Saturday, October 5, 2013

Ha! Comedy Club

Mixed reviews for this placed but I REALLY expected that in advance

People have such different ideas about what constitutes comedy, much less what makes for a good comedy club

Ha Comedy Club

3.0 star rating
76 reviews Rating Details
Category: Comedy Clubs  [Edit]
232 West 44th Street
(between Shubert Aly & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Midtown West, Theater District
(212) 789-9061
Nearest Transit Station:
42 St. - Port Authority Bus Terminal (A, C, E)
Times Sq - 42 St. (S)
Times Sq - 42 St. (7, 7X)
Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 2 am
Fri 11 am - 3 am
Sat 12 pm - 3 am
Sun 12 pm - 2 am
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Price Range:
$$
Parking:
Street
Good for Groups:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Music:
Live
Best Nights:
Thu, Fri, Sat
Happy Hour:
No
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Smoking:
No
Coat Check:
No
Noise Level:
Average
Good For Dancing:
No
Ambience:
Touristy
Has TV:
No
Wheelchair Accessible:
No

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "The emcee was hilarious as were all four comics." In 21 reviews
  • "More importantly, the comedians were all very funny." In 28 reviews
  • "...this place while we were in Times Square on our New York City trip." In 17 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites' | Facebook Friends'

76 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 14 friends
    • 36 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    7/12/2013 1 check-in here
    If you've been here before and want tickets for free, roam around time square for the promoters. Some of them sells the ticket, others give em for free.

    Great comedians and great environment. People say its small and often times expensive, but does that really matters when you're having a good laugh with your couple with a couple booze? Me thinkz notz!
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 47 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    8/25/2013
    Yeah, this place...

    We'll start out with the price - $20 individual tickets PLUS a 2 drink minimum. Usually these things are free with a drink minimum, especially at Times Square where they're a dime a dozen. The promoter let us get our tickets for $10, but they weren't official tickets - he just pocketed the money and let us in without giving a cut to the actual comedians. But whatever, guess that worked slightly better for us.

    The waitress was rude. Not to us (she was ok), but to the big 6-person group of a couple with kids in front of us. They were very friendly and laughed among the loudest and played along with the jokes, but I think they refused to buy two drinks per person each and the waitress started yelling at them (in front of everyone, while the show was still going on) about how "rude" they were. Then she kicked them out of the room..and started yelling at them more outside (we could still hear!). Really, nothing ruins the positive energy of a comedy club faster than straining to hear the jokes over a waitress-patron shouting match.

    Oh, and the drinks themselves were very iffy. Tequila sunrise in a tiny plastic cup..not even a glass one! Didn't taste good but priced high as if it did.

    The one saving grace is the comics - they're actually good. Which, everything else aside, I guess is still what a comedy club is really about! (S'long as you can hear the jokes.. *ahem*)

    Also - last warning - though the comics are good, they do like to call people out. And if you're going on a Tuesday night like we did, the crowd's gonna be all of 10 people (minus the 5 the waitress will tyrant away any moment!). So whether you sit in the front or the back (like the guy who sold us the tickets suggested we do), you're getting called out for jokes. We got called porn stars for our exotic names...so watch out ^^
  • Review from

    • 365 friends
    • 44 reviews
    Honolulu, HI
    6/8/2013
    This place was awful.  We only went because my husband loves comedy clubs - but we should have known better than to do anything that was peddled to us in Times Square.

    The drinks were awful.  (We didn't even bother with the food.)  The comedians were terrible!  (and I mean terrible.)  The guy we had spent the entire time badly insulting people who were coming in about their race, gender and sexual orientation...  we walked out.

    Go to Gotham Comedy Club (which is where we went later that night.)  It's  a cab ride and more expensive, but it's cleaner, better, and the entertainment is amazing.

    If you're looking for a good comedy experience, skip this place.  You'll be more amused watching Elmo and Spiderman stumble around Times Square.
  • Review from

    • 160 friends
    • 3 reviews
    Long Island City, NY
    9/14/2013
    A blight on the comedy industry. Their peddlers in Times Square are filthy mouthed scum who should be fined for the vile verbal attacks with which they assault tourists and New Yorkers alike.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 8 reviews
    Marion, IN
    5/25/2013
    Got four tickets for $20 total. The building was across from Matilda and was very clean. Host emcee was hilarious and three out of four of the comedians were hilarious. There was a two drink minimum -- but so what! Every single comedy club I've ever been to has an item/drink minimum.

    The restrooms were super clean.

    Great time. Went on a Friday at the 12AM show. Hilarious! My husband and I laughed for 90 minutes. I left with my cheeks hurting.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 28 reviews
    Joliet, IL
    3/22/2013
    Waste of money!  We purchased tickets that apparently they generally give out free!  There is a two drink minimum, and even soda is over $5!  Mixed drinks and beers roughly $10 a piece, which doesn't include tip.

    The comedians aren't even funny!  If they don't get laughs they hound you until either you clap or fake laugh.

    We wasted $60 with drinks and the tickets for a horrible show that wasn't even worth the money.  Don't go there, not worth it.
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 31 reviews
    Bayonne, NJ
    2/17/2013
    My first time here... It was OK!  You were greeted by a extremely tall Abraham Lincoln looking type dude, telling you about the two drink min and if we all understood... and how important it is to order two drinks... We got it BRO!! LOL!!
    Once inside, there is no seating area so that you could sit to wait until your show time started. I walked in and noticed people sitting on the floor, the bar area is pretty small and crowed. Once we entered the comedy room, it was HOT!!! and small. The tables seated 2 people or you could sit against the wall. The stage area is very small... The drink run from $5-$10. The sangria was pretty good ($8). Seating area/time, Drink service, and space within the comedy room needs a bit of improvement.
    Overall, the comics were pretty funny.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Valdosta, GA
    7/7/2013
    It was an inexpensive ticket (talked the guy on the street down from $20/ticket to $5/ticket), and the two drink minimum is about what you expect. The comics ranged from *hilarious* to painful, but for the price, it was good couple of hours. We would go again if we had the time.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 5 reviews
    ASTORIA, NY
    6/24/2013 3 photos
    I think people forget that even the most famous comics get boo'd, walked out on and even heckled. Comedy is what you make of it. Famous comics start somewhere and I believe Ha Comedy Club is the best in the city! The comics are pretty prestigious if you are a true comic fan, from shows ranging from Chappelle's Show, 30 Rock, Comedy Central and more. I even took my mom to see it. She was lucky enough to be sitting in the front row and got what was coming to her! I love when the comics use the room. Also, if you've been to any bar in the neighborhood, then you know that Ha Comedy Club prices are actually LESS. It is a fun time!
  • Review from

    Cambridge, MA
    5/29/2012 1 check-in here
    I've been here a few times with friends. It's an alright show for ten bucks. We could always go without the 2 drink minimum since that pretty much raises the price of the show up to $25. But again it's alright if you're in the neighborhood you're going to pay through the nose for most things in Times Square, especially if you're a tourist. What is nice about HA! is that they have shows pretty much every 30 minutes on a Saturday night.

    It's in the basement so don't expect anything classy. Pretty much a dive but if you've been out drinking before stopping here most of the places you've been to would have probably been dives too. Nothing special about the decor. Bathrooms are also like your standard bar. So I'd recommend holding it if you can.

    The comedians can be a hit or miss. But they do save the really funny ones for last. And they've got about 4-5 acts in the time, which is pretty decent. So you're bound to find at least 1 that'll make you laugh. Also note that these comedians do like to interact with the crowd. So if you're not a social person who likes people talking to you you might want to stay away from the front. I though enjoy the crowd attention as it mixes things up from their regular show routine. In all it's an okay club that you'll get your money's worth. And perhaps one of the better ones in the Times Square area.
  • Review from

    • 8 friends
    • 51 reviews
    New York, NY
    3/4/2012 1 check-in here
    Long story short: Friday nite, 1 AM, and I'm alone sitting in Times Square.

    Watching this poor guy harass and badger tourists about the last comedy show of the nite. Finally, defeated, he turns to me and I decide to give it a go. I mean, I had a spare 10 bucks laying around.

    Aesthetically, the place could use an upgrade. It's in a basement with multiple rooms/stages. Met some cool people and the comedians were funny enough. It's a bit of a bait and switch, $10 admission, but you have to purchase 2 items off their menu (nothing's under $6).

    AVOID if you're: with children, sensitive to language, shy, and/or are sensitive to gentle razzing.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 155 reviews
    Astoria, Queens, NY
    5/16/2012
    Been here twice over the years, the night of May 15th was effen-A. The second actual comic was sooo good even though he did not get to do ANY of his routine.  An obnoxious, seemingly too young to be there chick was talking in full voice with her friends during the show so the comic just went after her, he was vicious and mean and effen hilarious.  Here is a simple fact of life:  if you come to a comedy show and attract attention to yourself AND piss-off the dude on the stage, you will be destroyed and everyone will really really enjoy it (true story, except for the Canadians in the first row who kept on making time-out signs with their hands, awww those sweet sweet Canadians).

    Rude chick, just remember, this guy's profession is to say witty, politically-incorrect shit, that rattles and shocks people, it's how he pays rent, and he BURNT you and you deserved every little word he said.

    So yeah, best time ever!  Other comics were great too, except for the host guy who was annoying, though his Asian movie routine was kind of nice.

    The place is a complete dump, but I don't think anyone comes here for the aesthetics. Guinness was $8, which is city's avg., you have to buy two drinks but you can get water instead of beer but then why would you?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered