NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 1/5/13

January 5, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Flynn, Kevin Allison, and Dan St. Germain

Two great storytelling shows tonight: John Flynn, Kevin Allison, and more at The Liar Show, and Dan St. Germain and more at Adam Wade’s Tales of the Cosmos

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open-mic stand-up show (“starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one”) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($8 cover plus $7 drink min.; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319): Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true…but one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber—and everyone who does gets a free t-shirt! This evening’s yarn-spinners are Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), John Flynn (rising star storyteller/actor; Saturday Night Live, The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!), Andy Ross (Mad Magazine, The Onion), and Peter Aguero (Conan O’Brien, Moth GrandSlam Champion, The BTK Band). Come to the West Village’s Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street) and let host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Kelly & Justin, The Afterparty, and Sad Kids at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[FREE] 6:00 pm: “A monthly show that you control. Your suggestions, blurt-outs, and whatever else you feel like doing or saying will guide us through an hour of good times” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: YBTHR

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Dan St. Germain, Emily Blotnick, and Julia Joseph tell “stories of all sizes that define our place in the universe” at UCB East hosted by Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 18-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas The Adam Wade Show and Whatever Happened to the Nerds?; for a sampling of Adam’s award-winning tales, please click here): Tales of the Cosmos

7:00 pm ($5): Hip hop musical improv at The PIT downstairs theatre from Nick Brown, Don Romaniello, and Michael Short pretending to be NYC police officers: Rap Crimes Division

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Sharp improvisors “perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules” at The Magnet theatre: The Weave

7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then “turn that town’s tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:” The Curfew: Not From Around Here

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) in the West Village, and tonight is the final performance for which tickets are available: The Old Man and the Moon

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15 at the door, $18.88 in advance online): TV & movie star Gilbert Gottfried, Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), and more performing at Brooklyn’s The Bell House hosted by Liam McEneaney: Tell Your Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: “Want to see your favorite stand-up comics get slapped by Satan himself? He only hosts bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne and Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man’s shoes and put NYC’s finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls? Come see for yourself in this monthly showcase” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: See You in Hell

8:00 pm ($5): Stand-up, sketch comics, and improv groups mix up their regular routines; plus host Kissing Disease performs an improvised monoscene based on an audience member’s suggested obstacle at The PIT downstairs lounge: Kissing Disease Tries Something

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A comic who won Last Comic Standing Season 3, has performed on Jay Leno, and starred in his own Showtime one-hour special Who’s Paying Attention?, headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Alonzo Bodden

8:30 pm ($10): Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX’s In Living Color, Comedy Central), Roger Hailes (Chappelle’s Show, VH1, MTV; writer for FUSE’s A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Sabrina Jalees (Last Comic Standing), and Kath Barbadoro performing stand-up at UCB East guest-hosted by Nick Turner: If You Build It

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($20): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Dante Nero performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Janeane Garofalo, Marina Franklin, Hannibal Buress, and More

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea’s genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there’s still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Christian Finnegan (Conan O’Brien, co-star of TBS’ Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1′s Best Week Ever, Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

9:00 pm ($5): “A monthly show featuring long form improv of three diverse schools of thought and culminating in a cross-team closing” at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sharif Ali and Kelly Ann Rockwell: World’s Fair

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Hilarious, organic show in which stand-ups perform anything except stand-up—e.g., sketch, storytelling, improv, songs, dance, puppetry, and things we can’t even imagine—with tonight’s comics Amber Nelson, Eli Sairs, Jim VanBlaricum, Robert Dean, Mike Cody,Taylor Clark, Shakir Standley, Brad Austin, Nate Fernald, Alex Fossella, Max Boyajian, and Joel Walkowski performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Reid Faylor, Kelly Fastuca, and/or Andrew Short (who has promised to steal a policeman’s gun, live on stage): Underbelly

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to “take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:” Grandma’s Ashes Gets Dark

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford—makes stuff up at UCB East based on hellish experiences of audience members: Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20 & 2-item food/drink min.) Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody) Joe Matarese (David Lettterman, Chelsea Lately, Comedy Central Presents, Bravo, IFC), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friendlander, Joe Matarese, Ryan Hamilton, and More

11:00 pm ($8): A young all-guy improv troupe making stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A freestyle rap contest at UCB East with typically terrific NYC comics (not announced)—plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by genius human beatbox Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central) at one of my favorite monthly shows: The BEATdown

Midnight ($5): Jessica Delfino (enjoys singing songs about her vagina, as demonstrated by her CDs Dirty Folk Rock and I Wanna Be Famous; created wildly popular YouTube animated short film I Wanna Be Famous), Emily Heller (Comedy Central; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Ben Kronberg (Comedy Central), Boris Khaykin (College Humor), Greg Brainos, and Steve Slate (as DJ Snob) performing at UCB Chelsea with host Andy Rocco at Underground Americana

[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form “rare and wonderful one-night-only teams,” with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 6/28/12

June 28, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.
For excerpts from Dave Hill’s new bestselling book, please click here.

Kurt Braunohler and Elna Baker

It’s a night for top storytellers, with Kurt Braunohler and Elna Baker at the wonderful Leslie Goshko’s “Sideshow Goshko”…

Tom Shillue and Simon Amstell

…and stars Tom Shillue and Simon Amstell at the wonderful Kevin Allison’s “Risk!”

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

6:00 pm ($5): Three shows I know nothing about—Former Business Partners: Everything Must Go!,The Unbreakable Gun, and Tybrus: Infinity Bros, audition for a spot on the schedule of the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage: Spank

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Veteran musical improvisors at The PIT mix with novices on-stage at Pitch

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics’ names drawn from a bucket and each chosen one receiving three minutes at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Corby Haas

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: A free screening at UCB East (which used to a movie theatre) of a 2002 documentary about improv legend Del Close featuring memories from such stars as Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh: The Delmonic Interviews

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($12): Elna Baker (genius storyteller, and bestselling author of the comedic book The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance; writer for Glamour, Elle; NPR’sThis American Life; co-host of red-hot The Talent Show), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Bunk; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets;co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), and Katina Corrao (HBO, Logo) are among the performers joining host Leslie Goshko (delightful storyteller/stand-up; WNYC, Sirius XM, Manhattan Monologue champion) for this unique storytelling show at 92YTribeca (200 Hudson Street) that features such charms as accordion playing by Dr. Michelle-Leona Godin: Sideshow Goshko

7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill atThe PIT downstairs lounge: Hot Diner and THEM

[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Junior Varsity to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-writer/director/producer & cast member of Adult Swim’s awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) teaming up with fellow 30 Rock actor John Lutz (who previously spent six years as a staff writer forSaturday Night Live) to form a super-smart and hilarious star improv duo that’s tonight at the The Hudson Guild Theatre (441 West 26th Street) and should not be missed: John & Scott

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Band Amazing Jellies plays music to inspire made-up scenes by superb improvisors from The Story Pirates, Centralia, UCB, etc.—plus Greg Kotis, co-writer of Broadway hit Urinetown!—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Beauty Love Truth

8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill atThe PIT downstairs lounge: The East Side Orphan Riot and Harvey

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Great NYC improv troupes of the past—Badman, Ragnarock, Bastian, fwand, and Monkeydick—perform for one night only at UCB East for this special event: Harold Night Time Machine

8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house improv troupes Hello Laser, Junior Varsity, The Boss, and Phooka performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by Charlie Whitcroft directing Jazz Freddie (improvised scenes that focus on show the past, present, and future of one character and then spirals into an exploration of the character’s world), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challengecomponent): The Magnet’s Night Out

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 [vs. $25] online or at the box office using discount code BBOX): Telly Savalas returns to life to entertain you and provide life guidance in this 50-minute show that was a hit at FringeNYC 2011 and is now enjoying an open-ended Friday night run at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club. The script is at times very smart, especially in its choices of hilarious video clips and music tracks from the real Savalas…who, in his more intense moments, apparently rivaled William Shatner at his silliest. But even when Hunter Nelson’s writing isn’t consistent, actor Tom DiMenna—who is a professional comic with great timing and skill at engaging an audience—will keep you entertained: Who Loves You, Baby?

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10 online or at the door): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), and Baratunde Thurston (author of How to be Black; The Onion) performing at 92YTribeca (200 Hudson Street) with host Scott Rogowsky (writer for The Onion, co-host of 12 Angry Mascots) for “a unique talk show experience that needs to be experienced to be experienced. There will be plenty of bits, skits, chits and chats, and maybe that pretty girl you saw on the 6 train last night will be in the audience! It’s a big city, but you run into people:” Running Late with Scott Rogowsky

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Brilliant UK star Simon Amstell (Numb, Never Mind the Buzzcocks), star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), Mara Wilson (Mara Wilson Writes Stuff, Matilda), Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing, MTV’s Ridiculousness, VH1), Lisa Kirchner (author ofHello, Female Lady Creature!, host of The Next Chapter), and host Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1) performing at The PIT upstairs theatre to share tales on tonight’s theme In a Strange Land at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

9:30 pm ($5): Mark Sutton and Ari Voukydis play two fisherman as they improvise using a form made legendary by Chicago’s Joe Bill (who’ll be participating in this weekend’s Del Close Marathon, but apparently not in this particular show…) at the The Hudson Guild Theatre (441 West 26th Street): Bassprov

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene

9:30 pm ($5): If you’re a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it on the UCB Chelsea stage—along with stand-ups Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV), Adam Conover, Mark Little, Nimesh Patel, and more—at CollegeHumor Live

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Krompf, one of the best improv troupes in NYC (consisting of Neil Casey, Amey Goerlich, Ryan Karels, and Joe Wengert), showing off its various improv games—The Kroumf, The Gator, Pizza Prov, and more—right before tomorrow’s Del Close Marathon: Third Annual Pre-DCM Krompf Extravaganza

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): A brand new game show with Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), and Anna Klumski (Veep), and audience members selected as contestants at UCB East created & hosted by Matt Walsh (improv living legend, HBO’s Veep): Celebrity

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): The King is dead. After 13 consecutive wins, Improv troupe Airwolf last week was finally bested by Grandma’s Ashes (which ironically runs directly opposite Airwolf on Saturday nights at 10:30 at UCB Chelsea vs. UCB East). Grandma’s Ashes’ first challenger for its new crown is GoodGirl; and you can expect girls to be hit as the groups mercilessly compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea for the raucous Cage Match

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm: Improv set in a 3rd Grade class from troupe IRTE at The PIT downstairs lounge: IRTE: Mrs. Carrol’s 3rd Grade Houghton Mifflin Spelling Class

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 4/25/12

April 25, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Cat Unemployment

Sharp storytellers who have had tough times with jobs tells tales about "How I Learned It's a Living"

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 5:00 pm: Sketch comics—including such superb talents as Lauren Olson, Nicole Byer, and Meghan O’Neill—audition their funniest characters at The Magnet for a performance spot at the prestigious Montreal comedy festival: Just for Laughs Auditions

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing four minutes per comic, with “15 people chosen randomly through e-mail, and five walk-ins; and a guaranteed spot to anyone who performs in character as a famous explorer” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Comedic Exploration Club of Long Island City, West

7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet brand house troupes Grappler, Leviathan, The Surge, The Wrath, Featherweight, Brick, Horses, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with The Wrath at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

7:00 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Maude Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes Graceland and Kinsey: Lloyd Night

7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups & storytellers (not announced) performing at McSwiggan’s (393 Second Avenue off 23rd Street) hosted by Selena Coppock—whose birthday is today: Connotation

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Tales of working and unemployment, with stellar storytellers Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), Ben Lillie (host of The Story Collider), Jessica Courtney Maum (Adult Swim), Tyler Coates, and Greg Olear performing at Happy Ending (302 Broome Street) hosted by Blaise Allysen Kearsley: How I Learned It’s a Living—Stories from the Unemployed, Underemployed, and Working Stiffs

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Molly Knefel (member of superb improv troupe Naked in a Fishbowl) and her brother John Knefel (veteran stand-up) host this monthly comedy show, with tonight’s guests Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1′s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Kevin Barnett (College Humor), and Robert Dean performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): John and Molly Get Along

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB East, Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are the fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a musical about 19th century New York in which “uptown the aristocrats and robber barons think they own the city, while downtown thieves, pimps, and she-males believe they do; but the real kings of the city, the only truly free ones, are the news boys—and for some reason, they’re all British!,” with book & lyrics by Brian Glidewell, Marcy Jarreau & Kevin Carter, and direction by Christopher Gladysz & Lauren Conlin Adams: Newsadoozies: A Man-Eating Musical…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, a show for which I had high hopes since some of my fondest childhood memories are of Krypto and his Space Canine Patrol Agents (S.C.P.A.). But this ain’t that. Instead, it’s a deliberately dumb version of Saturday morning cartoon shows that demonstrates little respect, affection, or wit towards its source material. The only notable elements are Neil Casey, who is hilarious as an evil alien; Rob Lathan as Neil’s lackey; and Sue Galloway as the gal even dog creatures want to make out with. This could have been so much more, especially with the brilliant Craig Rowin as co-writer; but instead it’s merely Dog Fleet

[TOP PICK] [FREE—including FREE PIZZA] 8:00 pm: Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1′s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Adam Lowitt (Producer of The Daily Show), Nick Cobb, and Susana Perlman performing at the East Village’s Beauty Bar with hosts Amy Albert & Beth McGregor for their free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm ($5): At this unique new comedic storytelling show, “each performer narrates while panelists interrupt and interject until the funniest truth comes out,” with tonight’s guests including Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award) talking on the theme Fresh Start at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Nina Mozes (Risk!, Stuckey & Murray): Please Interrupt Me

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets “and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically terrific NYC comics (not announced) performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) typically hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and/or Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film at UCB East as The Two-Man Movie

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Adam Wade, Anthony Atamanuik, Jon Gabrus, Juliet Hope Wayne, and host Dave Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious at UCB Chelsea, with tonight’s theme Ambition: The Nights of Our Lives

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB’s classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups perform along with side-show attractions such as jugglers, contortionists, and fire eaters at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City for this unusual carny experience: Abigoliah’s Bizzarre Bazaar

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: The wonderful Sasheer Zamata (Doppelganger) hosts as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that’s part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Tonight’s scheduled lineup includes Katey Healy-Wurzburg, Leslie Meisel, and Annie Lederman; for the complete list, please click here. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

11:00 pm ($5): Stand-up, sketch, improv, and chats about books at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Brennan Lee Mulligan & Jessica Rionero: Book Club

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma’s Ashes: The Improv Jam

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket ‘O Buckets

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 8/25/11

August 25, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For comprehensive coverage of the spectacular FringeNYC 2011 Festival, please click here.

Kevin Allison and Gilbert Gottfried

Ace storyteller Kevin Allison (hosting Risk!) and ace stand-up Gilbert Gottfried (headlining at Carolines)

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics drawing names from a bucket, with each chosen one receiving three minutes at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Corby Haas

[FREE] 6:30 pm: In this free show, audience members (signing in at 6) can join in with veteran improv talents to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.)  A one-of-a-kind comedy star headlining at the Carolines Comedy Club: Gilbert Gottfried

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Sharp sketch troupe Pangea 3000 presents its best sketches in 12 Years of Hard Work; and and in the other half of this double-bill, a mini-play that pleased the college-age audience I saw it with, but that I wish wasn’t written to be so calculating and by-the-numbers (e.g., the ending was dead obvious within the first few minutes)…but is probably worth seeing if only for the genuinely fresh & funny tailor scene: Brad Sacks Gets a Handjob

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comedy veterans Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey), Jodi Lennon (Second City, Annoyance Theatre, iO, Exit 57), and Ari Voukydis (Conan O’Brien, VH1) performing an improvised play in What a Year!

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Some of the Magnet Theatre’s finest improvisors make up theatrical plays on the spot: Playhouse

8:00 pm ($10): “A 17-person middle school talent show created and performed by two people—Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron—who like themselves more now that they’re older. A comedic tribute to the best three years of our lives, and a comedic play for anyone who ever thought it couldn’t get any better than prank calls and slow-dancing:” Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Matt McCarthy, Dan Kennedy, Danny Lobell, and Dawn Fraser —joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme Uncanny at one of the finest storytelling showsin the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): “Thin Skin Jonny. They had it all. They were icons, legends, anti-folk superstars. However, tragedy struck and they broke up, citing an alleged statutory charge, gay porn addiction, and Four Loko abuse. Now, two months later, they’re back to do one last show—a benefit! Can they find a way to get along long enough to raise the money needed to re-animate the corpse of Bea Arthur? Maybe, with your help!” Performers include Ari Scott, with direction from Pam Murphy: Thin Skin Jonny: Farewell Reunion Tour

9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Joe DeRosa, Katina Corrao, Eric Kirchberger, and more performing stand-up at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for Sean Crespo’s & Carol Hartsell’s weekly comedy show Lasers in the Jungle

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT’s basement lounger for The Scene

[$] 9:30 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): One of the cast members of the seminal In Living Color headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tommy Davidson

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Wow; as soon as Tara Copeland moved to LA, musical improv champion Diamond Lion got crushed, scoring 53 votes to challenger Improv Nerds’ 103. Tonight the latter troupe defends its crown by competing with The Brothers Hines for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

11:00 pm ($5): Magnet improv troupes Brick and Chet Watkins compete for audience laughs and votes—yes, like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component—at Inspirado

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you know anyone who might have a thyroid problem, please tell them about my new book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 5/26/11

May 26, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you know anyone who might have a thyroid problem, please tell them about my new book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

Amy Heidt and Fran Gillespie

Wonderful comedic actresses Amy Heidt, Fran Gillespie, and more debut "After the Final Rose: A Sketch Show for the Right Reasons"...

Wyatt Cenac

...and Wyatt Cenac will be telling stories about joy...

Adam Wade

...along with Adam Wade at Kevin Allison's "Risk!"

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Three shows auditioning for a regular run on the prestigious UCBT schedule. I know nothing about the second two (Carl Gregory: Personal Fertility Clinic and Everybody’s Dumb and Boring), but at 6:00 pm brilliant comedic actresses Amy Heidt, Fran Gillespie, and other talents perform a spoof of ABC’s The Bachelor written by UCBT rising stars Leila Cohan-Miccio & Caitlin Tegart, and directed by Caitlin: After the Final Rose: A Sketch Show for the Right Reasons

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus $15 food/drink min.): I haven’t seen this production, but the fact it’s been included in the gala FringeNYC 15th Anniversary All-Star Series, and I love all the other shows I’ve seen in the series, is good enough for me. This one-night-only revival of a 2007 musical comedy about Brooklyn takes place at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, inside the West Bank Cafe (407 West 42nd Street, off Ninth Avenue): Williamsburg: The Musical

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm: Terrific sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (Leah Rudick and Katie Hartman) host a comedy variety show, with tonight’s guests star singer/songwriter Corn Mo (.357 Lover), hit UCBT improv troupe Doppleganger, Katina Corrao (The Good Neighbor Minute), and Gabe Pacheco (Anecdotal Evidence) performing at The PIT’s basement lounge: Daddy’s Basement: A Comedy Variety Freakshow

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Young Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) has the makings of a new UCBT star performing a one-woman show in which she engagingly plays a variety of oddball characters you might encounter at summer camp, while Paul Welsh debuts a one-man show about a hall of portraits, in the double-bill Welcome to Camp! and Men in Paintings

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Will Nunziata and Jerry Miller performing a two-man sketch show designed as a love letter to the dystopian films of the 70s, 80s, and 90s:” Dystopia Gardens

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An hour of improv directed by Magnet Theatre co-owner Armando Diaz: Evente

8:00 m ($35 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up and comedic actor who’s hosted NBC’s Last Comic Standing and MTV Jams, and performed on HBO, Showtime, ABC, USA, TBS, and feature films, headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Bill Bellamy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Calise Hawkins (Last Comic Standing,Comedy Central), Joe DeVito (Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, Chelsea Lately), Dan Goodman, and Chris Rozzi performing at Comedy Below Canal

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and a guest (while Sean Patton shares his gifts with other cities): Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), and Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central) —joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Joy!” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

9:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot in The Scene

9:30 pm ($5): If you’re a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can get a behind-the-scenes peak—plus comics Streeter Seidell, Jake & Amir, Pat Cassels, Jeff Rubin, and Dan Gurewitch—at CollegeHumor Live

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Joe DeVito (Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, Chelsea Lately), and Joe List (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at The PIT for this comedy club-style (i.e., long set) weekly show hosted by Harrison Greenbaum: The Big One

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupes The Curfew and Great Big Dinosaur competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you know anyone who might have a thyroid problem, please tell them about my new book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 10/28/10

October 28, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Michael Showalter

Michael Showalter is among the wonderful storytellers at tonight's edition of "Risk!"

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

6:00 pm ($5): An oddball triple bill of sketch comedy—the potentially quite good Dystopia Gardens, the quite silly EC-comics inspired Orson Welles’ Basement of Terror, and the even way sillier Rob Lathan playlet A Benefit for Permanent Nutface Gary—all at tonight’s UCBT audition show Spank

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are the thoroughly wonderful Michael Showalter (The State, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer), Starlee Kine (This American Life, The New York Times), Jon Friedman (Jimmy Fallon, The Rejection Show), Nick Prueher (Found Footage Festival), and Keri Heidecker (Freak Magnet)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “The Chase” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Molly Knefel (newest member of superb theatrical improv troupeNaked in a Fishbowl) and her brother John Knefel host this monthly comedy show, with tonight’s guests Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; popular blogsNYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Dan Curry (Last Comic Standing), Ben Kissel (Roundtable of Gentlemen), and Jeff Kreisler performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): John and Molly Get Along

[$] 8:00 pm pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) A Curb Your Enthusiasm star and superb stand-up headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Susie Essman

8:00 pm ($5): The Magnet’s co-owner Armando Diaz performs monologues on the spot and improvisors then act out scenes based on them at The Armando Diaz Experience

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($12.89 online with code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): NYC stand-ups Vic Henley, Mike Lawrence, Veronica Mosey, Mike Recine, Warren Holstein, and Russ Meneve performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Still Standing Up

8:00 pm ($5): A musical sketch comedy show, and a one-woman show about breast cancer, in the double-bill Sing Out, Louie! and Pam Murphy: The C Word

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): A comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) are shared by their original authors before total strangers at Mortified

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing stand-up on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killerset on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1): Comedy as a Second Language

9:30 pm ($5): In homage to Halloween, UCBT house sketch troupe Thunder Gulch presents aSaturday Night Live-inspired show that stars Frankenstein, Elvira, and Freddy Krueger: Monster Night LIve

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupe The Beatles (Mike Still, Jim Santangeli, Achilles Stamatelaky, and Dan Klein) and genius improv troupe Outlook of the Poet (Gavin Speiller, Ben Rodgers, and Jonathan Gabrus) compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 6/24/10

June 24, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jenny Slate

SNL's Jenny Slate is among the superb comics spinning tales of revenge at tonight's Risk!...

50 Best Jokes

...and an army of top stand-ups offer their A-list material at 50 Best Jokes

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Jenny Slate (SNL), Matt Gallagher (author of Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War), Glennis McMurray (Dream Role), Ann Carr (Comedy Central), and Keri Heidecker (Freak Magnet)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Revenge: Settling Scores Big and Small” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country:Risk!

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($33.48 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): Unforgettably hilarious co-star of NBC’s Ed, member of legendary sketch troupe & seminal MTV series The State, co-star of Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues, and much more headlining tonight through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Michael Ian Black

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here) hosts other superb yarn-spinners inOchi’s Lounge sharing their favorite real-life campus anecdotes at True Tales of College

7:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason “take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces,” and veteran improvisors play with “elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde,” in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb comics Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) and John Lutz (writer & occasional actor on SNL since 2004;recurring character on 30 Rock) perform acclaimed two-man improv in 2 Square

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): The debut of what promises to be a very special event: Fifty of the best comics in NYC gather to each tell his or her very best joke. Expect extreme hilarity at 92Y Tribeca’s 50 Best Jokes

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie and Amy Beckerman performing & hosting other comics in Ochi’s Lounge at Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): At this month’s edition of NYC’s best show of comedic sexual tales, the theme is Determination; and the storytellers are Brian Longwell (Edinburgh Fringe), Erin Goodwin (Off The Record), musical guest Thin Skin Johnny, and sensual hosts Margot Leitman & Giulia Rozzi’s, all performing at Stripped Stories

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant troupe troupes, Badman and Doppelganger, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 6/23/10

June 23, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Seth Herzog, Kevin Allison, and Michelle Collins

Seth Herzog, Kevin Allison, Michelle Collins, and other stars reveal their TV failures tonight at Jon Friedman's The Rejection Show

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive; shining star correspondent on The Daily Show; co-star of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; AMC’s Mad Men; star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets) and Jim Henson’s Puppets are the guests at this evening’s live broadcast of the WFMU radio show 7 Second Delay

6:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, host of Sweet), Michelle Collins (VH1), Rob Lathan (Conan O’Brien, MTV), and Megan Neuringer (HBO, VH1) share their tales of TV material being turned down at Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon; for video samples, please click here), John Mulaney (writer/performer forSaturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1′s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central), James Adomian (Craig Ferguson), and musical sax duo Ronald Reagon performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[FREE] 8:30: NYC stand-ups Kristeen von Hagen, Brian Longwell, Matt Rohr, Carrie Gravenson, Marian Rosin, and The Bridgets Fitzgerald performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improv geniuses Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik make up an entire feature film on the spot; and Deborah Gross recreates absurd and amusing conversations she’s experienced through her sharp storyteller’s perspective, in the double-bill The Two-Man Movie and Conversations with Deb

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($7.44 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): Four of the finest comedic actresses in the country—Lennon Parham, Christina Gausas, Livia Scott, and Ophira Eisenberg—take on characters they’re always wanted to play at the elegant Comix Comedy Club’s Dream Role

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that’s part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 3/25/10

March 25, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Legendary comedy star Marc Maron is among the storytellers telling hilarious tales tonight about personal tough choices at Kevin Allison's Risk!

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): “Hosted by Late Show with David Letterman writer Matt Goldich, Twenty-Five Words or Less features some of New York City’s top comedians telling their funniest one-liners. The jokes will be even shorter than this description of the show;” tonight Amy Schumer, Joe Mande, Roger Hailes, Josh Comers, Julian McCullough, Neal Stastny, and more will be at the elegant Comix Comedy Club making you laugh in 25 Words of Less

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are legendary star Marc Maron (a comic’s comic; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central, and numerous other top credits), Margot Leitman (Conan O’Brien, co-host of superb Stripped Stories), Matt Higgins (acclaimed sketch/improv troupe Centralia), Beowulf Jones (The Sitcom), Virginia Scott (The Glass Contraption Clown Theatre), and Elon James White (This Week in Blackness)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Dilemmas: Really Hard Choices” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country:Risk!

7:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason “take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces,” and veteran improvisors play with “elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde,” in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): What’s likely to be a world-class sketch show from critically acclaimed Chicago-based veteran comics Jordan Klepper and Steve Waltien; and superb sketch troupe Pangea 3000 performs material better than its show’s title indicates, in the double-bill Steve and Jordan Are Standing In It and Pangea 3000 Sucks

8:00 pm ($5): The debut of a sketch show from Will Nunziata and Jerry Miller (both formerly of NYC sketch powerhouse THE ROYAL WE), who “present a brand new two-man show which serves a love letter to the dystopian films of the 70s, 80s, and 90s:” Dystopia Gardens

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Jessica Delfino (hilarious raunchy singer & stand-up; Good Morning America, FOX News, Dirty Folk Rock, host of Top Friends), Sara Schaefer (brilliant, inventive, luminous comic; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1′s Best Week Ever), Michael Musto (famed book author and Village Voice columnist), Frank DeCaro (The Daily Show), and Judy Gold (veteran stand-up) at an ironic version of a classic game show hosted by wonderful comedic singer Ben Lerman (Logo, Here TV!): Match Game Live!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Chris March (Project Runway), Claywoman, and surprises from host Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, star of The King of Miami, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, Big in Japan) at The Dave Hill Explosion

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improv giants The Brothers Hines (steamrolling over challengers with seven wins in a row) and star-studded troupe Reuben Williams compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 2/25/10

February 25, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Andy Christie, Andrea Rosen, and Michelle Collins tell hilarious tales of being "Blindsided" at Risk!

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are stellar stand-ups Andrea Rosen (Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues, Variety SHAC), Michelle Collins (VH1′s Best Week Ever, YouCantMakeItUp.org; for a memorable chat about the power of penises over vaginas, please click here), and A.D. Miles (staff writer on Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, MTV), and top storytellers Andy Christie (The New York Times; host of The Liar Show) and Mark Allen (The New York Times, NPR)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Blindsided: Didn’t See It Coming” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($34.57 online if you use code VIPFEB, plus 2-item minimum): A star stand-up who’s done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and cast member on FOX’s The Jury; appeared repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O’Brien; and guest starred on such TV shows as NBC’s The Office and FOX’s Arrested Development, headlining through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Patrice Oneal

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($5 online if you use code SNOSHU, otherwise $10): Razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko) spins yarns about her childhood in her one-woman show Vodka Shoes

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comedy dynamo Shannon O’Neill debuting her extravaganza about an annual talent show in “Charlie Sheen Prison, the only talent show starring the criminally retarded and insane,” directed by the wonderful Will Hines; and superb sketch troupe Pangea 3000 performs material better than its show’s title indicates, in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and Pangea 3000 Sucks

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Allen Warnock and Andrea Alton (members of sketch troupe Freedumb) teaming up to create hilarious characters in a very silly and fun show—for my review, please click here. The production has now been revived for a commercial run through February 28th: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever

8:00 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason “take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces,” and veteran improvisors play with “elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde,” in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): Wonderful stand-ups Todd Barry, Lizz Winstead, Seth Herzog, Liam McEneaney, and Baratunde Thurston performing at Comedy Below Canal

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($7.44 online if you use code VIPFEB, plus 2-item minimum): A unique sports-themed stand-up, sketch comedy, and interview show hosted by Scott Rogowsky and Neil Janowitz, tonight featuring JP Foschi Tight End for the Cincinnati Bengals, Jets Quarterback Erik Ainge, and undefeated heavyweight boxer & 2008 Golden Gloves champ Tor Hamer, all performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: 12 Angry Mascots

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes—The Brothers Hines and Casual Sex Offenders—compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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