Comedy in Harlem Celebrates Black “Herstory” Month

By Journalist Ms. Jones

HARLEM – “Ooh, Ladies First, Ladies First!” was a popular song by Queen Latifah and Monie Love in 1989. It was the premise of New York City’s only Black-owned comedy club, Comedy in Harlem, on Friday, February 18th when they celebrated Black “Herstory” Month with a Ladies Night Comedy Show.

“Happy Black History Month! I have people who teased me for not being black enough or whatever and I have this skin disorder. You see it? Vitiligo?… I have a friend who was like, ‘You’re turning white.’ I was like, ‘No. I’m turning black. I’m almost done,’” joked Calise Hawkins who is a writer for That Damn Michael Che Show and loves to joke about her family in her set. “I am a very anxious person. I told my mom I was going to therapy for anxiety and depression. She got so excited. She was like, ‘Really Calise. All this time. We thought I was a bad mom, but something was wrong with you!’”

The show also featured comediennes Miss Jackie, Jenny Saldaña, Latice Mitchell, and Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest Founder Joanna Briley who joked about being locked down in the house during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“[During] COVID I gained 35 pounds. Okay! That’s why I have this on. And Amazon f***** me up because it ain’t closed… Amazon! It’s open on the side! It was only $5, so what do you expect?” clowned Briley about her poncho sweater and shopping online. “But also during COVID, with all the shopping, I was getting orders from UPS, DHL, because I was single! I needed to see some mens! I was opening the door naked like, ‘Okay Amazon! Come on up! Come on up! A sista lonely!’… I only had two come up and take the offer.”
The all-female show was hosted by Nicky Roberts, better known as Nicky Sunshine. She joked about not getting her purses from Louis Vuitton, but from Louis down on Canal Street.

“It was very important to do an all-female show… I think women deserve a little more shine,” said Nicky Sunshine as she discussed how women are underrepresented in comedy. “[Stand-up] comedy, especially in the New York City scene and in the urban scene, is still very heavily male-dominated…It’s not uncommon that a show is all-male. People just kind of accept it as the norm.”

Nicky Sunshine owns Comedy in Harlem with her husband Comedian Jamie Roberts. They opened the club in September 2021.

“It feels great [to be the only African-American-owned club in New York City]. It’s refreshing… It’s a place that we need. It’s a space that is necessary for us to feel safe to perform… During the pandemic, we noticed that we weren’t getting as much phone calls… When Black comedians usually do a show in a mainstream room, it’s usually Black Night, an off-night, or a late, late show. So, when you don’t have any shows going on whatsoever, you’re not going to give the Black people the show. They’re going to make it so their mainstream people can still be a part of that. So, a lot of us were suffering,” said Roberts who spoke of comedians doing shows in secret locations to make ends meet. “You can’t build like that. You can’t develop like that. You need a steady place to come to work out. It’s like a gym… You need a gym to go to.”

Being the only Black-owned comedy club in New York City has been a blessing. However, being club owners have come with its share of obstacles. They have had to cancel several shows due to pipes bursting.

“It was just such a nightmare. Over January and December, one thing after another was going wrong with the club. We had heating problems. We had shows and people were complaining that they were cold. It was embarrassing… Because of the weather, we had pipes burst here and then on the second floor and then it affects downstairs. And it was a real setback for us because it was at a time when we had gained some momentum and we were picking up steam. And over the Martin Luther King weekend, that’s a big weekend for comedy, we had to cancel like five shows. And it really hurt us financially… It was depressing,” said Nicky Sunshine as she shared some of the setbacks they have faced and overcome. “People were really supportive and we were able to finally get our landlord on board with helping us. We got some things fixed. Got new floors. So, we’re improving bit by bit, one step at a time.”

Comedy in Harlem has some great shows lined up. They have an April Fool’s comedy show with Comedian Joe Clair, the former host of BET’s Rap City. They will also be having the Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest in June. Smokey Suarez hosts “The Living Room” on Monday nights featuring the hottest comedians in the tri-state area. For more information, visit www.comedyinharlem.com.

Journalist Ms. Jones