![Comedy Cellar stage, New York NY](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Comedy_Cellar_stage%2C_New_York_NY.jpg)
The Comedy Cellar is a
comedy club
A comedy club is a venue—typically a nightclub, bar, hotel, casino, or restaurant—where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionists, magicians, ventriloquist ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
where many top New York comedians perform. It is widely considered to be the best comedy club in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It was founded in 1982 by then stand-up comedian, and current television writer/producer
Bill Grundfest. It is located in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
on 117
Macdougal Street
MacDougal Street is a one-way street in the Greenwich Village and SoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. The street is bounded on the south by Prince Street and on the north by West 8th Street; its numbering begins in the south. Betw ...
between West 3rd Street and Minetta Lane. Above the club is a restaurant called The Olive Tree Cafe to which it is connected, where many of the comedians hang out after performing. The club is owned by Noam Dworman, who inherited it from his late father, Manny, and run by booker Estee Adoram, who has developed the club's talent for nearly four decades. The businesses share the same menu, kitchen, and staff.
The Comedy Cellar, like
The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California.
History
The Comedy ...
, uses a showcase format, as opposed to a headline format like most clubs. A show will consist of between five and seven comics performing sets of roughly 10-15 minutes each. Each week consists of three to six shows a night on Sunday through Thursday and ten shows each Friday and Saturday, between both the original room and the larger Village Underground around the corner.
Notable comedians
Regular performers there include
Louis C.K.
Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
,
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
,
Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's ''Insomniac with Dave Attell'', which earned him a cult following. His work has drawn admiration from many comedi ...
,
Todd Barry
Todd or Todds may refer to:
Places
;Australia:
* Todd River, an ephemeral river
;United States:
* Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community
* Todd, Missouri, a ghost town
* Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporat ...
,
Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander (born March 16, 1969) is an American actor and comedian, known for playing the role of writer Frank Rossitano on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock''. Friedlander is also known for his role as Toby Radloff in the film '' American Splendo ...
,
Colin Quinn
Colin Edward Quinn (born June 6, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Quinn first gained widespread attention for his work as a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2 ...
,
Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
After winning se ...
,
Jim Norton,
Jeff Ross
Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the ...
,
Mitch Fatel
Mitch Fatel (born December 20, 1968 Mitch Faytel in in Manhattan) is a stand-up comedian. He was raised in Yonkers, New York and began doing stand-up at the age of 15. In 1988 Fatel attended NYU/Tisch School of the Arts and majored in film and ...
,
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Clayton Hammond (born October 8, 1955) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2009, and has been its announcer since 2014.
Upon his departure, Hammo ...
,
Michael Mittermeier
Michael Fritz Mittermeier (born 3 April 1966) is a German comedian.
Early life
Mittermeier was born in Dorfen, Upper Bavaria. During his childhood he lived in Bavaria. After school he studied theatre.
Career
In 1996, Mittermeier started th ...
,
Rich Vos
Rich Vos is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor. Since 2011, he has been the co-host of the podcast ''My Wife Hates Me'' with his wife, comedian Bonnie McFarlane.
Early life
Vos was raised in a Jewish family who lived in an "all blac ...
,
Nick Di Paolo
Nicholas Rocco Di Paolo (born ) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, radio personality and podcast host. He is the host of '' The Nick Di Paolo Show'' podcast, and is best known for his appearances as a regular on ''Tough Crowd ...
,
Artie Lange
Artie is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Arthur. Notable people with the given name include:
People
* Artie Bettles (1891–1971), Australian rules footballer
* Artie Butler (born 1942), American popular music arranger, songwrite ...
,
Greer Barnes, and
Marc Maron
Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...
.
Rising stars in comedy frequently perform at the Comedy Cellar, including
Dov Davidoff
Dov Davidoff is an American comedian and actor. In addition to performing regularly in clubs and colleges throughout the country, Davidoff also acted in ''Invincible'' with Mark Wahlberg, and has made guest or recurring appearances on various TV s ...
,
Ryan Hamilton,
Robert Kelly,
Harrison Greenbaum
Harrison Greenbaum (born September 14, 1986) is an American stand-up comedian and comedy writer.
Early life
Greenbaum was born in Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Woodmere, New York, on Long Island. He graduated as valedictorian of his cl ...
,
Sherrod Small
Sherrod Small is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He currently co-hosts the podcast ''Race Wars'' with comedian Karen Margolis.
Early life
Small was born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York, by his mother a ...
,
Keith Robinson, Eric Neumann,
Gregg Rogell,
Nikki Glaser
Nicole Rene Glaser (born June 1, 1984) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, podcaster, radio host, and television host. She was the host of the television series '' Not Safe with Nikki Glaser'', which premiered on Comedy Central and Much ...
,
Ben Bailey
Benjamin Ray Bailey (born October 30, 1970) is an American comedian.
He is best known for hosting the Emmy Award-winning game show ''Cash Cab'' in New York City.
Early life
Bailey was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Chatham B ...
, and
Andrew Schulz
Andrew Cameron Schulz (born October 30, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and podcaster. In addition to his stand-up, he is known for his work on MTV2's ''Guy Code'' (and its two spinoffs), .
Celebrity comedians
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series '' Mas ...
and
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...
started their comedy careers at the Comedy Cellar, and both continue to occasionally perform there. Other celebrity comics who have performed at the club include
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American comedian, actress, and writer.
Silverman was a writer and performer on ''Saturday Night Live'', and she starred in and produced ''The Sarah Silverman Program'', which ran from 2007 to ...
,
Amy Schumer
Amy Beth Schumer (born June 1, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series ''Last Comic Standing'' ...
,
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
,
Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
,
Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
After winning se ...
,
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
,
Bill Burr
William Frederick Burr (born June 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. He has released multiple stand-up comedy specials, most notably ''Why Do I Do This?'' (2008), ''Let It Go'' (2010), '' You People Are ...
, and
Matteo Lane
Matteo Lane (born June 28, 1986) is an American comedian.
Early life and education
Matteo Lane was born in 1986, raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and lived on the North Side. Through his mother, Lane is of Mexican and Italian descen ...
. Musician
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
can also be seen dabbling in stand-up here occasionally.
In the media
Much of Jerry Seinfeld's 2002 documentary ''
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
'' was filmed at the club, and it also can be seen in a 2006
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
commercial starring
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...
.
The beginning sequence of
Louis CK
Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
's television series ''
Louie'' shows him walking into the Comedy Cellar. Many scenes in the show are filmed in and around the Comedy Cellar and Olive Tree Cafe. Speaking with ESPN's
Bill Simmons
William John Simmons III (born September 25, 1969) is an American sports analyst, author, podcaster, and former sports writer who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website '' The Ringer''. Simmons first gained attention with ...
about the club on a
Grantland
''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...
podcast in June 2012, CK discussed playing shows at the Cellar to empty rooms in the 1990s, stating that then-owner Manny Dworman "kept comedy alive" by making comedians perform on empty stages, in an effort to lure in potential customers. The club was also featured in
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
's film ''
Top Five
''Top Five'' is a 2014 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Rock. Produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, the film stars Rock, Rosario Dawson, and Gabrielle Union, and follows New York City comedian and film star Andre Allen (Rock), ...
'', including a performance by his character, Andre Allen. It appeared regularly on HBO's Crashing, and is the home for Comedy Central's "This Week At The Comedy Cellar"
In September 2015, the club launched its public-policy debate series with a debate on the Iran nuclear deal. The debate featured professor and lawyer
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and former law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appoin ...
and journalist
Fred Kaplan, among others.
The ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' regularly rates the Cellar as the best comedy club in New York.
In March 2016, writers
Jessica Pilot
Jessica Pilot is an American television producer and writer. She often speaks at industry round tables and workshops regarding her profession. She was featured on CNN for their series "The History of Comedy."
Career
Pilot is best known as the ta ...
and Katla McGylnn wrote an oral history of the club for Vanity Fair.
The club was also the location for notable comedian taping their Netflix specials.
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series '' Mas ...
shot his special Nightclub Comedian here in 2021;
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as t ...
recorded his special here in 2019, called Right Around the Corner;
Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's ''Insomniac with Dave Attell'', which earned him a cult following. His work has drawn admiration from many comedi ...
and
Jeff Ross
Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the ...
recorded their 3 part Netflix show called Bumping Mics here in 2018.
Las Vegas location
In 2018, the Comedy Cellar opened a third location at the
Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Building and fiber specifications
{{coord, 40.730131, N, 74.000403, W, type:landmark, display=title
Comedy clubs in Manhattan
Greenwich Village