Rick Crom: Bio, Comedy Style, and Where to Watch

Who is Rick Crom?

Rick Crom was born on March 15, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. He came to New York in 1979 as part of the acclaimed improv group Chicago City Limits, serving as their opening act and musical director (he also plays piano). In 1984, he joined the Comedy Cellar as a regular act and eventually became the club’s permanent host for over fifteen years. He still performs there regularly. He has built four simultaneous careers over forty-plus years: nightclub comedian, Broadway and film/television actor, musical theater songwriter, and educator.

His Broadway credits include the original casts of The Goodbye Girl, Footloose, and Urinetown. Off-Broadway, he co-starred in the Atlantic Theater Company’s production of the Sarah Silverman musical The Bedwetter in 2025. He is the author and composer of Newsical the Musical, which ran on Theater Row for ten years and earned him multiple Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Musical Revue. His television credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, House of Cards, Divorce, Louie, Chappelle’s Show, Ray Donovan, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Fight, and Elementary. Film credits include Steven Spielberg’s The Post, Bros, and The Big Gay Musical (for which he also wrote songs). He starred as Howard Cosell in The Lennon Report. He has done stand-up on HBO, MTV, Comedy Central, Showtime, and A&E. He is the subject of the 2017 documentary Oh, Rick. He runs Rick Crom’s Comedy School, a stand-up program for actors affiliated with the Comedy Cellar.

Rick Crom’s Comedy Style

Crom occupies a unique position in the Comedy Cellar ecosystem — a comedian who was the club’s host for fifteen years and who has simultaneously maintained careers as a Broadway actor and musical theater composer. The range is genuine: he can write a topical political revue, play a Spielberg film, and close out a late-night Cellar set on the same week. His comedy is built from the same place his songwriting comes from — sharp observation of public life and culture, delivered with a performer’s instinct for timing.

Where to Find Rick Crom

Find tour dates and Comedy School info at rickcrom.com and follow on Instagram @rickcrom.

Rick Crom has performed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Check the current lineup and upcoming shows at comedycellar.com.

Catch Comedy Cellar shows live from New York on Mint Comedy at watch.mintcomedy.com.