ABOVE: Brian McKim (l) and Dennis Horan
We had a swell time at Helium last night. Helium is the first new club in the 215 area code in a loooong time. Owner Marc Grossman has recruited some of the finest people in the business and apparently spent a bundle on fineries such as cutting edge decor, comfy chairs and state-of-the-art sound and lights (Radical!) to create one of the finest clubs we’ve seen in some time.
We were given carte blanche (a French phrase meaning put anyone on the show you fancy) to craft a SHECKYmagazine.com Show and we invited Jules Reilly and Dennis Horan to do sets before the SHECKYmagazine staff finished off the crowd of 40 or so. Laurence Mullaney emceed the whole affair and local comic Corey Alexander stopped by just to “be a fan!”
We’re pulling for Helium to rise to the top. They are encouraging an open mike night that is attracting giant crowds and robust numbers of talented comics. The Philly market has been dragged down by clubs that pay pitifully and regard the comics with disdain. We are heartened when clubs like Rascals and Helium move in and hasten the demise of the lower-tier venues.