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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 5/7/11

May 7, 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.

Tonight is the final chance this season for New Yorkers to catch the smartest & funniest improv comedy troupe in the world: The Improvised Shakespeare Company

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 4:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he’s developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hit Sleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he’s raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted via code BOX) price is about what you’d pay at a comedy club…and it’ll buy you one of the richest experiences you’re ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what’s truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

[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 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 extravaganzasReal 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), Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic; Manhattan Monologue Slam Champ, Sideshow Goshko), Tracy Rowland (TV writer/producer), and Colin Dempsey (Comedyland). 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) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Anthony King, Christina Gausas, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, and more—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors who’ve included writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35 & 2-item min.): A stand-up who’s performed on NBC, BBC,Comedy Central Presents, and The Howard Stern Show, and has twice won Time Out New York’sBest Comedy Performance of the Year award, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Doug Stanhope

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($20 with discount code TODDB, plus 2-drink min.): One of the finest stand-ups in the country, with appearances on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead, headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Todd Barry

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: The 3rd Anniversary of this “comedy chat show with boundary issues” that has stand-ups perform sets and then be interviewed about their personal lives, with tonight’s guests Dan Soder, Jesse Popp, and Yannis Pappas at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by Mark Normand & Matt Ruby: We’re All Friends Here

[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 hasn’t been announced; 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

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($20 online or at the door with discount codeISCFRIEND): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight ends ISC’s brief May visit to NYC; don’t miss this chance to experience the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount codeSBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event by catching tonight’s edition of Baby Wants Candy

[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 (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike

11:00 pm ($10): “Have you ever wondered what would happen in a porno movie if there was no sex? Would the repairman fix the washing machine and be on his way? Would the teacher help Johnny raise his SAT scores? Would the delivery boy tell the nice, scantily clad lady she can pay him later? This show is the best parts of adult films: the character work, the blocking and the acting—oh, the acting! Improv troupe Borealis screens the opening scenes of random porn movies and then makes up what happens next” in Who Ordered Pepperoni?: Porn-Inspired Improv

[FREE] 11:45 pm: 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

Midnight ($5): John Flynn (superb storyteller; The Nights of Our Lives), Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, host of Sweet), Dan Gurewitch (College Humor), Thunder God Thor (played by Rob Stern), and more performing at host Andy Rocco’s Underground Americana

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: Barrow Street Theatre, Blaine Swen, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Theatre 80 St. Marks, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 5/6/11

May 6, 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.

Two of the greatest improvisors alive—each visiting from Chicago—are coincidentally both performing tonight: Joe Bill at "Lights Out, Shirley!"...

...and Blaine Swen at "The Improvised Shakespeare Company"

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

7:00 pm ($8): “Ever wonder how you become a writer for an Emmy winning TV show? So does J. D. Durkin. Since no one has told him, here is his one-man show performing all original material to become a writer for The Colbert Report. Durkin channels Colbert live on stage to present political punditry as only The PIT could do it…and only The PIT, since he was escorted off the Comedy Central premises:” Stephen Colbert: Hire Me

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($20 online or at the door with discount code ISCFRIEND): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is actually sold out, but it’s not too late to grab tickets for the final performance on Saturday of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Andrea Rosen is already famed as a comic—in fact, she recently won the prestigious 2011 ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up—but what’s not as well-known is that Andrea’s among the finest comedic storytellers in the country. This new one-woman show should fix that. It offers smart, fearless, hilarious material ranging from fast food you should avoid to the medicinal power of a boyfriend’s penis. It also provides one of the sharpest comedic performances that will grace NYC this year (for which kudos are also deserved by the show’s superb director, John Flynn). Plus if you sit in the first few rows, expect free home-baked cookies. Don’t miss Andrea’s unique blend of dark comedy and silliness: Ding Dong Meow…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, Jordan Klepper and Laura Grey perform an acclaimed sketch show in which “they’re bringing their baggage to the stage and dumping it all on you” in Baggage

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), and more performing atO’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Mark Normand: Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott performing with a three-piece rock ensemble: Centralia

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he’s developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hitSleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he’s raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted via code BOX) price is about what you’d pay at a comedy club…and it’ll buy you one of the richest experiences you’re ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what’s truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

8:00 pm ($5; includes copious homemade treats): Fine NYC stand-ups Dan St. Germain, Kevin McCaffrey, Raquel D’Aprice, and Sean Donnelly performing at Karma Lounge (51 First Avenue, off 3rd Street) with hosts Aalap Patel, Matt Maragno, and the delightful Chelsea White (MTV, College Humor): It’s Not That Serious

9:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy about the past year from two friends who, by a wild coincidence, have the same name, and tonight plan on performing a movie sequel: We’re Matt Weir: Thor 2

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($20 with discount code TODDB, plus 2-drink min.): One of the finest stand-ups in the country, with appearance on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature filmsThe Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead, headlining through Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Todd Barry

[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): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches: The Harvard Sailing Team

10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with a n 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] 11:00 pm ($10): Jenny Slate (Saturday Night Live, HBO’s Bored to Death) and Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), plus wonderful musical guest Corn Mo, performing at this monthly comedy talk show hosted by the Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central, IFC, Hot Tub Variety): Night of the Living with Kurt Braunohler

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): One of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre) spearheads a breathtakingly brilliant group of improvisors from Chicago and New York who’ll blow the roof off at this spectacular monthly show that offers lightning-quick dark comedy unlike anything else in NYC. The other players are Jodi Lennon (Comedy Central’s Exit 57), Ari Voukydis (UCB instructor, VH!’s Best Week Ever), Doug Stoley (Conan O’Brien, UCB), Rick Andrews (Magnet performer), Mark Grenier (Magnet instructor), Jen Sanders (Magnet performer), and Chet Siegel (Magnet performer). The previous show I caught was one of the finest comedy hours I’ve ever been lucky enough to experience (but no pressure, Joe; am just sayin’….). You don’t want to miss Lights Out, Shirley!

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A comedic freestyle rap contest featuring some of the funniest & sharpest comics in NYC—who tonight include Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, host of Sweet), Seth Herzog’s mom, Peter Gwinn (Baby Wants Candy), Billy Eichner (Bravo, Creation Nation), and Carla Rhodes (rock n roll ventriloquist)—plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by genius human beatbox Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and the wonderful Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central) at one of my favorite monthly shows: The BEATdown

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: Barrow Street Theatre, Blaine Swen, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Joe Bill, Lights Out Shirley!, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 5/5/11

May 5, 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.

Complicated stand-ups Todd Barry (headlining through Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club)...

...and Doug Stanhope (headlining through Sunday 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 $12 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-item min.): A stand-up who’s performed on NBC, BBC, Comedy Central Presents, and The Howard Stern Show, and has twice won Time Out New York’s Best Comedy Performance of the Year award, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Doug Stanhope

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An hour of improv directed by Magnet Theatre co-owner Armando Diaz: Evente

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm (just $15 with discount code TODDB, plus 2-drink min.): One of the finest stand-ups in the country, with appearance on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature filmsThe Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead, headlining through Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club:Todd Barry

9:00 pm ($12): The Lady Aye, Camille Harris, and more performing at Comedy Below Canal

[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 guest-host Ben Kissel (while Sean Patton shares his gifts with other cities): Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Adira Amram (fresh, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter; winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act), 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 Adam Lowitt (Producer of The Daily Show) joining delightful hosts Andrea Rosen and Shonali Bhowmik for Variety SHAC

9:30 pm ($5): Musical improv from troupe 10 Pound Ally

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1) and Dan Soder (Comedy Central) performing stand-up at The Pit for this new weekly show hosted by Harrison Greenbaum: The Big One

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): In a shocking upset, improv troupe CAPTCHA beat Death by Roo Roo last week in a very close vote of 71-67. CAPTCHA therefore returns tonight to try and repeat its magic, competing with improv group Dybbuk for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

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: Barrow Street Theatre, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Doug Stanhope, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Gotham Comedy Club, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Todd Barry, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 5/4/11

May 4, 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.

Anthony Atamanuik & Neil Casey perform the near-unbelievable feat of making up a feature film on the spot as The Two-Man Movie

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: “Something worth watching. Could be a movie, or a TV show. Might be populist and unapologetically entertaining, or hard to find and harder to understand. But you will always leave saying, ‘I am glad that I saw that.'” Hosted by The PIT’s Chris Grace, today’s free film is the director’s cut of an amazing though not exactly funny 1984 feature: Amadeus

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

7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): 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 comedy geniuses Gavin Speiller (Death by Roo Roo, Rogue Elephant), Ben Rodgers (Reuben Williams, co-host of Cage Match), and Jon Gabrus (Conan O’Brien, Best Week Ever, The Nights of Our Lives) comprise one of the most hilarious improv trios in NYC as troupe Outlook of the Poet

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): Joe Derosa (Comedy Central Presents), Joe List (Comedy Central), Maddog Mattern, and Andy Hendrickson performing at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

8:00 pm (no cover, 1-drink min.): Amy Beckerman hosting stand-ups Robin Cloud, Lisa Kaplan, Amy Albert, and Scout Durwooda performing at the RF Lounge (531 Hudson Street) for Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, host of Sweet) and Roger Hailes (Chappelle’s Show, MTV, FUSE) each perform 30-minute sets for filming at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central): Herzog & Hailes Stand-Up Taping

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Will Hines (UCBT superstar), Joe Garden (Features Editor of The Onion, co-author of The Devious Book For Cats and The Dangerous Book For Dogs), Paul Mecurio (The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), and Michele Carlo (The Moth) performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of the finest improvisors on the planet, Christina Gausas (Conan O’Brien, The Colbert Report, Let’s Have a Ball, Adsit & Gausas) and Becky Drysdale (Baby Wants Candy, Let’s Have a Ball), are new improv duo Drysdale & Gausas

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Helen Hong (host of Logo TV’s Setup Squad), Sheba Mason, and Neil Thornton performing at the Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge (542 Tenth Avenue, between 45th & 46th Streets) for a gay-themed show hosted by Adam Sank: That Sank Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that’s part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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: Anthony Atamanuik, Barrow Street Theatre, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Neil Casey, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, The Two-Man Movie, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 5/3/11

May 3, 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.

The hilarious Arden Myrin performs tonight at The Moon 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:

7:00 pm ($5): Two tough guys from the 1930s will explain the ins and outs of Hollywood at sketch show Listen Kid! ; and duo improv by Dustin Drury and Andrew Yurman-Glaser in Upstate New York

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creator Dennis Calero and stand-up Ben Kissel joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes CAPTCHA, Standard Oil, Ragnaröck, Sandino, and Very Good Kiss, and at 11:00 pm a show special enough to merit its own listing (see below)—all at Harold Night

8:00 pm ($5): “A drama written by teen Jerome McDonough that teaches teens about the evils of alcohol abuse. A talented and twistedly funny group of adults (the Marumsco Valley Players) will present the hard-hitting play, stage directions and all, while under the influence: Alky

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Andy Blitz (comedy genius best known for being an Emmy-nominated and long-time writer/performer for Conan O’Brien; has also written for Comedy Central’s Important Things, MTV’s Human Giant, etc.; a thoroughly unique stand-up whose sets—ranging from talking peanut butter to jet-flying cats—tend to be unforgettable), Jessica Delfino (enjoys singing songs about her vagina, as demonstrated by her CD Dirty Folk Rock; created the hilarious and wildly popular YouTube animated short film I Wanna Be Famous; has a cool MySpace page, and an even cooler blog; to get a feel for Jessica’s amazing range and talent, please click here), Streeter Seidell (MTV’s Pranked, College Humor), and Baratunde Thurston (Web editor for The Onion) performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Neal Brennan (Chappelle’s Showwriter, Funny or Die, director of The Goods), John Flynn (superb storyteller; The Nights of Our Lives), and more performing at Brooklyn’s The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

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: Rebound and The Sound & the Fury

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Baron Vaughn (briefly back home from LA; Jimmy Fallon, USA’s Fairly Legal), Neal Brennan (Chappelle’s Show writer, Funny or Die, director of The Goods), MC Mr. Napkins, and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1):Sweet

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A super lineup for the return of this fine show at its new location, the PIT downstairs lounge: 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), Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1), Nick Griffin (David Letterman), and Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno) hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm ($8): The worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Michael Kayne, Winston Noel, Amber Petty, Mike Still, Ashley Ward, and tonight’s guest John Frusciante (UCBT Artistic Associate, Badman)—making up a musical on the spot along with virtuoso improv pianist Frank Spitznagel: Diamond Lion

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

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: Arden Myrin, Barrow Street Theatre, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Moon Show, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 5/2/11

May 2, 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.

Unique, surreal, wonderful character comic Brett Gelman performs tonight at Hot Tub Variety

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

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-ups Tony Camin (The Marijuana-logues) and Kyle Grooms (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Presents) tell jokes, and then improvisors make up scenes springboarding off the material, at Daws of Death

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Comedy veterans Miriam Tolan (The Daily Show), Jodi Lennon (Exit 57), and Ari Voukydis perform an improvised play in What a Year!

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel), Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon), Damien Lemon (NBC’s Stand Up For Diversity), Yamaneika Saunders (NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity), Yannis Pappas, and Daniel Tirado performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub produced by Phoebe Robinson—who’s celebrating this show’s 2nd Anniversary: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[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 new improv duo who should not be missed: John & Scott

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Brett Gelman (surreal comedy great temporarily back from LA), Baron Vaughn (also briefly back hom from LA; Jimmy Fallon, USA’sFairly Legal), and more 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

8:00 pm ($5): Brothers Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap in Das Racist) host a talk show, with tonight’s guest Ajay Naidu (Office Space, Bored to Death, Ashes): The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Project

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s finest house sketch comedy troupes, Thunder Gulch and Dweeb, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Chelsea White, Ray Devito, Jay Welch, Tim Warner, Calvin Cato, Subhah Argawal, and Dan Shaki performing at Pat O’Shea’s free weekly Brooklyn showcase atFreddy’s Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight will be a surprise for this special all-musical edition—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at 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 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 new book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Brett Gelman, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Hot Tub Variety, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 5/1/11

May 1, 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.

Stand-up giants Anthony Jeselnik and Todd Barry perform tonight at "Pretty Good Friends"

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 4:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he’s developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hit Sleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book,Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he’s raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted via code BOX) price is about what you’d pay at a comedy club…and it’ll buy you one of the richest experiences you’re ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what’s truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 5:00 pm ($18.50 online using discount code ADVANCE ): 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 a nomination for the 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 Sundays through May to experience the hilarious and unforgettable Faye Lane’s Beauty Shop Stories

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Tonight’s show features two of the finest stand-ups in the country: Anthony Jeselnik (one of my all-time favorite stand-ups; writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents; debut comedy CD Shakespeare) and Todd Barry (HBO,David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead). Come see them, plus Blaine Kneece and Damien Lemon, performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool for School), MC Mr. Napkins, and Harry Terjanian performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at theThree of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Sasheer Zamata (Doppelganger), and Nick Markovich performing at The PIT’s downstairs lounge for a free weekly show hosted by Chris Grace and Sean Donnelly: Cold Soda Comedy

[$] 8:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who’s done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Brett Gelman (much-missed NYC comic who’s moved to LA; don’t miss seeing Brett while he’s visiting back home), Baratunde Thurston, Leah Bonnema, Alycia Cooper, Nimesh Patel, and MC Mr. Napkins performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central): Comedy Night

[$] 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: NYC stand-ups Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, The Liar Show), Adam Lehman (HereTV’s Hot Gay Comics), and Susan Alexander performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: 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

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: Anthony Jeselnik, Barrow Street Theatre, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Pretty Good Friends, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Todd Barry, UCB, UCBT, Union Hall, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 4/30/11

April 30, 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.

Movie star & hilarious impressionist Kevin Pollak headlines one last night at Carolines

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

7:00 pm ($8): Sketches about unresolved issues from troupe The Foolhardy Manor

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35.50 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and pitch-perfect impressionist who’s also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who’s done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 [vs. $20] online or at the box office with discount code TJD15): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are a widely acclaimed improv duo. This is the second evening of a four-night run at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code SBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event by catching tonight’s edition of Baby Wants Candy

[FREE] 10:00 pm: All-gal improv from Jennifer Bild, Christine DeNoon, Julianne Dunn, and Brandy Mitchell: Goldie and the Hawns

10:30 pm ($7): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike

Midnight ($5): “A fundraiser inspired by the 1990s VH1 concert series to help today’s youth turn into powerful, narcissistic divas.” Hosted by Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, and Tori Amos, and featuring numerous other music stars…played by such comedic talents as Ari Scott, Kate Riley, and Giula Rozzi, and directed by Caitlin Tegart. Expect some acts to fall flat, others to rise to the occasion, and memorable costumes and wigs: Divas Live: A Benefit for the Baby Diva

[$] 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: Barrow Street Theatre, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Kevin Pollak, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 4/29/11

April 29, 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.

Please see Pam Murphy's show tonight. Click Sadie's photo above, and then reserve your tickets for "The C Word." Please.

...and also catch tonight's 10:30 Carolines show from movie star & brilliant impressionist Kevin Pollak

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): Buoyant all-new sketch from troupe Boat

7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy about how “sometimes life turns into a storm. A storm of shit. Try not to lose your cool when it happens:” Der Storm

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Pamela Murphy’s autobiographical show is written & performed with wit, grace, and pitch-perfect comedic timing. For video samples of Pam’s work, please click here; and for a plea for your patronage from Pam’s pooch Sadie, please click here. Don’t miss Jane Borden ofTime Out New York‘s pick for Best Solo Show of 2010: Pamela Murphy: The C Word

…and for the other half of this double-bill, Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) do a show about history’s most infamous rivalries that includes putting God on stage and hitting on Her for a date: They Hated Each Other

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott performing with a three-piece rock ensemble: Centralia

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; and the comedy CDsTwo Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he’s developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hitSleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he’s raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted via code BOX) price is about what you’d pay at a comedy club…and it’ll buy you one of the richest experiences you’re ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what’s truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Improv duo Nathan Phillips & Joe Schiappa, plus guests, make stuff up using unusual improv structures for this free event at The PIT’s downstairs lounge: The Nathan & Joe Show

8:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy interwoven with a live band: Citizen Models

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Scott Moran, Jason Good, Nick Turner, Selena Coppock, and Joe Zimmerman performing at O’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Tim Warner, Christie Walsh, Adam Chisnall, Gabe Pacheco, and Miguel Dalmau performing at Brooklyn’s The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) with hosts Calvin S. Cato, Justin Murray, and Chad Plaines: The Pregame Comedy Show

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who’s done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

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

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Improv based on an adult party game “that mixes charades and Pictionary, but with sexy terms. This show turns sections of the audience into teams so everyone can play, as their team leaders race to draw or act hilarious terms” at The PIT’s downstairs lounge: Sexy Slang Live

11:30 pm ($5): Five women performing an improvised, and possibly tipsy, parody of The View at Focus

Midnight ($5): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches from troupe FUCT

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Hammerkatz NYU and Casual Sex Offenders compete for audience laughs and votes, with troupe Sidecar hosting, in Backyard Brawl

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: Barrow Street Theatre, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Kevin Pollak, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Pam Murphy, Pam Murphy's dog Sadie, Pam Murphy's pooch Sadie, Pamela Murphy, Poor Sadie, Sadie, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 4/28/11

April 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.

A genius comedic actress who may make you scream with laughter debuts her latest one-woman show: "Kate McKinnon on Ice"

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): One of the most talented and hilarious sketch comics in the biz debuts her newest one-woman show, which I’m enormously looking forward to catching: Kate McKinnon on ice; and in case that wasn’t more than enough for your $5, a fun musical trio will audition for a UCBT run: Thin Skin Johnny

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and pitch-perfect impressionist who’s also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): This revival of one of my all-time favorite UCBT shows involves a group of stellar comics taking an audience suggestion and, while sipping beers, telling personal tales related to it—with an emphasis on the ribald and ridiculous, just like what you’d want to hear from your friends while hanging out at a bar. The yarn spinning is great fun; but on top of that, when the performers hear a story that especially tickles them, they’ll jump up and instantly create scenes revolving around it. And because these talents are razor-sharp improvisors, the results are hilarious. My one concern is that this show used to include world-class storyteller Chris Gethard—whenever Chris opened his mouth, everyone else went dead silent as if God was about to speak. (Yes, Chris is that respected by his peers.) I don’t see Chris on the lineup tonight, so the show might be a little light on the storytelling side; but on the other hand, it includes improv geniuses such as Anthony King, Gavin Speiller, and Pam Murphy, so it’s definitely worth checking out Happy Hour

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Alicia Levy performing a one-woman rock concert, complete with a talented band. Alicia’s energy is admirable, but she needs to learn to balance that with organic nuance rather than make everything unremittingly over the top. Still, this is worth catching for Alicia’s very entertaining parodies of Tori Amos, Macy Gray, and Cyndi Lauper, and some memorable costumes: Chickapalooza

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An hour of improv directed by Magnet Theatre co-owner Armando Diaz: Evente

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Superb NYC stand-ups Julian McCullough, Kurt Braunohler, Mindy Raf, Helen Hong, and Jess Wood performing at Comedy Below Canal

9:30 pm ($5): If you’re a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can get a behind-the-scenes peak—plus comics Streeter Seidell, Jeff Rubin, Adam Lowitt, Hallie Cantor, and more—at CollegeHumor Live

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Marc Sam Rosenthal (stellar one-man show Blanche Survives Katrina in a Fema Trailer Named Desire), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), and Bodger Millerd—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme Trust at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Top improvisors, including Jordan Klepper & Laura Grey, Swords, and Doppelganger make up one-act plays on the spot in The Scene

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): One of the greatest improv troupes of all time, the mighty Death by Roo Roo, competing with troupe CAPTCHA for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

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: Barrow Street Theatre, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Kate McKinnon, Kate McKinnon on Ice, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender

Best New York Comedy

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 5/7/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 5/6/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 5/5/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 5/4/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 5/3/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 5/2/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 5/1/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 4/30/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 4/29/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 4/28/11

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