CUTTING ROOM GETS THE CHOP

Legendary comedian Joan Rivers will play the final show at the popular 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 stand-up shows benefit God's Love We Deliver and Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Cutting Room is located at 19 West 24 Street in Chelsea.

The Cutting Room has also been home to a number of drag cabaret shows, from artists including Jackie Beat, Brini Maxwell, Shequida, Flotilla DeBarge, Mimi Imfurst, Murray Hill, and others. Miss Ritchfield 1981 will play the club for the last time on New Year's Eve; Dina Martina returns to the club January 4-9. Tickets are available at www.SpinCycleNYC.com, or at 212-352-3101.

The Cutting Room is closing due to an untenable rent increase, with the building's landlord demanding more than double the current rent. It is only the latest New York 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 are investigating new spaces in hopes of reopening later this year.

Joan Rivers has made the 125 seat venue her home base for four years, using the club to workshop new material. The tiny space 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, Jimmy Webb, Tenacious D, Eric Hutchinson, and Salt 'n' Pepa.

DINA MARTINA: ALIVE AT THE CUTTING ROOM!
3 Performances Only! January 4th, 5th & 8th



DINA IN P'TOWN THIS PAST SEASON COVERING WHITNEY HOUSTON'S CLASSIC, THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL