Comedy Without Reservations B. 2/13/07 D. 2/28/07

As I sit here contemplating my life as an open mic/bringer superstar, listening to “What Goes Around” by Justin Timberlake, as if I am some jilted/jaded bitch in a music video, I am coming to grips with some harsh news. My comedy group, Comedy Without Reservations, has been cancelled by T.G. Whitney’s, a desolate and pathetic bar on 53rd Street. After two shows.

A brief recap:

Our first show took place during a snowstorm. According to Frank, the owner of T.G.’s, our $400 in receipts and $70 in tips over a 100 minute show were not sufficient. He said that he lost money that night because of us. Pardon me, I did not realize the tumbleweed rolling in your empty downstairs bar was buying drinks. Maybe having a bar open in a storm on a Tuesday cost you money. We were there to do a show that could benefit everyone, not subsidize an unpopular bar.

Fast forward to our next show. Fewer people – our bad. But Frank decided to have the bartender, who was an amateur bartender at best and introducing himself to neighbors in his community by force of law at worst, charging up to $2 more per drink upstairs. Furthermore, there was a live karaoke band downstairs which felt and sounded like a 3.0 on the Richter scale throughout our show. Thanks Frank for giving our show absolutely no chance whatsoever. Why not have cash giveaway downstairs and torture chambers upstairs just to make sure no one comes to our show.

(ON A SIDE NOTE): I did see some guy leave a 50 cent tip on a $15.50 bill at our show. I almost choked him.

So today I get a message with Frank telling me that he is “not inclined to have us do our show this Wednesday.” Well, that is probably good because if he fu-ked us any more we would have to charge him and then he’d bitch about losing more money.

But this just illustrates a bigger problem that I am having with comedy. With no agent, no manager and a potential future (dwindling but still there) I am not really fitting into the mold of the comedy industry. I think I have turned friends into acquaintances and acquaintances into people I harass with e-mails about bringers. So I thought doing a free show would both encourage people to come out and give me time to work on my material without having to focus on meeting a minimum for people. But even that has hit a temporary snag. I tried to put my dream of “making it” on indefinite hold just for the chance to throw a fun show every two weeks with laughter as the only goal. But even that can get crushed by some prick with an empty bar.

Fortunately there is a silver lining: my friends and I have lined up a better and more supportive venue for our shows. But like a battered wife I wonder if I am just saying, “Oh this time comedy has changed. It isn’t going to cause me sleepless nights and questioning decisions I have made with my life.” But I am sure with shows at Caroline’s on March 13th and Gotham on April 10th I will be prostrating myself in front of the comedy powers that be hoping that they will see that special spark or that “it factor.” But I guess someone has to be watching for that to happen.

But I guess the news isn’t all bad – I am 2 ½ years from vesting in my office pension.