Comedy | Best New York Comedy

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/27/11

November 27, 2011

Get expert help for your book or book proposal at HyOnYourBook.com.

Late Show with David Letterman writer Jena Friedman performs at Comedy Night...

...and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writer Sara Schaefer performs 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:

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass—executed by a Broadway-caliber cast, and with several memorable show-stoppers—is playing at Sofia’s Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

[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

6:00 pm ($5): Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), John Frusciante (UCBT Artistic Associate Director, improv troupe Airwolf), and Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet) 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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: “Are ready for something sweet and something spicy? Long form improv that will satisfy your hunger” hosted by sharp UCBT comic Andy Rocco at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Candy Taco Improv Hour

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Magnet sketch comics performing new material: Ripe Sketch Comedy

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea’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): Improv troupes not affiliated with any comedy school compete at UCB East for audience laughs and votes—and the privilege to go on to perform at the primary Cage Match show at UCB Chelsea—in this show hosted by the delightful Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (Krompf): Indie Cage Match

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

[$] 8:00 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] 8:00 pm: 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), Jackie Monahan (Here TV’s Hot Gay Comics, Dykes on Mics, ), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Robert Dean, and David Foster performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($5): A troupe that performs a sketch show with an improv segment at the end directed byMagnet co-owner Armando Diaz: Dumbrowsky

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

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced, so I’m not positive this new show’s happening this week) performing at the One and One Bar (1st Street & First Avenue) for this free weekly stand-up show hosted by Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, TruTV, Tyra Banks) & Sergio Chicon: Comedy Punch

[$] 8:30 pm ($20 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s appeared frequently on David Letterman andCraig Ferguson, and starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Nick Griffin

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central 1-hour special), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing), and Karl Hess performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up; staff writer for David Letterman), Mara Herron (Web series That Chick Mara Herron), Byron Bowers, and Rodney Laney performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) guest-hosted by Seaton Smith (Hannibal Buress is out of town, but will be back…): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced, so I’m not positive this newly revived show’s happening this week) performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Brad Austin, Nate Fridson, and Adam Sokol: Beauty Bar Comedy

9:30 pm ($5): Improvised episodes of the never-made third season of Twin Peaks at The PITupstairs theatre: In These Woods

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

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Shecky Beagleman (star of indie comedy film Hacks), Naomi Ekperigin (5 Funny Females tour), and Yamaneika (TruTV, VH1) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

11:00 pm ($5): Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet), and Josh Rabinowitz (College Humor) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Danny Jolles: The Most Fun Show Ever

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Jena Friedman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with David Letterman, Sara Schaefer, Sketch, Stand-Up | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/26/11

November 26, 2011

Get expert help for your book or book proposal at HyOnYourBook.com.

It's a spectacular night for improv, with Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz pairing with Christina Gausas as "Diaz & Gausas," legendary improvisor Joe Bill leading a super-group of Chicago & NYC performers at The PIT for "Screw Doggies"...

... and Pat Baer hosting the final rounds of UCB Chelsea's annual "3-on-3 Improv Tournament"

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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass—executed by a Broadway-caliber cast, and with several memorable show-stoppers—is playing at Sofia’s Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Based on her years inside the velvet trenches of Wall Street, Michelle Wolf (co-host of Fresh) introduces you to the characters who deserve every penny of their 20 billion dollars in cash bonuses (actual 2010 figure, via CNNMoney) via this one-woman show at The PITdownstairs lounge: Wall Street Analysis

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): The debut of a comedy quiz show full of heavily researched quirky facts in which contestants Amy Whitehouse, Johnny McNulty, Matt Little, and Shaun Diston get points if their answers are correct but get more points if their answers are “quite interesting” at UCB Eastcreated & hosted by Katey Healy-Wurzburg: The Fascinator

7:00 pm ($5): Asian-American improvisors from UCBT, The Magnet, The PIT, and elsewhere all gather for one night to perform at The PIT upstairs theatre—”These guys are taking everything they know about math, dry cleaning, nursing, academically demanding parents, Tony Jaa, online role-playing games, fish, outsourced call centers, Gojira, and cab driving, and tossing it all in the wok for you to eat up with a hot cup of tea:” InvAsian

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 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 for this show at The PIT downstairs theatre where the lights might go off or on at any time. The other players are Jodi Lennon (Comedy Central’s Exit 57), Ari Voukydis (UCB instructor, VH1’s Best Week Ever), Doug Stoley (Conan O’Brien, UCB), Jordan Klepper (iO, UCB, Klepper & Grey), Rick Andrews (Magnet performer), Mark Grenier (Magnet instructor, Theory of Everything), Jen Sanders (Magnet performer, Mint Condition), and Chet Siegel (Magnet performer, The Boss). It’s kind of unfortunate this is opposite the first semi-finals round of the 3-on-3 Tournament at UCBT and the one-night-only pairing of Gausas & DIaz (see below); but let’s just call it an embarrassment of improv riches on a magical Saturday night: Screw Doggies

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:00 pm ($5): The semi-finals (at 8:00 & 9:30) and finals (at 11:00) of a beloved annual November tradition at UCB Chelsea—Pat Baer’s 3-on-3 Improv Tournament

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): One of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly show—and occasionally with comedy giants Kristen Schaal and/or Kurt Braunohler participating: Big Black Car

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony and who performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Jim Jefferies

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Adam Newman (MTV, College Humor, comedy CD Not for Horses), Justy Dodge (co-host of Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; “I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;” for dark bio video, please click here), and Chris Distefano (Carolines) performing sets and then being interviewed about their personal 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

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s appeared frequently onDavid Letterman and Craig Ferguson, and starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Nick Griffin

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Murderfist (NYC’s fearless heavy metal version of a sketch troupe; winner of the 2010 ECNY Award), John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!), Joe List (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing, VH1) performing stand-up at UCB East, hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Two of the most respected improvisors in the country, Magnet co-owner Armando DIaz and UCBT star Christina Gausas, team up for one night only: Diaz & Gausas

[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): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[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

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

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

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A post-holiday very dark comedy show, with 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 bookWeird New York; winner of 2011 ECNY Award for Best Tweeter), Sean Patton (red-hot rising stand-up star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Leslie Meisel as Holly Hunter, and Dan Shaki performing at UCB East with host Chris Wilkes (Thunder Gulch): After Dark

11:00 pm ($5): Four sketch troupes compete for audience approval at The PIT, hosted by Bleak Comedy: Iron Sketch

Midnight ($5): Caitlin Tegart directed this UCB Chelsea sketch show that’s “a super-positive lifestyle program for teenage girls hosted by two guys with a huge passion for glossy pop music, Lisa Frank school supplies, and all that the world presents as ‘hip’ to young women during the melodramatic years of adolescence. With help from their outstanding panel of experts, Dan Chamberlain & Jason Flowers rap about entertainment, fashion, boys, and more in an effort to bring empowerment and enlightenment to the teen girl inside all of us:” Cool Show 4 Teen Girlz

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups Ben Kronberg, Kate Berlant, Seaton Smith, and Grant Gordon participate in the fake taping of a bad late-night TV comedy show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with host Brad Steuernagel: Comedians Off Of the Leash

Midnight ($10): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches at The PIT downstairs lounge from troupe FUCT

[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

[$] 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 the Carolines Comedy Club: Paul Mooney

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: 3-On-3 Improv Tournament, Armando Diaz, Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Joe Bill, Pat Baer, Screw Doggies, Stand-Up | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/24/11

November 24, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jim Jefferies, an Australian unfazed by US-specific holidays, headlines tonight at the Carolines Comedy Club

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

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony and performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Jim Jefferies

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on last summer’s Last Comic Standing), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!), and more performing stand-up for the Thanksgiving edition of this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Loungehosted tonight by comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] [$] 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 the Carolines Comedy Club: Paul Mooney

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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: Carolines Comedy Club, Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Jim Jefferies, Paul Mooney, Stand-Up, Thanksgiving | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wed. 11/23/11

November 23, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Gilbert Gottfried headlines for one night only at Carolines...

...and magical comedic chameleon Livia Scott resurrects her popular showcase for dead celebrities at Livia's Castle of Enchantment

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

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

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Championing chaos for comedy, a team of improvisers perform: “What form? What type of show? Fuck that shit, just come and laugh.” The experiment in anarchy takes place at UCB East starring Don Fanelli, Dru Johnston, Tim Martin, Josh Patten, Kate Riley, and Terry Withers: Fuck That Shit

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.) A unique comedy star headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Gilbert Gottfried

8:00 pm ($5): At this UCB Chelsea double-bill, Doug Moe is a Bad Dad will convince you that Doug Moe is actually a quite good dad, and also a skilled and highly likeable performer…but not so much an experienced writer. The production feels like a bunch of improvised bits glued together rather than a carefully planned and executed journey, providing little emotional satisfaction; and worse, not a whole bunch of laughs. Doug’s real-life experiences as a dad, and the videos of his little angel of a five-year-old daughter, offer the potential for a fine show, but cry out for more focused scripting. As for Everybody’s Dumb and Boring, I arrived late for it so will simply say that Joanna Bradley is also a talented performer, and is neither dumb nor boring; but once again, there were script problems. You may well end up a fan of both performers, though—and look forward to more developed work from them.

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): NYC stand-ups (not yet announced this week) performing stand-up at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City for this weekly show hosted by Nick Turner & Jason Sáenz: Too Cool for School

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Three teams of six UCB improvisors, each a mix of students and such veterans as John Frusciante, Amey Goerlich, Kevin Hines, and John Murray, performing an annual improv tradition at UCB East—a show that’s not about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, but something that precedes it: The Macy’s Day Before Thanksgiving Day Parade

[FREE—plus FREE BROOKLYN BEER] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Rose Surnow, Mara Herron, Justy Dodge, and George Gordon performing at a new free weekly show at Brooklyn’s Sandbox Underground (257 Grand Street, near the L subway’s Bedford stop) hosted by Mike Denny, Michael Che, and Nimesh Patel, and featuring free beer: Broken Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A beloved show that brings dead celebrities back to life is itself resurrected tonight at UCB Chelsea, as magical comedic chameleon Livia Scott (Conan O’Brien,Law & Order, Dirty Movie) hosts as JonBenet Ramsey and guest host Paul Downs pitches in as Michael Jackson. Adding to the comedic darkness will be sketch comedy from UCBT house troupe Onassis, music from phenom singer/songwriter Corn Mo, and “special surprise guests:” Livia’s Castle of Enchantment

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular onOpie & Anthony and starred in his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Jim Jefferies

[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: Carolines Comedy Club, Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Gilbert Gottfried, Improv, Livia Scott, Livia's Castle of Enchantment, Sketch, Stand-Up | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/22/11

November 22, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Cyndi Freeman preps for Thanksgiving with a Brooklyn storytelling show about family gatherings: "The Standard Issues;" the delightful Ellena Chmielewski and her improv troupe Tesla host variety show "The Lab"...

TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo does stand-up at "Tell Your Friends," and Justin Long co-hosts at "Sweet"

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): In this double-bill of shows auditioning for a spot on the Magnet schedule, Dreagn Foltz performs original comedic songs with such titles as Beer Goggles, Ethnomonogamy, and Let Me Be That Douche in Love Songs Gone Wrong ; and then a sketch troupe does a show with no description titled 100 Years of Ballitude

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1; to watch his hit video Pachelbel Rant, which has been viewed by over 9 million people on YouTube, please click here), Eric Kirchberger (Comedy Central), Aidan BIshop (visiting from Dublin), Jermaine Fowler, and musical guest Eden & John’s East River String Band performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Host Cyndi Freeman (FringeNYC, burlesque star) and fellow storytellers Brad Lawrence (Moth GrandSlam Champion, FringeNYC), Alex Gallefant, Steven Berkowitz, and more tell tales about this month’s pre-Thanksgiving topic “Gatherings” at Brooklyn’s Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue): The Standard Issues: Gatherings

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Jeff Simmermon (writer), Matt Mercier (writer), Olivia Henderson (real estate agent), Jordan Reeves (concierge), Joanne Solomon (performer), and host Ben Lillie (scientist) tell funny tales at this science-based monthly show that tonight focuses on a potentially hot topic—Bodies in Motion—at Brooklyn’s Union Hall : The Story Collider

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Adira Amram (fresh, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter; winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act), Becky Yamamoto (rave reviews from The New York Timesand The New Yorker; former beard-wearing member of band Stickerbook), and Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel) performing at UCB East for a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran on behalf of a great late actor: After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends

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

8:00 pm ($10): This intriguing-sounding show at the Gershwin Hotel (7 East 27th Street) is “a showcase for performers who appropriate the space of stand-up comedy to stage projects that, while undeniably humorous, don’t always deliver a punch line. Along with providing a legitimate venue for creative misfits known to disingenuously market themselves as musicians, dancers, singing telegrams, novelty strippers, college professors, and perfect for your child’s next birthday party, it explores the intersection of popular forms of entertainment and performance art. The talent featured tonight draws from diverse artistic backgrounds, and each performance dislodges stand-up from its current trajectory and points it in a strange, new direction:” Chuckles Plus

8:00 pm ($10): At The PIT upstairs theatre, the worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

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

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show), Larry Murphy (brilliant voiceover actor for FOX’s Bob’s Burgers, Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans, Adult Swim’sAssy McGee and Home Movies, and numerous other shows), and delightful singer Shonali Bhowmik & her band (Variety SHAC, recent solo album 100 Oaks Revival) performing at Brooklyn’sPublic Assembly (70th North 6th Street, by the L subway’s Bedford Avenue stop) along with sketches from Moon regulars Camille Harris, Jordan Clifford, Bryan Condon, James Beard, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($21.78, plus 2-drink min. or $20 unlimited nonalcoholic drinks): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, VH1, Comedy Central’sPremium Blend), Paul Mecurio (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Andy Pitz (David Letterman, Craig Ferguson), Brian Scott McFadden (Conan O’Brien, MTV), host Dean Obeidallah, and more performing stand-up at the Comic Strip Live Comedy Club (1568 2nd Avenue off 81st Street): Alexandro, Franklin, Mecurio, and More at Comic Strip Live

[$] 8:30 pm ($20 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s appeared on Last Comic Standing and Comedy Central, and starred in her own CBS series Costello, headlining for one night only at the GothamComedy Club: Sue Costello

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Justin Long (NBC’s Ed, Galaxy Quest, Going the Distance, Live Free or Die Hard, the Mac in Apple Computer commercials), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets;co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), Rob Lathan (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, ABC), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups Craig Baldo (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion), Katrin Hier, Tyler Gildin, and Ramzi Bautista performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by twins Adam & Todd Stone, who for this weekly show leave behind their trademark suits: Jackets Off

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

9:30 pm ($5): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Shannon Hatch (blog I Hope The Worst Isn’t Over), and Jeff Klinger performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill): Righteous Kill

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

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Tesla—which includes one of my favorite young comics, Ellena Chmielewski—takes the UCB East stage for one night only, accompanied by troupes Sven, The Mondays, and musical group Jonny Tables, for a variety show it calls: Tesla Presents: The Lab

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

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

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Cyndi Freeman, Ellena Chmielewski, Improv, Janeane Garofalo, Justin Long, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 11/21/11

November 21, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Julie Klausner brings her special brand of sunshine to "Comedy Central Corporate Retreat"...

...while Australian comic The Birdmann (a.k.a. Trent Baumann) demonstrates his own way to enjoy beverages 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] 6:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show running about 90 minutes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest & nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. Tonight is the next-to-last show of the season at the elegant Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street, near the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop): Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Liz Miele (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), Chris Lamberth, Phillip Burke, Jim VanBlaricum, Dan Frigolette, and Nathan Macintosh performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:00 pm ($5): A long-form improv troupe spawned at Yale in 1985 that tours the country—and will be performing for one night only at The Magnet: Purple Crayon

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

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

8:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes promises to “take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter” as this UCB Chelsea show: Grandma’s Ashes Get Dark

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Top comics Julie Klausner (razor-sharp sketch writer/performer & storyteller, and author of I Don’t Care About Your Band), Gabe & Jenny (SNL’s Jenny Slate & Gabe Liedman), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), and Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents, Jimmy Kimmel) performing at UCB Eastfor this biweekly show whose lineups have the official Comedy Central seal of approval: Comedy Central Corporate Retreat

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8.50 online or $8 at the door): The Birdmann (surreal & silly Australian comic Trent Baumann, who was a huge hit at the Glastonbury Festival), Griffen Newman (College Humor), Max Silvestri (The Onion’s AV Club, co-host of BIg Terrific), and musical guest Brittain Ashford 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 (unless Kristen doesn’t get back to NYC in time) and Kurt Braunohler (for sure): Hot Tub Variety with Kurt & Kristen

[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), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo), Kate Hendricks (Bravo TV), and Brendan Eyre performing at the One and One Bar (1st Street & First Avenue) for this brand new weekly stand-up show hosted by Louis Katz, Tim Dimond, and J. F. Harris: Raw Guts

8:00 pm ($10): Twins Todd & Adam Stone perform stand-up and more at this monthly show at The PIT, along with comedy guests (not announced): Stone and Stone Show

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($15, which includes 1 drink, if you mention HyReviews.com[otherwise $20]; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats because this will sell out): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchordsand Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy showWhiplash), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Helen Hong (Comedy Central, TLC), and John Knefel (co-host ofJohn & Molly Get Along) performing stand-up at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison’s Morrison Motel

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

[$] 8:30 pm ($21.78, plus 2-drink min. or $20 unlimited nonalcoholic drinks): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), Paul Mecurio (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Brian Scott McFadden (Conan O’Brien, MTV), Jim David (Comedy Central Presents, FringeNYC), Michelle Balan, Mike Burton, Brian Scolaro, Ryan Reiss, Tom Van Horn, and host DF Sweedler performing stand-up at the Comic Strip Live Comedy Club (1568 2nd Avenue off 81st Street): Franklin, Mecurio, and More at Comic Strip Live

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): UCB Chelsea has developed several terrific in-house sketch comedy troupes, but one of them has risen above the rest to rival the finest groups in the country: Stone Cold Fox, which is performing a stellar “best of” show virtually every Friday at 7:30 pm (and which you should definitely go see—and then go see again with cherished friends, who will thank you for it). Tonight is slated to be Stone Cold Fox’s last Maude Night performance; after this the group will laser-focus on Friday, as it’s the first sketch troupe to ever be given a prestigious permanent weekend time slot at UCBT. Also on this double-bill is house troupe Arbuckle, which isn’t in the same league, but includes such notable performers as Violet Krumbein (currently in a national TV ad for an investment firm, and soon to be on 30 Rock)—all at Maude Night

9:30 pm ($10): From the wonderful Jen Nails’ Do It Yourself class, the debut of two one-person shows at The PIT upstairs theatre: Two Solo Shows

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Luke Thayer (co-host of The Living Room), Kimmie Dee, Nate Rand, Diane DeLuna, Victor Pleacoff, Joe Pontillo, Boris Khaykin, and Matt Nagin performing at Pat O’Shea’s free biweekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy’s Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid

[FREE] 9:30 pm: “In moments of exhaustion, in the space of a hesitation, when a faltering spirit looms large, the sixth man comes off the bench and sparks a revolt against complacency and routine. The sixth man powers the team and washes over that faltering spirit with a cleansing energy. A show in which awesome teams are made even greater with the addition of a special guest improviser. Tag-ins, walk-ons, lay-ons, swinging doors, all manner of support work is allowed and encouraged” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Andy Beckerman and Cory Palmer: Sixth Man

10:00 pm ($5): A new monthly show featuring NYC comics performing characters, sketch scenes, stand-up, and more at The Magnet, tonight featuring the wonderful Lauren Olson (powerhouse one-woman show Our Condolences at last year’s FringeNYC; sketch troupe Good Morning, Ladies), Dave Thunder, Matt Koff, Louis Kornfeld, Corey Grimes, Karsten Cross, and Arthur Meyer with host Jon Bander: What’s to Get?

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

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open session hosted by Gary DeNoia & Keith Huang: Base Jam

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who haven’t yet been announced, but you can check for an update by clicking here—hosted at UCB Chelsea by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central): Whiplash

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Improv, Julie Klausner, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, The Birdmann, Trent Baumann | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/20/11

November 20, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Cherished TV & movie clips starring Jim Henson's very special creations are screened at The Muppet Vault...

...and Jenny Slate & Dean Fleischer-Camp, the creators of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, are at Running Late with Scott Rogowsky

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 ($8): To prep you for the release of the first new Muppets feature film in over a decade, hard-core Muppet fans have put together a “Best Of” show at Brooklyn’s Union Hall described as follows: “The event will kick off with a screening of the rare TV special The Muppets Go Hollywood, originally aired to mark the occasion of the Muppets’ very first movie back in 1979. Dick Van Dyke and Rita Moreno host, the Swedish Chef sings, and a good time is had by all. The fun continues with a selection of classic clips hand-picked by Muppet fans, plus a few new video treats from the Muppets’ recent media blitz that you may have missed the first time around! There will also be Muppet-themed drink specials, audience participation, cool giveaways, sing-along fun, and more:” The Muppet Vault: A Very Muppet Comeback

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

[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): 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), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives), and Tony Camin (The Marijuana-Logues) 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

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Magnet sketch comics performing new material: Ripe Sketch Comedy

[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): 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), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), and Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Pretty Good Friends

[$] 8:00 pm ($26.75 & 2-drink min.) A TV star who was a cast member of MTV’s Punk’d and is now a cast member of FX’s The League headlining one more night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Stephen Rannazzisi

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo), Mara Herron (Web series That Chick Mara Herron), Michael Che (host ofMichael Che’s Community Service), Simeon Goodson, and Yannis Pappas performing at the One and One Bar (1st Street & First Avenue) for this brand new weekly stand-up show hosted by Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, TruTV, Tyra Banks) & Sergio Chicon: Comedy Punch

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Cameron Esposito, Tim Dimond, Missy Baker, and more performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($5): A troupe that performs a sketch show with an improv segment at the end directed byMagnet co-owner Armando Diaz: Dumbrowsky

[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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Murderfist (NYC’s fearless heavy metal version of a sketch troupe; winner of the 2010 ECNY Award), plus NYC stand-ups Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, co-host of Righteous Kill, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Damien Lemon (Russell Simmons Presents), and Michele Billoon (Chelsea Lately) performing at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically fun mix of stellar and rising NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, upcoming one-hour Comedy Central special)—who tonight celebrates the Two Year Anniversary of his great show: Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Anthony Devito, Joel Walkowski, and Simmons McDavid performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly show with brand new hosts Brad Austin, Nate Fridson, and Adam Sokol (taking over from the 7-year reign of Vince Averill & Jesse Popp): Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Scott Rogowsky (writer for The Onion, co-host of 12 Angry Mascots) returns to The PIT to host “a unique talk show experience that needs to be experienced to be experienced. There will be plenty of bits, skits, chits and chats, and maybe that pretty girl you saw on the 6 train last night will be in the audience! It’s a big city, but you run into people,” with tonight’s thoroughly stellar guests Jenny Slate (SNL, HBO’s Bored to Death, Marcel the Shell), Dean Fleischer-Camp (creator with Jenny of YouTube smash hit Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’sFunny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), and Joe Randazzo (Editor in Chief of The Onion), plus musical guest The Musical Guests: Running Late with Scott Rogowsky

9:30 pm ($5): Improvised episodes of the never-made third season of Twin Peaks at The PITupstairs theatre: In These Woods

9:30 pm ($5): A monthly screening of new short filmed sketch and comedy produced by members of the Magnet community: Flick Video Showcase

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Erin Foley (Comedy Central, Chelsea Lately, VH1, Logo), Rose Surnow, and Erika Wasser performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

11:00 pm ($5): The screening of two short films at UCB East (which was previously a movie theater) crammed with UCBT performers: The Rest of Caesar (starring Neil Casey, Andrew Secunda, Rob Lathan, Morgan Evans, Susan Casey, James Dwyer, Matt Starr, and Dyna Moe) and Upload(starring Morgan Evans, Abbi Jacobson, Ryan Williams, Halle Keifer, Freddi Scheib, Joe Spit, and Tim Mahoney): Two Short Film Screenings with Morgan Evans

[TOP PICK] MIdnight ($5): An unusual Sunday at midnight event at UCB Chelsea (which is sold out, but you might be able to get in if you don’t mind standing): “Pro wrestling’s hardcore legend Mick Foley returns to the UCB theatre in the first-ever post-wrestling Pay Per View comedy show! Following the WWE Survivor Series event, members of the WWE Universe, as well as fans of Mick’s comedy, can take a short walk to the UCB theatre to catch Foley’s trademark blend of wildness and warmth, wit and wisdom that turned two of his hand-written memoirs into New York Times #1 best-sellers. Foley will be fresh off his tour of the United Kingdom (many of the dates sold out months in advance) and will be raring to go in ‘the shadow of Madison Square Garden.’ Whether telling a side-splitting or cringe-inducing tale from his own life, or offering up his unique ‘what if’ scenarios gleaned from 25 years of world travel, Mick Foley will do his very best to make sure you ‘have a nice day!'”: Mick Foley Live at UCBT

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Dean Fleischer-Camp, Improv, Jenny Slate, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Stand-Up, The Muppet Vault, The Muppets | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/19/11

November 19, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Judah Friedlander (above) performs with Todd Barry at the Eastville Comedy Club...

...Sara Benincasa hosts a pre-Thanksgiving storytelling show about gatherings at Family Hour...

...and notoriously bad film "The Room" is screened and vilified at Midnight Movie at Montoya’s

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:

Noon, 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 8:00 pm ($10): College improv teams compete today via four shows atThe Magnet as part of the Chicago Improv Festival’s College Improv Tournament

[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

[FREE] 5:30 pm: New improv teams experimenting with new forms at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by Andy Rocco and Jon Monje: Anybody Vs. Everybody: An Improv Show for You

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Old Timey Radio Show, LD50, and Scoresby at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8; includes free cookies): Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Emily Heller (staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Emily’s sister Marielle Heller, and stand-up Lane Moore telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives—and, for this pre-Thanksgiving show, with a special focus on gatherings—at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Sara Benincasa (NBC’s Today Show, The Joy Behar Show, CNN, MTV, The Sarah Palin Vlogs, Sex and Other Human Activities podcast, host of Family Hour, upcoming bookAgorafabulous): Family Hour

7:00 pm ($5): Ryan Karels (Krompf, Radio Rogue) hosts a live podcast interview show at UCB Eastwith guests “who put the ordinary in extraordinary” (I think that’s supposed to be a compliment, somehow), with tonight’s subjects Brooklyn DA Patrick Egan, improvisor Andrew Law, and actor B. Brian Argotsinger: Radio Rogue: The Roguing

7:00 pm ($5): An improv troupe making up scenes at The PIT downstairs lounge under a name that pays homage to an extremely average MLB baseball player: Mendoza

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

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($29 & 2-drink min.) A TV star who was a cast member of MTV’s Punk’d and is now a cast member of FX’s The League headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Stephen Rannazzisi

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who hosted FX’s The X-Showand starred in Hurt Bert, and also starred in his own hour-long special for Comedy Central, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Bert Kreischer

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

[FREE] 8:00ish pm: Matt McCarthy (HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death, host of AMC’s Action Pack, Comedy Central, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys, host of Marking Out), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool for School), Matt Wayne, James Harris, and Katrin Heir performing stand-up at One and One (76 East 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) with host Sean Donnelly: Lil’ Seany Boy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-up Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Erik Bransteen (Comedy Central), Harry Terjanian (Edinburgh Festival), and Justin Williams (Comedy Death Jam) performing at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite

8:00 pm ($5): Improvisors perform as duos at The PIT downstairs lounge: Couples’ Retreat

8:30 pm ($10): Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup andWe’re All Friends Here), Mike Racine (Comedy Central), Jordan Carlos (Comedy Central, MTV), Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central, co-host of The Party Machine), and Cameron Esposito performing stand-up at UCB East, hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

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

[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), Todd Barry (one of the finest stand-ups on the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Maddog Mattern, and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

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

[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 to the Soho Playhouse tonight to see why BWC won aFringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Comedy from a duo that walks the line between sketch and stand-up, plus tonight’s stand-up guest Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon; co-host of Too Cool For School and If You Build It), performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Team Submarine and Friends

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Comics performing as characters at The PIT downstairs lounge, with tonight’s packed show featuring Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Sasheer Zamata (improv troupe Doppelganger), Emmy Blotnick (Jimmy Fallon), Matt Koff (The Onion News Network), Matt Hobby (sketch troupe New Excitement), Jermaine Fowler (Rooftop Comedy), John Milhiser (sketch troupes Serious Lunch and Dweeb), Lorraine Cink (improv troupeBorealis) Dan Black (UCBT), and Adam Bozarth (Left Handed Radio), hosted by Roger Stern: Overload the Machine

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

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

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: This free show at The PIT upstairs theatre does a great job of describing itself: “Bad movies. We can’t stop watching them. Is it because the plot is so enjoyably paper-thin? Or maybe the acting is so deliciously cheesy? Whatever the reason may be, Oscar Montoya (Local 154) is inviting you to his house to watch all of his favorite so-bad-they’re-awesome movies. Joining him is Bradford Jordan (improv troupe Stranger and all around nice guy). Tonight’s feature is The Room, an epically bad movie starring madman/genius Tommy Wiseau:” Midnight Movie at Montoya’s Presents: The Room

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A talk show at UCB East hosted by the razor-sharp writer/performers of Pangea 3000 (who also write for The Onion), with tonight’s non-standard guests Thanksgiving expert Cynthia Teflin, hair salon owner Robert Gioria, and stand-up Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon, MTV, Second City): The Night Night Show with Pangea 3000

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, with hosts Andy Haynes & Nick Turner promising “a rowdy late night comedy melee with beers being thrown, jokes being told, partial nudity, audience participation…there’s no telling what might happen:” Midnight Run

Midnight ($10): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches at The PIT downstairs lounge from troupe FUCT

Midnight ($5): Two unannounced sketch comedy troupes that are typically obscure (I don’t know why, that’s just how this show is done) competing for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelseahosted by quite good and reasonably well-known sketch troupe Sidecar: Backyard Brawl

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Family Hour with Auntie Sara, Improv, Judah Friedlander, Sara Benincasa, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 11/18/11

November 18, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Rising stars & best buds Dan St. Germain & Jared Logan debut a show devoted to sketch comedy: Year of a Million Dreams...

...plus Todd Barry headlines at the Eastville Comedy Club and Stephen Rannazzisi headlines at the Carolines Comedy Club

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

[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, improv group Dunk)—team up with Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz to deliver sketch comedy as troupeGood Morning, Ladies

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8): “Coinciding with the nationwide midnight screening of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, a bunch of PIT improvisors who know nothing about the story reenact scenes from the book as narrated by a true fan. Team Jacob. Team Edward. Who wins? Nobody…:”Twilight by Dummies

7:00 pm ($5): Nate Starkey and Chris Grace performing improv at The PIT as duo Starkey & Grace

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): In one of the finest scripted shows to ever grace UCB Chelsea, 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 production 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. Don’t miss one of the sharpest and funniest comedy shows of the year from the first sketch troupe (vs. improv troupe) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCBT weekend schedule: Stone Cold Fox: This Is Not Art

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—tonight featuring guests Ben Rodgers (The Curfew), Nate Dern (Sandino), and improv pianist supreme Frank Spitznagel—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Ben Lerman (nuanced raunchy comedic singer/songwriter; Logo TV’s NewNowNext, Sirius Radio’s Frank DeCaro Show), Evan Morgenstern, Raquel D’Apice, Calvin Cato, Beth McGregor, and Alison Leiby performing at Karma Lounge (51 First Avenue, off 3rd Street) hosted by Evan Morgenstern: SNC Hot Blooded

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

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($26.75 & 2-drink min.) A TV star who was a cast member of MTV’s Punk’dand is now a cast member of FX’s The League headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Stephen Rannazzisi

[$] [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?

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

[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 Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!), Daniel Kilpatrick (Comedy Central), Kate Berlant (Rooftopcomedy.com), Greg Stone (host of Savage Practice), and Taylor Clark (“funny, weird man visiting from Seattle”) at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Charlie Kasov & Gabe Pacheco: Anecdotal Evidence

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($15): This acclaimed 10-year-and-counting sketch troupe has “amassed a cultish following and a cast who blindly throw themselves into the most questionable of onstage situations, bless their black little hearts….join them for a hilariously unsettling look at growing older, having children, killing your dreams, and settling.” For examples of the troupe’s work, please clickhere and here, and then come to The PIT downstairs lounge to see Spurn

[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 hosted FX’s The X-Show and starred in Hurt Bert, and also starred in his own hour-long special for Comedy Central, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Bert Kreischer

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Stellar comics Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill) and Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star;Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here) debut this show atUCB East focused on sketch comedy, with tonight’s guests Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), Stuckey & Murray (terrific comedic singing duo; Chelsea Lately, NBC, VH1, Fuse), and Henry Zebrowski (award-winning troupe Murderfist): Year of a Million Dreams: A Night of Comedy Skits

[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 (one of the finest stand-ups on the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead) and other NYC stand-ups performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:30 pm ($10): Duo Andy Emeritz & George Lakis performing at The PIT downstairs lounge “a musical comedy about America’s once greatest boy band. In the 80’s, Five Alive was on top of the world…until they were fleeced by their manager. Years later, their now-deceased manager’s fortune is up for grabs to the first of his washed-up bands to score a number one single. With their chart-topping ‘Kiss You With Tongue’ a distant memory, Five Alive reunites as a duo of desperate has-beens, exploring a montage of hilarious original songs and classic 80’s tunes for a final shot at fame and redemption:” Five Alive! The Musical

[$] 9:30 pm ($15): A fundraiser for raising awareness about men’s health issues (with a special focus on cancer) featuring 23 NYC comics performing at The PIT upstairs theatre—and somehow it’ll all tie into November being the official month for moustaches: Movember Live

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: Mindy Raf (brilliant comedic singer/songwriter; VH1, College Humor, YA novelist; often performs as alter ego Leibya Rogers), Henry Zebrowski (award-winning sketch troupeMurderfist, College Humor), Selena Coppock (author of upcoming book The New Rules for Blondes), Louis Katz (HBO, Comedy Central), Anthony DeVito (Jerk Practice), and Kevin Barnett (College Humor) performing at Queens LIC’s The Creek for the First Year Anniversary of this free monthly show 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 Chelsea 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 TV morning talk show—that’s happening at The PIT upstairs theatre late at night—with guests Baratunde Thurston (The Onion, How To Be Black), Leslie Guyton’s Movement Workshop dance group, and musical group The Spring Standards: The Morning Show with Hobart and Grace

11:00 pm ($5): Comedic magician Arthur Meyer, prop comic Cameron Esposito, and the reportedly funny Cocoon Central Dance Team performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D’Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

11:00 pm ($5): Six stand-ups you might not have heard of and and three judges who may or may not be well-known in a competition at The PIT—which is a theatre that isn’t really associated with stand-up. So this is a show I don’t quite understand, but maybe you’ll have fun anyway: The PIT Stand-Up Competition

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

Midnight ($10): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches at The PIT upstairs theatre from troupe FUCT

[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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, Dan St. Germain, Improv, Jared Logan, Sketch, Stand-Up, Stephen Rannazzisi, Todd Barry | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/17/11

November 17, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Spectacular film & TV star Lili Taylor tells stories about family at "Risk!"...

...Julia Wiedeman celebrates baring all in her memorable sketch show "Naked People"...

The Last Testament: A Memoir by God wtih David Javerbaum

...and Emmy-winning author David Javerbaum discusses his new book with NPR's Ira Glass: "The Last Testament: A Memoir By God"

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

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): An exploration of baring it all by fabulous long-time nudist Julia Wiedeman (who I had the great fortune of seeing about a decade ago as she walked around with zero clothing, like a glorious tigress, in broad daylight on the streets of the East Village): Naked People; plus a parody of The Bachelor written by Leila Cohan-Miccio & Caitlin Bitzegaio and directed by Beth Appel: The Final Rose; and a sketch show starring Sue Galloway titled Pose: A Magazine for Women, all auditioning for a regular spot on the UCB Chelsea schedule at Spank

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Weekly open-mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East hosted by John Flynn and tonight’s brilliant guest host Elna Baker (genius storyteller, and bestselling author of the comedic book The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance; writer for Glamour, Elle; NPR’s This American Life; co-host of red-hot The Talent Show): Oh, Hey Guys!

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

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): A delightful comedic singing duo (according to Molly, “really smart, funny, talented, awesome people with great bods; Molly is bitter, heavily medicated and she reads poetry”) performing at 92Y Tribeca for an intimate hour of music and more: Mel & El: Our Time of the Month

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) A Curb Your Enthusiasm star and superb stand-up headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Susie Essman

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): “If you were alive in the 70’s, you may have attended some ‘Key Parties’ where you were randomly paired with someone to go home with and engage in free spirited coitus. (Today we either stay at home alone or congregate at an improv theater.) Key Party combines the 70’s arrangement with modern anxiety, exploring the rich moments leading up to that act of coupling and the fallout that follows” at UCB East with stellar comics Jordan Klepper, Laura Grey (delightful old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm), and guest improvisors: Key Party; plus in the second half of this double-bill, improv based on the iPods, CDs, and mp3 players provided by audience members, executed by superb performers Fran Gillespie, Ryan Karels, Megan Neuringer, Jesse Falcon, Silvija Ozols, Doug Moe, Lou Perez, Sue Galloway, and Emily Axford: Soundtrack USA

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

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): In this double-bill at UCB Chelsea, Leah Gotcsik & Marty Johnson perform their sketch show Somebody’s in the Doghouse…

…and then there’s a sketch play about the opening of a trendy restaurant that serves nothing but raw pig, written with wit and bite by Leila Cohan-Miccio (Stone Cold Fox), directed with style by Caitlin Tegart (MTV, PBS, ESPN), and performed superbly by hot comedic actress Lauren Conlin Adams: Pig: A Restaurant

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 employ audience-recounted horror stories as inspiration for improvised scenes, in an attempt to enlighten you on the art of romance” at The PIT upstairs theatre: Dating Coaches

8:00 pm ($5): Stand-up from Will Hines, Brendan Fitzgibbons, Toby Muresianu, Frank Gallo, and Jess Dweck, and improv By Abbie Harper & Matt Silver, performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by comedic rapper Andrew Singer and Kara Klenk: Positively Awesome

[FREE] 8:00 pm: “Want to see your favorite stand-up comics get slapped by Satan himself? He only hosts bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne and Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man’s shoes and put NYC’s finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls? Come see for yourself in this monthly showcase” at Queens LIC’sThe Creek upstairs theatre: See You in Hell

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game showPointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), Michelle Collins (FOX, MTV, VH1), and Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents, Jimmy Kimmel) performing at UCB East with best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): Emmy winner David Javerbaum, the former Head Writer & Executive Producer of The Daily Show, has written the greatest collection of memoirs since The Bible—because his collaborator was God. As Javerbaum explains it, “with the Earth He Godded so magnificently drawing to a Mayan-induced close,”it was time to “break His 1,400-year literary silence with His final masterpiece.” Tonight Javerbaum discusses his book, The Last Testament, with NPR’s Ira Glass (host of This American Life) at 92Y Tribeca for what promises to be a memorable “telleth-all:” The Last Testament: A Memoir by God Discussed by David Javerbaum & Ira Glass

[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 Lili Taylor (astonishing, unforgettable actress; star of cult film I Shot Andy Warhol, co-star of HBO’s Six Feet Under), Aaron Wolfe & Naomi Azar (The Moth, NPR’s This American Life), Jamie Kilstein (Conan O’Brien, co-host of Citizen Radio), and Jan Warner (Pull Me Back, Poetry of Resilience)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) at The PIT upstairs theatre to share tales on tonight’s theme Family at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): If you’re a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it plus like-minded comics on the UCB Chelsea stage—tonight including Streeter Seidell, Jake & Amir, Jon Rineman, Alice Wetterlund, and hilarious Front Page Films shorts starring Pete Holmes & Matt McCarthy—at CollegeHumor Live

[$] 9:30 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.) A TV star who was a cast member of MTV’s Punk’d and is now a cast member of FX’s The League headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Stephen Rannazzisi

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

[FREE] 9:30 pm: A monthly showcase of both stand-ups and improvisors at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by stand-up Zach Broussard and improv troupe Priest & the Beekeeper: Pig Pile

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

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

11:00 pm ($5): Young improvisors from Evanston, Illinois making their NYC debut at The PITdownstairs lounge: Dilly Bar

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy NYC Tonight, David Javerbaum, Ira Glass, Julia Wiedeman, Lili Taylor, Stand-Up, Storytelling, The Last Testament: A Memoir By God | Permalink
Posted by hybender

Best New York Comedy

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/27/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/26/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/24/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wed. 11/23/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/22/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 11/21/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/20/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/19/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 11/18/11

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/17/11

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