Big Apple comedy fest launched

Bill Cosby, Carl Reiner, Steven Wright and Greg Proops will all play the 10th annual Toyota Comedy Festival in New York next month.

The event also features a comedy cruise around the Hudson River, a day of free events, film screenings and a programme of hospital visits by comedians who perform for patients and staff.

Like the London Comedy Festival, which opens on Saturday, many of the New York events are within existing clubs, topped off with a number of special events.

Included in these is comedy veteran Reiner talking about his career working alongside Sid Caesar, Dick Van Dyke and Steve Martin on June 11, and Cosby performing a stand-up show at Carneige Hall on June 12.

Festival producer John Schreiber said: "New Yorkers have the most finely honed sense of humour in the world. If you can get a New Yorker to laugh, you've got to be funny ­ and we've been doing that for ten years."

The festival runs from June 11 to 15, and a full programme is available at the official website.

Published: 13 May 2002