July 31, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Blaine Swen's one-man improvised musical BASH was among the highlights at Day 1; be sure to catch as much as possible of the Del Close Improv Marathon
Tonight’s recommendation for the best in New York City comedy is:
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] All Day Today and Sunday ($25): One of the most magical events in NYC, the annual Del Close Improv Marathon runs continuously from 4:30 pm yesterday until after midnight on Sunday, August 1st. Groups from all around the US and Canada—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Austin, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Montreal, and more—will perform over 150 shows, typically in 30 minute blocks, for 55+ hours. Tickets are a mere $25 for the entire weekend—an incredible bargain. Paul Scheer said several years ago the appropriate charge would be around $600, and he mostly wasn’t kidding. As in past years, the only down side will be way more patrons than available space, causing long waits to get into the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street, which seats about 150. However, the congestion will be somewhat eased by three additional venues just a couple of blocks from UCBT: The Hudson Guild Theatre at 441 West 26th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), which seats 99; Urban Stages at 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), which seats 74; and the Fashion Institute of Technology Kate Murphy Amphitheatre at corner West 27th Street & 7th Avenue, which seats 280. This is one of the finest comedy events in the country, always magical, and flat-out should not be missed.
Highlights from the 12 hours I spent at the festival yesterday included:
The Improvised Shakespeare Company taking the suggestion “hope” to craft a play about royal serial killing, unending senseless war, and the highest body count of the Marathon…for which the audience rewarded the troupe with a standing ovation.
ISC’s founder Blaine Swen demonstrating he can do anything by performing a one-man improvised musical with an inventiveness, skillfulness, and depth that was breathtaking…and garnered the only other standing ovation of the Marathon.
The wonderful Bobby Moynihan (cast member of Saturday Night Live) tap-dancing on a talk show hosted by the also wonderful Horatio Sanz.
Many of the finest improvisors at UCBT—led by rising star John Gemberling—wearing nothing but diapers to perform as whiny babies.
Another group of top NYC improvisors pretending to be Bostonians who continually cursed the Yankees, drank beer, and sprayed copious amounts of beer on the audience.
Several shows that didn’t pan out but tickled us with their concepts, including Jane Austen-era improvisors, hillbilly improvisors, and a small army of Jay Leno impersonator improvisors.
The guys of the Upright Citizens Brigade—Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh—announcing that they and Artistic Director Anthony King will be opening a new NYC theatre in January 2011 named UCB-EAST—on 3rd Street off Avenue A (where the Two Boots indie film theater used to be)—and that its focus will be on stand-up to complement the Chelsea theatre’s focus on improv.
There are other comedy events happening tonight; but they pale in comparison.
Come experience the awe, mystery, and hilarity of The 12th Annual Del Close Marathon
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
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Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: 12th Annual Del Close Marathon, Blaine Swen, Carolines, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Del Close Improv Marathon, Del Close Marathon, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Storytelling, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Peoples Improv Theatre, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | 
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Posted by hybender
July 30, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
The spectacular annual Del Close Improv Marathon, running continuously this entire weekend and hosting over 150 shows, will attract most of the finest improv talent in the county—and should not be missed
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 4:30 pm Friday – Midnight Sunday ($25): One of the most magical events in NYC, the annual Del Close Improv Marathon runs continuously from 4:30 pm today until after midnight on Sunday, August 1st. Groups from all around the US and Canada—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Austin, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Montreal, and more—will perform over 150 shows, typically in 30 minute blocks, for 55+ hours. Tickets are a mere $25 for the entire weekend—an incredible bargain. Paul Scheer said several years ago the appropriate charge would be around $600, and he mostly wasn’t kidding. As in past years, the only down side will be way more patrons than available space, causing long waits to get into the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street, which seats about 150. However, the congestion will be somewhat eased by the use of three additional venues just a couple of blocks from UCBT: The Hudson Guild Theatre at 441 West 26th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), which seats 99; Urban Stages at 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), which seats 74; and the Fashion Institute of Technology Kate Murphy Amphitheatre at corner West 27th Street & 7th Avenue, which seats 280. This is one of the finest comedy events in the country, always magical, and flat-out should not be missed. (I’m listing other comedy events happening tonight, but almost grudgingly…) Come experience the awe, mystery, and hilarity of The 12 Annual Del Close Marathon
7:00 pm ($8): Corinne Fisher performing a one-woman show that details how to keep tabs on someone with whom you’re obsessed: I Stalk You
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe performing with new guests each Friday and making a valid complaint: Centralia: We Were Supposed To Have Flying Cars By Now
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($21.51 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): An Emmy award-winning prankster famed for his work on Crank Yankers and The Howard Stern Show headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Jim Florentine
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): One of the cast members of the seminal In Living Colorheadlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tommy Davidson
[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups performing at O’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup
[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
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
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Posted by hybender
July 29, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
There are just three NYC performances left this year of the greatest improv troupe in the world: The Improvised Shakespeare Company
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): Hosts John Frusciante and Will Hines tape their podcast live on stage, with tonight’s guest a living legend: UCBT Podcast with Matt Walsh
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($12): A news-based show with comedy games and funny conversation hosted by by Faith Salie (CBS Sunday Morning) with writer/producer Gideon Evans (The Daily Show), writer/commentator Alison Rosen (McSweeney’s, podcast Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend), and more: The News Distillery
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 ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): 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 last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): UCBT-LA’s late night sketch/music variety show performing for one evening only here in NYC. Come catch a small army of young talent at The Midnight Show
[$] 8:00 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] 9:00 pm ($12): Top stand-ups Todd Barry and Myq Kaplan (it’s more than worth the price of admission if Todd spends even a minute dissecting Myq’s current starring role on Last Comic Standing), and more performing at 92Y Tribeca’s Comedy Below Canal
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. There are three NYC performances left—tonight at the Hudson Guild Theatre, Friday at 7:00 pm atFIT, and Saturday at 7:15 pm as part of the spectacular Del Close Improv Marathon—with each evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The wonderful Matt Besser, who’s a founding member of the world-renowned and enormously influential Upright Citizens Brigade, is joined by such equally brilliant comics as Horatio Sanz (SNL, ABC) and Chris Gethard (star of Comedy Central’s upcoming Big Lake) for a very special annual show in which top comics live out their roadie fantasies by impersonating favorite musicians and performing their songs at The Greatest Concert Ever
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the UCBT stage with improv veterans, hosted by troupe Badman: Jammin’ with Ralph
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Blaine Swen, 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, Hudson Guild Theatre, Improv, Improvisation, Improvised Shakespeare, 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 Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 28, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
The legendary Upright Citizens Brigade—Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, and Ian Roberts—perform tonight at Radio Underground
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—with two installments running back to back every Wednesday at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): 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 last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A one-man show from Michael Hartney about an obsession (which, given my comic book background, I consider utterly reasonable); and a tale of heartbreak by Leslie Meisel and Megan Neuringer, in the double-bill : So I Like Superman: A One-Nerd Show and Love Can Suck a Dick…and So Can I
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show and genius stand-up comic) and assorted other stand-ups performing at a show hosted by Daily Show Executive Producer Rory Albanese at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: The Daily Show and Friends with John Oliver
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Myq Kaplan (kicking ass on this season of Last Comic Standing), Erin Judge (Comedy Central; for hilarious stand-up bit about being bisexual, please click here), Jesse Popp (co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy), and Alex Koll performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific
[FREE] 8:30: Brilliant comedic chameleon Livia Scott, and NYC stand-ups Johanna Clearfield, Dan Wilbur, Mick Diflo, Andy Hendrickson, and Subhah Agarwal, performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. There are three NYC performances left—tonight and Thursday at the Hudson Guild Theatre, and Friday at FIT—with each evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Comedy legends Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh (co-founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade) are joined by UCBT stars for a live Sirius/XM Satellite Radio broadcast: Radio Underground
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): Red-hot rising star stand-ups Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Hannibal Buress (Variety’s 2010 Top 10 Comics to Watch; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, George Lopez; 2010 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up), Dan St. Germain (hilarious, quick-witted stand-up who’ll be garnering credits soon), and more performing for a show hosted by Greg Barris at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Heart of Darkness
[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.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
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, Ian Roberts, Improv, Improvisation, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Ochi’s Lounge, Radio Underground, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, The Upright Citizens Brigade, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 27, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Comedy genius Blaine Swen performs tonight through Thursday at the Hudson Guild Theatre with his all-star Improvised Shakespeare Company
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:
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight begins a week-long NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two of the finest improv troupes in NYC performing back to back: The Stepfathers and The Law Firm
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the country—Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Myq Kaplan (kicking ass on this season’s Last Comic Standing), 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), Tom Shillue (Comedy Central Presents; host of Tell), and DC Benny (Comedy Central Presents)—performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros join 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: Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central), Greg Stone (Opie & Anthony), Liam McEneaney (host of Tell Your Friends), and Andy Haynes performing at Brooklyn’s Bell House Front Lounge guest-hosted by the gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen: Get Off Your Knees
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of the finest improv troupes in NYC performing back to back: Death by Roo Roo and Reuben Williams
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): 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 last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv veterans welcome UCBT students at all levels to perform with them at The Lottery
[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: Blaine Swen, 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, Hudson Guild Theatre, Improv, Improvisation, Improvised Shakespeare, 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 Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 26, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
The beginning of a week of blowout comedy tonight features Jennifer Coolidge delivering a breathtaking stand-up set at Comix...
...the smartest & funniest comedy improv troupe in the world kicking off a spectacular week-long run in NYC to help pave the way for this weekend's legendary Del Close Marathon: The Improvised Shakespeare Company...
...and legendary improvisor Matt Besser joining such other genius comics as John Mulaney and Chris Gethard at Whiplash
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open-mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story…and if it’s a good one, possibly be included in Kevin’s popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($17.50 online with discount code NIFF): My #1 pick for the2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, and Lauren Seikaly, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight’s eighth installment at the Soho Playhouse of a 10-week Monday night run: Naked in a Fishbowl
[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Nore Davis, Trey Galyon, Amanda Baramki, Larry Bailey, Dino Vigo, and Dan Carroll performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
7:30 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 the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison’s Motel Luca
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight begins a week-long NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): Last night, at a sold-out event at the Comix Comedy Club, an improvisor/actress best known as Stifler’s mom in the American Pie movies and a variety of oddball characters in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films—and who once candidly observed “I like going back and doing a sequel; it’s the only chance to really ask for some money”—demonstrated that in addition to being great on film, she’s one of most razor-sharp, charming, and flat-out hilarious stand-ups in the biz. Don’t miss this extra chance to experience an extraordinary comic that—who knew?—was born to perform on a live stage and can do anything comedic: Jennifer Coolidge
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Some of the best improvisors in the world—Tara Copeland (Mother, Ms. Jackson), Michael Delaney (Conan O’Brien, The Other Guys, The Stepfathers), Peter Gwinn (The Colbert Report, Baby Wants Candy), Arden Myrin (Mad TV, Chelsea Lately), and Michael Patrick O’Brien (Saturday Night Live)—mixing it up with Broadway & off-Broadway stars Kevin Kelly (Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night, The Brother/Sister Plays), Sandy Rustin (Neil Simon’s Hotel Suite, The Scariest Show on TV), Julie Sharbutt (Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night, Little Cecily), and Amy Warren (August: Osage County, The Adding Machine) as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at actor/director Stephen Ruddy’s Gravid Water
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-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), Jon Friedman (Jimmy Fallon, host of wonderful The Rejection Show), Greg Barris (Comedy Death Ray), and more performing stand-up at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Willy Appelman: It Is It
8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups Sara Schaefer (brilliant, inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever), TV star Caroline Rhea, Costaki Economopoulos, Giulia Rozzi, Ryan Hamilton, and Jo Romero performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): 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 last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Michael Patrick O’Brien (staff writer for Saturday Night Live) performs a one-show show that begins with his trying to break a randomly selected Guinness World Record “using only a small bag of props and the advice of audience members,” followed by “an inspired sort of looniness,”at Shatter
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn’t match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the finale of their four-evening run at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including legendary improvisor Matt Besser (co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade), Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of upcoming Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake;Magic Box of Stories, The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of book Weird New York), John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Brendon Walsh (stand-up visiting from LA), and Chris Locke (stand-up visiting from Toronto)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: A Mighty Wind, American Pie, Best in Show, Blaine Swen, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Christopher Guest, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Jennifer Coolidge, Legally Blonde, Matt Besser, 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, Stifler's mom, Storytelling, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 25, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Jennifer Coolidge, an improvisor & film star best known as Stifler's mom, performs stand-up tonight and Monday 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] 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] 8:00 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): An improvisor/actress best known as Stifler’s mom in the American Pie movies and a variety of oddball characters in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films—and who once candidly observed “I like going back and doing a sequel; it’s the only chance to really ask for some money”—will now be demonstrating her stand-up chops headlining tonight and Monday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Jennifer Coolidge
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Comedic singer/songwriter Ben Lerman (debut album Size Matters), plus Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien), Charlie Kasov, John Szeluga, and Morgan Venticinque performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of CupsEast Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Drucker, Nore Davis, Louis Katz, James Smith, and Seaton Smith performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by the wonderfulHannibal Buress: Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn’t match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the second of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Yamaneika (BET, TruTV), Chris Doucette (Here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics), and M. Dickson 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.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: A Might Wind, American Pie, Best in Show, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Christopher Guest, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Jennifer Coolidge, 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, Stifler's mom, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 24, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Tracy Morgan continues his headlining NYC run tonight and Sunday 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 $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15 including one drink; reservations via calling Cornelia Street Cafe at 212.989.9319 highly recommended): Four world-class writer/performers tell personal stories. Three of them are true…but one is a pack of lies. Then the audience asks questions to try to figure out who’s fibbing. Tonight’s yarn-spinners are Faye Lane (thoroughly delightful storyteller who’s about to perform her acclaimed show Beauty Shop Stories at this year’s FringeNYC), Cormac Barrett (Last Comic Standing), Robert Hurst (Moth Champion), and Ryan Britt (Nerve.com), plus wonderful host Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) at The Liar Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm & Midnight ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who’s one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlining tonight and Sunday at Carolines: Tracy Morgan
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Blow-out Second Anniversary show, with some of the finest stand-ups in the country—Hannibal Buress (Variety’s 2010 Top 10 Comics to Watch; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, George Lopez; 2010 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up), 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), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Pat Stango (co-host of Don’t Touch Me There), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien), and Mike Recine; plus brilliant comedic singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm—all performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Lil’ Seany Boy
[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] 8:00 pm ($5): True tales of being a losing contestant on a TV game show, from sharp comics Margot Leitman (The Price is Right), Eliot Glazer (Wheel of Fortune), Andy Ross (Who Wants to be a Millionaire), Glennis McMurray (Chain Reaction), and Rob Lathan (America’s Got Talent), all performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for a show devoted to stories of being turned down—Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($36.66 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): A star from In Living Color who Comedy Central named one of the 100 greatest stand-ups headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: David Alan Grier
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday ($29.50 online or at the box office using discount code PPBBOX through July 24th): This is a show for which I have enormous affection; although my joy came from not just watching what occurred on stage, but the faces of the women in the audience turning stonier and stonier as they visibly projected the thought, “Dick tricks? This entire show really consists of dick tricks? All my suspicions about men have just been confirmed…” If you cherish bravery in performers, go forth to the 45 Bleecker Theatre (right next to the #6 subway’s Bleecker Street stop) and experience Puppetry of The Penis
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion 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 ($10): “A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics,” following sold out shows at Joe’s Pub: Political Subversities
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn’t match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the second of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
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, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Tracy Morgan, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 23, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Chicago-based Dave Pasquesi and T.J. Jagodowski are performing extraordinary two-man improv tonight through Monday as TJ & Dave
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 ($5): Chicago-trained improv veterans Ed Illades, Jordan Klepper, and Pat Tracy make stuff up for one night only in The Edens
7:00 pm ($8): Corinne Fisher performing a one-woman show that details how to keep tabs on someone with whom you’re obsessed: I Stalk You
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Comedy dynamo Shannon O’Neill performing her extravaganza about an annual talent show in “Charlie Sheen Prison, the only talent show starring the criminally retarded and insane,” directed by the wonderful Will Hines; and Dominic Dierkes (Derrick, Mystery Team) and Sean Clements perform all-new sketches, in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and Dom and Sean: Time for Water
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($36.66 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): A star from In Living Color who Comedy Central named one of the 100 greatest stand-ups headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: David Alan Grier
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday ($29.50 online or at the box office using discount code PPBBOX through July 24th): This is a show for which I have enormous affection; although my joy came from not just watching what occurred on stage, but the faces of the women in the audience turning stonier and stonier as they visibly projected the thought, “Dick tricks? This entire show really consists of dick tricks? All my suspicions about men have just been confirmed…” If you cherish bravery in performers, go forth to the 45 Bleecker Theatre (right next to the #6 subway’s Bleecker Street stop) and experience Puppetry of The Penis
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe performing with new guests each Friday and making a valid complaint: Centralia: We Were Supposed To Have Flying Cars By Now
[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Rob O’Reilly, Zach Sims, Drew Michael, and Dan Boulger performing at O’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers
[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 ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who’s one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tracy Morgan
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn’t match with months of labored writing. Tonight begins a four-evening run, through this Monday, at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Thomas Middleditch, Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
11:30 pm ($10): The creators of a popular comedic video blog share favorite clips and tell behind-the-scenes tales at this one night only event: An Intimate Evening with Everything is Terrible
Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Mike Duffy and Wrestling Team compete for audience laughs and votes in Backyard Brawl
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Barrow Street Theatre, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Dave Pasquesi, 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, T.J. Jagodowski, The Barrow Street Theatre, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, TJ & Dave, TJ and Dave, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
July 22, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
Comedy superstar Tracy Morgan headlines tonight through Sunday 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 $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—Rachel Dratch (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC’s Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1’s Best Week Ever; Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), James Braly (The Moth), Fiona Walsh (Galway Comedy Festival), and Jessica Grose (Slate)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Heroism: Saving the Day” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who’s one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tracy Morgan
[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 ($5): Hilarious stand-ups Andrea Rosen, Sara Schaefer, and Michelle Collins, and raunchy storyteller Giulia Rozzi, perform along with wonderful hosts Brooke Van Poppelen (TLC’s American Chopper, Maxim and Cosmo Radio, So-Low Show; popular blogsNYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here):Power Suit
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday ($29.50 online or at the box office using discount code PPBBOX through July 24th): This is a show for which I have enormous affection; although my joy came from not just watching what occurred on stage, but the faces of the women in the audience turning stonier and stonier as they visibly projected the thought, “Dick tricks? This entire show really consists of dick tricks? All my suspicions about men have just been confirmed…” If you cherish bravery in performers, go forth to the 45 Bleecker Theatre (right next to the #6 subway’s Bleecker Street stop) and experience Puppetry of The Penis
8:00 pm ($10): A fun sketch troupe (for video samples, please click here) present its latest work atInside Joke Films
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Top stand-ups Rich Vos, David Alan Grier, Morgan Murphy, Amy Schumer, Bonnie McFarlane, and Joe DeRosa performing at 92Y Tribeca’s Comedy Below Canal
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie and Amy Beckerman performing and hosting other gal stand-ups in Ochi’s Lounge at Dykes on Mics
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A one-man show from Michael Hartney about an obsession (which, given my comic book background, I consider utterly reasonable), and improv trio Charlie Todd (Reuben Williams), Chuck Dauble (Chuck D. & Jawnee Show), and Eric Scott (Reuben Williams), in the double-bill : So I Like Superman: A One-Nerd Show and C, C, & E Improv Factory
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant troupe troupes, Doppelganger and Sandino, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
For Hy’s take on Last Comic Standing, please click here.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: 30 Rock, 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, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Tracy Morgan, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
Best New York Comedy 