Boston's Wilbur to be standup comedy behemoth

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on August 15th, 2008

In March, we linked to an article in the Globe about how Bill Blumenreich, the man behind Boston’s Comedy Connection was considering bugging out of his Faneuil Hall space and hopping over to the Wilbur. Well, according to The Phoenix, Blumenreich…

…has signed a 20-year-lease for the venerable old (it was built in 1913) theater at Tremont and Stuart Streets. He’s moved his base of operations from the 490-seat club– which had been the biggest comedy club in the country– to a 1200-seat theater, which he says is now the biggest comedy theater in the country. At the Wilbur– Blumenreich may rename it– he’s left alone the balcony and mezzanine, but ripped out the floor seats to put in tables and chairs. He also had four split-levels sections built for better visibility.

Just how does Blumenreich expect to fill these seats? With a super-duper, blockbuster booking policy, that’s how.

“If you take the biggest 100 names in comedy, you’ll see 90 of them here in the next couple of years.” For instance, Sarah Silverman– “hot as a pistol,” quips Blumenreich– will likely be paid more than $100,000 to do a two-show night this fall, with tickets priced between $45 and $65. Craig Ferguson will play (and film) at least three shows here in October.

Hey, Bill, while you’re at it, why don’t you burn a bridge or two and diss the local acts?

“I love the Boston comics,” says Blumenreich, “but the day of Boston people flocking to see local comedians has come and gone. You can’t squeeze blood out of a stone.”

And they love you, too, Bill.

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