For four decades Carolines on Broadway has entertained audiences while staging top talent — but that will all come to an end on Jan. 1, 2023, when the influential New York City comedy club closes its doors for good.
Owner Caroline Hirsch confirmed the news to the New York Post.
"I did not renew my lease. New Year's Eve will be our last night," she said, noting that the venue's 10-year lease at 750 Seventh Avenue was due for a rent "reset" at the end of the year.
"My landlord felt they can get a lot more for the space," she explained.
Hirsch said she broke the "heart-stabbing" news to her staff Tuesday afternoon.
"I love my staff. I love my comedians," she said, adding that this was not goodbye. "I'm on to something new. I see this as not the end of Carolines, but a new chapter continuing to produce world-class comedy."
Carolines was first launched in 1981 as a cabaret in Soho by Hirsch, who later transformed it into a comedy club.
"Cabaret didn't move me," she previously told Variety. "It was fun, it wasn't tapping a pop culture nerve."
The venue was put on the radar after Jay Leno, an occasional guest performer, mentioned it on David Letterman's show. Six years later, Hirsch moved the club to the South Street Seaport.
The area was struggling and many expected the venue to flop but quite the opposite happened. The club soon grew into a popular hangout for both locals and tourists and became home to A&E Network's six-season hit show "Carolines Comedy Hour."
In 1992, Hirsch relocated to Times Square, and despite the area being dangerous and "the sleaziest place in the world" according to Hirsch, its ever-changing talent roster included Richard Belzer, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart, Joy Behar, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Che, Robin Williams, and Conan O'Brien.
Part of the comedy club's charm was its "anything-can-happen," Hirsch recently said, via the Post.
"It's the hardest place to do comedy," she added. "You never know who is sitting in the audience; you have to bring your A-game."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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