At the casinos, comedy's serious business
The casinos figure to get funnier.
COMIX Comedy, the two-man operation behind stand-up comedian bookings at Foxwoods Resort Casino the past five years, is bolting for Mohegan Sun, where they’re opening a new club Oct. 7.
COMIX at Foxwoods’ final show, "Last Comix Standing,” is Oct. 4.
“We’ve had a good relationship with Foxwoods and we wish them all the success in the world,” Marc Wiesenthal, one of the COMIX Comedy partners, said Friday. “Now we’re looking forward to our partnership with Mohegan Sun.”
With COMIX moving on to the competition, Foxwoods announced this week that it has reached a deal with Bill Blumenreich, owner and chief executive of The Wilbur/Bill Blumenreich Presents Inc., the entertainment company credited with rejuvenating Boston’s historic Wilbur Theatre. Blumenreich used to run Boston’s Comedy Connection in Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
“Bill will book the top names in comedy at both The Fox and Grand theaters (at Foxwoods),” Felix Rappaport, Foxwoods’ president and chief executive officer, said in an email.
Foxwoods has yet to decide what it will do with the space occupied by the 350-seat Comix at Foxwoods. Options include another comedy club, a bar, lounge, restaurant or cabaret, Rappaport said.
Eight miles west of Foxwoods, COMIX Mohegan Sun, the Mohegan Tribe-owned casino’s first venue devoted exclusively to comedy, will operate in the Casino of the Earth in close proximity to two of the casino's existing entertainment venues, Mohegan Sun Arena and the Wolf Den.
“It will be hard to find another destination where, on a given night, it’s possible for an act like the Zac Brown Band to be playing in the Wolf Den, Justin Timberlake on stage in the arena and Lenny Clarke delivering standup at COMIX,” Bobby Soper, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
“I like the fact it’s brand new, built to specifics … a nice complement to our other entertainment progammming,” Tom Cantone, Mohegan Sun’s senior vice president of sports and entertainment, said of COMIX.
The 8,000-square-foot club will feature seating for 325 and a craft beer bar serving two-dozen brews, more than 50 bourbon whiskeys and “a diverse bar-food menu.” The bar is scheduled to open Thursday.
Twitter: @bjhallenbeck
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