Comedy club owner to lease the Wilbur
But the focus may be on theatrical shows
By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff | March 12, 2008
Comedy Connection owner Bill Blumenreich will lease the shuttered Wilbur Theatre in Boston's Theater District for live theatrical shows - or possibly as new space for his club, now located at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
"There are so many theater opportunities now, we might do it all with theater stuff," said Blumenreich, who runs several other New England comedy houses.
Blumenreich, a concert promoter who also books shows in Las Vegas, said the Wilbur deal isn't "official" yet, because he still needs to talk to the city about licenses for various kinds of entertainment.
Blumenreich has said that the rent for his upstairs location in the Quincy Market Building at Faneuil Hall is too high and that he wants to move, but he did not address the comedy club's lease in an interview this week.
The Wilbur, a 1,200-seat Tremont Street landmark, has been for sale for months but has drawn no offers that satisfy its three owners. None could be reached for comment yesterday.
One owner, Jack Gateman, also operates the nightclub Aria on a lower floor of the Wilbur building.
"Downstairs, they think they can keep it as a club," Blumenreich said.
Aria's owners shut down the club last month after a patron with a gun opened fire inside the club, wounding two people. Two other incidents since late last year, including a brawl that required police action, did not involve club patrons, the owners have said.
Gateman also operates Nick's Comedy Stop, one block from the Wilbur in a Warrenton Street building owned by the New England School of Law.
City officials have been adamant that they want the Wilbur to continue to be used, at least in part, as a performance facility.
The Wilbur's landmark status prevents it from being torn down. The 94-year-old theater has seen packed houses and Broadway-style shows, as well as cabaret and dinner theater. It has gone through periods of darkness as well, and last year faced an uncertain future.
"After all these years it's time to move on," co-owner Bob Merowitz, a developer, said in August when the Wilbur went on the market.
Grubb & Ellis, the real estate firm, marketed the Wilbur with a colorful Playbill-like flyer titled "The Investment Opportunity."
The right buyer is one who will make use of the existing building, Philip G. Giunta, senior vice president of Grubb & Ellis, said at the time. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Merowitz and his partners bought the building in 1988 for $3.1 million, but there were no solid offers when it went on the market this time, a spokesman said. The city will allow uses including residential, office, retail, restaurant, and entertainment.
The Comedy Connection, which has been around for more than a quarter century, has featured big names such as Chris Rock, Dane Cook, Rosie O'Donnell, and Dennis Miller.
Blumenreich declined to talk about his situation in Faneuil Hall, but in 2006 he told the Globe: "Twenty-five years ago, people were dying to get into Faneuil Hall. Today, people are dying to get out." His comedy club lease expires in a few months.
Blumenreich also has clubs in Providence, Chicopee, and Saugus.
He said he would consider putting the Comedy Connection in the main part of the Wilbur Theatre if other opportunities don't work out, and if he decides not to stay in the Faneuil Hall area.
"There are a lot of opportunities for shows," he said, though he didn't specify which ones.
Thomas C. Palmer Jr. can be reached at
tpalmer@globe.com.