February 18, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Melanie Hamlett, Giulia Rozzi, and Margot Leitman tell hot tales of "Misunderstanding" at Stripped Stories
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 ($12): The debut of a news-based show with comedy games and funny conversation, tonight including writer/actor Brian Donovan, political journalist Jacob Weisberg (Newsweek, Slate), TV writer/producer Gideon Evans (The Daily Show), and writer/commentator Alison Rosen (McSweeney’s, podcast Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend): The News Distillery
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Two of the funniest and most loveable sketch comics alive, Katherine Bryant and Chris O’Connor (half of sketch troupe Fearsome) team up with also hilarious sketch comics Mike Still (sketch troupe A Week of Kindness) and John Phillips (sketch troupe Trophy Dad) to perform a comedic play about a college buddy returning after 10 years to ruin his friend’s life; 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 Mace Bacon: The Worst Guy Ever and BoF in This Old Thing
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 star stand-ups Anthony Jeselnik, Christian Finnegan , and Wyatt Cenac, plus musical guest Gretchen Parlato, performing at Comedy Below Canal
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): At this month’s edition of NYC’s best show of comedic sexual tales, the theme is Misunderstanding; and the thoroughly wonderful storytellers are Melanie Hamlett, (Moth StorySlam Champion; stellar & unique writer/performer who does cross-country tours while living in her truck and posting hilarious photo-caption reports on her adventures at blog Melanie Hamlett: Wandering Narcoleptic—for illustrated tales of shucking corn and conversations with mermaids, please click here and here), Jim O’Grady (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion), ace musical guests Stuckey & Murray, and sensual hosts Margot Leitman & Giulia Rozzi’s, all performing at Stripped Stories
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($15 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $20], plus 2-item minimum): Thoroughly wonderful stand-ups John Mulaney, Hannibal Buress, Tom Shillue, Rachel Feinstein, Marina Franklin join comedy giant Todd Barry at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Todd Barry and Friends
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes—The Brothers Hines and Robber Baron—compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | 
Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Giulia Rozzi, Improv, Improvisation, Margot Leitman, Melanie Hamlett, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, Stripped Stories, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | 
Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 17, 2010
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Adorable dynamo Mamrie Hart mourns the loss of bare-chested thespian Matthew McConaughey in Celebrity Funeral
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 ($12): Superb comedy writers Julie Klausner (author of new book I Don’t Care About Your Band), Caissie St. Onge (Emmy Award-winning writer for David Letterman and Rosie O’Donnell), and Chris Mitchell (author of new memoir Cast Member Confidential) telling hilarious tales about what they’ve done to earn a buck: Heckuva Job There
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Thoroughly charming and razor-sharp Leslie Goshko’s 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 fine storytellers are Dan Allen, Ilana Glazer, Garry Hannon, Ross Hyzer, and Leslie herself (Manhattan Monologue Champion, upcoming one-woman show Vodka Shoes), all performing in Sideshow Goshko
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member “Oh, I’ve been though a whole lot worse than this.” Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out…and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show’s title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened…) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple
8:00 pm ($5): “It is with a heavy heart and a bongo drum that I inform you America has lost one its greatest thespians, Matthew McConaughey. Join me, Mamrie Hart, and some of Matthew’s closet friends and co-stars as they honor the work, the art, and the man. Be prepared to shed some tears. And then drink some beers. Then back to tears. Matthew McConaughey’s motto in life was Just keep livin’. That was a lie, you bastard, but we will honor you anyway. Services will be held at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. No shirts allowed!” Fine comedic talents including Christina Casa, Katie Schorr, Eddie Brawley, Allison Bennet, and Eliot Glazer join Mamrie for Celebrity Funeral: Matthew McConaughey
[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Amy Dixon, Jermaine Fowler, Malaika Gordon, Jacqueline Kabat, and Jay Sullivan performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell and Emily Rivera: Shrink
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Kurt Braunohler, Joe Mande & Noah Garfinkel (hosts of Totally J/K), Mike Dobbins, and Team Submarine performing at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman: Big Terrific
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Del Harrison (WE TV’s Cinematherapy), Costaki Economopoulos (The Bob and Tom Show), Amanda Baramki (writer of Rat Dog and Fat Dog), and Andrew Schulz (“Certified” Music Choice) performing at Ochi’s Lounge with adorably sly host Calise Hawkins: Laugh in Limbo with Calise Hawkins
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Theatrical scenes made up on the spot with breathtaking skill by brilliant and passionate improvisors who are becoming one of the best comedy duos in the biz—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Christina Gausas (Conan O’Brien, The Colbert Report), a.ka. Adsit & Gausas
[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 the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Celebrity Funeral, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Mamrie Hart, Matthew McConaughey, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 16, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Star comics judge audience members tonight at Seth Herzog's biennial The Laugh Olympics
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): Adam P. Knave, Vito Delsante, and Nick Tapansky (Popgun) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Jiwon Lee (Carly Simon Comedy Hour, AMC’s Date Night), Baratunde Thurston (The Onion), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing), and Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central, truTV) performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) with delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Scootch, The Bishop, People People, Bastian, and Penthouse Riot,
followed at 11:00 pm by five of the finest improvisers in the country—Anthony King, Gavin Speiller, Neil Casey, Shannon O’Neill, and Silvija Ozols—as The UCB Touring Company, all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($5): Wonderful comics Eugene Mirman, Kurt Braunohler, Ali Waller, Mike Drucker, and Max Silvestri performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show guest-hosted tonight by Joe Derosa: Punch Up Your Life
8:30 pm ($10): Seven-minute tales with a Jewish theme from actor/director Jon Golbe (The Colbert Report, Playboy’s Interns), journalist Anna Jane Grossman (Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once Common Things Passing Us By), screenwriter Robert Schwartz, author Ruth Ellenson (The Modern Jewish Girl’s Guide to Guilt), writer Ryan Britt…and one brave audience member, all performing at Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space with stand-up host Michelle Collins (VH1’s Best Week Ever): HEEB Storytelling
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Brilliant improv beat-box singer Reggie Watts, red-hot rising star stand-up Hannibal Buress, and movie writer/director John Hamburg (I Love You Man, Along Came Polly), plus the biennial edition of The Laugh Olympics (audience members compete in comedy-related events while celebrities score them), all at The Slipper Room for 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.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Seth Herzog, Seth Herzog's Sweet, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, Sweet, Sweet comedy, The Laugh Olympics, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 15, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Luminous comedy couple Christian Finnegan and Kambri Crews perform tonight at Tell Your Friends
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
6:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 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
[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC’s My Name is Earl, Adult Swim; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing, The Awkward Kings of Comedy), Jude Destin, Jamie Roberts, Kevin Barnett, and Chris Sifflet 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): Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC’s Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1’s Best Week Ever; Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show, star of new TV series on TBS), Kambri Crews (stellar storyteller & author of upcoming memoir Love, Daddy), Caroline Rhea (star stand-up; HBO, Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Costaki Economopoulos, Amanda Melson, Bob Powers, and musical guests Eliana Ricci and A Brief View of the Hudson, all performing in the Lolita Bar with host Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends
8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s house sketch comedy troupes, High Treason and Slow Burn, trying out new bits 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): Stellar stand-ups A. Whitney Brown (Emmy-award winning writer and political satirist; Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show), Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central, VH1, CNN, Court TV, written for The Onion and Heeb Magazine, opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Ross Bennett (Comedy Central, Showtime), Robin Fox (WE TV, XM and Sirius Radio), Mike Diflo, David Cope, and Owen Bowness performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison’s Morrison Motel
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Wonderful comics Chris Gethard, Julie Klausner, Ben Rameaka, Jim Santangeli, Tami Sagher, and Kate Spencer tell tales of heartbreak at the post-Valentine show Love Stinks!
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim, The Wrestler), Kurt Braunohler (brilliant sketch comic; co-creator & co-star of TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets), Brent James Sullivan, and Adam Cayton-Holland—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Christian Finnegan, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Kambri Crews, Liam McEneaney, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, Tell Your Friends, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 14, 2010
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
30 Rock stand-up star Judah Friedlander headlines tonight 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:
[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 3:00 pm ($9 using discount code KTCCSVA, otherwise $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: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever
[TOP PICK] 5:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member “Oh, I’ve been though a whole lot worse than this.” Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out…and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show’s title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened…) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT’s signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm ($30 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $35], plus 2-item minimum): A cast member of 30 Rock, and a performer on VH1’s Best Week Ever, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, MTV’s Wonder Showzen, NBC’s The Tonight Show, and over 20 films headlining tonight and Sunday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander
[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
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A small army of superb comedic writers, storytellers, and stand-ups—including Adam Wade, Elna Baker, Sean Patton, Sara Schaefer, Eliza Skinner, Julie Klausner, Michelle Collins, Katina Corrao, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri—sharing their tales of being turned down at Brooklyn’s The Bell House for this special Valentine’s Day edition of Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Star comics Anthony Jeselnik, Wyatt Cenac, and Julian McCullough performing stand-up at this weekly event at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Tearing the Veil of Maya
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Victor Varnado, Jareed Logan, Gilad Foss, Susannah Perlman, and Shawn Pearlman performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Jared Logan, Jamie Lee, Noah Garfinkel, and Matt Wayne performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: An all-gal lineup consisting of Ali Wong (hilarious human dynamo), Lori Sommer, and Dana Lovecchio performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Judah Friedlander, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade, Valentine's Day | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 13, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Two of the sharpest and funniest stand-ups in NYC, Sara Schaefer and Brooke Van Poppellen, perform tonight at a Valentines Day edition of Lil' Seany Boy
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] 5:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member “Oh, I’ve been though a whole lot worse than this.” Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out…and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show’s title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened…) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Valentine’s Day edition with gorgeous ace stand-ups Sara Schaefer and Brooke Van Poppellen, plus Shawn Hollenbach, Jeff Rubin, Sergio Chicon, Kara Klenk, and “a very special guest”—plus an opportunity to “win a date with Pat Stango”—performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Sean Donnelly’s 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
7:00 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] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($30 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $35], plus 2-item minimum): A cast member of 30 Rock, and a performer on VH1’s Best Week Ever, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, MTV’s Wonder Showzen, NBC’s The Tonight Show, and over 20 films headlining tonight and Sunday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and which recently won the Cage Match Championship for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!
9:30 pm ($12): An unlikely matchmaker that’s resulted in actual marriages, and even babies!—followed by a free party at 11:00 pm: The PIT Dating Game
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 as comedy trio Trike
[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy finally hosting his own extravaganza—which goes beyond a stage show to have the makings of a hit MTV series—with guests including Shannon O’Neill, Bethany Hall, Vincent Milosevich, Michael Kayne, Don Fanelli, the Kung Fu Monkeys…and maybe Sean “Diddy” Combs: The Chris Gethard Show
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Brooke Van Poppellen, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Lil' Seany Boy, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Pat Stango, Sara Schaefer, Sean Donnelly, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade, Valentine's Day | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 12, 2010
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Stand-up star Ted Alexandro headlines tonight with friends 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 ($5): In this fun show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member’s suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with “all the music and magic of a Disney flick…plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:” Once Upon a Time
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $20], plus 2-item minimum): Superb stand-ups Joe Derosa, Morgan Murphy, and Pete Dominick join one of the finest stand-ups in the country to perform at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Ted Alexandro & Friends
8:00 pm ($10): A “best of” show from one of UCBT’s house sketch troupes: Thunder Gulch’s Pop Culture Apocalypse
8:00 pm ($5): John O’Donnell tells lots of comedic stories in his long-running one-man show The O’Donnellogues
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member “Oh, I’ve been though a whole lot worse than this.” Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out…and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show’s title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened…) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups performing 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
9:30 pm ($10): Improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan following up winning the recent SketchProv Tournament with this PIT run, and veteran improv duo formerly known as Project:Projekt, in the double-bill Swords and The Nathan & Joe Show
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
11:00 pm ($5): A fun improv show that makes up scenes based on the contents of an audience member’s wallet: Gimme the Loot!
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Top UCBT talents—tonight featuring Nate Lang, Kate McKinnon, Ben Rodgers, Nick Ross, Mike Still, and Andrée Vermeulen as the performers, and Adam Conover, John Frusciante, Kevin Hines, Anthony King, Craig Rowin, Jim Santangeli, Nate Smith, Gavin Speiller, Erik Tanouye, Caitlin Tegart, and Greg Tuculescu as the writers—creating a one-night-only sketch comedy show directed by comedy genius Gavin Speiller, with musical guest Cavalier Rose: Beneath Gristedes
[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, Ted Alexandro, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 11, 2010
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
World-class comedy troupe Fearsome (Shayna Ferm, Chris O'Connor, Alex Goldberg, and Katherine Bryant)...
...and musical comedy duo Stuckey & Murray perform (with clothes) at A-Side/B-Side
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 include legendary sketch & stand-up comic Michael Showalter (co-star of Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), acclaimed world-class storyteller Mike Daisey (called “the master” by The New York Times), stellar raunchy storyteller Giulia Rozzi (VH1, co-host of Stripped Stories), Peter Lubell (The Moth), and Juliet Wayne (The Moth)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Obsessions” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Comedy dynamo Shannon O’Neill performing a one-woman 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 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 Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and BoF in This Old Thing
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): 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—with tonight’s participants star storyteller Adam Wade, wonderful stand-up & storyteller Brooke Van Poppelen, Jenn Wehrung, Jasmin Singer, Todd Rosenberg, Julia Wright, Boni Joi, and Julianna Forlano—produced in New York by Anne Altman and Julia Wright, with tonight’s theme geared for Valentine’s Day: Mortified: Heartbreak Edition
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Three of the best comedy troupes in NYC—Fearsome, Stuckey & Murray, and Elephant Larry—each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites in a fun revue hosted by James Eason & Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes—The Brothers Hines and The Big Ass Movie—compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: A-Side/B-Side, Aaron Kheifets:, Alex Goldberg, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Chris O'Connor, Comedian, Comedians, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Fearsome, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, James Eason, Katherine Bryant, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Shayna Ferm, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Stuckey & Murray, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 10, 2010
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Brilliant comics Dave Hill and Jessica Delfino perform with burlesque stars tonight at the raunchy Skits 'n' Tits
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] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): World-class storyteller & luminous talent Kambri Crews, Andy Hendrickson, and Peter Aguero join star storyteller 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) in Ochi’s Lounge to share their favorite real-life campus anecdotes at True Tales of College
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member “Oh, I’ve been though a whole lot worse than this.” Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out…and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show’s title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened…) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple
8:00 pm ($5): The delightful Andrée Vermeulen performing a one-woman show in which she applies for “The Greatest French Person in the World Award” only to discover a terrible family secret involving waffles—and while performance trumps material here, Andrée is a fresh young talent worth discovering (for a memorable show highlight, shot with Andrée’s real-life boyfriend Thomas Middleditch, please click here); plus 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…), in the double-bill French Toast and Highly Evolved Human
[FREE] 8:00: Superb comedic storyteller John Flynn, and NYC stand-ups Nick Zimmerman, Sean Crespo, Brian Longwell, Greg Leitman, and Colin Dempsey, all performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Theatrical scenes made up on the spot with breathtaking skill by brilliant and passionate improvisors who are becoming one of the best comedy duos in the biz—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Christina Gausas (Conan O’Brien, The Colbert Report), a.ka. Adsit & Gausas
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($8, or $6.50 online): From Examiner.com:” I can sell this show in 10 words or less…pasties, beautiful ladies, hysterical comedy, a house band, and beer…done. The electric trio made up of Jessica Delfino, Diane O’Debra, and Steph Sbelli (who both sing raunchy songs and perform sketch comedy) put on their smashing monthly variety show Skits n Tits that can only be described as hilarious, bad ass, and sexy. Catch some of the hottest up and coming acts in burlesque and comedy.” Tonight’s guests include comedians 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, The Dave Hill Explosion), Costaki Economopoulos, and Mike Amato, plus burlesque stars The Chi-Ciones and Jo Boobs, all performing in The Bowery Poetry Club at the monthly extravaganza known at Skits ‘n’ Tits
[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
Please Note: Big Terrific has been canceled tonight because of the expected snowpocalypse. As far as I know, however, all the shows listed above will go on as scheduled.
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Burlesque, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Dave Hill, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Jessica Delfino, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Skits 'n' Tits, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
February 9, 2010
For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Tig Notaro hosts brilliant stand-up guests Kristen Schaal and Jessi Klein tonight at the 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 $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($5 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $10], plus 2-item minimum): Tig Notaro (hilarious deadpan stand-up; Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Last Comic Standing; for stand-up video about Tig’s name, please click here) hosts a show with movie & TV star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive) and Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic stand-up) at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Tig Notaro and Friends
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Hilary Schwartz and Rachael Parenta hosting an Eat My Feelings Valentines Day Special Edition of their intriguing show at Ochi’s Lounge described as “emotionally inappropriate comedy:” Please, Someone Kill Me
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Zane Grant (IDW’s We Will Bury You), and Grace Randolph (Marvel’s Her-Oes, Nation X) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm (no cover, one drink min.): Tom Shillue (world-class comedic storyteller; Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show), Matt Goldich (Comedy Central, VH1), Hadiyah Robinson, and Vladimir Caamano performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) with delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Badman, The Bishop, DeCoster, The Law Firm, and Scootch,
followed at 11:00 pm by superb improv troupes Outlook of the Poet and (again) The Law Firm —all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($5): Super lineup including Brooke Van Poppelen, Kevin Allison, Matt McCarthy, Katie Crown, and Iliza Schlesinger performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show tonight guest-hosted by Joe Derosa: Punch Up Your Life
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Tig Notaro (hilarious deadpan stand-up; Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Last Comic Standing; for stand-up video about Tig’s name, please click here), Iliza Shlesinger (LA-based winner of sixth season of Last Comic Standing), Craig Baldo (Conan O’Brien) , and more performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, and Gloria Bigelow hosting guest stand-ups Jamie Lee, RG Daniels, and Cara Kilduff performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Dykes on Mics
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($15 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $20], plus 2-item minimum): Jessi Klein hosts her fellow Saturday Night Live staff writer Hannibal Buress, plus razor-sharp comic Joe Mande, on a headling double-bill at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Hannibal Buress and Joe Mande
[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 the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Jessi Klein, Kristen Schaal, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Tig Notaro, Tig Notaro and Friends, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
Best New York Comedy 