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"We Are NOT Closed" - RAY'S COMEDY WORLD Fights Back

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"We Are NOT Closed" - RAY'S COMEDY WORLD Fights Back

Entertainer Ray Wold takes aim at a Las Vegas Review-Journal article in this VEGAS 411 exclusive...

Richard Wold, Corrine Wold, Ray Wold, and Daniel Lucero (left to right)

Earlier this week, VEGAS 411 published this report on a new entertainment spot called RAY'S COMEDY WORLD. Initially scheduled to operate once per week on Mondays, RAY'S promised to expand with additional nights on the weekends. Yet only four days after our article was published, we were notified that the comedy club had permanently closed. So...what happened throughout the week for the club to seemingly collapse? A lot more than you'd think, it turns out. This morning, VEGAS 411 received a formal press release via email. Sent by Jessica Trammel of TRAMMEL PRO ENTERTAINMENT, the announcement stated the following:

Ray's Comedy World is permanently closed and all shows are canceled under Ray's Comedy World due to venue financial reasons, food & city codes.

Along with the annoucement, Ms. Trammel added the following text, directed toward this writer and Pete Housley, owner of VEGAS 411 LLC:

"We just want to say thank you for being so understanding and supportive through this comedy journey with us... it hasn't been easy to keep pushing through all these ups and downs over the years but we can't do it alone... we just want to say thank you and hope to come back with better news soon."

Within the press release was a link to this article, written by John Katsilometes and published on the website for Las Vegas Review-Journal at 9:50 pm on 3/14/24. Here are screenshots that display the segment referencing Wold's comedy club:

Screenshot from Las Vegas Review-Journal article by John Katsilometes

What you may notice is that none of the claims in the Review-Journal article come from Ray Wold himself. I spoke to Mr. Wold this morning via phone, then arranged to meet him and his family at the venue. I learned a number of eyebrow-raising details, first and foremost being that Wold was never contacted by John Katsilometes to confirm details as told to him by the Trammels. "We are not closed", Wold emphatically stated. He made it clear that Joe and Jessica Trammel are not partners in Ray's Comedy World, therefore they have no authority to make such statements. "They were employees, like I am for Cirque du Soleil. The Trammels have as much right to declare us "closed" as I do to announce that 'O' is closed at Bellagio".

And yet, both the club's official website and Facebook page have declared the venue to be shuttered. According to the Wold family and stage manager Daniel Lucero, that's because the Trammels are holding their online presence hostage. According to Ray, Jessica Trammel was paid $1,500 to build their website while charging a substantial weekly fee to maintain it and the Club's social media. Now the Trammels are reportedly demanding an additional $10,000.00 to relinquish control. After more than twenty-five years and 13,000 Cirque du Soleil performances, Ray Wold became eager to explore additional outlets for his talents. So, last fall, he prepared a fire act with his mother Corrine to compete on America's Got Talent. The duo's riotous appearances got them through to the Season 18 semi-finals. With that success, Ray was ready to branch out even more.

The location of Ray's Comedy World would be within a building that Ray has owned for the better part of two decades. Originally home to AMAZING CLOWNS, the center was created for events and children's parties. Its outdoor courtyard resembles an old-time carnival midway, with a party room, stage, and kitschy but charming circus decor within.

As the popularity of AMAZING CLOWNS waned, Wold decided to reinvent it as a comedy club. As he was working on the details, he was approached by Joe Trammel, who offered to book talent and promote the club for a fee. Under their agreement, he'd also serve as emcee on most nights, and wife Jessica Trammel would handle the online matters. "I knew nothing about promoting or booking comedians", Ray told me. "Joe said he could do it, and I trusted him." Wold's fire safety manager Daniel Lucero, who worked with the eighty-six year old Corrine and Ray on AGT, would act as stage manager and learn to operate the sound board and lights. Richard Wold, Ray's brother, would serve as bartender. A true family business and passion project.

Corrine Wold proudly shares a photo with Simon Cowell at America's Got Talent

According to all four present at today's meeting, Joe Trammel instituted a power struggle against them. They believe that the Trammels had fallen on hard times and were trying to get back on top by taking over the Club. Corrine stated, "I felt sorry for them. They live with their two children in an RV trailer. I cooked their Thanksgiving dinner last year because they had nothing."

Richard Wold operates the bar at Ray's Comedy World

According to Richard Wold, the Trammels have no means of transportation. He says it was necessary for him to bring Joe back and forth to work at the Club while being confined to a wheelchair himself. But despite all the kindness, gestures, and significant payments, the Trammels apparently wanted more. Lots more. While the Wolds and Lucero were reluctant to publicly share specifics, they agree that the Trammels forced themselves out of the Club through their extreme take-it-or-leave-it demands. Says Ray, "We don't want a big legal struggle. We just want to continue running our business. And we ARE still operating. I'm looking into being open this coming Monday."

Joe Trammel (left) with guest comedian Elyssa Phillips

It appears that details provided by Joe Trammel to Katsilometes were published without research or substantiation from the Wolds. As mentioned above, the Wolds were never contacted to tell their side. According to the article, the Wolds kept cats, snakes, and rats on the premises, describing a noticeable odor that customers and performers reportedly complained about. Along with listing the venue's address incorrectly, Katsilometes disparagingly refered to it as "The Litter Box". What this writer learned was that there is ONE snake remaining from the old side show days. It's in the back, out of sight. They did show me another sideshow oddity, the taxidermied remains of a five-legged, two-headed turtle, long dead and odor free.

Corrine Wold and the "villain" of Review-Journal's article

As for the supposedly smelly "cats", only one lives in the recesses of the building. Unnamed, this shy female was discovered by the Wolds, locked inside a closed nearby business, abandoned and left to die. The Wolds rescued her and she is now safe, healthy, and stays in a pet crate during business hours. As for odors, the only aroma I noticed was freshly-made popcorn, a staple at circuses and live shows.

Screenshot from Trammel press release 3/15/24

Another claim, made within the Trammel press release, is that issues with "food and city codes" led to its closure. The Wolds state emphatically that their liquor license is current, that they abide by all food/beverage regulations, and that there are no citations against the venue.

Ray tells me that he and his team are soldiering forward, intent on creating another website and new social media for Ray's Comedy World. He's determined to do his best in providing a place for comedians and audiences to come together without spending an arm and a leg. Daniel Lucero closed our conversation by stating "All we want to do is be the best entertainment value in Las Vegas". And in a city built on glass, gloss, and gouging, this humble small-town family is giving it their best shot. As far as they're concerned, RAY'S COMEDY WORLD is still open for business.