Modified On June 30, 2007
Rascals in Cherry Hill, NJ, has two more shows tonight, then it shuts its doors for good. The folks at the Crowne Plaza are turning the space into a spa, making standup comedy exceedingly difficult, if not impossible.
From left: Paul Bond, Rascals manager Jason Pollock
Rascals, the company, is dead. Deader than dead. No one will open a club called Rascals in this century. Creepy bookers and other unsavory types are circling like sharks. Will there be another, similar club to serve the comedy needs of South Jersey/Philly metro standup fans? (Well, we certainly hope so. We grew quite fond of the idea of having a club six minutes from our house. We are now without a “home club.”) It is our fervent hope that a decent room opens up and soon. This side of the Delaware River is packed with too many standup fans with oodles of disposable income for it not to have a top-notch comedy showcase that presents a varied slate of national touring headliners and solid regional pros and local up-and-comers.
From left: Vinnie Nardiello, Pat Breslin and Rio (unpictured) rounded out this weekend’s bill
Such a room, hooked up with a radio station with a sweet (and appropriate) demographic, with a reasonable budget for advertising, would obliterate what little competition there is over here and would erase the effects of a decade or more of lame-o “B rooms” (and “C rooms”… and “D rooms!) that have operated in these parts since the bust of the early 90s.