Michael Reisman was the class
clown who wanted to be a professional
comedian but wound up a bond
trader. Chris Mazzilli was the
class clown who wanted to be
a fashion designer but wound
up an actor and comic.
The two men, who met while
performing stand-up routines,
have joined forces and dreams
to create the Gotham Comedy
Club, a night spot scheduled
to open at 34 W. 22nd St.
in May.
The two businessmen obviously
have a sense of humor; Gotham
is opening during a period
of decline for New York’s
comedy clubs. Victims of too
many specials by stand-up
comedians on network and cable
television, the city’s
eight largest comedy clubs
are trying to lure potential
customers who find it easier
and certainly cheaper to put
their feet up on their coffee
tables and turn on the tube.
Catch a Rising Star wanes
Catch a Rising Star, one
of the hottest comedy clubs
in the Eighties, closed in
1993, and the well-respected
Improv was forced into a smaller
location.
“As a bond trader, you
learn that when the herd goes
one way, it’s time to
go the other,” says Mr.
Reisman, 31. “When everyone
was talking about the death
of the comedy clubs, I figured
we had hit bottom and the
time was right to get in.”
To lure the couch potatoes,
Mr. Mazzilli has designed
the club to be a more elegant
example of the genre, with
comfortable seating, an oak-and-copper
bar, and an antique bronze
chandelier. Investing in the
neighborhood of $300,000,
the partners spent $50,000
of it on the bathrooms alone,
putting in more stalls than
required.
The two-story club will have
a television lounge where
customers can gather before
and after the shows. They
are negotiating with a neighboring
restaurant to provide light
meals and snacks.
“We’re going to
seat about 150 people –
less than we could –
to make it more comfortable
for everyone,” says Mr.
Mazzilli, 31. “We are
aware that a lot of the clubs
out there are rundown.”
The comedy club circuit is
a tight-knit one in New York,
and Gotham’s competitors
– who in various capacities
have employed Messrs. Reisman
and Mazzilli – don’t
have encouraging things to
say.
“The comedy business
is comparable to the real
estate industry,” says
Silver Friedman, owner of
the Original Improvisation
at Shutters Café. “People
are starting to get back into
it, but we still have saturation.
There’s an overdose of
comedy out there.”
The partners hare undaunted.
They have modeled their cover
charges - $12 plus a two-drink
minimum on weekends, less
on weeknights – after
Caroline’s, one of the
most successful clubs in the
city. They say they will combine
“headliners,” or
established comics, with newer
artists.
Once a Performer
Of course, both of the owners
expect to perform.
Mr. Reisman, who grew up
in the Bronx, got his first
big laughs from his parents.
Even so, he chose a career
in finance. After graduating
from Carnegie-Melon University
with a bachelor of science
degree in mathematics, he
went straight to Wall Street.
Mr. Reisman eventually became
a bond trader for Lehman Brothers,
then left after eight years
for Long Term Capital Management,
a money management firm in
Greeenwich.
He dabbled in his earlier
calling, taking a class in
comedy and performing a five-minute
set at a comedy club. The
club’s manager was Mr.
Mazzilli, and he liked the
set so much he invited Mr.
Reisman back.
The two became friends, and
Mr. Reisman became a regular
on the circuit. He found a
manager, and in 1991 was debating
whether to make stand-up a
career when he decided that
bond trading was more lucrative.
Mr. Mazzilli grew up on Long
Island, where his family ran
a supermarket. He, too, was
a cutup, but decided that
design was the career for
him. He attended the Fashion
Institute of Technology, and
after graduating, took a job
with a men’s suit firm.
He lasted two weeks before
he quit and signed up for
acting classes.
He won a few dramatic roles,
then decided to go into comedy.
He performed at the clubs,
and worked as a manager at
a few of them.
“We know the business
from both sides – managing
and performing,” Mr.
Mazzilli says. “We think
that if we treat our customers
properly, they’ll keep
coming.”
