They descended the steps under the bright sign of the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village on Wednesday night, most, if not all, completely unaware that they were about to witness something extraordinary.

Did anyone know?

Perhaps the club’s managers had an inkling. But they are not talking, so that is unclear. The M.C. for the night said he had no idea.

The first comedian to perform said he knew some “heavy hitters” were in the club. That, in itself, did not surprise him; household names have been known to drop by to work out new material.

But that comedian, Ryan Hamilton, was astonished when he was followed by a murderers’ row so loaded that the last one to take the stage, Dave Chappelle, told the crowd, according to people who were there, “You guys saw a billion dollars’ worth of comedians tonight.”