Problems plague comedy clubs

At this point, there's too much comedy in town," said Steve Schirripa. "There's only so many comedy fans and the pie is being cut up way too much."

Yes, this is the Schirripa you know as Bobby "Baccala" from "The Sopranos." But he said this to the Review-Journal in 1997, when he was still just the manager of the Riviera Comedy Club.

I read the timely-again quote back to Schirripa on the phone last week, discussing the Riviera club's plan to close on Halloween. The irony doesn't take the sting out of closing the club Schirripa has been part of since 1986.

"It's just economics, it's unfortunate," he says. He blames it partly on the loss of nearby feeder properties such as the Stardust and Westward Ho. Rival clubs keep customers in walking distance.

Schirripa's old rival is Bob Kephart, who runs the Comedy Stop. "It goes in cycles, but we don't learn from them."

The comedy boom -- which earlier this year counted seven shows with the club format -- isn't for all the right, funny reasons.

Kephart found his field crowded as the Strip moved away from pricey production shows. "Everybody is thinking budget rather than the quality of what they're putting on," he says.

"It's the economy, stupid" may explain it all in politics, but comedy clubs have other problems, too.

There's a perceived staleness in the format. Younger comedians such as Ralphie May and Jo Koy jumped to headline status at the South Point as soon as they could escape the anonymity of club billing. The last two Riviera headliners will be Mitchell Walters and the still awesome Carl LaBove. But fans have aged along with the two guys who toured as Sam Kinison's "Outlaws of Comedy" in the late '80s.

In other cities, surviving comedy clubs are still a dependable alternative to a movie. In Las Vegas, Brad Garrett uses his star power to prop up the club format and compete with big names, such as his buddy Ray Romano. The club format has so literally lost its sexiness that producer John Padon added burlesque gals to spice up his Sin City Comedy.

In the spirit of "If you can't beat 'em ..." Joe Sanfelippo took his Bonkerz club out of the game at Palace Station and now produces Louie Anderson there. Sanfelippo said numbers jumped for Grandma Lee this summer, suggesting it takes a name to get tourists across Interstate 15.

Schirripa predicts a name might move into the Riviera. "I think it would work for a performer coming in and doing it himself," he says.

The battle lines may be reshaping in the comedy wars, but don't expect too many casualties of this hard-times boom. As Schirripa notes: "It's the cheapest form of entertainment. You have a stool, a microphone and a comic. There's your show."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.