The Improv at Harrah’s Has Its Last Laugh, Closes for Good

The Las Vegas outpost of one of the world’s most recognizable comedy club franchises, The Improv, has closed at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

The Improv had its final show on May 29, 2016, with zero fanfare.

We were there for The Improv’s 15th anniversary in 2010. Budd Friedman, founder of The Improv, was on hand to celebrate the occasion.

Budd Friedman
Budd Friedman launched the careers of some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy. He also won a Purple Heart during the Korean War. No, really.

No official announcement about the fate of the The Improv has been made, but our call to Harrah’s confirmed the venue’s closure.

There had been rumblings of waning ticket sales at The Improv, and marketing for the venue dwindled to virtually nothing in recent months.

The Improv has had a very respectable run in Las Vegas. The club opened April 18, 1995. The Improv brand first came to Las Vegas at the now-closed Riviera.

Many of the biggest names in comedy have performed at The Improv at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

Charles Fleischer
Comedian Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit, among other things) onstage at The Improv Las Vegas.

The Improv Showroom at Harrah’s currently hosts two shows, the “X Country” topless revue and “Menopause The Musical,” reportedly the only show with consistently good ticket
sales in the space.

Kudos to our pal Johnny Kats for being the first to float the story The Improv Las Vegas would shutter at Harrah’s.

Improv Las Vegas
Dibs on the neon.

The saddest part of the timing of The Improv’s closing is that it just turned 21 in April, so it barely had time to take full advantage of being in Las Vegas.