Times Square’s new ‘Comedy Village’ set to host fundraiser benefiting firefighters’ mental health

This week, a comedy show in the heart of Manhattan will help raise funds for firefighters battling mental health challenges.

Comedy Village in Times Square, which only opened in the past week at 352 West 44th St., will be hosting a fundraiser for “Friends of Firefighters,” a non-profit organization that provides independent and free confidential mental health counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their families.

The fundraiser will be held on Thursday, Aug. 15, from 8 to 10 p.m. All proceeds will go to the group and will also help fund a 250-mile bike run in Dublin, Ireland in September. Tickets for the comedy event are $20.

Club owner PJ Landers, a 30-year comedy club veteran and a long-time news videographer, said he was proud to be able to help this cause because he has witnessed so many fires in his work as a member of the media and having participated in rescue operations on 9/11 at the World Trade Center.

“After watching these men and women of the FDNY selflessly put themselves in danger every single day and being able to witness what they do to protect our lives is an inspiration,” Landers said. “As a comic, being able to provide laughter and something back to the community is what we do. I think it is important how laughter is vital to mental health. When we found out about this organization, we felt we needed to help them.”

PJ Landers, owner of Comedy Village in Times Square.

Rachel Feinstein will be among those performing the night of the fundraiser. She is married to an FDNY fire chief.

“I love doing anything I can with Friends of Firefighters,” Feinstein said. “They provide mental health care for firefighters and EMS families so I’m so grateful for all they do. Hopefully, firefighter families who often struggle with so many complex issues related to the job, can go out and have a laugh today.”

Dean Edwards and Sherrod Smalls, both well-known on the comedy circuit are also scheduled to perform.

Sherrod Smalls performed last week at the Comedy Village in Times Square.

Nancy Carbone, founder and executive director of Friends of Firefighters, said the fundraiser would help many.

“We are so grateful to the Comedy Village for highlighting the important work that Friends of Firefighters does on a daily basis,” she said. “We’ve been providing free counseling and mental health services to FDNY and the community for 23 years. There’s a tremendous demand for our services at this point and we are grateful that we have the help of so many talented comedians and the support of the club.”

Landers is a native of Sunnyside/Woodside, Queens. He started doing comedy after he left the U.S. Army.

“I’ve been doing comedy and producing shows for over 25 years, my inspiration was Rodney Dangerfield, not his comedy, but why he started his place,” he said. “No one will ever be as quick as he was at the jokes. I read his book, ‘It’s not easy being me” in 2005. He said the reason he started his comedy club was to be closer to his kids and have a place for him and his friends to perform. Having two sons myself, I immediately connected to that and started working towards owning a club.”

The block where the club is located is rich in comedy history.

In 1963, well known Bud Friedman opened the famous Improv, the first home of comedy legends including Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Kaufman and Larry David.

Comedy Village is going to be doing shows seven nights a week.

“We wanted to fill the void of comedy in Midtown. After Carolines Comedy Club closed its doors after 40 years of serving millions of laughs, something was missing,” he said. “My first show performing stand-up was at Carolines in 1991. I was truly saddened by the closing, like we were losing a true institution. Carolines still produces the New York Comedy Festival, of which we hope to be a part.”

For more information on the fundraiser or tickets, visit comedyvillage.com/events.

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