Since the New York Comedy Festival started 11 years ago, one big name’s eluded it. This year, there’s cause — er, Cos — for celebration: It finally netted Bill Cosby.
“People are just so taken in by Bill, they really are,” says Caroline Hirsch, founder of the festival and Carolines on Broadway. “He’s been doing it for so many years and he’s so brilliant at it.”
Though Cosby performed at 2013’s Stand Up for Heroes charity showcase, he’s never headlined at the festival, running Nov. 5 to 9, with 200 comedians and panels at 60 venues.
“I would like to thank the New York Comedy Festival for bringing me to the great Carnegie Hall,” announced Cosby, who’ll perform there Nov. 8. “Believe me, I have practiced.”
He’ll be joined by a who’s who of comedy, including Bill Maher, Marc Maron, Amy Schumer and Nick Offerman.
Hirsch says she’s particularly excited about Maron, known for his “WTF” podcast — called the “Charlie Rose” show of comedy — and IFC’s “Maron.” It’s the first time he’ll play the festival, co-sponsored by Comedy Central.
Since Carolines on Broadway opened in 1981, comedy has exploded into venues all around the city. Hirsch says it’s proof how much respect the field has gained since the days she was booking Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. “It’s just grown as an art form,” she says. “It’s part of the process of people getting up onstage, practicing what they’re doing.”
Tickets go on sale Aug. 11 at nycomedyfestival.com. More shows will be announced in the fall.