NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 10/21/11

October 21, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

D.L Hughley

D. L. Hughley headlines through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club...

Nightfall on Miranga Island

...and musical comedy "Nightfall on Miranga Island" debuts tonight at The Magnet

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 theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Some of The Magnet’s finest comics—including the brilliant and delightful Lauren Olson (powerhouse one-woman show Our Condolences at last year’s FringeNYC)—team up with Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz to deliver comedy as sketch troupe Good Morning, Ladies in this show charmingly titled Fuck You, I’m Reasonable

7:00 pm ($10): A respected improv troupe returns to perform at The PIT downstairs lounge: Sid Viscous

[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 Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers), Lauren Adams (Onassis), and Emily Axford (Airwolf)—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.) A comedy superstar (for a sample set, please click here) headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: D.L Hughley

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: At this unique show, comics play videos they’ve made about themselves and then perform sets, with tonight’s guests Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), Joe Pera (very funny deadpan comic; for reasons to hire Joe, please click here), and Gonzalo Cordova at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Charlie Kasov & Gabe Pacheco: Anecdotal Evidence

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

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($20 [vs. $25] online or at the box office using discount code BOOK): Telly Savalas returns to life to entertain you and provide life guidance in this 50-minute show that was a hit at FringeNYC 2011 and is now enjoying an open-ended Friday night run at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club. The script is at times very smart, especially in its choices of hilarious video clips and music tracks from the real Savalas…who, in his more intense moments, apparently rivaled William Shatner at his silliest. But even when Hunter Nelson’s writing isn’t consistent, actor Tom DiMenna—who is a professional comic with great timing and skill at engaging an audience—will keep you entertained: Who Loves You, Baby?

[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 ($7): 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 debuting a pirate musical atThe 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. See it for a mere seven bucks before it moves to theatrical houses for $18 and up: Nightfall on Mirango Island

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s starred in his own Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and performed on HBO’s Tourgasm, FX’s Louie, MTV, and VH1 headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Robert Kelly

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Rob Cantrell (organic & delightful pothead stand-up who’s performed onLast Comic Standing, Comedy Central, and VH1, and written for High Times), Travis Irvine, Team Submarine, Damien Lemon, Kyle Chandler, Ryan Conner, and more performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Red Star Bar (37 Greenpoint Avenue) for hosts Nick Turner’s & Jason Sáenz’s Too Cool for School

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The unsinkable Mamrie Hart (rising star who’s snared over 195,000 visits to date with her Harry Potter viral video) hosts eulogies at UCB East for universally loved actor Will Smith, with participants Matt McCarthy, Henry Zebrowski, Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, Steve Soroka, Carla Rhodes, and a small army of other comics: Celebrity Funeral: Will Smith

[TOP PICK] [$] [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): Judah Friedlander (30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:30 pm ($5): “Where there is a stage and a piano, she will be there. Where there are strangers with embarrassing stories, she will be there. Where there is a group of people willing to sit and watch someone make up songs, she will be there. A one-woman musical improv journey through the lives of the audience. You tell the story, Rebecca Vigil sings the soundtrack” at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Vigilante

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Typically terrific NYC comics performing at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jackie Zebrowski, Julia Johns, and Sharron Paul: Twat’s Up!

[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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($8): J Hobart and Grace Helbig welcome NYC talents for a morning chat show…that’s happening late at night. Tonight’s guests are Corn Mo (stellar musician), Gregg Goldston (expert mime), and Ashley C. Williams (Human Centipede): The Morning Show with Hobart and Grace

11:00 pm ($5): Ten NYC stand-up comics compete at The PIT downstairs lounge for audience votes, starting tonight, hosted by Max Newman: The PIT Stand-Up Comedy Competition

11:00 pm ($5): Comedy troupe Creature, comedy duo Byer & Alan, and stand-up David Cope performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D’Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

11:30 pm ($10): Magnet improvisers Bianca Casusöl as Madam Ant, Nina Klemow as Fanny Price, and Alex Marino as Larry Lazlo use burlesque dancing to tell a story “and titillate the audience with some seductively fun choreographed burlesque numbers:” Whisky Tango Foxtrot: Burlesque Improv Revue

[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: Sketches from participants of this past September’s National Sketch Month, which challenged writers to craft 30 sketches in 30 days, brought to life on the UCB West stage, and hosted by Andy Beckerman & Mark Bisi (sketch duo Wrestling Team):NaNaSkeWriMoSkeShow: The National National Sketch Writing Month Sketch Show

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: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 10/16/11

October 16, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Patrice Oneal

Patrice Oneal headlines one last night at Carolines...

Elna Baker

...and Elna Baker is "Here to Help"

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] [$] 2:00 pm ($18): Tom X. Chao has a wry, deadpan sense of humor that graces indie theatre only occasionally. Today is among those rare times when Tom is performing one of his oddball comedic shows—which has received a glowing review from The New York Times—at theHERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue—co-starring Tom and directed by the wonderful John Harlacher: Callous Cad

[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

[FREE] 5:30 pm: Improv duo The Bedtime Brothers begin by making up scenes based on an audience member’s horrible dating or break-up experience, and end with scenes springboarding off an audience-supplied movie quote; and in between invited stand-ups and sketch comics perform. It all happens at at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City: Love Sucks! Movies Rock!

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Elna Baker (genius storyteller, and bestselling author of the comedic book The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance; writer for Glamour, Elle; NPR’sThis American Life; co-host of red-hot The Talent Show), John Flynn (host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!; The Nights of Our Lives), Matt Fisher (stellar improvisor & sketch comic; The Law Firm, Sidecar), and “a surprise guest” 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 East hosted by Andy Rocco: Here to Help

[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

7:30 pm ($5): Ray Munoz telling true stories about growing up in NYC, and gal improvisors springboarding scenes from their real life childhood diaries, in a double-bill at UCB East (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Off the Cuff and Red Vag of Courage

[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 ($7): 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), Barry Rothbart, and Adam Clayton-Holland performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall with tonight’s guest-host Msx Silverstri: Pretty Good Friends

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.)  A star stand-up who’s done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and cast member on FOX’s The Jury; appeared repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O’Brien; and guest starred on such TV shows as NBC’s The Office and FOX’s Arrested Development, headlining one more night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Patrice Oneal

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Calise Hawkins (writer for Playboy.com), Harry Terjanian, Scott Moran, and Andrew Short performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Magnet sketch comics performing new material: Ripe Sketch Comedy

[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

9:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups perform sets at The PIT, and then improv troupe Before the Accident makes up scenes springboarding off the material: Daws of Death

9:30 pm ($5): All-gal sketch troupe Chloroform Babiez debuting at The Magnet with the defensive title Never Heard of You Either

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

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Allison Castillo (Comedy Central), Calvin Cato (The Onion), and Chris Doucette performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy guest-hosted tonight by the show’s founder Adam Sank: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

11:00 pm ($5): “Iconic soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live are ending, so climb out of the well your stepfather has trapped you in, grab your evil twin, and join us for some steamy, sexy, funny bits that celebrate the demise of daytime television. Hosts and secret BFFs Susan Lucci and Kelly Ripa will toast daytime fans and fanatics and roast former soap stars. You don’t have to be a sad middle-aged suburban housewife to stop by” at UCB East and join Katie Schorr & Cody Lindquist as they bid Farewell to Daytime: A Soap Opera Tribute

 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: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wed. 10/12/11

October 12, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Julie Klausner

Cat-friendly comics Julie Klausner (The Rejection Show)...

Brooke Van Poppelen

...and Brooke Van Poppelen (New York's Funniest)

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

[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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm (FREE COVER—aside from $1.50 “service charge”—if you reserve online using discount code NYFUNNY, plus 2-drink min.): The semi-finals for the New York Comedy Festival’s New York’s Funniest competition, with each stand-up performing a 7-minute set. Tonight’s competitors are Brooke Van Poppelen, Mark Normand, Mike Recine, Annie Lederman, Sam Morril, Joe Larson, Joe Machi, Michael Che, Josh Rabinowitz, Damien Lemon, Thomas Dale, and Eric Lyden, all delivering their best material at the Carolines Comedy Club: Van Poppelen, Normand, Recine, and more at New York’s Funniest

[TOP PICK] 7:30 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 another genius improv troupe consisting of trio Gavin Speiller of Death By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers of The Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm) performs as Outlook of the Poet

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $6.50 in advance online): Top comics and writers sharing memorable tales of their material being turned down—with tonight’s guests Julie Klausner (razor-sharp comic & storyteller, and author of I Don’t Care About Your Band), star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), Patrick Borelli (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, and previously for Conan O’Brien; Adult Swim, ESPN; author of book Holy Headshot!), and the Found Footage Festival (sharing hilariously odd amateur videos)—all at a new location, Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street), for Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Acclaimed Canadian sketch/improv duo Isaac Kessler & Ken Hall perform for one night only at UCB West as part of a national tour; “Their acting was physical and first-class, their object work immense, and their plot lines outrageous”—Time Out Chicago: 2-Man No-Show

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Matt Graham (Conan O’Brien), Mariane Schaberg (Good Housekeeping TV correspondent), Emma Willman (Daily Motion), and David Lee Nelson (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) 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 Ransom Family, Phooka, Featherweight, Brick, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Ransom Family at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Open mic stand-up (with sign-up starting at 8:00) at Brooklyn’s Belleville (330 5th Street) hosted by Josh Guarino: The Belleville Mic

[TOP PICK] 9:00 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 UCBT Harold Night house troupes Very Good Kiss and Mr. Crime make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form “Harold” rules at Cheating on Harold

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Jason Sprung (three-time Moth StorySlam champion), Adam Newman (College Humor), Lee Rubenstein (ABC, MTV), Sean Crespo (The Electric Company, Onion News Network, host of Lasers in the Jungle), and musical guest Soce the Elemental Wizard 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 Comb the Desert, otherwise $8): Fine sketch duo Chris & Paul, musical comedy troupe Purple Skunks, sketch troupe City Hall, and more at Under St. Marks:Sketch Block

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Three sketch comedy talents—James Adomian (sharp impressionist; finalist on last summer’s Last Comic Standing), troupe Ninja Sex Party, and duo Team Submarine—each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites in a fun revue at UCB West hosted by Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[$] 9:30 pm ($20, plus 2-drink min.) A stand-up who’s starred in his own Comedy Central Presentshalf-hour special, is a cast member on Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans, and also performed on Showtime, VH1, and Last Comic Standing headlining tonight and next Wednesday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kurt Metzger

[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

[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: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 10/8/11

October 8, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Ali Wong and Janeane Garofalo

Ali Wong headlines one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club, and Janeane Garofalo performs at the Eastville 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:

[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

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Listen Kid!, Sneaky Beatings, and Old Timey Radio Show at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[FREE] 6:00 pm: A “sacrificial” improv team performs a quick set, then is split up among three other waiting improv troupes, each of which then performs a full set. This ritual letting go for the good of the whole takes place at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Sacrifice

7:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Cake-Fest tries to recreate the tone and themes of an animated cartoon live on stage at The PIT upstairs theatre in AdventureProv

[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

7:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East: Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.) A petite comedy dynamo, this razor-sharp rising star who recently performed on Jay Leno and FOX, and is a cast member of the upcoming NBC sitcom Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea and the upcoming Oliver Stone filmSavages, will shock you and make you roar with laughter thanks to a fearlessness that’s won her acclaim in San Francisco and, over the past two years, a devoted following in NYC. Headlining at the Carolines Comedy Club, treat yourself to Ali Wong

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake and UCBT’s The Chris Gethard Show; Magic Box of Stories, The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of book Weird New York; winner of 2011 ECNY Award for Best Tweeter), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), Greg Johnson (Sirius Radio host), Susan Prekel (Comedy Central), and Dan Shaki performing stand-up at One and One (76 East 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) at Sean Donnelly’s Lil’ Seany Boy

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($30 & 2-drink min.): A TV & movie star who created & hostedLast Comic Standing, was a cast member of CBS’ Gary Unmarried and Ghost Whisperer, has done extensive sports broadcasting for ESPN, and has appeared in such feature films as Jerry MacGuire, Pay It Forward, and Hereafter (opposite Matt Damon) headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jay Mohr

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, TruTV, Tyra Banks), Amber Nelson (sketch troupe Thunder Gulch, co-host of Gutbucket), and Andy Sandford (Adult Swim, The Beards of Comedy) performing sets and then being interviewed about theirpersonal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby &Mark Normand (who says “all these guys were hand-picked because they’re funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you’re gonna be like “oh yeah, that guy is a mess”):We’re All Friends Here

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Pat O’Shea (host of Ed Sullivan on Acid), Liz Simons, Stephanie Acevedo, Dan Hirshon, J-L Cauvin, Bryan Bruner, and Teresa DeGaetano performing at The Creekdownstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with host Evan Morgenstern: SNC: Hot Blooded

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 ($10 plus 2-drink min.): Joe Hutcheson scored a hit at last year’s FringeNYC with hisone-man show about a gay New Yorker having this body inhabited by the ghost of a pre-Civil War Southern debutante. Joe’s bringing the show back for a brief revival tonight, and next Friday & Saturday, at the Times Square Arts Center’s Roy Arias Cabaret, 300 West 43rd Street (off 8th Avenue), 5th Floor: Miss Magnolia Beaumont Goes to Provincetown

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($8): NYC’s heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and won last year’s ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing this monthly show at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist

[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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): 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), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents, Jimmy Kimmel), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), Sean Donnelly (host of Lil’ Seany Boy), and Jono Zalay performing stand-up at UCB East, hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

[TOP PICK] [$] [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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, 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), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy duo Jamaal Sedayao and Brian Lisi at The Magnet providing “unfamiliar, often absurd stories full of unexpected laughs:” Turboner Bigoté

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Sketch duo Chris O’Neill and Paul Valenti describe themselves as “vaudeville gold for a 2011 crowd.” Whatever. They’re funny. Especially the bit with the nose. Come catch their latest material tonight at The PIT: The Chris and Paul Show

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) bringing their A-game—because their sets are captured at this new monthly show as audition tapes—performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Grass Route: Built from the Underground Up

[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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): A comedic panel show debuting at The PIT, with tonight’s guests Jeff Caldwell (David Letterman), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), and Maureen Langan (Joy Behar) “breaking down the week’s weakest, from politics to pop culture,” hosted by Brian Joyce: The Weak in Review

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer’s Last Comic Standing), Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon), John Milhiser (sketch troupes Dweeband Serious Lunch), and Amber Nelson (sketch troupe Thunder Gulch, co-host of Gutbucket), and musical guest Adnan Sabir performing at UCB East with host Andy Rocco at Underground Americana

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Top improvisors pair up for one night only at UCB West: Chris Gethard (comedy genius) & Laura Wilcox, John Gemberling (comedy genius) & Don Fanelli, Fran Gillespie (rising risk-taker) & random audience member, and Lydia Hensler & Alan Starzinski, hosted by Don Fanelli: Couples Skate

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

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups in a late-night talk show format at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Michael Che: Michael Che’s Community Service

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: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 9/30/11

September 30, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Anthony Jeselnik

One of the greatest stand-ups of all time, Anthony Jeselnik, headlines tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club...

John Gemberling and Arden Myrin

...and comedy giants John Gemberling, Arden Myrin, and more join Rob Lathan at "Stinson's Awesome Movie Night" to analyze...

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

...the film classic "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

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 Creekdownstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing), Louis Katz (HBO, Comedy Central), Calise Hawkins (Last Comic Standing), and Yannis Pappas (VH1) performing at Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street) at the debut of this new biweekly stand-up show hosted by Peter Ostrovski & Ilya Gofshteyn: Beautiful Comedy

7:00 pm ($5): Alexis Lambright performing a one-woman show at The Magnet about her quest to pop her cherry: Combating Adult Virginity

[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 Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers) and Ben Rameaka (Airwolf)—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 online or at the box office using discount code TMAN): One of the very best shows at FringeNYC 2010 was an award-winning comedy from NYC’s own Faye Lane, a luminous storyteller and singer who will charm your socks off—and possibly give you a moon pie to boot—at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club. This marvelous event recently received a 2011 Bistro Award for Musical Comedy and 2011 MAC Award for Special Production. Please read my review by clicking here, watch Faye make a pecan pie by clicking here, see Faye be a Green Bean by clicking here, and then take advantage of this revival running Friday nights to experience the hilarious and unforgettable Faye Lane’s Beauty Shop Stories

8:00 pm ($10): An PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($26.75 & 2-drink min.) Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand-ups of all time, with a special gift for crafting dark and shocking short jokes, and a lightning-quick mind that allows him to play with any audience in the moment. This genius Emmy-nominated comic is a former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon, and has also performed on Conan O’Brien, HBO, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and his hit comedy CD Shakespeare. Anthony is headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club along with guitar comic Nick Thune: The Greatest: Anthony Jeselnik

[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 & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): Winner of the second season of Last Comic Standing, a frequent performer on Jay Leno and VH1, and star of two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials and an hour-long Comedy Central special, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: John Heffron

8:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy, sometimes interwoven with a live band: Citizen Models

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Rob Lathan (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, ABC) as his cinema connoisseur character Stinson screens the notoriously awful film Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at UCB East along with top comics John Gemberling, Arden Myrin, James Adomian, and more: Stinson’s Awesome Movie Night

[TOP PICK] [$] [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): 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), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on this summer’s Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1), and Aaron Berg performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:30 pm ($10): All-gal improv at The PIT, first from Brigid Boyle, Lorraine Cink, Leslie Collins, Danielia Donohue, and Ariel Karlin; and then from Lee Eddy, Meg Griffiths, Julia Morales, Sarah Nowak, and Mandy Schmieder, at Lucy

9:30 pm ($5): “Where there is a stage and a piano, she will be there. Where there are strangers with embarrassing stories, she will be there. Where there is a group of people willing to sit and watch someone make up songs, she will be there. A one-woman musical improv journey through the lives of the audience. You tell the story, Rebecca Vigil sings the soundtrack” at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Vigilante

[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 ($7): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[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 comics The Brothers Hines, CJ Toledano, and Lance & Ray performing at UCB East: Gentrify

11:00 pm ($5): A comedy tribute at The PIT downstairs lounge to a gal on her 26th birthday: The PIT Roast of Corinne Fisher

11:00 pm ($5): All-gal improv at The PIT from troupe Goldie and the Hawns (Jennifer Bild, Christine DeNoon, Julianne Dunn, and Brandy Mitchell), plus guest stand-up and sketch gal comics: Boneless! A Night of Women in Comedy

[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[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 UCB West 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 book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

1 Comment | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 7/31/11

July 31, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory headlines for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club...

Carmen Lynch

...and Carmen Lynch performs at the Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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

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

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce

[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

[$] 8:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A pioneering legendary political comic headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Dick Gregory

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; MTV, FOX’s Breaking In), David Angelo (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Joey Gay (Last Comic Standing), Joe Zimmerman, and Jessie Richardson performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($5): A sketch show about time travel and unfortunate mistakes: Swartzlander: Unstuck; and in the other half of this double-bill, improvised comedy from Andrew Cornelius and Andrew Fafoutakis, who call themselves The Andrew Sisters

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Music from the unforgettable dark comedy group The Cowmen and more at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Murderfist’s Holden McNeely & Ed Larson: Stage Fright

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Sketch at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City from a comedy troupe consisting of Sean O’Connor, Nick Maritato, Danny Solomon, Robert Dean and Neal Stastny: Meatsteak

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller with notable bangs; VH1, Showtime, host of TV pilot of The Liar Show), Carmen Lynch (finalist on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and David Hodorowski performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show atTherapy guest-hosted by show founder Adam Sank: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 4 minutes per comic, at The PIT’s downstairs loungehosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

11:00 pm ($5): “Michael Martin dared Alan Starzinski to bake a pie with him, naked. Alan said sure, if Michael could get 100 people to ‘like’ it on Facebook. Now, 100 likes later, they are going to do a musical improv show for you, naked, in aprons, and serve you the pie they made. One time only. Starzinski/Martin:” Nakey Bake 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 7/28/11

July 28, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Lisa Lampanelli

Lisa Lampanelli tells tales of online dating at Risk!...

Jessi Klein

...while Jessi Klein performs stand-up at Lasers in the Jungle

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

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

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

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

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

8:00 pm ($5): Seth Kirschner (30 Rock, Lipstick Jungle) plays every character in a half-hour one-man TV episode parodying 90s sitcoms—and is debuting a new episode tonight—in Sertainly Seth; and in the other half of this double-bill, Paul Welsh performs a one-man show about a hall of portraits in Men in Paintings

8:00 pm ($5): “Best friends Dave Ahdoot and Ethan Fixell created an internet phenomenon by challenging pairs of women to double date them, and documenting the hilarious results for YouTubers everywhere. Two hundred dates later, their experiences were translated into reenactments, educational songs, and valuable lessons in everything from dancing to kissing. Tonight, these “dating experts” will improvise demonstrations inspired by audience participation, in an attempt to enlighten on the art of romance…and perhaps do a little bit of matchmaking along the way:” Dave and Ethan: Dating Coaches

8:00 pm ($5): Terrific sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (Leah Rudick and Katie Hartman) host a comedy variety show, with tonight’s Desiree Burch, David Smithyman, Killy Dwyer, and Cocoon Central Dance Team performing at The PIT’s basement lounge: Daddy’s Basement: A Comedy Variety Freakshow

[$] 8:00 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.) A comic who’s performed on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, Showtime at Harlem, BET’s ComicView, and the feature film Next Fridayheadlining tonight and Friday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are star insult comic Lisa Lampanelli, stunt journalist AJ Jacobs, and Emmy-winning Daily Show Supervising Producer Adam Lowitt—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Met on the Net” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Sam Grittner (for stand-up about the gayness of Heaven, please click here), and Harry Terjanian (XM Radio) performing stand-up at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for Sean Crespo’s & Carol Hartsell’s weekly comedy show Lasers in the Jungle

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): The highly talented Fran Gillespie, who came in as a solo improvisor, made the odd choice of requesting an audience member who had zero improv experience to come on stage and perform with her for her entire set—and then periodically scolded her new partner for making choices counter to improv rules that Fran explicitly requested the audience member not know… Spectacular musical improv troupe Diamond Lion (which includes improv genius Tara Copeland) ended up garnering nearly twice as many audience votes—and will be a champion that all subsequent opponents will find hard to beat. Tonight DL goes up against new UCBT Harold Night house troupe Mr. Crime, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

11:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT for this comedy club-style (i.e., long set) weekly show hosted by Harrison Greenbaum: The Big One

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 7/24/11

July 24, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Jane Borden, James Adomian, and Carmen Lynch

Jane Borden, James Adomian, and Carmen Lynch perform at Sunday Night Stand-Up

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] 2:00 pm: Eddie Brill (long-time warm-up comic and booker for David Letterman), Moody McCarthy (Last Comic Standing, Jimmy Kimmel), Adam Newman (MTV, College Humor, new comedy CD Not for Horses), and John F. O’Donnell performing stand-up for a free outdoor show—yes, in the middle of a heat wave, so don’t wear much—at Tompkins Square Park, at the Old Bandshell Lawn (off 7th Street & Avenue A): Laughter in the Park

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (for details, please click here) at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Open

6:30 pm ($5): A show auditioning for a run at The Magnet with no description beyond this intriguing title: Old Timey Radio Show

[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] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Jane Borden (treasured Comedy Editor of Time Out New York, author of I Totally Meant to Do That), James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer’s Last Comic Standing), Carmen Lynch (also a finalist on Last Comic Standing), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Nick Rutherford, and Tom Dunlap performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce

8:00 pm ($5): A sketch show from new and potentially filthy troupe Turboner Bigote

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

[$] 8:30 pm ($20 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s performed numerous times on David Letterman and Jay Leno, starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, and starred in a second Comedy Central special titled Mitch Fatel is Magical, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club (with openers Ophira Eisenberg and Michael Somerville): Mitch Fatel

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Music from the unforgettable dark comedy group The Cowmen and more at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Murderfist’s Holden McNeely & Ed Larson: Stage Fright

[TOP PICK]  9:30 pm ($5): Improv troupe Phooka goes scripted with a sketch show about “tales of the wild and weird people, places, and events this side of Crazytown; true stories of all things that most folks only whisper about—and those who hear wish they didn’t!;” plus in the second half of this double-bill, “a magical world of female centaurs, space gladiatrixes, serpent gods, and Glenn Close as fantasy artist Julie Bell takes audience members on a ride through her life’s work and explains the strange and mundane inspirations behind her masterpieces…unleash your inner robobird!”: Phooka and Julie Bell

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Carolyn Castiglia (hilarious stand-up and white rapper; VH1, MTV), Yamaneika (BET), and Chantal Carerre (Boston Comedy Festival) performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 4 minutes per comic, at The PIT’s downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 7/23/11

July 23, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Shannon O'Neill

The always fearless & innovative Shannon O'Neill tackles Casey Anthony at her midnight show "The Unrehearsed, Historically Inaccurate Story of..."

Adam Newman

...and Adam Newman celebrates the release of his comedy CD "Not for Horses" at Queens LIC's The Creek

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): Best friends Kathy Salerno (storyteller at Risk!) and Emily Altman (sketch comic forOnassis) form a sketch comedy duo directed by a friend of mine, the forever young and sexy Amanda Duarte: Total Sweethearts

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Comedic storytelling at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez: 1001 Nights

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

7:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Alexis Lambright about her quest to pop her cherry: Combating Adult Virginity

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Movie star Janeane Garofalo, Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killerset on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Harrison Greenbaum, Owen Smith, Lucas Molandes, and Nick Rutherford performing at Karma Lounge (51 First Avenue, off 3rd Street) with hosts Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Adam Newman (College Humor) and friends celebrate the release of his comedy CD Not for Horses at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City: Adam Newman CD Release Party

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s performed numerous times on David Letterman and Jay Leno, starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, and starred in a second Comedy Central special titled Mitch Fatel is Magical, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club (with opener Michael Somerville): Mitch Fatel

[FREE—plus FREE BEER!] 8:00 pm: A variety show of stand-up, storytelling, and sketch that’s not only free, but promises to give each of the first 25 audience members who arrive a free beer! Unfortunately, the lineup is never announced in advance; but if you’d care to take a chance, join hosts Ray Combs Jr., Evan Jacobs, and Aalap Patel as they provide you a drink On the House

[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—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] 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): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, twoComedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Dean Edwards, Jordan Carlos, David Foster, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club’s A-List

9:00 pm ($7): 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] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King interviews an audience member about where he or she grew up and then creates 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

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Comedic storytelling about love in NYC and more at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City: Variety Amour

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): From the fearless and always innovative Shannon O’Neill, who won the 2011 ECNY Award for Best One-Person Show: “I seem to have made a big ole mistake. I wrote a script, I purchased the props, but I forgot to rehearse it. And on top of that I HAVE NO CAST!!!! So… I am going to cast YOU, moments before the show starts. I will hand you a script, give you some props and instruct you to just listen and get ready to perform. Oh man this is going to be a fucking mess of BEAUTY!! If you want a chance to be cast, make reservations and get in line by 11:15pm. I, Shannon O’Neill will personally come out and hand pick the best damn group of Thespians this play has ever seen and will ever see because this play will only be performed ONCE, never to be seen again! What do I look for in a cast? I love fatties, I love skinnies, I love sober people, I love drunk people. I love you all. Every shape, size, and ethnicity. Let’s hold hands and spin the world! What is this play about? Something real fucking weird. Thanks for helping me fix my mistake. I’ll see you soon friends!:” The Unrehearsed, Historically Inaccurate Story of…Casey Anthony

[FREE] Midnight: Two teams drawn from veteran improvisors, with each taking on an audience member drawn from a hat, making up scenes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Amey Goerlich and a different guest each month: Midnight Improv Run

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

[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 7/22/11

July 22, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Kate McKinnon

Kate McKinnon shows off her world-class star quality in one of the best comedy shows of the year, "Kate McKinnon on Ice"...

Mike Still

...and then Mike Still shows off his thirst to rule the world in "Dictator for Life"

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups start at 5:30 pm) at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

7:00 pm ($8): Award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with “a celebrity guest improvisor’ at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

7:00 pm ($7): “Strange, mysterious, beautiful, and disgusting, this show will dazzle you with sketch comedy… and magic!” by The Weird Sisters

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Sketch comedy genius Kate McKinnon performing her latest one-woman show, which features “Singing! Dancing! Ice Skating! Hoarders! Conjoined Twins! Temple Grandin!” This inventive, dynamic production is among the very best to grace the UCBT stage this year. (And if you don’t want to take my word alone, check out Jane Borden’s Time Out New York review.) Kate is the most precious of diamonds in our NYC comedy community; come see why in Kate McKinnon on Ice…

…and in the second half of this double-bill, Mike Still (Death by Roo Roo, Diamond Lion) performs a one-man show that—like Kate’s show—was directed by fellow Roo Roo star Neil Casey: Dictator For Life

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($20 online using discount code BBOX1): One of the very best shows at FringeNYC 2010 was an award-winning comedy from NYC’s own Faye Lane, a luminous storyteller and singer who will charm your socks off—and possibly give you a moon pie to boot—at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club. This marvelous event recently received a 2011 Bistro Award for Musical Comedy and 2011 MAC Award for Special Production. Please read my review by clicking here, watch Faye make a pecan pie by clicking here, and then take advantage of this revival running Friday nights to experience the hilarious and unforgettable Faye Lane’s Beauty Shop Stories

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: 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), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Chris Laker, Sean Donnelly, and Nick Rutherford performing stand-up at O’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Mark Normand: Hot Soup

8:00 pm ($10): An improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello

8:00 pm ($7): Greg Wilker & Kelly Buttermore perform the best sketches they’ve written over the past five years at Kelly & Greg: 2007-2011

[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

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s performed numerous times on David Letterman and Jay Leno, starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, and starred in a second Comedy Central special titled Mitch Fatel is Magical, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club (with opener Michael Somerville): Mitch Fatel

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

9:00 pm ($7): “In March of 2009 a gaggle of performers were born. Some died, some wandered off into the woods, others went to work in the private sector. Those that remained grew strong by feeding on the nectar of specific choices and the gruel of strong character work. The 2-year-old terror that exists today is akin to watching a Tsunami of hair and teeth attack a baby Blue Whale and destroy it with the will of a thousand hungry Burnese Mountain Dogs. What does it all mean? We don’t know.” In other words, improv from Chet Watkins

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): An imaginative and award-winning sketch troupe using song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about how boys will be girls, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors, including such world-class performers as the breathtakingly talented Tara Copeland, using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Comedy genius Thomas Middleditch (when he’s not in LA), Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Before the show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Three NYC sketch troupes—delightful gal duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, quick-witted Patrick Borelli, and guy duo Inside Joke Films—each performing one of their most popular bits and one of their personal favorites in a sketch revue hosted by Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »