New York is one of the world’s driving forces in humour. Since the 1950s, this city has continuously produced amazing comedy writers, actors, comedians, films and sitcoms. Do you want to hear some names? Here is a sample:

• Woody Allen
• Bill Cosby
• Jerry Seinfeld
• When Harry Met Sally
• Chris Rock
• Saturday Night Live
• Robert Klein
• Adam Sandler

These names are known worldwide, but there are also a lot of unknown writers who work in the Television and Film industry (in Los Angeles or New York) who acquired their comedy skills in the Big Apple. Other New York comics also work the stage throught the United States -and abroad- and make a living off their art. New York is a comedy goldmine.

2 ways to experience the comic spirit of New York

• If you are in (or intend to go to) New York, you can get your laughs in live performances by going to:
  

New York comedy venues

Television shows recordings

• If you’re not there yet, you can still bathe in the spirit of New York by watching one of the many sitcoms or films directly inspired from this city.

New York comedy venues

The abundance of clubs is what makes New York such a great place for comedy, because it allows comedians to work, to find an outlet for their creativity and craft their skills. Comedy is an art that develops with practice. When you can do it 2 to 3 times a night in front of different audiences throughout the week, chances are your will get much better, if not one among the best. Few cities in the world offer the opportunity to craft a comedy act so intensely (London and Los Angeles).

Some clubs in New York are legendary. They are the comedy temples where the crème de la crème appeared before being famous wordlwide. They book experienced comedians to ensure the quality of their entertainment. They are:

• Caroline’s on Broadway (site)
• Comedy Cellar (site)
• Comic Strip Live (site)
• Boston Comedy Club (yes it’s in New York, not Boston)
• Dangerfield’s (site)
• Gotham Comedy Club (site)
• New York Comedy Club (site)
• Stand Up New York.(site)

(List provided by a website called the Insider. They give a brief description of the clubs.)

Most people go to these venues without really knowing what comedian they are going to see. It is the club, not the names of the performers (who are totally unknown for the vast majority) that guarantees the quality of the night. Usually, it is cheaper than a Broadway ticket, it is cosier, and they are some real talents out there. And who knows, maybe the performer you’ll see will be the next TV millionaire in a few years and you’ll have the privilege to say: “I saw him when he was performing in front of 7 people!” (But I f you really insist on knowing which comedian you’re going to see, then visit the venue website, or check out the comedy section of Time Out New-York)

The venues feature a comedy program (a ‘bill’) where usually a minimum of 3 performers will appear. The length of each performance varies, but usually you can expect to have a good 2 hour show (with intermission)

Aspiring comedians will also be happy to know that most of these clubs offers comedy nights for beginners and also comedy classes because they understand the need to keep an eye on the emerging talents and give them the opportunity to grow and get better.

A bit of history: (skip history)

This way of showing several artists one after another is deeply rooted in the Vaudeville theatre tradition.

New York had 3 million inhabitants in 1900 (8 million in 2006). Most of them could not afford a ticket to see classic theatre with the upper class. At a time when there was no radio or television, the popular class was left with only one choice:vaudeville theatre . In this popular form of entertainment, the schedule of the performance was announced on a bill, and featured acts of different artists: dancers, acrobats, comedians, lectures, Shakespeare readings and anything that could hold the audience attention for an act.

Due to New York’s demographics, Vaudeville was extremely successful. Many vaudeville houses were running in the early 1900’s and this stemmed live entertainment into the heart of the New Yorkers. Today, even if television offers free entertainment with the world’s best performers,New Yorkers still value the enjoyment of a live performance. Nothing like being close to the guy with the microphone and being able to laugh as a group.

Second, today’s format of comedy performance in New York clubs is very similar to the Vaudeville bill: granted, all the non-comedic acts have been removed, butthere is still a list of different artists who will do their act, and every night is different.

American Television channels have tried to capture this unique spirit of live performances by creating many shows, broadcasted from N.Y.C., that you can attend as an audience member.

Live from New York…

NBC’s Saturday Night Live

This is a New York institution and the list of its Alumni is impressive.: Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, Eddy Murphy, Steve Martin, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Will Farrell…

It is broadcasted every Saturday night at 11:30 pm. There are two ways you can attend the show: you either enter a lottery (by sending an email in the month of august) and you may be lucky enough to get a ticket for one of the shows in the season. Or you can try to get tickets at 7 am the day of the show, on a first come, first served basis. For all the information, visit the NBC website (here).

The performers are cast for one season. Every show has a guest star who is a big celebrity who can be a singer, an actor, a comedian, a politician, a writer, etc etc… Anyone who is really famous and is keen to not take her/himself seriously and have fun with the cast.

If you want to know who is in the current cast of Saturday Night Live (which changes yearly), you can check the official NBC SNL website.

Daily shows

They also are New York institutions and are broadcasted daily. They are not technically “live” but recorded in front of a live audience. You can attend all of them as an audience member and they are the guarantee of a good laugh: they have solid writers who prepare jokes for the hosts, who are also excellent performers. They invite big celebrities on the set, so it’s quite an experience to go in the audience. If you cannot attend (tickets are really sought after), you can also watch the show at home.

The live New York shows are:

CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman

NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien

Comedy Central’s Daily show with Jon Stewart.

I have put them in the order of decreasing political correctness.

David Letterman is the most mainstream host out of the three. Though politically correct, he is still pretty funny and he delivers all the jokes with a straight face (that he can’t hold too long because he’s laughing at the jokes at the same time) The content is suitable to almost everyone and you’d have to be pretty sensitive if you were ever offended by his jokes. He gets along well with his guest stars and is able to bring the best and funniest sides of them. One of the daily and most famous moments of the show are the Top Ten’s lists. If you want to learn more about the show, click here… and follow this link if you want to get tickets.

Conan O’Brien is a bit more risqué and he’s always borderline with the rules of the major TV network NBC. Nevertheless, these standards being quite strict, the humor doesn’t really go too far. He’s got that college student humour and it’s refreshing. He’s the specialist of self depreciating humour (always calls himself ugly, repulsive, dumb, God knows why…) but he’s very funny at it. He’s a former Harvard student so he’s got interesting conversations with his guests. Definitely a great show to attend! More information here. And click here if you want tickets.

Jon Stewart is the most politically incorrect out of the three. One of the reasons is that he is on cable (Comedy Central) and doesn’t have the pressure of the advertisers controlling the content of the show. The format is a spoof of a News Show. The wit displayed by himself and his team of sharp writers made him the specialist of political satire. He’s been a strong opponent of the war in Irak since the beginning and oriented the content of his show accordingly. He is highly critical of the Bush administration. Recommended is you like smart and politically conscious humour. They also have celebrity guests who come for interviews and make fools of themselves. Click here for the official website. Information for tickets here.

Note that all these shows are broadcasted nationwide in the United States, but also in other country. I know that you can see them in France (channel Comedie!) and in England (Channel ITV4), Switzerland (NBC Europe)… If you know where to watch these shows in your country, please share it with the community. Contact me and I will add it.

New York’s wit captured on film

For those of you are not in New York, who dream of going there, or who have just returned, you can bathe in the spirit of New York through the many films and sitcoms that this city inspired.

Here are recommendations of good funny pieces to watch. They are usually available on DVD, and are recurrently broadcasted by TV channels.

Recommended films:

When Harry Met Sally

Annie Hall

Manhattan

Anything Else

As Good As It Gets

Recommended sitcoms:

Seinfeld

Sex And The City

Spin City

Friends

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