Legendary spot. You see it all over Seinfeld’s Comedian documentary, and lots of scenes from Louie have been shot inside and outside it. I was assigned a seat directly next to the kitchen and my drink order was finally taken during the introduction of the host for that night. “You can’t take notes,” my waitress told me. “Put it away or they’ll confiscate it.”
In other words, I was treated like shit. The Comedy Cellar is a great (because small and intimate) space run in such a way that your having a good time becomes a struggle you have to fight for, not a outcome of a comfortable and well managed experience. Such is the way with every comedy club I’ve been in.
Comedians must have reasons to love performing there. And comic audiences must be happy paying so much for such a shitty experience. Every great show I’ve seen this week has been free. Not cheap: free. I’ll never understand it. Maybe my book could be about how to enjoy comedy clubs.