A New York Comedy Club Fights to Bring Back Stand-Up
In March 2020, New York City-based comedian Jill Weiner riffed about how nobody shakes hands anymore in a set at Carolines on Broadway. Then, the clubs closed – and comics’ onstage attempts to solicit laughter were put on hold. No more low-ceilinged comedy clubs and unsanitized microphones. No more rowdy entrances and hecklers to keep you sharp. “I remember thinking how everything I’ve decided to do with my life up until this point was completely gone now,” says Weiner, 40, who was planning a national tour before the pandemic hit. “To have things completely shut down was quite jarring and sad.”
With mounting death tolls due to a virus that spreads best indoors, it can be difficult to imagine why anyone would take the risk of holding or attending a comedy show. But despite statewide restrictions on live entertainment, the co-owner of the Upper West Side comedy club Stand Up NY has been organizing underground events for the past several months while the fate of his club hangs in limbo.
Now, with restaurants preparing to reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity on Friday, Dani Zoldan, 40, says he plans to file a lawsuit arguing that there is no longer a viable legal justification for keeping small venues closed while other businesses are allowed to congregate safely.
This comes after another lawsuit in late October challenged the continuing closure of a group of small theaters and comedy clubs amid the city’s phased reopening plans. Zoldan’s suit would argue that stringent lockdown restrictions put in place by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have been enforced arbitrarily, noting that schools, gyms and a few entertainment spaces – including Saturday Night Live – have been allowed to reopen while small venues remain closed. “The city says no comedy is allowed,” said Zoldan. “So why can SNL do it?”
Although many members of the comedy community have moved the bulk of their activity online during lockdown – to Twitter, Instagram and Zoom – others have insisted on making it work in public spaces around the city. “I think the people that stuck with it through the heart of the pandemic are going to be stronger because of it,” said Max Marcus, 27, another Stand Up NY comedian who has appeared in shows organized by Zoldan.
While colder weather has put outdoor events on pause for now, Stand Up NY has continued holding shows on subways in recent months, flouting CDC guidelines for indoor gatherings. Like club owners, many comics are fed up that the city hasn’t offered more support. “[They] could have done more to get people to congregate safely,” said Weiner, who used to perform nightly spots at Stand Up NY before March 2020. “But comedians have a tendency to take comedy very seriously and will perform wherever they can.”
That helps to explain why Zoldan has become a hero to many in the comedy community over the past year. In June, he was among the first to openly defy state orders when he hosted an invite-only event for professional comics with a sign outside his club that read “illegal comedy,” and an arrow pointing inside. Since then, he’s put on over 500 outdoor events over the summer and fall with comics like the Daily Show’s Ronny Cheing performing.
Despite admitting in a December interview with Fox Business News that the shows were illegal per the city’s coronavirus restrictions, Zoldan has continued to insist that limited-capacity, indoor and outdoor events can be organized safely and are important for the wellbeing of New Yorkers. “We deserve to be able to operate under the same guidelines as restaurants and bars,” said Zoldan. “Otherwise, we’ll have to take it up in the courts.”
