November | 2011 | Best New York Comedy

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/10/11

November 10, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Comedy gets hot tonight with rising stars Rachel Bloom (Triple Threat)...

...and Mamrie Hart & Stephen Soroka (BoF: Friends Without Benefits)

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] November 10th-13th: Among the stellar events at this year’s New York Comedy Festival are shows by comedy titans Louis C.K. (11/10 and 11/12 at the Beacon Theatre), Tracy Morgan (11/11 at the Beacon Theatre), Bill Burr (11/11 at Carnegie Hall), and Sarah Silverman (11/12 at BAM); shows by comedy stars Wanda Sykes (11/10 at Town Hall), Michael Ian Black (11/10 at Bowery Ballroom), Glenn Wool (11/10 at UCB East), Kumail Nanjiani (11/11 at UCB East), Bill Maher(11/12 at the Beacon Theatre), Norm MacDonald (11/12 at Town Hall), and Kathy Griffin (11/12 at Carnegie Hall); three panels on the art of comedy writing & performing (11/12 at UCB East), plus a panel discussion with the writers of Saturday Night Live (11/13 at the Paley Center); and a leisurely chat with Ricky Gervais (11/13 at the 92nd Street Y). For the complete massive schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Weekly open-mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East hosted by John Flynn and tonight’s stellar guest host Melanie Hamlett (brilliant storyteller/writer; Moth Grandslam Champion, Marie Claire Magazine, amazing blog, roving adventurer): Oh, Hey Guys!

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

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Charming sketch duo BoF (Mamrie Hart & Steve Soroka) audition their latest sketch show Friends Without Benefits, plus UCBT star writer/director Caitlin Tegart auditions a sketch show titled Caitlin Wins the Crop, all at this fun UCB West showcase: Spank

[FREE] 6:30 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Junior Varsity to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($12): “A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics” following sold out shows at Joe’s Pub and a long (and ongoing) run Saturdays at The PIT, doing a special extended show for one night only at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson Street): Political Subversities

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass is playing at Sofia’s Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): The comics who train, teach, and perform at UCBT are among the finest improvisors in the world. The UCB Touring Company consists of the cream of the crop, with the mission of showing audiences beyond those visiting UCB’s theatres in NYC and LA what improv is all about. For just this evening, however, the traveling troupe—which includes brilliant comics Gavin Speiller, Neil Casey, Shannon O’Neill, Fran Gillespie, Jon Gabrus, and Brandon Gardner—will be strutting its stuff on the UCB East stage: UCB TourCo All-Stars

7:30 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet co-owner helming The Armando Diaz Experience, plus house troupes Junior Varsity, Hello Laser, The Boss, and Phooka, performing improv, followed by improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) with Friday Night Sh*w pitted against Aquarius at 11:00 pm: The Magnet’s Night Out

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): YouTube sensation Rachel Bloom performs a one-woman “musical theatre industry showcase for you that is sure to make you feel terrible about your own abilities” atUCB West to build on her cult following from such video hits as F*ck Me, Ray Bradbury and I Steal Pets: Rachel Bloom is a Triple Threat

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): This show begins with a delightful concept—Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare—and then executes it with the joyful craft only a sharp, tight theatrical ensemble can create. Everyone in the cast is terrific, but especially memorable are Kate Turnbull as the love interest, Dan Hartley as Maverick, and Vayu O’Donnell who steals every scene he appears in with his hilariously deadpan delivery as Iceman. While this is playing at The PIT for a mere $10, it’s really legit Fringe theatre, and I hope it eventually makes its way to FringeNYC or Edinburgh—or better yet, develops more songs and gets a commercial run as a musical. Meanwhile, don’t miss this opportunity to see a way fun parody of a cult classic for about half of what you oughta be paying: Jester’s Dead

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Todd Barry (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death,Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), and Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1) performing UCB East, plus videos from Oren Brimmer starring Pete Holmes and Matt McCarthy, all hosted by best bud Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Comedy duo Nick Kocher & Brian McElhaney perform new sketches atUCB West, as well as host stand-up and improv guests: BriTANicK: The Monthly Mankerthon

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre use an audience suggestion to make up a rockin’ musical on the spot: (Title from Audience): A Rock Opera

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) make up one-act plays on the spot at The PITdownstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($7; or FREE COVER if you show up 30-60 minutes early and buy $7 worth of snacks/drinks): Mystery Science Theater 3000 goes blaxploitation in this delightful new series by Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show) and Donwill (hip-hop group Tanya Morgan) in which the boys watch a black cinema cult classic and yell comments at it throughout. It all happens at Brooklyn’s reRun (147 Front Street, between Pearl & Jay Streets), with tonight’s film a happy surprise: Shouting at the Screen

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (lineup not announced) performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by Justin Williams: Death Comedy Jam

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): A sharp, thoughtful, and silly stand-up who’s Canadian, is a star in the UK, and is currently visiting NYC to entertain us performs tonight for an hour at UCB East: Glenn Wool

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Round 2 of a beloved annual November tradition at UCB West—Pat Baer’s 3-on-3 Improv Tournament

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Mamrie Hart, Rachel Bloom, Sketch, Stand-Up, Stephen Soroka, Storytelling | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 11/9/11

November 9, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Over 30 NYC stand-ups will tell the filthiest jokes they know at The Dirty 30...

...and that's just one of the dozens of events at this year's New York Comedy Festival

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] November 9th-13th: Among the stellar events at this year’s New York Comedy Festival—which begins tonight—are shows by comedy titans Louis C.K. (11/10 and 11/12 at the Beacon Theatre), Tracy Morgan (11/11 at the Beacon Theatre), Bill Burr (11/11 at Carnegie Hall), andSarah Silverman (11/12 at BAM); shows by comedy stars Wanda Sykes (11/10 at Town Hall),Michael Ian Black (11/10 at Bowery Ballroom), Glenn Wool (11/10 at UCB East), Kumail Nanjiani(11/11 at UCB East), Bill Maher (11/12 at the Beacon Theatre), Norm MacDonald (11/12 at Town Hall), and Kathy Griffin (11/12 at Carnegie Hall); three panels on the art of comedy writing & performing(11/12 at UCB East), plus a panel discussion with the writers of Saturday Night Live (11/13 at the Paley Center); and a leisurely chat with Ricky Gervais (11/13 at the 92nd Street Y). For the complete massive schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

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

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($13): The Story Pirates take stories written by New York City elementary schoolchildren, “enhance” them with adult language and themes, and them perform the heck out of them using music, puppets, and “a David Bowie-style tribute to a good Hebrew School education.” With tales ranging from the shame of chronic bedwetting, to the tender love between the Devil and some guy she met at Starbucks, the Story Pirates have blown the minds of over 100,000 second graders (sans the narrative enhancements), and lots of adults in their “After Dark” version—which is what they’ll be performing tonight at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson Street): Story Pirates After Dark

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

[$] 7:00 pm ($16.50 plus 2-drink min.) Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), Emily Heller (staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Sam Morril, Michael Che, Josh Rabinowitz, Daryl Wright, and Kevin Bigginson are among the NYC stand-ups slated to perform tonight, with host Jeffrey Ross, at the Carolines Comedy Club: Comics to Watch

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are first up as the fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger; and then genius improvisors Gavin Speiller of Death By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers of The Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm) perform as Outlook of the Poet

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 in advance online): Top comics and writers sharing memorable tales of their material being turned down—with tonight’s guests Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), and Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer (Web seriesBroad City)—at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) for Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Some of the finest sketch troupes in NYC—Pangea 3000, Murderfist, Stone Cold Fox, BriTANick, and more—perform at UCB West hosted by BoF: Best of NY Sketch

[TOP PICK] [FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: Mindy Raf (brilliant singer/songwriter/character actress; VH1); Livia Scott (comedic chameleon; Conan O’Brien, Law & Order, beloved sketch troupe Meat), Matt Graham (Conan O’Brien, World Champion Scrabble Player), Nimesh Patel, and musical guests Channing & Quinn performing at the East Village’s Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad’s & Amy Albert’s free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Louis Katz (HBO, Comedy Central), Ryan Hamilton (Last Comic Standing), Phil Hanley performing stand-up at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City for this weekly show hosted by Nick Turner & tonight’s special co-host (and birthday boy) Matt McCarthy: Too Cool for School

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and then UCBT Harold Night house troupes Deckard and Still Mike make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form “Harold” rules at Cheating on Harold

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!), Joe Garden (Features Editor of The Onion; co-author of The New Vampire’s Handbook), Keith Albertsadt (David Letterman; contributing writer to SNL), Bridget O’Neill (Purge, Moth Slam Winner), and musical guest The Pendulum Swings performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

9:00 pm ($5 if you mention code Vintage, otherwise $8): Fine sketch duo Chris & Paul, musical comedy troupe People with Teeth, sketch troupe City Hall, and more at Under St. Marks: Sketch Block

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brandy Barber (Bust Magazine, Late Night Republic) and Jon Fisch (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) joining sensual hosts Margot Leitman (VH1, Spike TV) and Giulia Rozzi (MTV, VH1.com, co-host of Dive Comedy) in telling sexy true tales at UCB West for tonight’s special “Best Of” event—plus hot songs from Thin Skin Jonny—at the finest sexy storytelling comedy show in NYC: Stripped Stories: Best Of Edition

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game showPointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner) performs a one-man show at UCB East about his dating experiences: The Amish Guide to Fucking

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups have been instructed to tell the filthiest jokes they know. The 30+ scheduled participants include Sean Patton, Tom Shillue, Elna Baker, Murderfist, Adira Amram, James Adomian, Glenn Wool, Sara Schaefer, Brooke Van Poppelen, Joe DeRosa, Matt McCarthy (on his birthday!), and lots more (for the complete list, please click here). Comics aren’t always known for following orders, so it’s anybody’s guess how consistently filthy the show will be; but whatever happens, it oughta be interesting. This special event at UCB West is hosted by John F. O’Donnell: The Dirty 30

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: 2011 New York Comedy Festival;, Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, New York Comedy Festival, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, The DIrty 30 | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/8/11

November 8, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting debuts a comedic play about reality TV: "The Underdeveloped and Overexposed Life and Death of Deena Domino"...

...and classical musicians from around the country compete to demonstrate a sense of humor at the Carolines 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 ($16.50 & 2-drink min.) Classical musicians with a funny side and comedians with a classical music side from all across the country submitted their classical comedy videos with the hope of being chosen for a spot among the finalists tonight performing before a panel of celebrity judges including Peter Schickele, Robert Klein, Charles Hamlen, and Deborah Voigt at the Carolines Comedy Club: WQXR Classical Comedy Contest

7:00 pm ($5): A one-man show from comic Matthew Robert Gehring (member of sketch troupePolitical Subversions) at The PIT upstairs theatre: #GenericWhiteGuy

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’sThe Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Robert Dean: The Dean’s List

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT downstairs lounge: Comic Book Club

8:00 pm ($8): At The PIT, the worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

8:00 pm-11:00 pm ($5): Three full hours of improv at UCB West for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Sandino, Creature, Dance Break, Very Good Kiss, and Mr. Crime—followed at 11:00 by advanced improv students (plus Pat Baer) making up The Lost Stories of Philip K. DIck: Harold Night

8:00 pm ($5): Ann Carr (Web series The Actress), Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales), Danny Solomon (soon moving to LA), and more performing stand-up at UCB East for a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran on behalf of a great late actor:After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly show features “a swarthy selection of fine stand-up comics and mildly entertaining recurring segments” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre, hosted by Jim Tews & Brendan Eyre: Chest Hair

8:30 pm ($5): In this double-bill, each of two of The Magnet’s singing improv troupes will make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Aquarius and BEEES!

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Josh Charles (Emmy-nominated actor for CBS’ The Good Wife; Sports Night, Dead Poets), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VHI, documentaryMetaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Matt McCarthy (HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death, host of AMC’s Action Pack, Comedy Central, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys, host of Marking Out), Roger Hailes (Chappelle’s Show, VH1, MTV; writer for FUSE’s A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Rose Surnow, Steve Lipman, Ruhbin Mehta, and Ken Schultz performing stand-up at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by twins Adam & Todd Stone, who for this weekly show leave behind their trademark suits: Jackets Off

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Terrific comedy duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman, back from their second year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they were proclaimed “biggest revelation” by the Guardian, performing a brand new sketch show about reality TV: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting:The Underdeveloped and Overexposed Life and Death of Deena Domino

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Robert Kelly (Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing stand-up at The PITdownstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Stand-up and sketch at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre, typically hosted by sketch troupes Savage Animal and/or Jerk Practice: Savage Animal

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv troupe BEEES! to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer

[FREE] 11:00 pm: A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Sketch, Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, Stand-Up, Storytelling, The Underdeveloped and Overexposed Life and Death of Deena Domino, WQXR Classical Comedy Contest | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 11/7/11

November 7, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Stars Amy Schumer (above), John Mulaney, Wyatt Cenac, and more perform at Comedy Central Corporate Retreat...

...and Colin Quinn does stand-up 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:

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show running about 90 minutes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): UCBT house sketch troupe Fambly (spearheaded by rising comedy star Mamrie Hart) performs a show at UCB West based around a Sting song: Brand New Day

7:00 pm ($5): Brandon Lee Harris performing a one-man storytelling show at The PIT for the purpose of Getting to Know Me

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Kate Berlant, Trey Galyon, Jermaine Fowler, Tom Dunlap, and Sean Wilkinson performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:00 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4 minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2 hours—with an early show hosted by Sean Donnelly & Blaine Perry at 7:00 pm, and an entirely different group of stand-ups hosted by Dan Cartwright & Dave Greek at 9:00 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison’s Motel Luca

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they’ve never performed with before atThe Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A blow-out stand-up show courtesy of Comedy Central, with stars John Mulaney, Amy Schumer, Wyatt Cenac, Tom Papa, Kurt Metzger, and John Roberts performing at UCB East hosted by Dan Soder: Comedy Central Corporate Retreat: John Mulaney, Amy Schumer, Wyatt Cenac, and More

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($9.47 online or $8 at the door): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set onJimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Becky Yamamoto (Supercream Supreme), and Adam Lowitt (Producer for The Daily Show) performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from a duo who between them won four 2011 ECNY Awards—including Best Variety Show and Best Hosts—Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety with Kurt & Kristen

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The debut of a storytelling show at The PIT upstairs theatre about being in one’s twenties, with tonight’s young guests Rachel Bloom, Ilana Glazer, Aaron Kheifets, Nick Kocher, Brian Mcelhaney, and Emma Tattenbaum-Fine joined by host Emma Koenig (writer of blogFuck! I’m In My Twenties!): Twenties!

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($18): The winning team that created Pope!: An Epic Musical (a big hit at last year’s FringeNYC) and The Spidey Project (a media sensation) is now developing a pirate musical at The Magnet about “the dashing young hero Declan as he seeks out the vicious Martin La Foe, the second most famous pirate ever,” with book and lyrics by Justin Moran & Jon Roufaeal, and music by Adam & Matt Podd: Nightfall on Mirango Island

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: PIT owner Ali Farahnakian and razor-sharp PIT instructors perform improv at The PIT downstairs lounge in The Faculty Part 2: Electric Boogaloo; plus improv troupe Technicolor

9:30 pm ($5): UCB West house sketch troupes Thunder Gulch (which includes performers Leslie Meisel and Amber Nelson) and Dweeb (which includes writer/performer Stephen Soroka) try out new bits at Maude Night

9:30 pm ($5): Buoyant all-new sketch at The PIT upstairs theatre from troupe Boat

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Pomeranz, Eliza Faria Santos, Josh Homer, Matt Rohr, Kat Hershkovic, Brendan Fitzgibbons, Miguel Dalmau, and Jason Cross performing at Pat O’Shea’s free biweekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy’s Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Long-form improv from troupe Casual Sex Offenders at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: CSO Improv Comedy

10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner & Chelsea Clarke hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include TV & Broadway star Colin Quinn, Mario Joyner (Seinfeld, The Chris Rock Show, Everybody Hates Chris, Three Men and a Baby, Pootie Tang), Emily Heller (staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), and John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling open mic Oh Hey Guys)—at UCB West hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central): Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should beWhiplash! night (see listing above). If you’re a comic who couldn’t get booked on UCBT’s all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this stand-up open-mic at The PITupstairs lounge hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Amy Schumer, Colin Quinn, Comedy, Comedy Central Corporate Retreat, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/6/11

November 6, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Genius musical improvisors Tara Copeland (above), Baby Wants Candy, and more perform at Gilda's Club Benefit to top off The Magnet's 2011 New York Musical Improv Festival...

...and Erin Lennox and guests Arden Myrin, The Bandana Splits, and more perform at the delightfully quirky I Like You Too Show

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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 3:00 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass is playing at Sofia’s Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

[TOP PICK] 4:00 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Initial Public Offering and Hit ‘N Run Musical Improv each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: IPO and and Hit “N Run

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Comedy geniuses Dave Hill (HBO, This American Life) and Neil Casey (Death by Roo Roo, Adult Swim, plus Philip Jackson (Dance Beast, Johnny Tables) participate in “a weekly podcast that assembles a new panel of comedians and weird characters to give funny advice, or at the very least relate to the people’s problems with their own stories” at UCB Easthosted by Andy Rocco: Here to Help

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes BEEES!!!and North Coast each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: BEEES!!! and North Coast

[FREE] 6:00 pm: At this monthly show, “three improv teams swap two performers each, pick a long-form style out of a hat, and then perform with their new rosters” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Yankee Swap

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00ish pm: Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, Chelsea Lately, host of The Party Machine; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS’ Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty,Comedy Central Presents, co-host of Righteous Kill, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon; host ofMonsters, co-host of Too Cool For School and If You Build It), and Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing, VH1) performing stand-up at at Brooklyn’s Belleville (330 5th Street) for this monthly extravaganza hosted by the razor-sharp & delightful Erin Lennox (co-host of Fresh; for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here) and tonight’s guest host Mike Recine (Comedy Central), plus customized songs about each performer from adorable gal trio The Bandana Splits: Erin Lennox’s I Like You Too Show

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBwest’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] [$] 7:30 pm ($20 at the door, $29 online): An amazing comedic freestyle hip-hop group—including genius human beatbox Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan—using audience suggestions as a springboard for creating improvised music inspired by jazz, rap, and comedy, performing at theGramercy Theater (127 East 23rd Street): Freestyle Love Supreme

7:30 pm ($5): Non-UCB improv troupes CSO and Beatloaf compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB East for Indie Cage Match

[$] 7:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) An Iranian-American stand-up (for a sample set, please clickhere) who’s a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour that featured top Middle Eastern-American comics, and an actor who’s performed on ABC’ s Better off Ted and Knights of Prosperity, FOX’ s Life on a Stick, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, NBC’s The West Wing and ER, and many other shows & feature films, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Maz Jobrani

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($25): In this fund-raising super-show at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Baby Wants Candy and Jill Bernard’s Drum Machine, improv genius Tara Copeland, and singer/songwriter Mikki Hommel each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Gilda’s Club Benefit: Closing Show of the 2011 New York Musical Improv Festival

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), and Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for comedy giant Eugene Mirman’s Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedyand Stripped Stories), Danny Solomon (soon moving to LA), Chris Thayer, and more performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge for a free weekly show typically hosted by Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents), Glenn Wool (UK comedy star), Ross Hyzer, Danny Solomon, and Anthony Devito performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Hilarious singer/songwriters Mel & El (monthly show at 92Y Tribeca), Maureen Langan (Jay Leno, Joy Behar, Comedy Central, Howard Stern), and Mark Maietta (HereTV’s Hot Gay Comics) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Erin Lennox, Gilda's Club Benefit, Improv, New York Musical Improv Festival, Sketch, Stand-Up, Tara Copeland | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/5/11

November 5, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Mindy Raf and Chris Sullivan (Shockwave)

Brilliant & hilarious comics Mindy Raf (above), Myq Kaplan, and more compete on phenom human beatbox Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan's midnight rap contest The BEATdown

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 & 8:00 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass is playing at Sofia’s Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open-mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by RG Daniels & Jared Fried: It Starts at 4

[$] 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and 11:00 pm ($15 per show): Double-bills at The Magnet for singing improv troupes making up a musical on the spot based on audience suggestions, including Reset List (Chicago) & Proverbial Loons (NYC), Girls Girls Girls (Austin) & Mansical (Chicago), Jill Bernard’s Drum Machine (Minneapolis) & A Tale of Two Genres (San Francisco), and McMurray’s Dream Machine (NYC) & A/C (NYC), : The 2011 New York Musical Improv Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15, which includes 1 drink; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319): Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true…but one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber—and everyone who does gets a free t-shirt! This evening’s yarn-spinners are David Dickerson (NPR’sThis American Life, The Atlantic), Lisa Kirchner (Washington Post, Salon.com), Robin Gelfenbien (Sirius Radio, FringeNYC), and Joey Novick (Politics Unusual). Come to the West Village’s Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street) and let host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam Champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): “Stories of all sizes that define our place in the universe,” hosted at UCB East by Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), and featuring storytellers Dave Martin, Diana Spechler, and Seth Lind, plus musical guest Shonali Bhowmik (Variety SHAC): Tales of the Cosmos

7:00 pm ($7): Sketches, improv scenes, and videos from a small army of female comics at The PITupstairs theatre that answer such questions as “Why can’t you touch a black girl’s hair? Why do some of us burn our cheating man’s clothes in his car and can’t wait to exhale? How did Foxy Brown know how to get down? Why can two play that game? Why do mad black women write so many diaries?” and more: Mrs Jones

7:00 pm ($5): In-house The PIT sketch comedy troupes show off the videos they’ve created (in the downstairs lounge) for the theatre’s new online TV showcase: The PIT TV Show

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Comedic solo performances—storytelling, sketch, and whatever else isn’t stand-up or improv—at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Bill Stiteler & Adam Schwartz: Wank

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Joe Bill, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, Kay Cannon, Christina Gausas, and/or other stellar performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and legendary Chicago improv institutions, at UCB West all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

7:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Mark Grenier, Louis Kornfeld, and Charlie Whitcroft at The Magnetmaking up a play on the spot: Theory of Everything

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) An Iranian-American stand-up (for a sample set, please click here) who’s a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour that featured top Middle Eastern-American comics, and an actor who’s performed on ABC’ s Better off Ted andKnights of Prosperity, FOX’ s Life on a Stick, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, NBC’s The West Wingand ER, and many other shows & feature films, headlining tonight and Sunday at the CarolinesComedy Club: Maz Jobrani

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s starred in his ownComedy Central Presents special, and has performed on Conan O’Brien, ABC, VH1, FOX, CNN, and MSNBC, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Paul Mecurio

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Star storyteller Tom Shillue, and fine stand-ups Helen Hong, Dan Soder, and Dean Obeidallagh, performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City for a podcast that’s a free way to get therapy for host Joe Matarese: Fixing Joe

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill—and occasionally with comedy giants Kristen Schaal and/or Kurt Braunohler participating: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

8:00 pm ($5): A YouTube star tries out an hour’s worth of new material at The PIT downstairs lounge: John Roberts

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS’ Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents), Sabrina Jalees (Last Comic Standing, Logo’s Year End Review), and Jeff Wesselschmidt performing stand-up at UCB East, hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

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

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there’s still a 2-drink min. per person): Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS’ Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central Presents), Aaron Berg, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village:Eastville Comedy Club

9:30 pm ($10): “A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics” atThe PIT, following sold out shows at Joe’s Pub: Political Subversities

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: A sketch & interview show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Zach Sims: Too Late With Zachary Sims

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Ben Rodgers, Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, and/or other stellar improvisors at UCB West interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then create an entire show based on the mini-bio: The Curfew: Not From Around Here

10:30 pm ($7): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney as comedy duo Trike

10:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East: Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

11:00 pm ($8): An improv troupe that’s performed with Cirque de Soleil and appeared in the filmMystery Team performing at The PIT upstairs lounge, opening with a blind date with a member of our audience and then making up scenes based on what they’ve learned: Gentleman Party

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A freestyle rap contest at UCB East that includes superb NYC comics—who tonight are brilliant singer/songwriter Mindy Raf, brilliant stand-up Myq Kaplan, Joyelle Johnson, Luke Meginsky, and Mr. Dead—plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by genius human beatbox Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central) at one of my favorite monthly shows: The BEATdown

[FREE] Midnight: Along the lines of Mystery Science Theater 3000, NYC comics make comments about a terrible movie at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Big Fat Scary Saturday

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan, Chris Sullivan, Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Mindy Raf, Shockwave, Stand-Up, The BEATdown | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 11/4/11

November 4, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Top Gun goes Shakespearean in the cleverly executed Jester's Dead...

...mega-selling author R. L. Stine is among the guests at 100 Interviews Live...

...and The Magnet showcases top comedy troupes tonight at its New York Musical Improv Festival

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: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups start at 5:30 pm) at The Creekupstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Choral Rage(NYC) and Hidden Falls (Boston) each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Choral Rage and Hidden Falls

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): This isn’t really a comedy show, but it’s at The PIT and is pretty cool, so what the heck: authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps), Julia Segal (comic), and Mark Malkoff (My Damn Channel) discuss the creative process at 100 Interviews Live

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): In one of the best scripted ensemble shows to grace UCB West for some time, troupe Stone Cold Fox performs hilarious parodies of off-off-Broadway theatre, as well as some of the very best sketches it’s crafted over the years, in a tight hour-long show directed by comedy genius Neil Casey (who, after also recently directing stellar one-person shows by Kate McKinnon and Mike Still, apparently can do no wrong), featuring delightful performances by Fran Gillespie, Molly Lloyd, D’Arcy Carden (watch for these three gals playing existential Truth or Dare), John Murray, Nate Smith, Brandon Scott Jones, and Jonathan Fernandez, and the writing of Leila Cohan-Miccio, Evan Greenspoon, Brandon Gulya, Matt Hunziker, Owen Parsons, and Michael Trapp: Stone Cold Fox: This Is Not Art

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—tonight featuring guests Abra Tabak (Grandma’s Ashes), Dan Klein (The Law Firm), and Ari Scott (Thunder Gulch)—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

8:00 pm ($10): A PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello; plus in the other half of this double-bill, troupe Epic Beards

[$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) An Iranian-American stand-up (for a sample set, please clickhere) who’s a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour that featured top Middle Eastern-American comics, and an actor who’s performed on ABC’ s Better off Ted and Knights of Prosperity, FOX’ s Life on a Stick, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, NBC’s The West Wing and ER, and many other shows & feature films, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Maz Jobrani

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Eight small improv teams compete as part of a 32-team tournament starting tonight at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by James Ferrarella: The Arena Small Team Tournament, Round 4

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that’s first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes The Made-Up Musical (NYC) and Happy Karaoke Fun Time (Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre) each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: The Made-Up Musical and Happy Karaoke Fun Time

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($30 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s starred in his ownComedy Central Presents special, and has performed on Conan O’Brien, ABC, VH1, FOX, CNN, and MSNBC, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Paul Mecurio

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from UCB West’s all-star members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A half-hour stand-up set from one of the most beloved comics in NYC, who’s performed on Comedy Central, created and hosts the IFC game show Pointless, co-hostsHot Tub Variety, and is a triple 2011 ECNY Award winner: Kurt Braunohler: 30 Minutes; and in the second half of this UCB East double-bill, sketch comedy from duo Two Fun Men

[FREE] 10:00 pm: “Improv comedy that’s all like, ‘Have you been drinking tonight, sir?’ but then is all like, ‘Lemme get a sip'” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Teenage Cop

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Diamond Lion (NYC) and Stacked (Chicago) each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Diamond Lion and Stacked

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Jon Gabrus, Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors at UCB West making up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

11:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D’Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): This show begins with a delightful concept—Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare—and then executes it with the joyful craft only a sharp, tight theatrical ensemble can create. Everyone in the cast is terrific, but especially memorable are Kate Turnbull as the love interest, Dan Hartley as Maverick, and Vayu O’Donnell who steals every scene he appears in with his hilariously deadpan delivery as Iceman. While this is playing at The PIT for a mere $10, it’s really legit Fringe theatre, and I hope it eventually makes its way to FringeNYC or Edinburgh—or better yet, develops more songs and gets a commercial run as a musical. Meanwhile, don’t miss this opportunity to see a way fun parody of a cult classic for about half of what you oughta be paying: Jester’s Dead

[FREE] 11:45 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with improv veterans to make up musicals on the spot: Magnet Mixer

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

[FREE] Midnight: This show typically isn’t much fun for audience members—which is why it hasn’t been on the UCB West schedule for a long time—but it’s an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCBT stage. Hosted by Maude troupe Onassis: Liquid Courage

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy NYC Tonight, Goosebumps, Improv, Jester's Dead, New York Musical Improv Festival, R. L. Stine, Sketch, Stand-Up, Top Gun and Shakespeare | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/3/11

November 3, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Mark Douglas, Todd Womack, and Anastasia Douglas, the creators of Web phenom Key of Awesome, are at 92Y Tribeca...

...Christy Karacas, the co-creator of Adult Swim's Superjail!, performs at Variety SHAC...

...and Lauren Conlin Adams tackles a dazzling array of characters in writer Leila Cohan-Miccio's comedic one-woman play Pig: A Restaurant

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 ($5): The appealing Veronica Osorio makes her first attempt to fly solo by performing as five gals who win a chance to be The First Woman on the Moon; plus for the other half of this double-bill, a show hoping to join the UCB West schedule via the audition series Spank

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Weekly open-mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East hosted by John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives) and tonight’s guest-host Eric Bernat (improv troupe Creep, FringeNYC): Oh, Hey Guys!

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($12): Mark Douglas, Todd Womack, and Anastasia Douglas, the creators of one of the Web’s most successful series ever (over 250 million visits on YouTube), perform some of their greatest hits live on stage at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson Street): Key of Awesome

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Improv genius Scott Adsit (30 Rock) and stand-up Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon, MTV, Second City) open at The PIT for a (mostly) one-woman show by Jet Eveleth, the artistic director of the Chicago Improv Festival, and who the Chicago Tribune has called “always terrific and subtle” (for video samples, please click here and here): Jet Eveleth’s Touched

[$] 7:00 pm ($15): In this triple-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Wilder and Wilder, VEAL,and Vox Pop each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Wilder and Wilder, VEAL, and Vox Pop

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): “If you were alive in the 70’s, you may have attended some ‘Key Parties’ where you were randomly paired with someone to go home with and engage in free spirited coitus. (Today we either stay at home alone or congregate at an improv theater.) Key Party combines the 70’s arrangement with modern anxiety, exploring the rich moments leading up to that act of coupling and the fallout that follows” at UCB East with stellar comics Laura Grey, Jordan Klepper, and guest improvisors: Key Party; plus in the second half of this double-bill, improv troupe Thank You, Robot

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A smart troupe consisting of writers for The Onion perform their best sketches: Pangea 3000: 12 Years of Hard Work; and in the other half of this UCB West double-bill, a sketch play about the opening of a trendy restaurant that serves nothing but raw pig, written with wit and bite by Leila Cohan-Miccio (Stone Cold Fox), directed with style by Caitlin Tegart (MTV, PBS, ESPN), and performed superbly by hot comedic actress Lauren Conlin Adams (and special thanks to Sarah Gainer for the photos above): Pig: A Restaurant

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Helen Hong (host of Logo’s Setup Squad), David Wiswell (MTV’sYo Mama), Leah Bonnema, and Douglas Smith performing at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City accompanied by banjo music from Doug Goldstein and hosted by Andy Kleinman: Happy Sounds Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show), Greg Johnson (Sirius XM Radio host), Aaron Walker, and more performing at UCB East with best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster): Totally J/K

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Ann Carr hosts the debut of the second season of her Web series The Actress, joined by comedic guests relating their own horrible experiences in the biz, along with music from Alana Amram, all at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson Street): Ann Carr’s The Actress: Season 2 Premiere

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

9:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes The Boss, Hello Laser, The Boss, Phooka, and Junior Varsity performing improv, followed by improv competition Inspirado(like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component), tonight with musical improv troupes battling it out at 11:00 pm: The Magnet’s Night Out

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; TLC, TruTV; co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), and Christy Karacas (co-creator of Superjail!) performing at UCB West with delightful hosts Shonali Bhowmik and new mom Andrea Rosen:Variety SHAC

9:30 pm ($8): “A 17-person middle school talent show created and performed by two people—Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron—who like themselves more now that they’re older. A comedic tribute to the best three years of our lives, and a comedic play for anyone who ever thought it couldn’t get any better than prank calls and slow-dancing” at The PIT: Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite

9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Carol & Sean are getting married on 11/7, so I’m not sure there’s a show this week; but please click here for updated info on this normally weekly show at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted & produced by soon-to-be-newlyweds Sean Crespo & Carol Hartsell: Lasers in the Jungle

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) make up one-act plays on the spot at The PITdownstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Sharp improvisors from UCBT, The Magnet, The PIT, and/or more try their hand at stand-up at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City: Improvisers Standing Up

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Round 1 of a beloved annual November tradition at UCB West—Pat Baer’s 3-on-3 Improv Tournament

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly open-mic stand-up show at UCB East, with each comic given five minutes, hosted by Rob Stern & Amber Nelson: Gutbucket

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Key of Awesome, Mark Douglas - Todd Womack - Anastasia Douglas, Pig: A Restaurant, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, Superjail! | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 11/2/11

November 2, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Mike Lawrence mixes a dash of nerd with lots of sharp wit headlining at Carolines; Meghan O'Neill was a highlight at SketchFest NYC and shines her star even brighter performing at Ars Nova...

...New Yorker cartoonist Corey Pandolph is at Shrink...

...and NBA coach Stan Van Gundy appears at Get Loose

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 at The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[$] 7:00 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Initial Public Offeringand American Idlez each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: IPO and and American Idlez

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, first a genius improv troupe consisting of trio Gavin Speiller (Death By Roo Roo), Ben Rodgers (The Curfew), and Jonathan Gabrus (The Law Firm) performs as Outlook of the Poet; and then Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar perform as fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($16.50, plus 2-drink min.) A shrewdly funny curmudgeon and part-time nerd who’s performed on Comedy Central and at the New York Comic Con headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Mike Lawrence

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Of all the superb comedic performers new to me at SketchFest NYC 2011, the one who most impressed was Meghan O’Neill. This exceptional actress has such a strong command of voice and movement that in one sketch she managed to convincingly evoke a dozen pop culture figures in under 30 seconds. O’Neill is also a sharp writer, bringing a groundedness and underlying meaning to even the silliest of scenarios. O’Neill is a member of the acclaimed Striking Viking Story Pirates, but is just starting to achieve the fame her talent deserves. If she’s been under your radar too, please watch her promo video by clicking here, and then come check her out tonight at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street) performing a one-woman show with a title that belies O’Neill’s star quality: ‘Fraidy Cat

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The superb Ryan Karels (Conan O’Brien, Krompf) performs a sketch show I haven’t yet seen titled Radio Rogue; and the debut of a sketch show directed by comedy genius Neil Casey, who is currently batting 1000% with his previous direction of stellar hit sketch shows by Kate McKinnon, Mike Still, and Stone Cold Fox, so this one is worth checking out for that reason alone: This Is Not a Sketch Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, Comedy Central, FOX), Nick Cobb (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriac drug user, please click here) performing stand-up at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City for this weekly show hosted by Nick Turner & Jason Sáenz: Too Cool for School

8:00 pm ($8 at the door, $6.84 online with discount code Supermango): Conan O’Brien writers Andrés du Bouchet and Josh Comers, Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central, VH1), Harry Terjanian (Sirius XM Radio), and “a secret guest” performing at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, off Bleecker Street) with host Dan Allen: Sacapuntas!

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Stan Van Gundy (NBA coach), Greg Barris (host of Heart of Darkness), Jenny Jaffe (staff writer for College Humor), Kate Berlant (Crime & Punishment), Calvin Cato (host of The Pregame Show), J.F. Harris (Raw Guts), Aaron Eisenberg (MTV), and Josh Edelman (BET) performing at Brooklyn bowling alley The Gutter (200 North 14th Street) hosted by Aaron Glaser and guest host Ilana Glazer (Broad City): Get Loose

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Sean Crespo (Onion News Network, host of Lasers in the Jungle), Chris Thayer (The Purple Onion), John F. O’Donnell (College Humor), and Dave Lester performing at the East Village’s Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad’s & Amy Albert’s free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Burnt Umber, Fuchsia, Grappler, Featherweight, Ocean, and Pea performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, first Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and then UCBT Harold Night house troupes Creature and Sandino make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form “Harold” rules at Cheating on Harold

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Corey Pandolph (cartoonist for The New Yorker), Cammi Climaco (co-host of Ask Me Stories), Kat Herskovic (NBC), Evan Morgenstern (co-producer of SNC and Call Us Crazy), and stellar musical guest The Pendulum Swings at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

9:00 pm ($7): Owen Smith (Everybody Hates Chris, TBS’ Are We There Yet?), Louis Katz (HBO,Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central; for video about crying while reading The Giving Tree, please click here), Kate Hendricks (VH1), and Akaash Singh (MTV) performing stand-up for this monthly show at Under St. Marks, with hosts Christian Polanco & Luke Younge: And Then What Happened?

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Conan O’Brien staff writers Brian Kiley, Todd Levin, Laurie Kilmartin, Andrés du Bouchet, Brian McCann, and Jesse Pop performing stand-up at UCB West while Conan spends a week in NYC: An Evening with The Conan Writers

[$] 9:30 pm ($22, plus 2-drink min.) A veteran stand-up who’s performed on Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing, and Comedy Central headlining for one night only at the CarolinesComedy Club: Eddie Pepitone

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: 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 weekly show at UCB West makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Corey Pandolph, Improv, Meghan O'Neill, Mike Lawrence, Sketch, Stan Van Gundy, Stand-Up | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/1/11

November 1, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Over 30 NYC comics gather to impersonate other comics at The 4th Annual Schtick or Treat...

...a stand-up star practices a long set before taping it for his new Comedy Central special at An Hour with Todd Barry...

...and The Magnet kicks off the 2011 edition of its New York Musical Improv Festival

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 ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Hello and Mint Condition each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Hello and Mint Condition

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’sThe Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Robert Dean: The Dean’s List

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Witty writers offering delightfully wry lectures about this month’s topic “Crime & Punishment”—e.g., why Shakespeare is the supreme crime writer; why we turn our criminals into heroes; how to stay legal in China; and The Evolution and Domestication of the Common Superhero—at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for Charles Star’s comedic show Adult Education

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A brand new episode of a classic sitcom written (by Luke Ward) as if it was happening during the height of the show’s popularity, with tonight’s subject Three’s Companyperformed at The PIT featuring wonderful comedic actresses Laura Grey (Horrorgasm, Klepper & Grey) as Janet and Lauren Olson (Our Condolences, Good Morning Ladies) as Chrissy: To Be Continued

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS’ Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Billy Princell, and more performing stand-up at UCB East for a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran on behalf of a great late actor: After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15 plus 2-drink min.): Conan O’Brien staff writers—who may include Brian Kiley, Todd Levin, Laurie Kilmartin, Andres Du Bochet, Brian McCann, and/or Jesse Pop, plus host Jimmy Pardo—performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club while Conan spends a week in NYC. Please note a similar show happens tomorrow at UCBT West for just $5; but if you like prefer comedy clubs, this will probably be lots of fun: An Evening with The Conan Writers

8:00 pm-11:00 pm ($5): Three full hours of improv at UCB West for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Grandma’s Ashes, Still Mike, Deckard, Very Good Kiss, and Dance Break—followed at 11:00 by advanced improv students (plus Pat Baer) making up The Lost Stories of Philip K. DIck: Harold Night

[$] 8:30 pm ($15): In this double-bill at The Magnet, singing improv troupes Aquarius and The Traveling Musical Medicine Show each make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Aquarius and The Traveling Musical Medicine Show

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Come help one of the finest stand-ups in the biz, Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchordsand Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), as he performs at The PIT upstairs theatre to hone an hour-long special he’ll soon be taping for Comedy Central: An Hour with Todd Barry

9:30 pm ($5): Typically terrific stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Stand-up, sketch, videos, and more at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre with Jeffrey Joseph and hosts Ron Krasnow & Joel Walkowski: The Short Bus

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($8; doors open at 9:30 pm): For the fourth year of this fabulous annual event, over 30 NYC comics get two minutes each to do a set as a famous comedian. This 2011 edition is slated to include impersonations of Anthony Jeselnik, Aziz Ansari, Bobcat Goldthwait, Colin Quinn, David Cross, Emo Phillips, Jerry Seinfeld, Judah Friedlander, Larry David, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Paul F. Tompkins, Richard Lewis, Rodney Dangerfield, Susie Essman, Todd Barry, Whitney Cummings, Zach Galifianakis, and more. It all takes place at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, between Houston & Bleecker), hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand. For reservations please email schtickortreat@gmail.com, and then come enjoy The 4th Annual Schtick or Treat

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Two of the most brilliant, fearless, and innovative comics in the biz, John Gemberling (Death by Roo Roo, Adult Swim, Comedy Central) and Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives), team up to create their own special version of a comedy variety show at UCB East. Tonight’s guests are new mom Andrea Rosen (brilliant stand-up & storyteller; HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Comedy Central’s Stella, Variety SHAC, The Nights of Our Lives, Ding Dong Meow, winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), and Dave Thunder (Conan O’Brien, ESPN): The Tony and Johnny Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): A comedic freestyle rap contest that’s a UCBT staple plays for one night only at The Magnet, featuring some of the funniest & sharpest comics in NYC—plus a volunteer from the audience!—hosted by genius human beatbox Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien,Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central); and in the other half of this double-bill, musical improv troupe Rosencrantz: The BEATdown and Rosencrantz

[FREE] 11:00 pm: A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, New York Musical Improv Festival, Schtick Or Treat, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, Todd Barry | Permalink
Posted by hybender

Best New York Comedy

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/10/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 11/9/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/8/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 11/7/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/6/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/5/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 11/4/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/3/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 11/2/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/1/11

Hy Bender

Search Best New York Comedy

Previous NYC Comedy Listings

Follow BestNewYorkComedy.com