Lovers of stand-up comedy will be happy about the reveal of the Netflix special Improv: 60 and Still Standing and its line-up of renowned stand-up comedians. The special is celebrating a six-decade run of the famous Improv comedy club in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. The show drops on November 7th, 2023, and features ten top stand-up comedians, including Bert Kreischer, Whitney Cummings, Deon Cole, and Fortune Feimster, paying tribute to the groundbreaking club and its legacy. As well as performances from the acts, the special will also include rare footage from the archives and cameo appearances from some of the biggest names in the business including Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, and Ray Romano.
Which comedians star in The Improv: 60 and Still Standing?
Comedians Jo Koy, Craig Robinson, Fortune Feimster, Whitney Cummings, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Kevin Nealon, Jeff Dunham, Deon Cole, Bert Kreischer and Mark Normand at The Improv | Credit: Troy Conrad
The Improv: 60 and Still Standing will feature sets from ten big-name comedians. The performers are Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Bert Kreischer, Craig Robinson, Deon Cole, Fortune Feimster, Jeff Dunham, Kevin Nealon, Mark Normand, Jo Koy, and Whitney Cummings.
Many of the above have already worked with Netflix. Kreischer has three specials on the platform: Secret Time from 2018, Hey Big Boy from 2020, and Razzle Dazzle from this year.
You can stream the Whitney Cummings specials Jokes and Can I Touch It? on Netflix, too.
Deon Cole has Cole Hearted and Charleen’s Boy, Fortune Feimster has Sweet & Salty and Good Fortune, Mark Normand has Soup to Nuts, and you can spot Jo Koy In His Elements and Live from the Los Angeles Forum.
Netflix has had a long-standing relationship with stand-up comedy, providing a platform for performers, and giving them access to a worldwide audience.
What is The Improv: 60 and Still Standing celebrating?
The special is pretty much a 60th birthday celebration, acknowledging the first ever Improv Comedy Club appearing in Hell’s Kitchen, New York in the 1960s.
The venue would become incredibly popular and the concept would be franchised across the U.S. In 2018, Levity Live would buy the business, and the club can now be found in twenty-three locations across the US.
What is The Improv known for?
The original club in New York was initially a meeting place for performers on Broadway, who would attend the club after performances, as it would open late and serve coffee.
The venue would allow people to come on stage and deliver unrehearsed musical numbers, and this would lead to upcoming stand-up comics taking to the stage and practicing their material in front of like-minded people.
When word of the new and raw talent appeared on the stage, scouts would soon start to arrive at the club in the hope of discovering an emerging talent.
Shows such as The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson would send staffers to watch the acts, and often offer them a chance to appear on the late-night TV show.
By 1974, the club would open a second venue in Los Angeles.
Who appeared at The Improv Comedy Club?
The list of acts that appeared on the stage of the famous venue is huge, but here are a few of the most famous names that we are sure you will have heard of.
Early material from legends such as Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, and Jay Leno was first presented at the club, and surprisingly A-listers such as Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, and David Letterman would also tread the boards at the club.
Huge names in stand-up also made their first appearances at The Improv, including George Carlin, Jeff Dunham, Bill Maher, and Steve Martin.
The venue would also boast performances from Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers, Dave Foley, Andy Kaufman and Bill Hicks.
