October 5, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
The breathtaking Arden Myrin performs tonight at Get Off Your Knees
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] 6:30 pm ($5): Stellar talents including Kate McKinnon, Shannon O’Neill, Leslie Meisel, and writer Caitlin Tegart are reason enough to attend this early show that asks you to “join hipsterific ladies as they teach you how to be a better woman through poetry, sketches, character monologues, song, and the premiere of their show which follows our heroines as they attempt to smash the patriarchy and launch a magazine:” Vag Magazine Live
7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy that proclaims “The articles in smut mags don’t edit themselves. Kilos of dope don’t just up and move themselves across the border. And Plato’s Retreat was nothing more than a hotel basement until some brave pioneer dropped his car keys into a bowl. Character-driven sketch that throws a light onto the seedier and sadder,” featuring Margo Brooke Pellmar, Elihu Dietz, Tim Eberle, and Ian Murphy, directed by Danny Williams: The Tiniest Kids in Europe
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Witty writers offering delightfully wry lectures about this month’s topic, “The Future of the Book,” at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for Charles Star’s comedic show Adult Education
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central), Nikki Glaser (Last Comic Standing), and Dan Curry (Last Comic Standing) performing at Brooklyn’sSouthpaw Downstairs Lounge DownSouth (125 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope), guest-hosted by the gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen: Get Off Your Knees
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Sharon Spell (host of Shrink), Molly Dykeman, Randy Epley, and Brian Mcguinness performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club
8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Monstro, DeCoster, Badman, Ragnaröck, and Sandino; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students studying under improv genius Neil Casey using an audience suggestion to make up an entire move (a la Neil’s and Anthony Atamanuik’s hilarious Two Man Movie)—all at Harold Night
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Greg Barris (host of Heart of Darkness), Jesse Popp (Comedy Central, co-host ofBeauty Bar Comedy), musical guest Toys and Tiny Instruments, and more performing at Brooklyn’sThe Royal Oak along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show
8:30 pm ($3): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on this past summer’s Last Comic Standing), Liam McEneaney (host of Tell Your Friends), Nick Turner (co-host of Too Cool for School), and Dustin Chafin performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, new comedy CD The Depression Auction) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Punch Up Your Life
8:30 pm ($5): The worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things
8:30 pm ($5): Abby Sher and Ed Illades employ sketch, song, improv, and puppets to comment on the impending end of the world: Podunkity
[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.
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Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Arden Myrin, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, DownSouth, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Get Off Your Knees, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sketch Comedy, Southpaw, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | 
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Posted by hybender
October 4, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Brilliant improv beatboxer Reggie Watts performs tonight at Tell Your 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 $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open-mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story…and if it’s a good one, possibly be included in Kevin’s popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($21 at the door or $25.50 online with discount codeFISHFAN): 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 and nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. Two memorable moments from last week were Brenna suddenly kissing Molly, which no one expected, and which clearly shook new troupe member Molly. This was contrasted later in the show when Brenna illustrated a point about breasts by exposing hers to long-time member Lynne, who calmly responded with interested clinical appreciation. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight’s installment at the Soho Playhouse of Naked in a Fishbowl
[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stands-up Danny Lobell, Annie Lederman, Alec Sobel, and John Moses performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison’s Motel Luca
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; Comedy Central special; Jimmy Fallon; Electric Company; Conan O’Brien’s Legally Prohibited tour; for video samples, please click here), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), and UK comic Aidan Bishop, and “a possible surprise guest” performing stand-up in the Lolita Bar for Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5 online or $8 at the door): The Found Footage Festival (hilarious amateur video clips), Stuckey & Murray (superb comedic music duo), Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central), and Claudia O’Doherty (oddball UK comic who kinda grows on you…but Kristen, for god sakes don’t let her do the smoke routine) performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), Steven Benaquist (Spike TV), Phil Hanley, George Gorden, and Alex Grubard performing at Aces & Eights (34 Avenue A, off 3rd Street) for John Szeluga’s Not Friday
8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, Gorilla Gorilla and Stone Cold Fox, trying out new bits at Maude Night
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Thomas Middleditch, Eliza Skinner, Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Mike Still, and tonight’s guest Erik Tanouye (Bastian)—making up a musical on the spot at Diamond Lion
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—who tonight include 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), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, movie star; host of Sweet), Louis Katz (HBO’s Down & Dirty, Comedy Central), and Sheng Wang (Comedy Central)—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, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). If you’re a comic who couldn’t get booked on Leo’s show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills on this new stand-up open-mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and Erin Lennox: Fresh
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Liam McEneaney, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Reggie Watts, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, Tell Your Friends, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
October 3, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Comedy genius Anthony Jeselnik, who just released his first stand-up CD Shakespeare, 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] 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): Michael Showalter (MTV’s The State, comedy troupe Stella, writer/star of feature films The Baxter and Wet Hot American Summer and Comedy Central’s Michael & MIchael Have Issues), 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), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Tearing the Veil of Maya
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Anthony Jeselnik (writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents; debut comedy CD Shakespeare), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever), Jay Miller with Colin Jost (writer for Saturday Night Live), Kevin Barnett, and Dan Goodman performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Claudia Cogan, Maeve Higgins, Tom McCaffrey, Carla Rhodes, and Jason Miles performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by Hannibal Buress (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock): Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Nick Turner, Zach Sims, Harry Terjanian, and John F. O’Donnell performing stand-up in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: All-gal lineup starring Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; MTV, Comedy Central), Emily Epstein (Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham), and M. Dickson (Rooftop comedy Tour) performing stand-up at this free weekly gay-themed show atTherapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Anthony Jeselnik, Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Shakespeare comedy CD, 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
October 2, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Dave Hill, Moby, Phil Costello, and Tomato rock out tonight as heavy metal-ish band Diamondsnake
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] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony, and who performed his own HBO special I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Jim Jefferies
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($32.40 online if you use code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): The co-author of He’s Just Not That Into You and It’s Called A Breakup Because It’s Broken, and star of HBO’s Mantastic, headlining tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Greg Behrendt
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) An Emmy Award-winning writer for The Daily Show, and creator & star of the new HBO Web series Got No Game, headlining at the Gotham Comedy Club: Paul Mecurio
9:00 pm ($10): UCBT house improv troupe Ragnaröck subs for Death by Roo Roo for one night only, “taking your most embarrassing and horrifying stories” and turning them into improv fun:Scarred for Life
9:00 pm ($7): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12): This acclaimed 10-year-and-counting sketch troupe has “amassed a cultish following and a cast who blindly throw themselves into the most questionable of onstage situations, bless their black little hearts….join them for a hilariously unsettling look at growing older, having children, killing your dreams, and settling.” For examples of the troupe’s work, please clickhere and here, and then come see Spurn
[TOP PICK] [$] 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] 8:00 pm ($12 at the door, $14.55 online): Dave Hill and friends—who include Moby and Phil Costello—rock out for a serious heavy metal-ish set, but tinged with their special brand of offbeat humor (for a sample, please click here), joined tonight by the wonderful Corn Mo, at The Mercury Lounge (217 East Houston Street): Diamondsnake
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams
10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike
Midnight ($5): Mike Lawrence, Laura Snell, Justin Lang, Brian Meece, and Mr. Whitepants “celebrate the seedy and urbane life in America; think of us as The Prairie Home Companion, just a little more fucked up:” Andy Rocco’s Underground Americana
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Dave Hill, Diamondsnake, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Mercury Lounge, Moby, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Phil Costello, Sketch Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, Tomato, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
October 1, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Australian stand-up star Jim Jefferies headlines at Carolines tonight through Sunday
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): In this fun show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member’s suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with “all the music and magic of a Disney flick…plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:” Once Upon a Time
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Marc Bonnée, member of acclaimed sketch troupe Drop Six, goes solo with this show consisting of character bits and one-man sketches loosely tied to the theme of excess: Too…
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): From the UK’s Cambridge University comes acclaimed UK sketch troupe Cambridge Footlights, performing an hour-long show at UCBT for one night only: Good for You
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($32.40 online if you use code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): The co-author of He’s Just Not That Into You and It’s Called A Breakup Because It’s Broken, and star of HBO’s Mantastic, headlining tonight through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Greg Behrendt
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe performing with new guests each Friday and making a valid complaint: Centralia: We Were Supposed To Have Flying Cars By Now
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Rachel Hamilton shares “tales from the frontlines of Internet dating” in the debut of her one-woman show Love.com
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC’s American Chopper, Maxim and Cosmo Radio, So-Low Show; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), Luke Cunningham (The Colbert Report), and Neal Stastny performing stand-up at O’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Mark Normand: Hot Soup
[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) An Emmy Award-winning writer for The Daily Show, and creator & star of the new HBO Web series Got No Game, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Paul Mecurio
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches titled Ms. Larsen’s Class: The Harvard Sailing Team
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($35 & 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 tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Jim Jefferies
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
10:30 pm ($10): Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other fine improvisors make up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A comedic freestyle rap contest featuring some of the funniest & sharpest comics in NYC—who tonight are comedy giant Dave Hill (The Dave Hill Explosion), Billy Scafuri (member of award-winning comedic rap group Snakes and award-winning sketch troupeThe Harvard Sailing Team), Streeter Seidell (iconic fearless writer/performer for College Humor), Jen Dunlap (College Humor), and Chaz Kangas (My Hoodie)—plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by genius comedic musical performers Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (Freestyle Love Supreme) and Eliza Skinner (I Eat Pandas), all at one of my favorite monthly shows: The BEATdown
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Jim Jefferies, 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
September 30, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
John Hodgman (above) and Moby are tonight's guests at The Dave Hill Explosion...
..plus hilarious and beloved sketch comics including Katherine Bryant Flaherty and Shayna Ferm (above) debut their spectacular 45-minute comedic musical at The PIT: "Grease 3: Threase"
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
6:00 pm ($5): Three shows auditioning for a run at UCBT, including Corinne Fisher performing her one-woman show I Stalk You, all for five bucks at the showcase Spank
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central, Penelope Princess of Pets, co-host of Hot Tub Variety), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Totally J/K; author of Look at This F*cking Hipster), Matt Higgins (Centralia), and Emily Gould (The New York Times, Gawker)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Dreams: Adventures in the Unconscious” at the Fall season opener of one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular onOpie & Anthony and who performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Jim Jefferies
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($32.40 online if you use code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): The co-author of He’s Just Not That Into You and It’s Called A Breakup Because It’s Broken, and star of HBO’s Mantastic, headlining tonight through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Greg Behrendt
7:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason “take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces,” and veteran improvisors play with “elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde,” in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): The thoroughly wonderful comics of sketch troupe Fearsome—Shayna Ferm, Katherine Bryant Flaherty, Alex Goldberg, and Chris O’Connor—are joined by such other immense talents as Livia Scott and Amy Heidt to perform a new comedic musical that’s very, very loosely based on a classic Travolta/Newton John vehicle: Grease 3: Threase
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Young talents doing a sketch show about cops, and Peter Blomquist and Jeff Wiens performing an all-new multimedia sketch show, in the double-bill The Sit Down and Shut Up NYPD Variety Hour and Franco & Billy: Diamonds of Fire
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Julian McCullough (Comedy Central Presents half-hour special), Craig Baldo (Conan O’Brien), Costaki Economopoulos, and the hilarious Found Footage Festival performing at 92Y Tribeca’s Comedy Below Canal
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): John Hodgman (Daily Show commentator, bestselling author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require, and the underrated PC in Apple Computer ads), music superstar Moby with band Diamondsnake, and surprises from host Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, star of The King of Miami, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, Big in Japan), all at The Dave Hill Explosion
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($12.89 online if you use code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): Top stand-ups including Ted Alexandro, Amy Schumer, Joe DeRosa, Cipha Sounds, and Rob Cantrell performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Still Standing Up
[$] 10:00 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.): Maddog Mattern hosts a show with unhappy stand-ups—most notably including Judah Friedlander—tonight only at Carolines: Miserable Men of Comedy
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes, Dog Court and Johnny Cash Money, compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Dave Hill, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, John Hodgman, 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 Dave Hill Explosion, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade | Permalink
Posted by hybender
September 29, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Rory Scovel performs stand-up tonight at Molly Gets Along
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 in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Universal Record Database, Ben Curtis (the Dell Dude), and Serious Lunch (Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon) share their tales of material being turned down at Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Molly Knefel (newest member of superb theatrical improv troupe Naked in a Fishbowl) hosts this monthly comedy show, with tonight’s guests Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), Susan Prekel (Comedy Central), NIck Turner (co-host of Too Cool for School), and John F. O’Donnell performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street):Molly Gets Along
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Storyteller Brad Lawrence, and stand-ups Keith Alberstadt, Kristeen von Hagen, Rachael Parenta, and Kat Herskovic, performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell:Shrink
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Treasured Time Out New York Comedy Editor Jane Borden, master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets), Ryan Hamilton (Last Comic Standing), James Harris (Adult Swim), NIck Turner (co-host ofToo Cool for School), Kara Klenk (Spike TV), and more performing at the East Village’s Angels and Kings with delightful dark humor host Jena Friedman: Entertaining the Bartender
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Dave Hill, Jeff Ross, Jordan Rubin, and more celebrate a legendary NYC weekly comedy show debuting at a new night and venue—Wednesdays at Arlene’s Grocery (95 Stanton Street)—hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Jaw-droppingly bad commercials are the springboard for improv from UCBT house troupes Badman, Bastian, and Ragnarock, hosted by sketch troupe Sidecar, at Night of 1000 Bad Commercials
[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.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Molly Gets Along, Molly Knefel, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Rory Scovel, 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
September 28, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Daily Show stars Wyatt Cenac (above) and Kristen Schaal perform tonight in Brooklyn at Sara Schaefer's Get Off Your Knees
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): “From the invocation of a name pulled from the obituary pages, the recently deceased gets a final chance to have his or her story told on stage through a series of improvised scenes.” Come celebrate the life and death of a complete stranger—good taste optional—at Dearly Beloved Presents The Wake
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: A blowout debut for this terrific weekly show that’s just switched venues: wonderful The Daily Show correspondents Kristen Schaal and Wyatt Cenac, Nick Turner (co-host of Too Cool for School), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Southpaw Downstairs Lounge DownSouth (125 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope), hosted by the breathtaking Sara Schaefer (Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon): Get Off Your Knees
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: An all-musical edition, with brilliantly funny writer/singer 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) and Esther Ku (seemingly bubble-headed finalist on the 2008 edition of Last Comic Standing) performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The creative team of comics series Feeding Ground—Michael Lapinski, Swifty Lang, and Chris Mangun—join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in alively & 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 Bastian, The Opera, Badman, Ragnaröck, and Robber Baron; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students make up a story taking place in a single location in real time (i.e., Death by Roo Roo’s near-unbeatable technique at Cage Match)—all at Harold Night
8:30 pm ($5—but you get free pizza from New PIzza Town!): Dan St. Germain (quick-witted, hilarious stand-up; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Stone and Stone (Last Comic Standing), and Katina Corrao (Comedy Central) performing at the Magnet Theatre for Adam Lerman’s and Willy Appleman’s Deep Traffic
8:30 pm ($3): Adam Lowitt (producer of The Daily Show, co-host of It Is It!), Yannis Pappas, and more performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, new comedy CD The Depression Auction) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Punch Up Your Life
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open-mic stand-up show that’s seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, DownSouth, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Get Off Your Knees, Improv, Improvisation, Kristen Schaal, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Sara Schaefer, Sketch Comedy, Southpaw, Stand-Up Comedy, Standup Comedy, Storytelling, The Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theatre, The PIT, UCB, UCBT, Upright Citizens Brigade, Wyatt Cenac | Permalink
Posted by hybender
September 27, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Brilliant and beloved British comics John Oliver and Josie Long (above) head a blowout lineup tonight at Leo Allen's Whiplash
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open-mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story…and if it’s a good one, possibly be included in Kevin’s popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam
[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stands-up David Foster (HBO, Showtime), Nick Vatterott, Amanda Baramki, and David Lee Nelson performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison’s Motel Luca
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Improv crashes into classic theatre scenes at this amazing show featuring some of the very best improvisors and theatrical actors in NYC: Gravid Water
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: 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), Myq Kaplan (finalist on this summer’s Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special), Dan St. Germain (razor-sharp, quick-witted rising star; College Humor), and Amanda Melson performing at this free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Adam Lowitt and Matt Goldich: It Is It
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5 online or $8 at the door): Heather Lawless (Comedy Central, Wonder Showzen, Variety SHAC), visiting UK comedy star Maeve Higgins, and Marcus Monroe (juggler who wowed the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Ted Alexandro (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Shane Mauss (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central), Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Michael Lawrence, and Jessica Watkin performing at Aces & Eights (34 Avenue A, off 3rd Street) for John Szeluga’s Not Friday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), John Fugelsang (former host of America’s Funniest Home Videos), Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1; to see his hit video Pachelbel Rant, which has been viewed by over 8 million people on YouTube, please click here,), Ray DeVito (MTV, Lifetime) and Aparna Nancherla (Last Comic Standing) performing stand-up in the Lolita Bar for Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of my favorite UK performers, who I adore for saying such things as “But perhaps what I like best about America are your wonderful snacks” and “If you’re low on cash and have to choose between food and a good book, always choose the book,” making a rare NYC appearance that should not be missed (and Josie, I will be bringing some snacks), along with fellow UK comics Maeve Higgins and Claudia O’Doherty: Josie Long: Be Honourable
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Four sharp comedic talents each performing a monologue, with tonight’s players Matt Higgins (Centralia), Katie Northlich (four-time National Monologue Champion), Shawn Williams (National Monologue Champion), and Walter Murphy: The PIT-ologues
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—with tonight’s killer blowout edition featuring comedy genius John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show), brilliant & irresistible UK comic Josie Long (see 9:30 listing), Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killerset on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Myq Kaplan (finalist on this summer’s Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special), and more—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Josie Long, 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
September 26, 2010
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Tonight at 7:00 is your last chance to enjoy the funniest comedy of FringeNYC 2010, a fast-paced play about fantasy role-play gaming starring the wonderful Kerry Flanagan: Saving Throw Versus Love
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($18): The absolute funniest comedy at FringeNYC 2010 was a play about the world of D&D role-play gaming. It’s a smart, hilarious production that’s exceptionally well-written and directed with razor-sharp timing. For my review, please click here; and then don’t miss this final encore performance of the extraordinary Saving Throw Versus Love
[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): Visiting UK comedy stars Maeve Higgins and Claudia O’Doherty, plus “a special guest,” performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman:Tearing the Veil of Maya
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of The BEATdown), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, Verizon FIOS guy, Front Page Films, The Other Guys, comedy CD Come Clean), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, Verizon FIOS guy, Front Page Films, The Other Guys, comedy CD Come Clean), Colin Jost (writer for Saturday Night Live), Myka Fox (co-host of Comical Radio), and Sean O’Connor (NPR’s This American Life) performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Comedy Central), Rob Cantrell (Comedy Central), Dave Lester, and Pat Brown performing at Brooklyn’sKnitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by Hannibal Buress (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock):Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, new comedy CDThe Depression Auction), Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), James Harris, Annie Lederman, and The Cowmen performing stand-up in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly extravaganza Beauty Bar Comedy
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Stand-ups Allison Castillo (HBO), Robin Fox, and Alejandro Morales performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.
Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines, Carolines Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway, Cheap Comedy, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic Storytelling, Comedy, Comedy Clubs, Comic, Comics, Comix, Comix Comedy Club, Free Comedy, Fun NYC, Funny, Improv, Improvisation, Kerry Flanagan, New York City Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Clubs, NY Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Fun, Saving Throw Versus Love, 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 