CHELSEA — A group of lawyers-turned-comedians is bringing a judicious brand of comedy to Chelsea's Gotham Comedy Club next week for a series of shows that will benefit a charity that brings stand-up comics to nursing home, hospitals, senior centers and other social service agencies.
Using the tagline "Bad at law. Good at comedy," Comedians at Law is a group of seven former lawyers who dropped their jobs and stripped off their suits to become full-time comedians.
The group performs legal-minded comedy across the country at law schools, firms, comedy clubs and bar associations, and has even appeared on television and radio shows. The group also has a sketch comedy-filled YouTube channel and a podcast.
While their performances typically go toward paying off their hefty law school student loans, the upcoming show on June 21 will be the first of a monthly series benefiting the Gotham Comedy Foundation, which also provides scholarships to city public school students to study stand-up comedy.
“We are really excited about this new opportunity,” said Comedians at Law’s Kevin Israel, a former lawyer who was inspired by the work of funnyman Bill Cosby.
“The Gotham Comedy Foundation is doing some great work, as soon as we heard about their efforts, we knew we had to get involved.”
Bill Drewes, the founder of the foundation and a cancer survivor, praised the new partnership with the kooky barristers.
“I know the firsthand benefits of humor as a part of the healing process," he said.
"Humor has kept me going through health and other personal problems. We want to share the benefits of humor with others who need it.”
The first show kicks off at 8 p.m. on June 21 at the Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd St. Tickets are $20 with a two-drink minimum per person, and are tax deductible.
