For a lot of people, Las Vegas and Atlantic City are all about the casinos. For others, it’s the strip clubs and showgirls or what have you. But, for still others, comedy is the thing, particularly in Atlantic City. Two resorts have the comedy scene locked up, for all intents and purposes – the Tropicana Hotel & Casino and the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
The Comedy Stop Comedy Club and Cafe located at The Quarter at the Tropicana – as well as the Tropicana Showroom – are the two main plays there. Carlos Mencia chooses the latter for his August 11 show, which puts him on the calendar with KC and the Sunshine Band, Montgomery Gentry, Yes, Bret Michaels, Whitney Cummings, and Dom Irrera.
Smaller acts like Kozak the Magician take up residence in the Comedy Stop, a club that has seen the likes of Drew Carey, Judy Tenuta, Tim Allen, Lewis Black, Rosie O’Donnell, and more grace its stage.
Over at the Borgata, it’s the Comedy Club, The Music Box, and the Borgata Event Center that provide a range of capacities to accommodate various acts. Kathy Griffin, Jerry Seinfeld, and George Lopez can pack people into the 3,700-capacity Event Center just the same as Sting, Counting Crows, the Beach Boys, and Florence + the Machine do; meanwhile, Joan Rivers, Wanda Sykes, Bob Saget, and Russell Brand are consigned to the more intimate Music Box interspersed with concerts by Beck and Steve Winwood. Brand has performances lined up for May 4 and 5, going head-to-head with Lopez on the second night.
Now that her My Life on the D-List is finito, Griffin is kicking off a new talk show on Bravo befittingly titled Kathy. When she’s not dishing on the tube, Griffin will also sprinkle her calendar with stand-up dates like the August 26 performance at the Borgata.
Howie Mandel and Frank Caliendo are also limited in their draws with the Music Box serving their needs. As funny as they may be, it seems to take a special kind of comic to fill a huge room … with not just bodies, but laughter. Griffin, Seinfeld, and Lopez have it down thanks to their side careers on television. (Sorry, Howie, game shows don’t count.)
Across town at Caesars Atlantic City, Bill Maher takes a break from his TV show and makes his June 2 comedy stand in the Circus Maximus Theater that holds just over 1,500. Also on the summer slate there are Ringo Starr, Donny and Marie, Blue Man Group, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Rock of Ages.
Of course, there are a number of other hotel casinos in Atltantic City, as well. Bally’s, the Atlantic Club, Trump Taj Mahal, Harrah’s, the Golden Nugget, the Revel, the Showboat, Trump Plaza, and Resorts Casino Hotel. They all offer fine accommodations, attractions, and activities, with some putting special package pricing together to lure in visitors. That’s great. Take advantage of the best deal you can find. Then, to get your laugh on, hop on down to either the Borgata, Tropicana, or Caesars.