Sunday night, I had a great time at a comedy show filled with bad jokes. No, really!
OK, it was an “open mic” night, so that might explain a lot of the not-ready-for-prime-time material, but to be totally fair, many of the comedians on stage at Chesterfields on any given Sunday night are actual performing comedians. Granted, much of the room is filled with, well, them, with a few patrons sprinkled in, but the result is truly unlike any NYC open-mic night you might have stumbled across in your days.
Having enjoyed a couple of hours of bluesy old-time rock ‘n’ roll at Chesterfields Saturday night, courtesy of the Dog House Blues Band (who were quite good), we noticed that there was a weekly comedy night to follow, and Sunday, after a nice night out dining on seafood, we decided to stroll back to the Huntington venue.
Comedy Sundays at Chesterfields is a dichotomy, both typical and oddly unique. Titled “Comedy To Go,” and run by Keith Godwin and Michael Parenti, the lineup consists of working comics as well as up-and-comers and first-timers. The Comedy To Go, Inc. folks set up several comedy shows in and around Long Island, but Sunday nights are for “working out” new material, and performers were obviously doing so, their notepapers sharing space with drinks on the table next to the microphone stand. Since many in the audience were comedians, members or friends of the Comedy to Go consortium, recognizable “sets” seemed silently forbidden, with freestyling, bantering and trying out new jokes being the clear order of the night. While many did fall flat, the camaraderie amongst the performers and audience, and the cozy setting provided by the venue, more than made up for the bombs.
And big laughs were not totally absent. Most of the comics indeed had their moments, and some, including regulars Marcus Johnson, Joey G., and George Gallo, helped breathe life into the night. Despite the rampant self-depreciating attacks, comedians are friendly folk, and these were clearly happy to have a non-comedian audience, eagerly engaging patrons (and hecklers) both on and off the stage.
While comedy shows are easy to find in and around Long Island, one would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining mix of new and veteran performers, with the bonus of no cover charge or drink minimum in a comfortable, intimate setting, as you will find at Chesterfields on Sunday night.
Comedy Open Mic Sundays
Chesterfields
330 New York Ave
Huntington, NY 11743
Comedy to Go, Inc.
chesterfieldsblues.20fr.com