Showing posts with label Top Secret Comedy Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Secret Comedy Club. Show all posts

Monday, September 8, 2025

More about the new comedy club in the works for 44 Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

As noted last week, the former Upright Citizens Brigade's UCBeast space on Avenue A and Third Street has a new suitor: Mark Rothman, founder of the Top Secret Comedy Club, a UK-based venue with multiple locations. 

I spotted Rothman, who was visiting from the UK last week, collecting signatures on Friday. He said he first became interested in the Avenue A spot last fall.

After nearly a year of negotiations, he signed the lease two weeks ago. If all goes well, he plans to open later this fall.
"This is a comedy-focused place," Rothman told me of Top Secret, perhaps sensing possible opposition to a full liquor license for the space. "It's not drink-led, it's ticket-led. We are not a drinking establishment, we're a comedy club. There is no two-drink minimum here. We don't have tables, we don't have service, and no waiters. The alcohol is ancillary to the comedy."

The setup will feature theater-style seating, all facing the stage. A small bar at the front of the house will serve drinks during the shows. Rothman noted they use a queuing system capable of processing 30 customers per minute, which he says will help prevent long lines at the entrance.
As for food: with no kitchen in the space, the menu will be limited to frozen pizza and light bar snacks. Rothman's longtime colleague and friend, Claire Grinis, is moving to New York to manage the venue. Programming will focus almost exclusively on stand-up comedy, with the occasional musical-comedy act. 

The new venture will be the latest chapter for a space with plenty of recent history. UCB ran UCBeast here from September 2011 to February 2019, shuttering after citing the "extreme costs" of operating. 

More recently, the gallery-performance space O'Flaherty's made the address its home, closing last year after a memorable 18-month run.

Rothman's application is on CB3's SLA Licensing & Outdoor Dining Committee agenda for tonight. The meeting is at 6:30, and the Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, with limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who arrive at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Comedy club eyeing former comedy club space on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy (top pic from last summer)

The owner of the Top Secret Comedy Club, a UK-based comedy and improv venue with several locations, is eyeing the former Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's UCBeast space on Avenue A and Third Street.

Reps for the business started by Mark Rothman 13 years ago will appear before CB3's SLA Licensing & Outdoor Dining Committee on Monday.
They are aiming for a full liquor license along with a food menu featuring pizza. The proposed occupancy shows 242 seats. You can find the questionnaire here with more info. 

The past tenant here, the gallery-performance space O'Flaherty's, had a memorable 18-month run. 

Upright Citizens Brigade Theater operated UCBeast here from September 2011 to February 2019. At the time, UCB officials blamed the "extreme costs" of operating here for its closing. 

The club had its share of drama before and right after its opening, notably with the Hot Chicks Room and New Jack Cornballs

Upright Citizens Brigade opened in a new space on 14th Street last fall.

Monday's meeting is at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited seating is available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.