| Review - The Claquer's Review |
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| Written by John Loftin |
 Situated in the L.E.S. on the corner of Houston and Suffolk lurks a dark bar (reminiscent of something you'd find in French Quarter New Orleans) hosting one of the 212's coolest free comedy shows, and if you aren't at the right place at the right time you'd never know what The Claquer's Review at The Local 269 has in store for you. The room is perfectly suited for the darker mentalities of the downtown comedy scene. Old chandeliers dimly light the room while a single spot shines on the performers standing before a black brick wall. This is where I imagine Vincent Price and Elvira would make their stand-up debut. Darcy Burke, promoter and occasional host of The Claquer's Review has wasted no time in filling her slots with a slew of the Big Apple's top comedic talents. Every performer captured the attention and admiration of the crowd, which sometimes is difficult to accomplish when the bar is located in the same space as the performance. Tables (seating about 27 with room to stand) also litter the center of the room for those fans that want to be a little closer to the action. And as far as producer/comedians go, Burke is not only talented in her recruiting operation, but in her performance as well, as she keeps her audience chuckling with jokes about how her mother wishes she were a lesbian. Also on the bill last month were Katina Corrao and Matt McCarthy (the Verison Fios guy from the commercials). It was obvious that these two have logged many hours on stage and was the shows undisputed highlight. Corrao received a tad more admiration from the audience than did the Fios guy, and was a real pleasure to watch. However McCarthy's stage presence is undeniably a force to be reckoned with. Not only can the giant red-headed Rhode Islander kill you with the laughs, it's quite possible he could kill you with his hands. For McCarthy's finale he violently shoved the mic into the stand and threw it down in an explosive rock star finish. The host took the stage to let the performers know that their drinks were half off for the rest of the night and McCarthy yells from the back of the room, "because performers are better than you!" Who can argue with that? Drink specials for we plebeians are very affordable if you don't have the chops to be booked on the show, 2-for-1 drinks during the show (which is the same as half-off for performers), $5 PBR's with a shot of whiskey, $8 Jagerbombs and Free Wi-Fi if you need to update your Facebook status to inform the world how much you are laughing. Did I mention all this for free? The Claquer's Review with Darcy Burke Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
