Vol. 3, No. 4, April 2005
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Laugh Tracks
Comedy takes center stage in Atlantic City
Comedy has a much longer relationship to Atlantic City than casinos. Long before the slot machine bells rang through the immense gaming halls, Jerry Lewis cracked up crowds at the legendary 500 Club and others like Red Skelton and Abbott & Costello came to town to massage their routines.
Now in the 21st century, Atlantic City may be teeming with more comics than ever. Longtime A-listers including George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Dennis Miller, Jay Leno, Drew Carey, Don Rickles and Jerry Seinfeld still pack casino theaters, while comedians aimed at the younger demographic like Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jay Mohr, Andrew "Dice" Clay and Carrot Top are providing A.C. visitors with belly laughs on a regular basis.
One thing is for sure: People like to laugh, especially in Atlantic City, where a comic break from the tables can go a long way. Simply put, the headliners aren't enough to keep casino audiences laughing.
That's why there are two Atlantic City comedy clubs—the Comedy Stop Café & Cabaret at the Tropicana and the Borgata Comedy Club—offering comedy seven nights a week.
Model Maker
If you need solid evidence that comedy works in Atlantic City, you don't need to look past the Comedy Stop. An Atlantic City institution for nearly 22 years, owner Bob Kephart has helped break comedians that include Ray Romano, Rosie O'Donnell, Tim Allen and Richard Jeni.
"There have been a lot of Atlantic City comedy clubs that have come and gone," Kephart said. "The Improv tried last year at Resorts and had to close. We had an Uncle Funny's. There was one at the Sands with Eddie Murphy's name, which had a double-edged effect because people who liked him were disappointed when they didn't see him, and the people who didn't like him didn't go. The Taj even had one for a while. But we've been here for a long time now because we know what the people want and how to make them laugh."
Despite the club's long history, 2005 may be the biggest year for the Comedy Stop yet. Kephart recently moved from his 150-seat, black box club in the basement of the Trop to a colorful, stylized, $3 million state-of-the-art location in the casino's Quarter, the $280 million expansion that opened late last year.
The new club features tables and chairs close to the stage, but it also features cushy stadium seating, top-notch lighting and sound, plasma television screens, a beautiful bar in the lobby area and a café on the walkway of The Quarter featuring light fare. Although Kephart was initially nervous about such a large investment after 21 years of doing fine business in his former location, he's now convinced it was the right thing to do.
"The whole space is a giant step up," Kephart said. "I recently sat in there and went from place to place, and it was just marvelous to see the interaction before the show, during the show and after the show that we didn't have before. All of the young people sitting at the bar having fun or in the café eating and then heading in for the show is such a great thing to see. This is how I always envisioned the Comedy Stop. This is where I wanted to go. When people walk in, we get the ‘wow' factor. I hear them say it. It's just a hot room."
Borgata Belly Laughs
When Borgata opened nearly two years ago, its casino executives must have looked at the Comedy Stop and wondered why no other casino was giving it any competition.
So Borgata jumped in with both feet, with the help of Ray Garvey, a comedian and actor who also operated a club named Pip's in the Bronx, N.Y. Even though the comedy club's space is called the Music Box, it hosts far more comedy than music with comedy shows every day of the week unless pre-empted by headliners. It's a beautiful space, with reclining stadium seating for 900 people.
"I think we helped bring comedy to a different group of people in Atlantic City," Garvey said. "During the week, we have a lot of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s in there. We had to introduce it to them, and now they come every week… they come all the time. I think we're different than comedy clubs you see in other cities, which are the usual rectangular, dark clubs, because we are a comedy theater. You don't have to sit in a little seat and turn your head sideways to see the show. When our comedians play at Borgata, they feel like they made it."
Tough Business
Comedy may be a fun business, but it's not easy running a comedy club. Whereas the Borgata club comps a decent amount of tickets to hotel guests and players, Kephart's club depends on paying customers.
"On the surface it appears to be a relatively easy thing to accomplish, but it's not," Kephart said. "The reason the other clubs failed in the city is because the hotels ran them, and they don't have a clue how to run a comedy club. I am in charge of my own destiny. And this may sound egotistical, but I put on better shows. That's just the way it is."
The real work happens before the club opens its doors every night. Kephart, an English major with marketing minors when he attended college, and his staff begin early every morning, booking comedians, planning special events, paying bills and developing marketing strategies.
"Show business is two words," Kephart said. "One is a show, the other is it's a business. And you have to really understand both sides or it won't work. You can have creative ideas, but if you can't pay your staff and the comedians, you're doomed."
Garvey says he's having a ball running the Borgata Comedy Club, acknowledging that there are some tough sides to the business, but they are easily outweighed by the good side. "I've been in the comedy business for a very long time," Garvey said. "And I never really found it that tough."
Funny Business
If you plan to go check the comedy clubs out, you'll find a different experience in each one.
Each club features three comedians nightly. The Comedy Stop generally books comedians from all over the country, while the Borgata Comedy Club relies on New York area-based comedians with some national bookings.
The Comedy Stop tends to lean toward cleaner comedy. You'll rarely hear an F word, but the comedians do rely on adult humor most of the time. During the week, the Borgata Comedy Club will be less offensive than on weekends, where the risqué factor, including the use of F-bombs, will be higher.
"I've never been a fan of Def Jam or overdoing it with language," Kephart said. "We had that in grade school, and adults don't really need that to laugh anymore. When curses become the verbs, adverbs and nouns, it loses its impact and becomes boring. The comedians fight me a lot in the beginning, but in the end, they see it works. We have to entertain people from 21 to 80. Why turn off people you know you will offend? If you need to constantly curse, you're not working for me."
As you might expect, it's much more difficult to get into these clubs on weekends, with both clubs selling out in the dead of winter, while the weekdays are relatively easy to get in.
"I think the A.C. crowd wants to have fun," Garvey said. "They're down here on vacation for a couple of days and want to have fun. And the comedians really have to figure out the room every day. It's an ever-changing room. In this town, everyone should be able to kill on Friday and Saturday nights. You have to figure out the rest of the week."
Garvey, who has appeared in Woody Allen films including Mighty Aphrodite as well as an episode in Season Two of The Sopranos, enjoys performing Sunday and Thursday nights.
"I think those crowds generally took the next day off from work, so they're ready to party without worrying about work the next day," Garvey said.
History Lessons
Kephart looks back fondly at his clubs' past. He has pictures of comedians who played in his clubs that made it to the big time. Call his club, get put on hold, and you'll hear Ray Romano talking about the Comedy Stop.
"Ray was and still is one of the funniest guys you'll ever see," Kephart said. "He was always funny and had that presence that you knew he would be a star some day. We had some great comedians in here. (The late) Bill Hicks was hysterical. But I think my favorite is Richard Jeni. He is the most prolific and funny white man in America. He fine-tuned his work in clubs like mine for six years until he made it. He worked hard for it, and he deserved the success he earned."
Kephart said Comedy Stop regulars Greg Morton, Mitch Fatell, Andres Fernandez and Boston's Mike Donovan should have bright futures.
"You see them, and you realize they have what it takes," Kephart said. "Crowds want well-rehearsed, stylish humor. These guys have that."
Sometimes, Kephart admits, comedians become stars to his surprise.
"We had (the eccentric) Emo Phillips and Judy Tenuta in here," Kephart said. "And I was always surprised they found an audience. There was one point when they were dating, and we were afraid they would have children. We joked it would be something like Rosemary's Baby."
Garvey mentions Vic DiBitetto, John Pizzi and impressionist Rob Magnotti as future comic stars. But he's most impressed by Borgata regular Richie Minervini, who opens for Kevin James on the road.
"It's amazing that Kevin lets him open for him because he's that good," Garvey said. "A lot of top acts put a guy that lays down in front of them. Richie won't lay down. He makes Kevin work every night."
Although the Tropicana and Borgata bring in A-list celebrities from time to time in their showrooms, the two resident comedy clubs rely on B-list entertainers. Garvey said he would have it no other way.
"So many other clubs rely on who has TV credits and who has movie credits," said Garvey, a retired New York police officer. "Just because you have TV credits does not mean you are funny. Make me laugh. That's what matters. B comedians are funnier than A comedians. They work the road and know how to work a room. They are road warriors, and they are really funny."
Comedic Considerations
Both Garvey and Kephart believe two comedy clubs in Atlantic City are enough for right now.
"I think it's plenty," Kephart said. "Both clubs are packing them in, but another one may be too much."
Kephart said there can be too much of a good thing.
"Comedy is like every other business. We managed to have a glut in this market in the late '80s and early '90s. A lot of places went out of business because there were too many. It's leveled out now, and I think the cream came to the top."
Garvey agreed: "I think right now two clubs are great. I don't care about competition, but two seems enough for right now."
If it sounds like Garvey and Kephart like their jobs, they do.
"People need to laugh, and I like providing that," Garvey said. "I love dealing with these crazy comedians. Some are crazy and insane… they're manic depressive and bipolar. But I can deal with anyone. It's fun for me."
"It doesn't suck," Kephart said with a laugh. "When you can make people laugh every day and make money doing it, that's pretty cool."
