Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The owner of Crackers Comedy Club is closing the stand-up brand launched in Indianapolis in 1982.
Ruth-Anne Herber made the announcement Friday in a social media post, indicating that performances by touring comic Patti Vasquez scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Crackers, 207 N. Delaware St., would not happen.
“It is with deep sadness that I must announce that Crackers Comedy is closing its doors for the time being,” Herber wrote. “It has been my pleasure and honor to have served you for the last four decades. We had a fabulous winter season, and there is nothing I’m more proud of than to have brought so many great comedians to Indianapolis.”
Herber wrote that “constantly being short-staffed” and the challenge of paying “$500,000 liquor license liability insurance” influenced her decision.
In January 2022, Herber announced plans to close Crackers because of financial challenges. Within a week, Herber announced that her rent had been reduced and the business would stay open.
In Friday’s social media post, Herber thanked her landlord, Indian Garden restaurant owner Tony Mehra. She also wrote that all tickets for this weekend’s scheduled performances will be refunded, along with any unused gift certificates.
Founded by Jim Schliebner and Susie Beiman in 1982, the original Crackers presented rising stars Jay Leno, Garry Shandling and Bob Saget at 708 Broad Ripple Ave. Subsequent Crackers locations opened at the Fashion Mall, 8702 Keystone Crossing (1984); at 6281 N. College Ave. (1999); and at 247 S. Meridian St. (1999).
The Delaware Street site opened in 2016. All other locations are no longer in business.
Herber was hired as a server at the Fashion Mall Crackers in 1990, and she became general manager in 1999. Through the years, she brought comedians such as Kevin Hart, D.L. Hughley, Lisa Lampanelli and Daniel Tosh to Indianapolis for performances.
Downtown competition for Crackers arrived in 2019, when Helium Comedy Club opened at 10 W. Georgia St.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Good riddance. Helium picked up where they were slacking.
“And get off my lawn.”
This is a bummer, but Crackers had really declined in quality of service and the quality of their shows.
Bummer and both valid concerns, but guessing it’s simply the business model that is the problem. Stand up is not the draw it used to be and how much revenue can you take in in the very limited weekly hours, vs overhead? Wasn’t this already a rescue project awhile back?
Standup is bigger now than it ever has been. They just weren’t getting the big names that Helium, the Murat, Gainbridge and Clowes have been getting.
Stand up isn’t dead, but it certainly isn’t bigger than it’s ever been by any measure.
Corey, there used to be at least 4-5 comedy clubs in Indy and they didn’t go out of business because they got tired of money. You do make a great point, however, comparing Crackers to 3000-15,000 seat venues. You should mail Crackers a letter and suggest they get Shane Gillis to perform.
Saw Bob Saget at Helium shortly before his passing and he still brought up Crackers owing him money.
Say what you will, but Crackers brought comedy to Indy before any other club did.
That’s wild that Crackers is closing. Comedy couldn’t be hotter right now.
Not being snarky. How is comedy “hot”? Yes, the big names do well, as they always have, but I feel like the small clubs are dinosaurs. Please show me data and sources to at say differently
Given that many comedians fear getting canceled if they offend the people with institutional power, it’s hard to believe stand-up comedy “couldn’t be hotter right now”. Many venues are equally timid about booking edgy comedians–especially the bigger ones, which (even in times when men were stronger) had to go pretty mainstream and “safe” to fill enough seats and turn a profit. Yet, ironically, the few who remain willing to tell edgy jokes are the most likely to generate crowds…but also face the foundation-financed protestors standing out front.
The most culturally restrictive times are ironically the best times for comedy, yet also the toughest. My guess is the top-quality button-pushing stand-up is more likely to perform in a speakeasy-type venue rather than something as big as Clowes or Murat, or even Helium.
Everything has a lifespan, 43 years aint’ bad. Have seen many shows there, I think at all three locations — but admittedly, it’s been a long, long while.
Crackers owners through the years were decent, honest business people.
Shame to lose them.
Forty three years for a comedy club in Indy is a great run.