NEW YORK â Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, in front of a live audience at Carolineâs on Broadway last month, was struck by a funny thought.
âI was thinking, âIs this actually what I do for living?ââ he recalled about his first nervous stand-up routine in 15 months. âI remember being up there thinking, âIâm sure I must have more jokes.ââ
Thereâs plenty of time now for those long-untold gags as Manhattanâs renowned comedy venues welcomed back familiar faces like Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Attell and Gottfried in recent weeks. And itâs hard to wipe the smile off the club ownersâ faces as the tables fill up and the funny finally returns, with New York nightlife edging toward something like normal.
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For Journey Gunderson, the American Rescue Plan’s help for entertainment venues is doubly important. It will help the National Comedy Center, of which Gunde
(Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
Chris Mazzilli, owner of the Gotham Comedy Club, tells Brian Kilmeade about Jerry Seinfeld performing at his comedy club on Friday after New York allowed entertainment venues to open up to 33% capacity. Mazzilli explained how difficult it has been for his business to keep up with the constant evolving health protocols and operate during the pandemic.
jwhittaker@post-journal.com
Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director, speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic s effect on comedy clubs. Gunderson spoke during a visit to the center by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York and Senate majority leader.
P-J photo by John Whittaker
For Journey Gunderson, the American Rescue Plan’s help for entertainment venues is doubly important.
It will help the National Comedy Center, of which Gunderson is the executive director, access money to keep the center afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates. Just as importantly, the American Rescue Plan has a couple of provisions that could extend a lifeline to the art form of comedy without which there is no National Comedy Center.