A comedian is using his industry connections to open a new comedy club in the barroom of a Pinellas Park restaurant next week, with hopes of recreating the intimate New York comedy clubs that nurtured his career.
Artie Fletcher, who pays the bills as a comic and character actor with parts on Law & Order and NYPD Blue and a regular in the Atlantic City casinos, is creating the comedy lineup for My Big Fat Greek Restaurant and Comedy Club at 4300 Park Blvd.
The Greek restaurant has been there for almost two years, but it's the big fat comedy plan that's new. His lineup has a combination of up-and-comers like Jim Florentine of Crank Yankers and known entities (Michael Winslow of the Police Academy movies and Jimmy "JJ" Walker) as well as local and regional talent that show promise.
The grand opening is next Friday and Saturday (9/22-23), with Fletcher, 51, taking the mike in the 125-seat club.
His inspiration is New York clubs like The Comic Strip, Gotham and Catch a Rising Star that sprang up in the 1970s as a venue for comics, singers, magicians and novelty acts. They ended up focusing on stand-up comedy and were the launching pad for comics like Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock.
"In those clubs you'd have a room with a tiny little stage and the audience packed in tables around the front,'' said Fletcher, "and the comic has to actually struggle to weave in and around the audience to get to the stage."
The scene was for audiences more interested in comedians than glitz, because you never knew if Robin Williams would drop in or a rising comic.
Fletcher, who has been living in Pinellas County for a year, bemoans the big clubs and chains that aren't nurturing local talent like that. So in addition to his Wednesday open mike night, he will hold acting and improv classes, and give promising locals a chance to open for bigger acts on the weekends.
