Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

PLAYING IT BROAD AND FOR LAFFS

souljoelreesewaters1

Friday night lights: Standup guy “Soul Joel” Richardson (left) hosts another COMEDY ON THE EDGE extravaganza in Red Bank, this one starring Reese Waters (right).

By TOM CHESEK

They used to blanket the map of this great land from coast to coast — places with names like The Chuckle Hut, the Guffaw Garage and the Heh-Heh Hovel. Comedy clubs, they called them, back in the days of the Comedy Explosion, and just like a video rental or a Fotomat, you could be sure to find one in any town you happened into.

Yes, even Red Bank — though we’ll leave it to you to guess which Monmouth Street storefront once housed a short-lived spot for live laffs about 20 years ago.

Here in 2010, the laughs are back within borough borders — and on Broad, no less, as River’s Edge Café plays host to a weekly session of standup (comedy) and sitdown (dinner) produced by Staten Island-based Soul Joel Productions.

joshaccardonickcobb

Pass the mic: Josh Accardo (left) and Nick Cobb (right) are on the comical card Friday night at River’s Edge Café.

Branded as Comedy on the Edge, the series kicked off as a monthly Thursday event in January, transitioned to an every-other-Friday schedule in April — and, according to “Soul Joel” Richardson himself, is poised to go weekly in June.

The offering returns to Bob Guido‘s ristorante at 35 Broad Street this Friday, starring a young pro whose national profile is being boosted by a burgeoning fanbase of sports-snark followers — Reese Waters.

As one of four co-hosts of The Daily Line webcast on Versus.com, Waters has been known to keep some pretty oddball hours, when he’s not busy keeping some pretty charming company for tea. The 30-year-old Richardson, who claims a stable of some 225 thoroughbred funsters (“not a lot of names you’ll recognize, but a lot of faces you’ll recognize from TV”), first worked with Waters over a year ago, and has continued booking the veteran of Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham in Soul Joel shows all over the tri-state region and into the Midwest.

“We specialize in turning any venue into a comedy club,” Soul Joel says. “We bring the equipment, and a different set of comics every time.”

Friday’s snickerfest also features two other standup guys who’ve appeared on Comedy Central and other high-profile forums: Josh Accardo (who wrote, directed and stars in the indie film Recluse) and Nick Cobb (fresh off a Gotham gig of his own). Local dude (and Monmouth U graduate) John Van Brunt bats leadoff, and Richardson — himself no slouch at the mic stand — masters the ceremonies.

Not a bad way to make the nut, for a guy who claims that “growing up, I never realized that all of my favorite TV stars got their start working the comedy clubs.”

Ironic, too, as Richardson theorizes that TV damaged the live comedy business, when “home entertainment systems got so good, they made it hard to leave your house.”

Those who venture out of the house to the River’s Edge are assured of finding “a great, BYOB night out” — with four comic pros for a $10 cover charge, and a $15 food minimum. Showtime’s at 8:30p (no one under 18 admitted), and reservations can be made right here.

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...