NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Most New Yorkers can agree that taking the subway isn’t fun – but one group of comedians tried to change that, if only for a short time.
During the pandemic, when comedy clubs were shutdown, a group of comedians decided it might be a good idea to practice their tight fives in the city’s underground.
And that’s exactly what they did.
The Stand-Up NY club put on subterranean sideshows several times a night.
WCBS 880’s Mike Sugerman was lucky enough to catch one of the shows in which comedians took two dozen audience members for a ride – each paying $20 for a ticket plus train fares.
“We’ve all been cooped up for a year and are looking for relatively safe things to do,” said audience member Akiva Leffert.
They boarded the No. 1 train at 72nd Street and one by one, comedians took the mic to entertain.
While regular commuters who happened to step onto the train got a free show, comedian Laura Sogar said the energy was unique.
“It’s not what you anticipate, doing comedy in,” she said.
She embraced the challenges that the subway presented, and said she loved it, even if it wasn’t ideal: “Usually you want a dark room, lots of alcohol, things like that.”
And although the shows were not particularly long, riders like Donald Fleck said it was just what they needed after a year of being cooped up at home.
“This is our first time out in a year and a half and it’s amazing. It’s such a unique experience,” he said.
Sadly, no more underground shows are planned now that clubs are back open at 33%. But, comedy lovers can still be entertained back in the club’s usual spot on West 78th Street on the Upper West Side.
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