Icahn Takes Stage for Funny Business
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Jerry Seinfeld. Chris Rock. Carl Icahn? The legendary corporate raider and billionaire will be onstage at Caroline’s tonight as part of Funny Business, a series of comedy shows featuring high-profile business figures.
Proceeds will go to charity. After all, Mr. Icahn doesn’t exactly need to pass the hat.
When he performed at the first Funny Business two years ago, “he had the crowd mesmerized and laughing hysterically,” the show’s founder, David Moore, said.
No, Mr. Moore isn’t being sarcastic.
At his last onstage appearance, Mr. Icahn said, “I’m like Robin Hood. … Well, I’ve got the ‘rob the rich’ part down, at any rate.”
Also performing are Jerry Della Femina, advertising guru and restauranteur , and Jim Lebenthal, chairman emeritus of municipal bond firm Lebenthal and Company, along with three professional comedians.
“This is terrifying,” said Mr. Della Femina, who had just started composing his act when he spoke from home last night. “I feel that I am going to die alone.”
The first few times Mr. Moore called, Mr. Della Femina ignored him. Eventually, a friend encouraged him to take the comedian’s calls.
“I said to myself, no one’s going to know about this. And the next thing I know, I read about it in the papers,” Mr. Della Femina said. He added, “I’ll always be able to step back and point at the single dumbest thing I ever did in my life.”
As the biggest name, Mr. Icahn probably will be the show’s star – and the butt of a lot of jokes. Mr. Della Femina plans to mock the size of the sign at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island. “There’s the Rose Bowl, there’s Yankee Stadium, but there’s no bigger sign than the words ‘Carl Icahn,'” Mr. Della Femina said.
Jim Lebenthal’s radio commercials for municipal bonds will also come under attack. “I’m going to say they sexually excited me,” Mr. Della Femina said.
Yes, Mr. Della Femina is being sarcastic.
Mr. Moore, the show’s founder and emcee, has a strong business pedigree. He’s chief executive of Register.com and chairman of Garden State Brickface, a home remodeling company. “I’m a Harvard MBA, which I mention because I’m required to work it into every conversation,” Mr. Moore said.
He started performing stand-up comedy five years ago and found he was good at it. He now performs about once a week, often at corporate events. “I have a monopoly on business comedy,” Mr. Moore said. “Don’t tell the SEC. There’s not a lot of competition for suit-and-tie mid-40s comics.”
He has hosted Funny Business every few months since the first show in 2003. A vice chairman at Sotheby’s, Jamie Niven, a real estate mogul, Barbara Corcoran, and a Bear Stearns executive, John Rosenwald, have all appeared on the bill.
Donald Trump, of course, has expressed interest, but this is one stage he hasn’t conquered yet.