of some of the comedy world’s most recognizable faces, such as Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, and Chris Rock.
In 2006 Gotham Comedy Club became home to Comedy Central’s TV show “Live at Gotham.[4]” Now in its fourth season, past performers such as Lewis Black, are paired up with up-and-coming comics. For the past two years NBC filmed the New York auditions for “Last Comic Standing"[5]. Past film shoots also include the pilot for HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with Larry David[6] and Miramax’s 2002 feature film “Comedian” with Jerry Seinfeld[7].
- ^ "10 great places to sit down and watch stand-up", USA Today, March 31, 2005. Accessed May 1, 2009.
- ^ "Business Info, Reviews and Directions", Cityguide. Accessed May 1, 2009.
- ^ "Gotham Comedy Club: About", Gotham Comedy Club. Accessed May 1, 2009.
- ^ "Live at Gotham: About the Show", Comedy Central. Accessed May 1, 2009.
- ^ "Last Comic Standing: New York Auditions”, NBC. Accessed May 1, 2009.
- ^ "Curb Your Enthusiasm: Pilot Episode", Watch TV Sitcoms. Accessed May 1, 2009.
- ^ "Comedian", Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed May 1, 2009.