FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 24, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 47
Laugh like it’s 2019 at this
comedy hot spot in Astoria
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Laugh like it’s 2019 at one of Astoria’s
hippest comedy spots!
If someone were to ask their fortunetelling,
billiard-style Magic 8-Ball, whether
Queens’ comedy scene would be
making a strong comeback, the answer
revealed in its little window would likely
be “yes.”
Just like struggling restaurants and
small businesses, comedy clubs here
have been fi ghting to survive amid the
COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, many popular
places have shut down or moved on,
“leaving stand-ups and improv groups
to improvise on how to get attention
and build shows from the ground up in
this new landscape,” said comedian Zach
Petrovich, founder of 8 Ball Comedy and
PetroProductions.
His innovative approach may forge a
new frontier for comedy in unlikely venues
– as live shows fi nally return to
the “World’s Borough.”
With that as his driving
force, the Astoria resident
went full speed ahead
and gambled on an unexpected,
offb eat spot in his own neighborhood:
the back of Steinway Billiards, a
pool hall, located at 3525 Steinway St., in
Astoria. So, stop by, grab a beer, and enjoy
great comedy shows at 8:30 p.m. every
Th ursday, for just $10.
“It was time to get back to a sense of
normalcy,” Petrovich told QNS.
Along with some amazing comedians
and pal Syrus Porter (the “consigliere”),
Petrovich’s team recently joined forces to
create “an outlaw comedy venue.”
“When I say outlaw, it’s not that we’ve
broken any rules, but the idea of having
a comedy show in a pool hall has some
people scratching their heads,” Petrovich
added. “During this pandemic, a lot of
us comics have been aching to get back
to work, so when the owners of Steinway
Billiards off ered up a Th ursday night
space, we said, ‘hell yes!’”
Everyone has their temperature taken;
contact tracing is in full eff ect; and
all CDC guidelines have been heavily
enforced.
The comic-turned-entrepreneur
remembered all the hurdles, “the trial
and error, and this element of not knowing
quite how it would pan out,” when the
show debuted back in February.
“Originally, we were in the dining section
of the venue, competing with a chess
club and older Greek dudes playing backgammon
furiously. It was chaos, but we
made it work and eventually moved the
show to the current space on the far side
of the building, away from the sounds
and people of the pool hall,” he explained.
“Steinway Billiards is a local legend, and
— in the vein of community — 8 Ball
Comedy has, from the beginning, been
about supporting local business and the
neighborhood as a whole.”
Each week, you can catch a premium
show with some of the best up-and-coming
and veteran comics in the city.
“It’s gritty, it’s raw and it’s Queens to the
core. It’s fi lled a hole for the community
here,” Petrovich said. “8 Ball Comedy
isn’t fl ashy, it isn’t polished, but it is
real standup comedy in its purest
form, the way it’s meant to be seen.”
Some of the regulars include
Josh Accardo, Joey Gay, Chris
Hamilton, Chloe LaBranch,
Andre Kim, Michael Terry,
Maggie Crane and Norlex
Belma, among others.
And the club
tries
to feature a diverse group of great
local talent each week, as well
as traveling comedians, who all
hang out aft er the show to play
pool, grab a few drinks and support
their peers, according to
Petrovich.
“Th at’s been the best part
– that 8 Ball Comedy has
brought the ‘hang’ aspect for
comics back, and created an
environment in which the comedians feel
comfortable working out their material,”
he said.
“A lot of these comics hadn’t seen each
other in over a year, and it’s been tough,”
Petrovich added. “Most of the pandemic,
we were forced to get very creative with
how to work in the ‘new normal.’ Many of
us tried to keep busy with outdoor shows,
or even Zoom shows. But to be honest,
nothing is the same as the comedy club
atmosphere; it’s an innately human experience
Comedian Zach Petrovich brings live comedy back to Queens with a weekly lineup of great comics, at 8 Ball
Comedy in Astoria.
and doesn’t translate when you are
trying to tell your material into a webcam
for no audible laughter.”
Indeed, staying in the game has been
challenging, especially for those comics
who were once working two to three
shows a night over a weekend. Th at’s
just one reason why, pre-COVID, New
York had a reputation of being a “comedy
town,” off ering performers multiple
opportunities to get on stage every night
of the week, which meant more chances
to work on their material and perfect
their acts.
“Without those stages, we really went
through a withdrawal phase. To be back
Courtesy of Zach Petrovich
on a stage with a live crowd is such a
relief to all of us,” Petrovich said. “8 Ball
Comedy was my way of getting to the
light at the end of the tunnel and bringing
everyone that was feeling the same
way, with me.”
For more information, visit 8 Ball
Comedy’s Facebook page.
buzz
“It’s gritty, it’s raw and it’s Queens to the core.
It’s fi lled a hole for the community here. 8 Ball
Comedy isn’t fl ashy, it isn’t polished, but it is
real standup comedy in its purest form, the
way it’s meant to be seen.”
— Zach Petrovich
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