One of the biggest laughs last Saturday
at the Boudoir Bar in Carroll Gardens may have come from Christian
Finnegan’s riff on one of comedy’s most sure-fire victims.
"If your favorite album is the new Michael Jackson,"
said Finnegan, a Massachusetts-born comedian who has performed
on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, "that tells me – that
you’re from Bulgaria."
The joke might seem old-hat because the King of Pop’s latest
album was released two years ago and his popularity, in this
writer’s estimation, took a slide in the late 1980s. But keeping
in mind the young audience’s encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture,
the gag fit seamlessly with the rest of Finnegan’s routine, a
potpourri of rants on the Hulk; the Blackout of 2003, comedy’s
newest, and most pilfered, punch line; and Moby, the musician.
"If I’m in the middle of Cleveland, the whole music thing
isn’t going to fly," said Finnegan, who may have forgotten
that the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame is, in fact, located in Cleveland.
"But generally the crowd [in Brooklyn], they’re perfect
for me. They aren’t kids, but they aren’t old either. They’re
well-read, mid-20s to 45. For me, those are the best audiences.
They’ve got the same cultural frame of reference."
In addition to the Boudoir Bar’s "Brooklyn Brew-Ha-Ha"
comedy showcases on Saturday nights, a handful of other pubs
and restaurants are now hosting comedy nights, including Lillie’s
in Red Hook and Williamsburg’s 107 Bar and Galapagos.
Indeed, if Jerry Seinfeld were a Brooklynite, he might be asking
what the deal is with the growing interest in stand-up comedy
that’s been bubbling to the surface since 2001.
Some club owners point to comedy’s changing face, as characterized
by Galapagos’ two monthly vaudeville shows, the "AV Club"
and the "Pie Hole Comedy Show," the former incorporating
film and video, the latter songs and stories. Robert Elmes, director
of Galapagos, at 70 North Sixth St., said that stand-up, in its
current form at least, is dead.
"There’s some value deep down in the ground to be mined,"
said Elmes. "Basically, the traditional form of stand-up
is beat. We’re trying to build something based on comedy, but
slowly, very slowly."
Comedians, however, laud the younger audiences in Brooklyn, who
often are N’sync (boy bands are another common punch line) with
performers even when tourists visiting, say, Caroline’s in Times
Square, may not be.
Harry Kaplan, a stand-up who lives in Cobble Hill, said risque
material can be a burden in a Manhattan club filled with out-of-towners.
His routine, for example, touches on coming out to his Jewish
mother, a subject as likely to shock most Brooklynites as a Michael
Jackson gag. Still, a crowd consisting of "nurses from New
Jersey" at Stand-Up New York on the Upper West Side "looked
at me in horror."
"In Brooklyn," said Kaplan, a Los Angeles native, "people
who go to comedy clubs are young, they don’t live with their
parents and they aren’t going to be shocked."
If some of the comics seem hostile toward Manhattan’s comedy
circuit, most, including Kaplan, are quick to admit that it’s
still the one borough that’s essential to breaking into the national
spotlight.
Larry Getlen, who started the Brooklyn Brew-Ha-Ha in September
2001, said that despite a growing interest in Brooklyn, comedians
still make the pilgrimage to Manhattan whenever they get the
chance.
"When you talk about clubs in Brooklyn, you’re talking about
a couple additional places to play," said Getlen, who auditioned
Monday for a lineup spot at the Comic Strip on the Upper East
Side. "The entertainment center is still Manhattan. Right
now, as far as steady shows, there’s mine, but there isn’t enough
to say there’s a scene. Could it happen? Sure, anything can."
While Getlen doesn’t sound enthusiastic about the prospect of
a Brooklyn comedy scene, Andrew Richter (not Andy Richter formerly
of "Late Night with Conan O’Brien") is willing to make
the investment. Although he’s been organizing the "Big Show"
at Snooky’s in Park Slope since June 2002, Richter said that
he’s ready to bring his show to Downtown Brooklyn and eventually
wants to open the neighborhood’s first comedy club.
"Brooklyn deserves it especially," he said. "Downtown
Brooklyn has lacked serious live entertainment, and everybody
still has to go to Manhattan for their entertainment."
Although his monthly show has been on hiatus since June 27, it
will reconvene in Downtown Brooklyn in September, but as of press
time the new venue could not be confirmed.
"We live in the most uncertain times in recent memory,"
said Richter. "We wonder if we’ll have jobs tomorrow, whether
we will be here at all tomorrow. And stand-up comics have been
the most pointed interpreters of our time."
Until Richter opens his Downtown club, however, Pips, the country’s
oldest comedy club, continues to lure new talent. Fabled for
its role in introducing comics like Andrew Dice Clay and Lenny
Bruce as well as Adam Sandler, the Sheepshead Bay venue hosts
comedy shows each Friday and Saturday.
"It’s seeing a resurgence, along with the rest of the waterfront,"
said Damion Sammarco, who with Joey Gay is in post-production
of "The Owner Heckles," a documentary about the 40-year-old
comedy club to be released next year.
Whether Brooklyn’s comedy nights can blossom into a full-grown
scene remains to be seen. But until then, locals can bask in
comedy tailor-made to their surroundings, an unlikely prospect
at tourist-heavy clubs in Manhattan. Williamsburg, for one, was
as much a whipping boy as Michael Jackson last Saturday at the
Brew-Ha-Ha.
"I’m afraid to turn my back in Williamsburg for more than
five hours at a time," said Amanda Melson who has lived
in the neighborhood since 1998. "Because if I do, something
else will get turned into a Thai restaurant. I’ll hurry home
to pick up my dry cleaning – from Khao Sarn Palace."
If the trend continues, however, that very Thai restaurant might
soon become a comedy club.
Boudoir Bar hosts "Brooklyn Brew-Ha-Ha"
every Saturday at 9:30 pm at 273 Smith St. at Sackett Street
in Carroll Gardens. Admission is $5. For more information, call
(718) 624-8878.
Galapagos hosts the "AV Club" every third Monday at
8 pm. Admission is $7. The "Pie Hole Comedy Show,"
takes place every third Thursday at 8 pm. Admission is $7. Galapagos
is located at 70 North Sixth St. at Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg.
For more information, call (718) 384-4586.
107 Bar hosts "Komedy Kebob" (107 North Sixth St.,
btwn Berry Street and Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg) every Friday
at 8:30 pm. No cover charge. For more information, call (718)
302-3313.
Pips hosts comedy shows Fridays and Saturdays at 9:15 pm and
11:30 pm. Admission is $12 and there is a two-drink minimum.
Pips is located at 2005 Emmons Ave. at Oceans Avenue in Sheepshead
Bay. For more information, call (718) 646-9433.
