Cutting Room Closes Doors, Rivers Plays Venue's Final Show

Legendary comedian Joan Rivers will play the final show at the popular performance venue The Cutting Room on January 13, after which the club will close its doors. Showtime is at 7:30 PM, with $30 tickets available at 212-352-3101 or online at www.SpinCycleNYC.com. Rivers is also playing the club January 6 & 7. Proceeds from her shows benefit God's Love We Deliver and Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Cutting Room is located at 19 West 24th Street in Chelsea, accessible from the F & V trains at 23rd Street.

The Cutting Room will close due to an untenable rent increase, with the building's landlord demanding more than double the current rent. It is only the latest intimate performance venue to close; in recent years, venues from Fez to CBGB have shuttered due to the hostile real estate market. The Cutting Room is owned by actor Chris Noth and musician Steve Walter, who plan to reopen in a new Manhattan location in 2009.

Joan Rivers has made the 125 seat venue her home base for four years, using the venue to workshop new material. For the past 10 years, the intimate Chelsea club has been extremely popular with top talent; among the performers who have graced its stage are Sting, Alanis Morissette, Norah Jones, James Blunt, John Mayer, Carly Simon, Ronnie Spector, Tommy Chong, John Legend, Tenacious D, Eric Hutchinson, Dion, and Salt 'n' Pepa.

Before it closes, The Cutting Room has also scheduled performances by a variety of artists including acclaimed drag performer Dina Martina (Jan. 4 - 8); Jimmy Webb (Jan. 10), Bjorkestra (Jan. 11) and long-running late night favorite Le Scandal Burlesque (Jan. 3 & 10). For a complete schedule visit www.thecuttingroomnyc.com