They
descended the steps under the bright sign of the Comedy Cellar in
Greenwich Village on Wednesday night, most, if not all, completely
unaware that they were about to witness something extraordinary.
Did anyone know?
Perhaps
the club’s managers had an inkling. But they are not talking, so that
is unclear. The M.C. for the night said he had no idea.
The
first comedian to perform said he knew some “heavy hitters” were in the
club. That, in itself, did not surprise him; household names have been
known to drop by to work out new material.
But
that comedian, Ryan Hamilton, was astonished when he was followed by a
murderers’ row so loaded that the last one to take the stage, Dave Chappelle, told the crowd, according to people who were there,
“You guys saw a billion dollars’ worth of comedians tonight.”
“The audience just felt really amped from the beginning,” Mr. Hamilton said in an interview. “There was no reason they would be aware of what was going to happen
The M.C., Jon Laster, posted a picture
on Instagram before going to sleep early Thursday morning and woke up
to a barrage of messages, including one from a friend in Australia. Mr.
Laster noticed that his post was being shared on comedy blogs, New York websites like Gothamist and, before long, CNN.
A
seemingly momentous pop culture event had come together, apparently, on
the spur of the moment. No advance notice. No HBO documentary crews. No
reporters. The only photographers on hand were a few audience members
who, at the risk of being thrown out for violating the club’s strict
rules, tried to sneak in shots using their phones.
“It was magic, man,” Mr. Laster said of the show, calling it the comedic equivalent of watching a Picasso being painted.
“No one is ever going to forget this night,” he said. “Anyone who knows anything about comedy will never forget this night.”
Mr. Laster started the 9:30 p.m. show by introducing Mr. Hamilton, a well-regarded up-and-comer
who has performed on several late-night talk shows. Then Dave Attell,
probably best known for his shows on Comedy Central, did a few minutes.
Then Jerry Seinfeld stepped onto the stage.
Next came Amy Schumer.
Then, Chris Rock.
And then it was Aziz Ansari, the star of the Netflix series “Master of None” who is scheduled to host “Saturday Night Live” this month — the first time it has had a host of South Asian descent.
And after Mr. Ansari, Dave Chappelle.
“These are people who can fill up the Garden,” Mr. Laster said, “and they’re in a room with a hundred-and-something people.”
The
Comedy Cellar is wedged into a brick-walled basement on Macdougal
Street, crammed with tables and chairs and with a ceiling low enough for
a comedian of average height to rest his hand on it as he performs.
The place feels like a low-key lair, a comfortable clubhouse
where famous comedians try out new routines or just get in some time on
stage. For audience members, that can mean being among the first to
hear material being tested for television shows and world tours, all for
a $14 cover charge and two-drink minimum.
The club appears in the opening of “Louie,” Louis C.K.’s television show, and was seen in Mr. Rock’s 2014 film “Top Five.” Jon Stewart generated headlines when he did a surprise set there just days before leaving “The Daily Show.”
It is a rare space where cellphones stay in purses and pockets, with club employees on patrol to make sure that they do.
That
means the only evidence of what took place Wednesday were the memories
of those who were there and a few photographs, some of which circulated
via social media.
Joyelle
Nicole Johnson, a comedian who performed at the club’s late show on
Wednesday, said the first thing she noticed was the row of black S.U.V.s
lined up outside. “I realized this wasn’t going to be a regular night
at the Cellar,” she said.
Mr.
Seinfeld and Mr. Chappelle had appeared with Michelle Obama on “The
Tonight Show” on Wednesday, and other comedians said that, initially,
Mr. Chappelle was not going to perform at the 9:30 show.
Ms.
Schumer did not expect to perform either, but in a hallway with the
other comics, she said she wanted in. Mr. Rock was working on material
for a coming tour. (In his own Instagram post, he wrote, “Next time you should come.”)
As
one famous comic followed another — and as the show stretched on for
close to three hours, leaving the audience for the 11:30 show waiting
outside — the crowd buzzed with energy.
Ms.
Johnson said she had not quite become comfortable working at the club,
but joked that she was “comfortabler.” She was getting used to seeing
popular comedians. On the night she auditioned, she went on before Louis
C.K.; another night, she followed him.
“I
think one of the best things is when you become a fan again,” she said.
“You’re around comedy all the time, and you become jaded by it.” But
she fed off the energy in the room on Wednesday. “Oh, yeah!” she said.
“This is why I do this.”
On Thursday, for the first show of the night, Mr. Laster returned as host.
There
was friendly teasing of a young couple visiting from Australia, and
another comic asked a man from Michigan in the front row how he had met
his wife. The lineup for the show included comedians who might not be
household names but have movie and television credits, like appearances
on “Last Comic Standing” or cable specials. One of the comics was
testing out jokes. Some worked; one got laughs only after he conceded
how terrible it was.
Then,
as the show neared its end, Mr. Laster told the crowd something that
many probably already knew — part of the appeal of the Comedy Cellar was
the possibility of a drop-in. And now, here was Mr. Ansari, preparing
for “Saturday Night Live.”
On
this night, Mr. Ansari was the only surprise performer, and the only
one from the show on Wednesday to have returned. Even so, when he was on
stage, the house was full, and everyone was laughing.
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