Thumbs Up for Stand Up NY
February 21st, 2008Last Friday boyfriend and I hit up Stand Up NY – a dim, claustrophobic comedy club tucked away on the Upper West Side. We walked in to find a small crowded bar with a narrow space to line up in front of the hostess stand; a small curtain blocks the bar and waiting area from the stage and seating area. A woman (I assumed she was the hostess) asked us if we were there for the 10 p.m. show and instructed us to wait to the side. Imagine my surprise when we saw her take the stage a few minutes later to wrap up the 8 p.m. show.
That’s the way this club works, though. As we were waiting for the first show to end, we noticed the comics would come off stage and hang around the bar. There’s no “backstage” or green room; it makes you feel like everyone’s hanging out together – no celebrity diva atmosphere.
The comics were great; my favorite was Lynne Koplitz – a woman who based most of her routine off her experiences performing the night before on Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite lines was, “There’s nothing romantic about getting a single rose on Valentine’s Day. It just means he’s got 11 other bitches to give roses to.”
The intimate setting means you’re only like 15 feet from the comedians in any seat – which means there’s always a chance you could be the target of his or her next joke.
Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Robin Williams are just a few of the bigger names that have performed at Stand Up NY. Rock has been known to show up unannounced to try out new material on the crowd.
If you’re going to see one of the shows, make sure you get the tickets from Goldstar.com. Tickets are $20; on Goldstar they were free, with only a $9 service fee for two tickets. Be prepared, though – there’s a $15, two drink minimum per person. Since the cheapest drink is $10, you automatically drop $40 per couple. But hey, this is NYC and that, my friends, is standard protocol.
