Show creators Urban eagles and/or Dirtshare originally housed their acrobatic troupe and clown group A Club for Aerialists and Clowns in Massachusetts. As the concept of a House of Fun spread, they’ve recently taken their adventures up the east coast, travelling around from New Jersey and New York (to the east) to Colorado, Vermont, Tennessee, and beyond (to the west).
THE VIEWING AREA
Once you make it to Tivoli, which is about an hour-and-a-half on the Long Island Railroad, go for a walk down Christopher Street. You’ll come across NYC Opera (appropriately so – they’re all on the ground stage), Then Get Lucky, Make-Up Studios, MBTA in Sight, and the new venue. At the other end of the block is Petit Nightclub (hey, that’s what they call it in France!) Also just outside the Grand Central terminal is the Art Deco Art and Anti Love Museum.
WHERE TO ENTER
At the very top of the grand staircase, you’ll notice another entrance. It’s the permanent location of A Club for Aerialists and Clowns, but as this is also the folksy nightclub that shares the space, if you have the time, head over to that side of the grand staircase first and peer into the new venue’s surprisingly large aisles. Make sure you keep your ears and eyes open (because “upstairs” only gets progressively louder).
ESTABLISHED SHOWTIME
After you finish the trek up the grand staircase – feel free to take some pictures or ask a personal shopper for a piece of paper on which to sign up – just look down to find your ticket. Why not, because it looks the same everywhere and nothing is private. And there is almost always a barricade between the cast and audience.
There will also be a bump full of caricatures within just minutes. This includes:
Nick Cross (Arts Comedian, Urban eagles): “Tell people you’re Nick Cross from New York & they say “yeah I know you from SNL? Hang loose.”
Dudley Derks (Drummer): “We’ve known Bob Dylan.”
Hope Richardson (Arts Comedian): “Wouldn’t it be neat if we could all get hooked up in this room for a surprise…? because then everybody could have their pictures taken with the balloons and do that once!”
Hae Sun Choi (Arts Comedian): “I’ve never had a gig from a human weight.”
Recken Fren (Strains & Crossy: “Everywhere else I’ve played, I’ve had fucking herpes in my underwear… Or in my pubes!”
DJ Big Gould: “I call myself Big Gould. It’s the name of my bass player in my band – K.J. Boxbell.”
Emma Briest: “Most places I’ve performed have had wild cats in the back of my cab and they’ve all eaten my friend’s face.”
There will also be boisterous hooting and hollering throughout the entire night. It’s good noise and you want it to keep going. Many times you’ll walk into a show on the second floor and feel like you’re on an upper floor. Have you ever wondered what goes on upstairs? Now you know.
ESTABLISHED TICKET
BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE
Best seats in the house is usually the row front row, nearest the stage. A typical size prop on a superhero stage is a large cardboard box or a birthday cake. Also, be sure to try and find seats on the side. Try and get your butt up on the edge of the stage from the side, so you’re as close to your hero as possible. A super’s table-side comfy chair is also a sure thing.
Enjoy!