Carolines on Broadway
| Address | 1626 Broadway |
|---|---|
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Owner | Caroline Hirsch |
| Type | Comedy Nightclub |
| Capacity | 280 |
| Opened | 1981 |
| Website | |
| carolines.com | |
Carolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy located in Times Square in New York City on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. It is one of the most established, famous, and recognized stand-up comedy clubs in the United States. Located in the heart of New York Cityʼs vibrant Times Square district, Carolines on Broadway is widely regarded as “Americaʼs Premier Comedy Nightclub,” presenting the best live comedy entertainment seven nights a week, 365 days a year. Just steps from many of Broadwayʼs most well known theaters, Carolines on Broadway provides the same quality entertainment one has come to expect of New Yorkʼs legendary Great White Way.
Carolines first opened as a cabaret in the cityʼs Chelsea neighborhood in 1981. Owner Caroline Hirsch, a lifelong comedy fan, soon began booking comedians. The comedy acts – which included now legendary performers like Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, Rosie OʼDonnell and Jay Leno – were a tremendous success, and Carolines soon became a full-fledged comedy nightclub. As comedyʼs popularity surged throughout the 80s and into the 90s, so did Carolinesʼ popularity. Carolines moved to New Yorkʼs historic South Street Seaport where it thrived and established itself as the countryʼs top comedy venue. It also served as home to the A&E Networkʼs highly successful series, “Carolineʼs Comedy Hour.”
When Hirsch relocated the club to its grand setting in Times Square in 1992, the club began presenting comedians in a sophisticated, state-of-the-art nightclub, bringing the comedy experience to new heights as it showcased the newly revitalized Times Square district on its A&E show. “Carolines Comedy Hour” ultimately won a CableACE awardfor "Best Stand-Up Comedy Series." Carolines on Broadway has hosted countless large-scale fund-raising events throughout the years. Hirsch, a long-time Ms. Foundation board member, created an annual fundraiser for The Foundation that has continued to grow each year. “The Ms. Foundationʼs Women of Comedy” special aired on the Lifetime Television Network to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Ms. Foundation. Additionally, Carolines hosts a highly successful annual fundraiser for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, which honors the late Madeline Kahn, and an annual star-studded fundraiser for The Scleroderma Research Foundation.
Hirsch is a founding partner of the New York Comedy Festival, a highly successful week-long comedy festival that has graced some of New Yorkʼs most prestigious venues – including Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Town Hall, The ApolloTheater and Lincoln Center – and showcased such comic luminaries as Bill Maher, Sarah Silverman, Ricky Gervais, Conan O'Brien, Dane Cook, Kevin Hart, Denis Leary, Bill Maher, Conan O'Brien, Kathy Griffin, Artie Lange, Rosie OʼDonnell and Steven Wright, to name a few, over the past nine years. The NYCF, presented in association with tbs, celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in 2018.
Today, Carolines on Broadway holds center stage in the heart of Times Square as one of New York Cityʼs most popular and enduring nightspots and as the cityʼs only genuine nightclub. It is a New York institution and is one of the cornerstones in the revitalization of Times Square. The 300-seat club with an elegant decor received critical acclaim when it received the American Institute of Architecture Award for Best Interior Club Design and was featured on the cover of Interior Design Magazine.
As one of the countryʼs most popular destinations for live entertainment, Carolines on Broadway today stands as the crowning achievement of Caroline Hirsch's extraordinary 30-year career. As the reigning queen of the New York comedy scene, Caroline Hirsch continues to prove that she is both an innovator and visionary in the fast-paced, constantly evolving entertainment industry. Carolines on Broadway celebrated twenty years of keeping New York and the world laughing with a gala comedy concert at Carnegie Hall in 2003 featuring a whoʼs who of comedy luminaries.
Today, the club continues its proud tradition of presenting the very biggest and brightest stars on comedyʼs grandest stage, reaffirming its position as the home of “The Funniest
Show on Broadway.”
References
External links
- Carolines on Broadway Website
- Carolines on Broadway Facebook Page
- Carolines on Broadway Instagram
- Carolines on Broadway Twitter Page
- Carolines on Broadway Calendar of Events
