By Mary Ann Bourbeau
There’s no need to travel to New York City to see top-level stand-up comedians. Several venues in the area offer comedy regularly, often with some of the hottest comedians in the country.
The most recent venue to offer stand-up comedy is the new Bell Theater at Bell Works in Holmdel. The 300-seat theater presents seasoned comedians, many of whom regularly perform in New York City comedy clubs, on late-night talk shows and Netflix and Comedy Central specials. Bell Theater also has a full bar and plenty of parking; all tickets are $25. Bell comedy nights are executive produced by Jessica Pilot (“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”) with assistance from Vinnie Favale, head of “CBS Late Night” from 1996 to 2018 and one of the co-founders of Comedy Central. Favale is a member of the Bell Theater’s advisory board.
“I spent a lot of time at Bell Works working in the co-lab,” said Favale. “I fell in love with the place. There’s a lot of stuff we can do there.”
Coming up next at Bell Theater are Nick Griffin, Jason Salmon and Mike Vecchione. “These are three guys we know well and they’re kind of a slam dunk,” said Favale. “They’re all incredibly popular in the stand-up world. They have a social media following and they do well in clubs. And it’s all relatable comedy. It will be an after-work Thursday crowd and Bell Works is a very robust place with happy hour at Bar Bella. It’s a great environment.”
The Count Basie Center for the Arts books 30 to 40 comedy shows a year in both the main theater and the more intimate Vogel. Some of the biggest names in comedy have performed there. In the past year, the venue has sold out shows for Ali Wong, Sarah Silverman, Jim Gaffigan, Hasan Minhaj and Sebastian Maniscalco. Netflix also filmed a Pete Davidson special at the Basie.
“The comedy business is really hot right now,” said Izzy Sackowitz, chief operating officer for the Basie. “It started during COVID when there were so many different outlets for comedians to build a following. During the pandemic, it was safer for us to offer a comedian instead of an entire rock ‘n’ roll band. Plus, people really needed a good laugh.”
Each comedian’s style can differ greatly, said Sackowitz.
“Brian Regan is family friendly, but Tracy Morgan is the exact opposite,” he said. “You don’t want kids there. But we have something for everybody. Laughter is good for the soul. There’s nothing like being in a theater and laughing together and experiencing that energy. It’s something we all need.”
The Vogel offers an excellent opportunity to showcase up-and-coming comedians. In addition, the Basie Center Cinemas hosts Open Mic Comedy Night on the third Thursday of every month.
“It’s been great,” said Sackowitz. “We get close to 100 people in the audience with comedians doing three to five minutes.”
On Aug. 2, The Vogel will hold the inaugural Jersey Shore’s Top Comic event. Hosted by New Jersey’s Chris Covert, comedians will gather to laugh it up and determine the 2024 Jersey Shore Top Comic. Ten finalists will each get five to seven minutes to perform at the Vogel, and celebrity judges will choose the winner. The winning comedian will get a feature spot at The Vogel, performance opportunities, cash prizes and a championship belt.
Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach has been presenting stand-up since 2004 when brothers Dino and Jerry Ibelli began hosting a weekly comedy night at their business, then called Ferrara’s Ristorante. “It just exploded!” said Dino Ibelli.
Before long, they got Andrew “Dice” Clay to perform in the 140-seat venue. Soon after, they had people like Sebastian Maniscalco, Artie Lange, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling and Gilbert Gottfried gracing the stage.
“We had pretty big names from Day One,” said Ibelli.
Uncle Vinnie’s is hosting its 20th anniversary dinner Friday, July 19. The package includes a dinner buffet and show featuring Eleanor Kerrigan. Alcohol is BYOB. Ibelli notes that comedians are free to present whatever type of humor they see fit.
“We are not a PC (politically correct) club by any means, like some clubs in the city,” he said. “Everything works here. We just put funny on stage.”
In addition to comedy, the Ibellis host psychic mediums such as Laura Cifaldi, who has sold out several shows. Another popular event is a Q&A with soap opera stars where ticket holders can meet the actors, share lunch, hear about the show and their lives and get photos and autographs.
The brothers have branched out in recent years and now sponsor shows in other venues in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. After 20 years, if you ask Dino Ibelli who his favorite comedian of all time is, he doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s Dice, hands down,” he said. “I paid to see him 11 times before I even owned the club. He’s a great guy off stage, too.”
The article originally appeared in the July 18 – 24, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
