NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 12/21/09

December 21, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Colin Quinn headlines a star stand-up lineup tonight at Whiplash

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:

6:30 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: NYC stand-ups Jamie Lee, Mike Recine, TJ Del Reno, Danny Rouhier, and Simeon Goodson performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Tony Woods (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for SNL), Bobby Miyamoto (Comedy Central), Amanda Melson (Comedy Central), and guitar comic Rob Paravonian (recently opened for Lily Tomlin in Vegas) performing in the Lolita Bar with guest hosts Team Submarine and producer Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Musical improv beatbox genius Reggie Watts, and conceptual comics Gabe Liedman and Rob Lathan, performing at Brooklyn’s Union Pool for a new weekly comedy show hosted by Kurt Braunohler: The Inevitable

8:00 pm ($5): The talented young writer/performers of UCBT scripted comedy house troupes High Treason and Slow Burn trying out their newest sketch material at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($5 cover if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $10], plus $7 drink minimum; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Superb stand-ups Hannibal Buress, Kumail Nanjiani, Moody McCarthy, Maureen Langan, Jared Logan, Dan St. Germain, Liam McEneaney, and Larry MacPhee performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for the 6th year anniversary of John Morrison’s Morrison Motel

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): A celebration of a razor-sharp stand-up’s comedy album at Ochi’s Lounge: Joe DeRosa’s CD Release Party

9:30 pm ($5): Michael O’Brien (Saturday Night Live) and Peter Grosz (The Colbert Report) performing the latest version of their acclaimed 2-man sketch show: Misled

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Hilary Schwartz, Sheng Wang, Kate Riffey, Jason Verlaine, Dan Rouhier, and Kate Berlant performing at Pat O’Shea’s free weekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy’s Backroom: Ed Sullivan on Acid

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: A blowout gathering of some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including star Colin Quinn, star Christian Finnegan, and acclaimed stand-up and Jimmy Fallon staff writer Morgan Murphy—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 12/20/09

December 20, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jamie Lee joins Rachel Feinstein, Sara Benincasa, and other sharp comics sharing personal holiday tales at Family Hour with Auntie Sara Christmas Spectacular

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] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT’s signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000

[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Typically terrific stand-ups performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Stellar stand-ups Anthony Jeselnik (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Leo Allen (SNL, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Whiplash), Kumail Nanjiani (David Letterman, Michael & Michael Have Issues), Liam McEneaney (VH1’s Best Week Ever), Jordan Carlos (The Colbert Report), Tim Molloy (TV Guide), and more performing at Lolita Bar—with 1950s live jazz music in the background!—at the NYC debut of Jamie Flam’s Be-Bop Jazz Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sharp NYC stand-ups Victor Varnado, Jared Logan, Bobby Miyamoto, Barry Rothbart, Gilad Foss, and Shawn Pearlman performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC comics—who tonight are Rachel Feinstein, Jamie Kilstein, Jamie Lee, Sean Donnelly, Pat Stango, Elon James White, and comedy’s finest cookie baker H. Alan Scott (who will likely be supplying free treats to the audience, which is reason to brave the snow all by itself)—telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives at Ochi’s Lounge for a show hosted by gorgeous rising star Sara Benincasa (CNN, MTV, The Sarah Palin Vlogs): Family Hour with Auntie Sara Christmas Spectacular

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Comedy genius Dave Hill, plus stand-ups Chesley Calloway, Nick Turner, and Erik Bergstrom performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar guest-hosted tonight by Kenny Zimlinghaus (while Vince Averill & Jesse Popp are off for the holidays) at the free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Terrific gal stand-ups Jackie Monahan, Robin Fox, Adrienne Iapalucci, and Susan Alexander performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 12/19/09

December 19, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Movie star and hilarious comic Kevin Pollak tonight concludes his headlling run at Comix

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:

7:00 pm ($10): A musical about “a pious Pope framed for a crime he didn’t commit…betrayal, Holy War, foot-stompin’ musical numbers” and everything else it takes “to entertain the Hell right out of you” in Pope: The Musical

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and impressionist who’s also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club, plus opening sets by brilliant stand-up/storyteller Ophira Eisenberg and emcee Reese Waters: Kevin Pollak

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Very smart and very funny comics Jared Logan and Dan St. Germain teaming up to debut a two-man sketch show at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City about history’s most infamous rivalries: They Hated Each Other

8:00 pm ($10): Dave Ahdoot and Ethan Fixell relating their YouTube-documented romantic adventures live on stage—possibly accompanied by visits from some of the gals—on Double Date Us

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams

10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein, who’ve formed the new troupe Trike

11:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from a troupe consisting of Walker & Cantrell, Black20.com performers, and a producer for The Daily Show: The Day Ryan

[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): “It’s going to be a Festival of Fights as UCBW MegaStars do battle in Eight Crazy Matches at this annual holiday season spectacular! Featuring Bar Mitzvah Boy (with his Jewish Mother) vs. Adolf Hitler and special guest referee, the Birthday Boy himself, Jesus Christ!” As crazy as professional wrestling is, this takes things to a whole other level. Physical sketch comedy to the extreme, it’s UCBW: Hanukkaos

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 12/18/09

December 18, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Movie super-fan Kevin Maher delivers an unforgettable collection of hilarious film clips at Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag

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] 7:30 pm: Superb stand-ups Sara Schaefer, Reese Waters, Sean Donnelly, and Nick Cobb, and much more performing in Karma Lounge at this special holiday edition of occasionally uncomfortable comedy from beloved sketch & stand-up comedy hosts Blaine Perry & Pat Stango: Don’t Touch Me There

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A big show gets even bigger tonight when comedy giant Dave Hill debuts an expanded hour-long version of his charming and hilarious one-man show about a musical tour overseas: Dave Hill: Big in Japan

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hilarious genre film clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on holiday-themed movies (e.g., a video tribute to tribute to Chanukah, “How He-Man Spent the Holidays”), plus an assortment of Kevin’s flat-out favorites covering such diverse topics as Shakespeare, Godzilla, The Smurfs, Kafka, cupcakes, Batman, and The Harlem Globetrotters, plus free holiday cupcakes and trivia prizes: Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and impressionist who’s also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific stand-ups & comedic storytellers Kevin Allison (MTV’s The State, RISK!), Sean Patton (Comedy Central, VH1), Barry Rothbart (MTV, Discovery Channel), Sean Lynch (MTV, Moon Over Oniontown), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for Nick Turner’s Too Cool for School

8:00 pm ($10): A beloved high-concept sketch troupe that delights in exploring silly ideas and wordplay (for example, demonstrating that a caveman and the Cookie Monster sound remarkably alike when saying such things as “Me have problem with subject/verb placement…”) debuts its all-new show for the holidays: Elephant Larry’s Mandated Christmas Event

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics performing stand-up in Ochi’s Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by the lovely Jenny Rubin: The Back Room

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

11:00 pm ($5): Ace sketch troupe Olde English, plus comedy guests who are asked to perform entirely new material—who tonight are stand-ups Jamie Kilstein and Roger Hailes, and cartoonist Emily Flake (Lulu Eightball)—at Very Fresh

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 12:20ish am: My favorite open-mic stand-up show, where odd things involving drunk audience members tend to happen at it heads towards 2:00 am, hosted by brilliant & lightning-quick Pete Holmes: Gutbucket

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 12/17/09

December 17, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Movie star and hilarious stand-up/improvisor Kevin Pollak headlines tonight through Saturday at Comix

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] 7:25 pm & 9:20 pm ($11): Brilliant comedy trio Derrick (Dominic Dierkes, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson) screen their feature film at NYC’s Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street) for the final night of its initial NYC run—and the gang promises to appear live at both of this evening’s playings of Mystery Team

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A veteran stand-up called “The Pit Bull of Comedy,” and a hilarious comic and impressionist who’s also a movie star, sharing the headlining credits tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Bobby Slayton and Kevin Pollak

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12 online, $15 at door): An annual gathering of top NYC comedy talent for a 3-hour holiday show, with tonight’s guests including Leo Allen, Andrea Rosen, Snakes, Elephant Larry, and many more at The 36th Annual J Hobart B All-Star Christmas Spectacular

8:00 pm ($5): Nick Ross performing a show about his combating cancer, with a deliciously vibrant and adorable performance by actress Leslie Meisel as a variety of secondary characters (including the cancer itself…); and an all-white musical about fast food that claims to “give new life to the most popular songs of Tupac Shakur. Join us for a romp through all the themes held most dear to Tupac’s heart: economic oppression, dreams deferred, and mall food courts” in the double-bill Highly Evolved Human and 2Pac: The Musical

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): A comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers, produced in New York by Anne Altman and Julia Wright: Mortified

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Dynamite beatbox improv genius Reggie Watts tops off tonight’s show in which sharp comics Peter Aguero and John Knefel tell sexual tales revolving around tonight’s theme “Modes of Transportation” at the best sexy storytelling comedy show in NYC: Margot Leitman’s & Giulia Rozzi’s Stripped Stories

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two of the finest improv troupes in the country, The Stepfathers and Hot Sauce, fiercely battling for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wed. 12/16/09

December 16, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Magical comedic character performer Livia Scott headlines a line-up of deliciously fresh, razor-sharp comics tonight at Shrink

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 to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightfully quirky monthly storytelling show in which comics and comedic yarn-spinners are asked to reveal aspects of themselves that are odd and unusual—and that includes such carnival elements as an accordion player, and a challenging trivia contest for someone in the audience to win a bottle of wine. Tonight’s performers are Brad Lawrence (Moth Slam Champion, 2008 FringeNYC one-man show Monsters in the Wood), Dan St. Germain (razor-sharp stand-up), DJ Hazard (American Misfits, When Stand-Up Stood Out), Tracy Rowland (Moth Slam Champion), Evan Morgenstern (host of Swiss Neutral Comedy), and thoroughly charming and razor-sharp host Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, UCBT): Sideshow Goshko

[$] 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm ($25 & 2-item min.): Called “The Pit Bull of Comedy,” a hyperactive stand-up who’s performed on HBO, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, and numerous feature films, and headlines tonight and Thursday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Bobby Slayton

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Deliciously original and superb comedic storytellers, character actresses, and stand-ups Livia Scott, Melanie Hamlett, John Flynn, Desiree Burch, Adrienne Iapalucci, and Trevor Williams performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

8:00 pm ($5): Sharp sketch troupe Pangea 3000 being ironically self-deprecating, and disarmingly charming comedy duo Mamrie Hart and Stephen Soroka performing silly skits and—most memorably—tackling the news on the fly based on audience requests, in the double-bill Pangea 3000 Sucks and BoF in This Old Thing

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Rising star Sean Patton, Chappelle’s Show writer Roger Hailes, Totally J/K’s co-host Noah Garfinkel, and more performing at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

9:30 pm ($5): Clever sketch troupe Sidecar performing bits about the end of the world, and a one-man show about extreme homophobia, in the double-bill SIDECARMAGEDDON and Brent Sullivan: Fag Life

[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.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 12/15/09

December 15, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Janeane Garofalo will bewitch audience members with laughter tonight at the final 2009 edition of superb free comedy show Punch Up Your Life

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] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics creator Greg Pak (The Incredible Hulk) and Fred Van Lente (The Incredible Herc) joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture—which tonight is the show’s third anniversary, and promises lots of surprises and prizes—at Comic Book Club

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Five full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring every single Harold UCBT house troupe: Scootch, DeCoster, Robber Baron, Ragnaröck, Penthouse Riot, Bastian, People People, Badman, The Law Firm, and The Bishop—all at The Longest Harold Night of the Year

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: TV & movie comedy superstar Janeane Garofalo, Joe DeRosa (Comedy Central, Carson Daly), Andrea Rosen (Stella, Variety SHAC), and Chris Fleming (HBO Comedy Fest) performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show typically hosted by brilliant stand-ups Pete Holmes and Jessi Klein—and which is the last edition for 2009: Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5; plus 2-item min. if you sit): A musical improv comedy genius (2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and the 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon) performing tonight at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): Reggie Watts

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Stellar stand-ups Leo Allen, Jeff Ross, and Craig Baldo; circus acrobat Rudi MacAggi; and lots of surprises at The Slipper Room for this special holiday edition of the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open-mic stand-up show that’s seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 12/14/09

December 14, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Ted Alexandro and other world-class stand-ups perform tonight at Whiplash

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:

6:30 pm & 9:00 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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Thoroughly wonderful stand-ups Pete Holmes, Sara Schaefer, and Kumail Nanjiani performing at Brooklyn’s Union Pool for a new weekly comedy show hosted by Kurt Braunohler: The Inevitable

8:00 pm ($5): The talented young writer/performers of UCBT scripted comedy house troupes Gramp’s and Thunder Gulch trying out their newest sketch material at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5; plus 2-item min. if you sit): A musical improv comedy genius (2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and the 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon) performing tonight and Tuesday at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): Reggie Watts

9:30 pm ($5): Michael O’Brien (Saturday Night Live) and Peter Grosz (The Colbert Report) performing the latest version of their acclaimed 2-man sketch show: Misled

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: A blowout gathering of some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including Elna Baker (genius storyteller and bestselling author), Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent on The Daily Show), Baron Vaughn (red-hot rising star; Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Awkward Kings of Comedy), and Costaki Economopoulos (The Bob and Tom Show)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 12/13/09

December 13, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Stellar storyteller Mike Daisey concludes the run of his one-man show at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm: The Last Cargo Cult

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] 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm ($25 online using discount code CARGO, otherwise $40): Superb storyteller Mike Daisey is back with a one-man show about “his journey to a remote South Pacific island whose people worship America and its cargo. This narrative is woven against a searing examination of the international financial crisis that gripped the globe at the same moment. Confronting the financial system that dominates our world, Daisey wrestles with the largest questions of what the collapse means, and what it can tell us about our deepest values. Part adventure story and part memoir, he explores each culture to unearth a human truth between the seemingly primitive and achingly modern.” For a New York Times review, please click here. Running tonight through Sunday at The Public Theatre: Mike Daisey: The Last Cargo Cult

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT’s signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000

[$] 7:30 pm ($35 & 2-item min.) A co-star on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and FOX’s Til Death headlining one final night at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: JB Smoove

[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Sharp stand-ups Roger Hailes (Comedy Central, Chappelle’s Show), Steve Hely (30 Rock, How I Became a Famous Novelist), Adam Lowitt (Emmy-winning producer of The Daily Show), and Neal Stastny (New Orleans Comedy Festival) performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians

[$] 8:00 pm ($35.50 & 2-drink min.): The host of Last Comic Standing headlining one final night at Carolines Comedy Club: Bill Bellamy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC comics Dan Allen, Jamie Lee, Phoebe Robinson, Joe List, Dan Soder, and Karl Hess performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Ophira Eisenberg (who’s also a world-class storyteller), RG Daniels, Jay Bois, Laura Prangley, and Ryan Conner performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar hosted solo tonight by Vince Averill (while Jesse Popp’s on the road) at the free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Stand-ups Allison Castillo, Sherry Davey, Edison Apple, and Dave Rubin performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 12/12/09

December 12, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

JB Smoove headlines tonight (sold out!) and Sunday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club

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 ($40; $25 for students): Superb storyteller Mike Daisey is back with a one-man show about “his journey to a remote South Pacific island whose people worship America and its cargo. This narrative is woven against a searing examination of the international financial crisis that gripped the globe at the same moment. Confronting the financial system that dominates our world, Daisey wrestles with the largest questions of what the collapse means, and what it can tell us about our deepest values. Part adventure story and part memoir, he explores each culture to unearth a human truth between the seemingly primitive and achingly modern.” For a New York Times review, please click here. Running tonight through Sunday at The Public Theatre: Mike Daisey: The Last Cargo Cult

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Joe Derosa (Comedy Central Presents; HBO’s Down & Dirty), Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central Presents), Jared Logan (Comedy Central), Streeter Seidell, Sean Crespo, Dan Cartwright, John F. O’Donnell, and Brendan McLaughlin performing in Ochi’s Lounge for host Sean Donnelly’s last 2009 edition of Lil’ Seany Boy

7:00 pm ($10): A musical about “a pious Pope framed for a crime he didn’t commit…betrayal, Holy War, foot-stompin’ musical numbers” and everything else it takes “to entertain the Hell right out of you” in Pope: The Musical

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35 & 2-item min.) A co-star on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and FOX’s Til Death headlining tonight and Sunday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: JB Smoove

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): The host of Last Comic Standing headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Bill Bellamy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($20): Superb comics Reggie Watts, Ophira Eisenberg, Tom Shillue, Tom Allen, Katina Corrao, and Craig Baldo—and free beer!—at acclaimed monthly comedy showcase Moonwork

9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team

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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:30 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code BECKYD, otherwise $20): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award this August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at this final night of the 2009 run of the magical Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams

10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein, who’ve formed the new troupe Trike

[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy hosting his own comedy extravaganza, with guests Shannon O’Neill, Zach Woods, Neil Casey, Will Hines, and musical group The Kung Fu Monkeys: The Chris Gethard Show

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.