NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/15/12

November 15, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Michael Showalter and Todd Barry

Stars Michael Showalter and Todd Barry are tonight’s guests at Running Late with Scott Rogowsky…

Simon Amstell and Mark Douglas

…UK star Simon Amstell launches a six night run at Theatre 80 of his one-man show Numb; and nerd comics Kevin Maher & Mark Douglas tape bits for their new Web series Andrew 12-Sided Dice Clay

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] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Kate Tellers (Producer and Corporate Trainer for The Moth) is tonight’s guest at this weekly open-mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East hosted by John Flynn: Oh, Hey Guys!

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Veteran musical improvisors at The PIT mix with novices on-stage at Pitch

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics’ names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving two minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): A comedic mini-play written by Gavin Speiller (Death by Roo Roo, Rogue Elephant) and directed by Christine Nangle (staff writer for SNL) with a superb cast—Gavin Speiller, D’Arcy Carden, Sue Galloway, Jim Santangeli, Frank Hejl, and Samantha Warnick—auditioning for a spot on the schedule of the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage: The Last Double Date

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5 at the door or $6.17 online): TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs a brand new show looking at US history “from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn

7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Punchbowl and THEM

[FREE] 7:00 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] 7:30 pm ($5): Typically sharp comics (not announced) are guests at this monthly open-mic storytelling show at UCB East hosted by Todd Bieber (Commercial Interruption, Director of Content & Production for UCBComedy.com) that at the end selects a favorite from the audience tales to be turned into an animated short film premiering the following month (for hilarious samples, please click here): Animated Stories

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($26): Brilliant and exceptionally skinny UK star Simon Amstell (BBC’s Do Nothing, Grandma’s House) performs a one-man show for six nights only in NYC (through November 21st) “skewering his insecurities with a sharp wit and hopeful optimism, confronting the anxieties of modern life” at Theatre 80 (80 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): Simon Amstell: Numb

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A former roommate & drinking buddy of such comedy giants as David Cross and Marc Maron performs a one-man show that was such a hit at August’s FringeNYC it’s been extended indefinitely. Please read my review by clicking here, and Jason Zinoman’s New York Times review by clicking here; and then come share an intimate hour with Matt Graham at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club so he can explain life and meaning and why This Too Shall Suck

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Kevin Maher (creator of the smash hit Kevin Geeks Out shows; HBO, Comedy Central, AMC) and Web superstar Mark Douglas (The Key of Awesome) team up to tape material for their new Web series Andrew 12 Sided Dice Clay, plus stand-up from Casey Jost, Adam Conover, Rusty Ward, Ritch Duncan, and Matt Wilson, all performing at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): Andrew 12-Sided Dice Clay Live Taping

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

[$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who’s starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, is a cast member of the NBC sitcom Whitney (starring the wonderful Whitney Cummings), and has performed on Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy (to view his set, please click here) and TBS’ Glory Daze, headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Chris D’Elia

8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Team Black and Team White

8:00 pm ($5): Wonderful improvisor Ellena Chmielewski co-wrote and directed this comedy mini-play about modern romance at UCB Chelsea co-written & co-starring John Zachary Townsend: Standards & Practices…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, frankly, the worst scripted show I’ve seen all year on the UCBT schedule—terrible writing, acting, direction, a perfect storm of bad—but the folks involved are very nice (sometimes things just don’t work out…): The State vs. Josh: The Trial of the Millennials

8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house troupes Junior Varsity, Hello Laser, The Wrath, and The Boss performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by Medusa (all improvisers stay on stage at all times, and alternate between speaking roles and playing inanimate objects), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) featuring last week’s winner vs. Featherweight: The Magnet’s Night Out

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

9:00 pm ($5): Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, VH1; for sample of Carolyn as white rapper, please click here), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Kyle Dunnigan, Billy Wayne Davis, and Trevor Williams performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover and/or Emily Heller: Fresh Out

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10 at the door, $11.34 in advance online): Killer lineup of 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; author of bestselling book Mr. Funny Pants), 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), and Andrew Gregory (The Gregory Brothers, Auto-Tune the News) with the Color Red Band performing and sharing insider stories at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Scott R.: Running Late with Scott Rogowsky

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs 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): Shannon O’Neill (comedy genius), Morgan Grace Jarrett (wonderful comedic actress), Lydia Hensler (member of red-hot improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes), and/or Brandon Scott Jones (top sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox, red-hot improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes, top comedic play Death Wears Stilettos) host a showcase of female comics at UCB East who tonight are Katey Healy-Wurzburg (stand-up), JiJi Lee (storytelling), Cocoon Central Dance Team (dance), and Summer and Eve (musical performance): Ladies Night: Men Welcome

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

11:00 pm ($5): Stand-ups Danny Jolles and Aaron Glaser each perform 30-minute sets at The PIT downstairs lounge: Glaser & Jolles Split the Hour

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 11/14/12

November 14, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Lutz

John Lutz (above) makes up scenes with Scott Adsit as genius improv duo John & Scott…

Dan St. Germain

…and rising stand-up star Dan St. Germain headlines for one night only at Carolines

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

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Author Pete Hamill and sex writer Tristan Taormino are interviewed at UCB Chelsea for this live taping of Ken Freedman’s & Andy Breckman’s radio show WFMU’s 7 Second Delay Live

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing 3 minutes per comic at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Max Corbel & Benel Germosen: Cracking It

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5 at the door or $6.17 online): TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs a brand new show looking at US history “from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn

7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from Jared Logan, Dan Hodapp, Cathleen Carr, Micah Sherman, Michelle Wolf, and Erick Hellwig performing at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Micah Sherman: Old School Sketch Comedy Show

7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Flower Girl, Dr. Champagne, Bloomer, Brick, Horses, Chet Watkins, Nintendo, and Featherweight performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Nintendo at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Mike Recine (Comedy Central), Nore Davis (MTV, Comedy Central’s The Ruckus), Calvin Cato, Alyssa Wolff, and Chris Garner & Brian Fiddyment performing at Birch Coffee upper library (5 East 27th Street) hosted by Daniel Kurland: Freshly Brewed Coffee-edy

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($7.37 if you use code BREAKOUT online or by phone, plus 2-drink min.) A quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star who’s performed on Jimmy Fallon, The Electric Company, MTV, and VH1 headlines tonight, with openers Eli Sairs and Taylor Ketchum, for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Dan St. Germain

7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes Spooky Ghost and Graceland: Lloyd Night

8:00 pm ($5): Brent Sullivan presents fake profiles he used to communicate via social networks with people he’d normally be terrified to contact at Profiles in Cowardice

…and in the other half of this UCB Chelsea double-bill, a sketch show about one of the sadder aspects of the human condition: Lonely People

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

8:00 pm ($5): Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), and more performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge: Brian and Joe’s Power Hour

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets “and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically terrific NYC comics (not announced) performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) typically hosted by Gabe Liedman and/or Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors—and actual brothers—Will Hines and Kevin Hines make use of their intimate knowledge of each other to gracefully invent scenes (hopefully without any fighting) at UCB East performing as duo The Brothers Hines

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Nick Vatterott (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s The Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), David Foster (MTV’s Boiling Points), Cory Jarvis , and Jono Zalay performing stand-up at this free weekly comedy show at Lucky Jack’s Bar (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?

9:15 pm ($5 if you say Let’s Eat Dead Bird, otherwise $8): Music from the charming Reformed Whores, stand-up from Jason Salmon, and sketch from City Hall, Marina & Nicco, and Sleepy Dr. Dre, all performing at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue) hosted by Mike Feeney: November Sketch Block

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and cowriter-director-producer & cast member of Adult Swim’s awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) teaming up with fellow 30 Rock actor John Lutz (who previously spent six years as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live) to form a super-smart and hilarious star improv duo that’s become one of the very best attractions at UCB Chelsea and should not be missed: John & Scott

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): “It’s Judgment Day, and Chuck Black can’t wait to meet Jesus! But things seem to go terribly awry when he has a crisis of faith. Who can blame him? All his pals seem a bit more interested in getting presents from ChristCo than trying to save their souls. And don’t even get Chuck started on Mocha Mint Mel, the know-it-all atheist with two moms.” This mini-play by Matt Fried is at The PIT downstairs lounge: A Charlie Brown Apocalypse

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB’s classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Rising stand-up stars—Jared Logan, Mike Lawrence, Mark Normand, Dan. St. Germain, Pat Dixon, Emily Heller, Michael Che, Joe List, and/or Nick Turner—at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: The Regular Suspects

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: As many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that’s part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. (Tonight’s scheduled performers include Matt Koff, Julia Wiedeman, Adam Conover, and guest host Charla Lauriston; for the complete lineup, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

11:00 pm ($5): “All the precious post-election information you’ve already heard. Watch as your favorite news stories and pieces of politico come to life all over again, a full week after the Presidential Election” at The PIT downstairs lounge: An Hour of Hindsight

[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

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

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/13/12

November 13, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Andy Dick

Andy Dick performs at ComedyJuice…

Kyle Kinane

…and Kyle Kinane performs at The Afterlife and 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:

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, four of The Magnet’s singing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: The Montels and Legend (at 7:00) and Atticus and BEEES! (at 8:30); followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with musical improv troupe BEEES! to make up stories in song: Musical Magnet Mixer

7:00 pm ($5): A sketch show about NYC commuting written & produced by Michelle Francesca Thomas at The PIT downstairs lounge: Transit Stories

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($20): The return of one of the funniest comedies—and finest comedic ensembles—to grace New York, and what ended up as the very best show of this year’s FringeNYC Festival, playing at the Soho Playhouse’s upstairs theatre. Please read my review by clicking here, and then take advantage of this opportunity to see the Chicago-based 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Sherlock & Cookies, Guthrie, and A Sparrow at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5 at the door or $7.63 online): Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color, Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), and Michelle Wolf (adorable) performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for this show hosted by Calvin Cole & Sharron Paul that calls attention to its inexpensive price: Cheap Date

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Kyle Kinane (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, opens for Patton Oswalt), Erin Judge (Comedy Central; comedy album So Many Choices; for hilarious short bit on men vs. women, please click here), Miguel Dalmau, Nate Craig, Sean Keane, and Ron Funches performing stand-up on this week’s topic Suicide Note at Sidewalk NYC (94 Avenue A) produced by Chenoa Estrada, Emily Heller, and George Gordon and hosted tonight by Emily Heller: The Afterlife: Suicide Note

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

8:00 pm ($5): Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents, John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up Show), Adam Lowitt (The Daily Show), J. R. Havlan (The Daily Show), and Aparna Nancherla (FX’s Totally Biased) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Dan McCoy (writer for The Daily Show) & Matt Koff (Time Out NY Joke of the Year): Dan & Matt’s Stand-Up Show

8:00 pm ($5): Four sketch comics (not announced) each show off his or her best solo character work for this unique show at The PIT upstairs theatre, hosted by Sam Martin & Matthew Robert Gehring: Comedy Expo

8:00 pm ($8): Sketch comedy at The PIT upstairs theatre from troupe National Scandal

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (sadly, not announced) performing at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre, hosted by the wonderful Joe Pera, Dan Licata, and Charles Gould: Dan + Joe + Charles’ Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Emmy Blotnick (staff blogger for Jimmy Fallon), and Sean Donnelly (host of many shows) performing stand-up at the debut of this show not especially easy to get to at Brooklyn’s The Woods (48 S 4th Street; take the J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue and walk around 5 minutes) hosted by Alexis Guerreros & Joseph Klein: Petrified

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; former staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), 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), Kyle Kinane (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, opens for Patton Oswalt), “a special guest” for DJ, and more performing stand-up at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, 30 Rock, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Brooke Van Poppelen (writer for MTV’s Epic Fall; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), Aparna Nancherla (FX’s Totally Biased), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Josh Rabinowitz, and Nore Davis performing stand-up at this weekly show at Brooklyn’s The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Steve O’Brien, Robert Dean, and/or Kevin McCaffrey: Comedy at Alligator Lounge

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes The Regulars, GoodGirl, and Salmon Diane—plus advanced improv students “strips the Harold down to its component parts and rearranges them into a rhythmically complex, mashup-inspired performance piece” for a form called Scramble NYC—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brilliant dark improv/sketch comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives) does oddball stuff and hosts tonight’s guests Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, MTV), Tim Dimond (VH1, History Channel), and Sean Donnelly (host of many shows), plus producer Andy Rocco, at UCB East building upon the mythology that is The Tony Show

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): Comics who are making their reps on YouTube—with tonight’s guests Emotistyle’s Molly Austin and Shamikah Martinez; Chescaleigh’s Franchesca Ramsey; Barely Political’s Todd Womack, Mark Douglas, and Anastacia Douglas; and Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color)—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Face Time: YouTube Live

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge with host Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): TV & movie star Andy Dick, Kyle Dunningham (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, The Sarah Silverman Program), Eric Schwartz (Jay Leno, BET, YouTube star), Ron Funches (Conan O’Brien), and more performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): ComedyJuice

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing dirty, smutty, filthy jokes at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jefferson: Blue

[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] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

[From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.]

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 11/12/12

November 12, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jonathan Ames

Jonathan Ames, author & creator of HBO’s Bored to Death, is among the luminaries raising post-Sandy funds at Brooklyn Relief: A Night of Words, Music, and Comedy…

Billy The Mime

…and a wryly brilliant silent comic performs as Billy the Mime

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] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Cammi Climaco (co-host of Ask Me Stories) debuts this weekly hour-long open-mic storytelling show, with 6 audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 6 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge. My note to PIT management: Please give Cammi 90 minutes for this show so she can provide a proper 8 minutes per storyteller, plus a guest-host each week, so it can be competitive with other offerings—even if that means changing the show’s current name: Six By Six

6:00 pm ($5 cover for comics, no cover for audience with code HyReviews, plus 1-drink min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4 1/2 minutes per set and 20 comics crammed into 2 hours—at the Greenwich Village Comedy Club (99 MacDougal Street) for John Morrison’s Village Motel

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5.65 in advance online, $8 at the door): A monthly storytelling show from the wonderful Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 18-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Tales of the Cosmos and Whatever Happened to the Nerds?; for a sampling of Adam’s award-winning tales, please click here), along with guest storyteller Steven Berkowitz (Moth StorySlam winner), at Under St. Marks: The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League

7:00 pm ($5): A variety show mixing sketch, stand-up, music, and improv (sadly, this month’s guests haven’t been announced) at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by all-gal improv troupe Gypsy: The Mélange

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

7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at One and One Bar’s Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word’s Open Mic Joint

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A spectacular and unforgettable demonstration of the artful power of mime when combined with a wickedly sharp modern sensibility, executed with great wit and style. Street performers have given mime a bad rep; but if you think about it, what mime does is boil a situation down to its essential elements, and then express those elements in a manner that’s instantly and universally understood. That’s really what art is all about; and that’s also what Billy the Mime does, often brilliantly. (For my review of his FringeNYC show in 2006, please click here.): Billy the Mime

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($20 at the door or $24 in advance online): Comics, storytellers, writers, and musicians—including Jonathan Ames, Amy Sohn, Elna Baker, and Dan Wilbur—gather for this fundraiser providing help to Hurricane Sandy victims at Brooklyn’s Union Hall: Brooklyn Relief: A Night of Words, Music, and Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Erin Judge (Comedy Central; comedy album So Many Choices; for hilarious short bit on men vs. women, please click here), Jerrod Carmichael, Ron Funches, and Jean Grae performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent of The Daily Show): Night Train with Wyatt Cenac

8:00 pm ($5): Making great use of UCB East’s previous incarnation as an indie movie theatre, tonight features screenings of select films running five minutes or less—most of them funny—crafted in the style of TV pilots. The shorts receiving the most audience votes get to continue with additional episodes, while the others are “canceled” at Channel 101

[FREE—and FREE BEER!] 8:30 pm: Heineken sponsors this free beer event featuring NYC stand-ups Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC’s My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), Nimesh Patel (co-host of Broken Comedy), Josh Gondelman, Sean Mallory, and Matt Fullchiron at B Bar (40 East 4th Street) produced by Libby Phillips & hosted by Ray Devito: Recess Comedy

8:30 pm ($5): At The Magnet, Oscar Montoya (Midnight Movies, Aquarius) invites some of his favorite musical improvisors to perform songs made up on the spot with him: Musical Improv Spotlight

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Hari Kondabolu (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, , FX’s Totally Biased), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX’s In Living Color, Comedy Central), Monroe Martin III, and Sean Keane performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Bar Matchless back room (557 Manhattan Avenue, near the G subway’s Nassau Avenue stop) hosted by Nimesh Patel, Mike Denny, and/or Michael Che: Broken Comedy

9:00 pm ($8): A one-woman show at The PIT: “Becky Flaum thinks she’s Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But she isn’t. Her high cinematic hopes for her love life start to get in the way of reality on her quest for the perfect co-star:” Hopeless Romantic Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm: Stand-up auditions for SXSW, which is likely to feature superb comics, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Maddog Mattern: SXSW Showcase

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show), Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor), Lil’ Rel, Jennifer Bartels, and Josh Rabinowitz performing stand-up at UCB East: Legion of Goons

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out fresh material: The Prom (which includes such stellar talents as Sasheer Zamata, Amber Nelson, Stephen Soroka, Siobhan Thompson, and Ari Scott), and Onassis (which has seldom been strong on the writing side but includes superb actress Lauren Conlin Adams): Maude Night: The Prom & Onassis

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Twelve improv comics who are “friends of Dorothy” perform at The Magnet hosted by Andrew Fafoutakis: There’s No Place Like Home: A GLBTQ Event

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who are no longer being announced in advance, but it’s virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by someone wonderful (while Leo Allen is in LA): Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! 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 exceptionally supportive stand-up open-mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jared Reed: Fresh

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 11/11/12

November 11, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Sean Patton and Ed Herbstman

One of the funniest men alive, ace stand-up Sean Patton performs at Pretty Good Friends; master improvisor Ed Herbstman teams with David Razowsky as Herbstman & Razowsky

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] November 7th-11th: This final evening of the 2012 New York Comedy Festival includes the show The Art of Stand-Up with Morgan Murphy (fresh, original, and fearlessly dark; The Comedians of Comedy; staff writer for CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, former staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Chelsea Peretti (former staff writer for NBC’s Parks and Recreation, podcast Call Chelsea Peretti, Variety SHAC), Jerrod Carmichael, and host Eugene Mirman (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, FOX’s Bob’s Burgers, Adult Swim’s Delocated, VH1; pioneer of NYC downtown comedy) and The Aussie Invasion with Luke Heggie and Nick Cody. For the complete schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] 3:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

[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: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there’ll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area (“Hot Chicks Room”) hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer

6:30 pm ($5): Two sketch shows with intriguing titles try out for spots The Magnet schedule: God Woke Up Screaming and Anti-Social Wife

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($20): The return of one of the funniest comedies—and finest comedic ensembles—to grace New York, and what ended up as the very best show of this year’s FringeNYC Festival, playing at the Soho Playhouse’s upstairs theatre. Please read my review by clicking here, and then take advantage of this opportunity to see the Chicago-based 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche

[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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.) The co-stars of In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Marlon and Shawn Wayans

[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): Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Nate Bargatze (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents), Phoebe Robinson, Josh Gondelman, Barry Rothbart, and Drennon Davis performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Pretty Good Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Daughter Christine DeNoon brings her deceased father’s songs to life in a musical that debuts tonight at The PIT upstairs theatre: Someone To Belong To

[$] 8:00 pm ($15): A stand-up who’s performed on Conan O’Brien and Comedy Central headlining tonight at UCB East (and is sold out, but there’ll be some standby tickets for standing room): An Evening With Kyle Kinane

8:00 pm ($5): A mini-play at The Magnet in which Robert Weinstein and friends present a horror/comedy: Smooching & Slashing: Anatomy of a First Kiss

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, host of ComedyJuice), Brooke Van Poppelen (writer for MTV’s Epic Fall; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Rob O’Reily, Nimesh Patel, and more performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the L’asso East Village lounge (107 First Avenue, off 7th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Celebrating this stand-up show’s 3 Year Anniversary are Ron Funches, Lil Rel, DJ Prince Paul, and more performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show; one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Shakir Standley, Peggy O’Leary, Jahnavi Goldstein, Tim Warner, and Oni Perez performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at the Beauty Bar

9:30 pm ($5): Magnet sketch comedy teams try out new material at this weekly show. Tonight it’s a double-bill: Dispacho and Breakfast for Dinner

9:30 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] 9:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Molly Austin & Mike Brown: Vicious Cycle

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): “Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is on the ground in New York City, and he’s assembled a team of investigative experts to uncover the biggest conspiracy yet. The New World Order might keep Conspiracy Theory off the air, but we take the action outside the ring and straight to the people…because they can cancel a TV show, but they can’t cancel the truth,” with James Adomian as Jesse Ventura, John Roy, and more doing crazy shit at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Conspiracy Theory Live with Jesse Ventura

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7): Two master improvisors at The Magnet who will dazzle you: Ed Herbstman & David Razowsky

 For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 11/10/12

November 10, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jim Gaffigan

Jim Gaffigan (above), Robin Williams, Aziz Ansari, Bill Maher, Susie Essman, Morgan Murphy, Michael Showalter, Hannibal Buress, and Nikki & Sara are among the stars performing tonight as part of the New York Comedy Festival

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] November 7th-11th: Among the stellar events at this year’s New York Comedy Festival are shows by comedy titans Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan, Aziz Ansari, Bill Maher, Pete Holmes, Colin Quinn, Kevin Hart, Brian Regan, the Wayans Brothers, and lots more, as well as interviews with such giants as Ricky Gervais and Robin Williams. For the complete massive schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK]  [DISCOUNTED] November 7th-12th ($7 off most shows if you use discount code FANS online): A gathering of many of NYC’s best storytellers—who tonight participate in The Gotham Storytelling Panel Discussion and The Story Collider—packed into five evenings at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): The First Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open-mic stand-up show (“starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one”) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Florence and Sad Kids at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A comedy quiz show full of heavily researched quirky facts in which comedy contestants get points if their answers are correct but get more points if their answers are “quite interesting” at UCB East created & hosted by Katey Healy-Wurzburg: The Fascinator

7:00 pm ($8): Stand-up, sketch comics, and improv groups mix up their regular routines; plus host Kissing Disease performs an improvised monoscene based on an audience member’s suggested obstacle at The PIT upstairs theatre: Kissing Disease Tries Something

7:00 pm ($5): At this PIT downstairs double-bill, Dan Hodapp & Natasha Rothwell “bring more than five years of improv collaboration to stage for an evening of bold, committed characters and probably a fart joke for good measure” as Hodapp & Rothwell, and then all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

[$] 7:30 pm ($15): An LA-based stand-up performs for an hour at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: An Evening With Jerrod Carmichael

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): At The Magnet, improv grandmasters Ed Herbstman and Armando Diaz, ace improvisor Christina Gausas, and Ed’s wife & brilliant writer Melanie Hoopes make up scenes as Connect 4; and in the other half of this double-bill, Rebecca “Bex” Sohn performs a one-woman showcase of a variety of characters “ranging from sexy cop to sexually repressed substitute teacher to frustrated psychic” at Live Bex Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.17 in advance online, $10 at the door): Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), and Josh Gondelman (Laughing Skull Festival winner) 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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5 at the door; SOLD OUT online, but there might be some standing room standby tickets): Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here) and Lisa deLarios (Comedy Central) host this delightful monthly mix of stand-up and sketch, with tonight’s guests Michael Showalter, Dave Hill, Debbie Shay, Gabe Leidman, and more performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall as part of the New York Comedy Festival: The Party Machine

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.) The co-stars of In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Marlon and Shawn Wayans

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

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Barry Rothbart (Jay Leno, Comedy Central, MTV’s Punk’d, IFC’s Do Whatever), Jamie Lee (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, MTV’s Ridiculousness, VH1), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Rob O’Reilly (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Jane Borden (former Comedy Editor of Time Out New York, author of I Totally Meant to Do That), and Jerrod Carmichael performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: 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): 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), Maddog Mattern (to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:00 pm ($5): “Ashley Rebecca King and Gregory von Portz present a post-dinner poolside party for their hippest and most sophisticated friends. Menthol-cool musical stylings and intellectual discourse abound as you are treated to a floor show with a carefully chosen set list, curated by the world’s foremost cover-band artists, that changes monthly. Dip in; it’s never the same dive twice. For tonight’s entertainment: Life: A Retrospective” at The PIT downstairs lounge: Moon Pools

9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): The return of one of the funniest comedies—and finest comedic ensembles—to grace New York, and what ended up as the very best show of this year’s FringeNYC Festival, playing at the Soho Playhouse’s upstairs theatre. Please read my review by clicking here, and then take advantage of this opportunity to see the Chicago-based 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche

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 enjoying a long run at The PIT upstairs theatre: Political Subversities

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Stand-up Ron Krasnow is turning 40. To make him feel worse about that, a mob of comics gather to roast him, including Jeffrey Joseph, Amber Nelson, Erik Bergstrom, Anthony Devito, Nick Turner, and Mike Recine. It’s all happening at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Roast of Ron Krasnow

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($15): LA-based Morgan Murphy (fresh, original, and fearlessly dark; The Comedians of Comedy; staff writer for CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, former staff writer for Jimmy Fallon) graces NYC for an hour at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: An Evening With Morgan Murphy

[TOP PICK] 10:30 ($8): NYC’s heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which doesn’t always ht the mark but provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and in 2010 won the ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist: Late and Dirty

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and this year crushed 12 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney performing at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

11:00 pm ($8): A young all-guy improv troupe making stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party

Midnight ($5): “Jason Saenz and Riley Soloner have invited the worst people in NYC to come and talk about their sh*tty situations in front of a studio audience in hopes that they can better themselves and turn their lives around. HAHAHA! Just kidding! We’re exploiting these people of ratings! This month’s episode: Stop Bullying Me, You F@cking Asshole!” featuring nearly two dozen comics performing at UCB Chelsea, including Rob Lathan, Nicole Byer, Zach Broussard, and Caitlin Brodnick: Late Night Trash

[FREE] Midnight: A small army of comics pay homage to the cult classic film Rocky Horror Picture Show at The PIT upstairs theatre: Rocky Whorer PIT-ure Show

[FREE] Midnight: Mike Dobbins is a unique stream of consciousness comic (for an interpretive dance of his breakup, please click here). Tonight he shares his special perspective on life at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Mike Dobbins Blows Your Little Mind

[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

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 11/9/12

November 9, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Patton Oswalt and Aziz Ansari

Patton Oswalt, Aziz Ansari, and Pete Holmes are among the stars performing tonight as part of the New York Comedy Festival

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] November 7th-11th: Among the stellar events at this year’s New York Comedy Festival are shows by comedy titans Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan, Aziz Ansari, Bill Maher, Pete Holmes, Colin Quinn, Kevin Hart, Brian Regan, the Wayans Brothers, and lots more, as well as interviews with such giants as Ricky Gervais and Robin Williams. For the complete massive schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK]  [DISCOUNTED] November 7th-12th ($7 off most shows if you use discount code FANS online): A gathering of most of NYC’s best storytelling shows—which tonight are Oh Hey Guys and The Liar Show—packed into five evenings at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): The First Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Erin Lennox and Eli Sairs: The Orphanage

7:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy at The Magnet in which “A young businessman makes a startling confession to his potential employer, a flash-in-the-pan movie star reveals to the world what he is really like in person, and God learns a valuable lesson: not everyone is perfect—not even Himself:” Citizen Models

7:00 pm ($10): A stand-up who’s appeared on Jimmy Fallon headlines tonight at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: NIck Turner

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there’ll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area (“Hot Chicks Room”) hosted by Nate Dern and Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Mic

[$] 7:30 pm ($15): A stand-up who’s performed at the Just For Laughs festival does an hour tonight at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: Hobo Apocalypse: An Evening with Ben Roy

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($15): Comedy giant Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up, Ugly Americans, VH1’s Best Week Ever, podcast You Made It Weird, staff writer for NBC’s Outsourced, The New Yorker; co-star of the hilarious Front Page Films) in a too-rare NYC appearance, plus Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller with notable bangs; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR’s trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another), Hari Kondabolu (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, , FX’s Totally Biased), Jane Borden (former Comedy Editor of Time Out New York, author of I Totally Meant to Do That), and Michael Che (IFC’s Bunk, Comedy Central), performing stand-up, and musical group Summer & Eve, at UCB East hosted by Time Out New York Comedy Editor Matthew Love: Time Out Live

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Joe Zimmerman (Rooftop Comedy), Dave Stone (Adult Swim’s Squidbillies), Andy Sanford (TBS), and TJ Young “deliver an original brand of humor that’s deeply rooted in stand-up and lightly blended with avant-garde elements of music, sketch and improv.” This bearded quartet’s credits include the album Cardio Mix from Comedy Central Records; and tonight they perform at The PIT upstairs lounge: The Beards of Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.) The co-stars of In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Marlon and Shawn Wayans

[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 in Queens’ Long Island City downstairs lounge: Mic and Cheese

8:30 pm ($7): Long-form improv at The Magnet from troupe Brick

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from comedy geniuses Chris Gethard and Shannon O’Neill, plus stellar comics Silvija Ozols, Zach Woods, Michael Delaney, Will Hines, and Connor Ratliff, performing at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—Fran Gillespie, Michael Kayne, Amber Petty, Tim Martin, Ashley Ward, Morgan Phillips, and Winston Noel—making up a musical on the spot (formerly named Diamond Lion): KOSMOS Musical Improv

[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): Great lineup of TV & movie stars Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Todd Barry, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm: Joe Pera (very funny deadpan comic; I recently saw him sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; for reasons to hire Joe, please click here), Nick Vatterott (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s The Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), RG Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up), and more performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Fort Useless (36 Ditmars Street) hosted by George Flanagan: Spit Take Friday

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Joe List (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Ben Roy, and Jason Kanter performing stand-up at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Say Anything

10:00 pm ($10): A comedy group that makes up a musical on the spot at The PIT upstairs theatre after a friendly greeting: Hello

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

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

10:30 pm ($5): NYC comics (not announced) performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D’Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

11:00 pm ($8): Sketches from young and forlorn comics at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Meredith Hackman: The Saddest Sketch Show

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—pushing boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Jacqueline Novak and Chris Laker: Permission to Fail

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Terrific comics Matt Koff, Reid Faylor, Erik Bergstrom, Emmy Blotnick, Paul Oddo, and Jake Young debating various topics, mixed with stand-up from Mike Lawrence and Michael Che at UCB East hosted by Michael Shawki, Jeff Wesselschimdt, and/or Dan Licata: The Great Debate

[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it’s an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage. Plus it’s hosted by members of Maude troupe Fambly, typically including such wonderful talents as Nicole Byer and Veronica Osorio: Liquid Courage

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 11/8/12

November 8, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Patton Oswalt

Patton Oswalt and…

Aziz Ansari

…Aziz Ansari are among the stars at this year’s New York Comedy Festival

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] November 7th-11th: Among the stellar events at this year’s New York Comedy Festival are shows by comedy titans Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan, Aziz Ansari, Bill Maher, Pete Holmes, Colin Quinn, Kevin Hart, Brian Regan, the Wayans Brothers, and lots more, as well as interviews with such giants as Ricky Gervais and Robin Williams. For the complete massive schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK]  [DISCOUNTED] November 7th-12th ($7 off most shows if you use discount code FANS online): A gathering of most of NYC’s best storytelling shows—which tonight are The Soundtrack Series, Told, and Bare—packed into five evenings at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): The First Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, comedy CD Not for Horses) is tonight’s guest at this weekly open-mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East hosted by John Flynn: Oh, Hey Guys!

6:00 pm ($5): Two shows I know nothing about, Gentlemen Thieves and Rewrite Movie Night, audition for a spot on the schedule of the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage: Spank

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Veteran musical improvisors at The PIT mix with novices on-stage at Pitch

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics’ names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving two minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies

7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hot Diner and THEM

[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe The Boss to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): A beloved show that brings dead celebrities back to life at UCB East, with magical comedic chameleon Livia Scott (Conan O’Brien, Law & Order, Dirty Movie) hosting tonight as Amy Winehouse, Emily Dickinson, Marie Antoinette, Judy Garland, Lisa Left Eye Lopes from TLC, Truman Capote, and Janis Joplin, with wonderful singer/songwriter Corn Mo, Carla Rhodes (“rock’n’roll ventriloquist;” for shout-out from David Letterman, please click here; for act with “Keith Richards,” please click here), sketch troupe Supereasy, Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1), Laura Anderson (burlesque star), and Kelly Hudson: Livia’s Castle of Enchantment

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.) The co-stars of In Living Color and The Wayans Bros. headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Marlon and Shawn Wayans

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Rory Scovel (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central) performs a one-man stand-up show at UCB Chelsea: Zizzle Zazzles: An Evening with Rory Scovel

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A former roommate & drinking buddy of such comedy giants as David Cross and Marc Maron performs a one-man show that was such a hit at August’s FringeNYC it’s been extended indefinitely. Please read my review by clicking here, and Jason Zinoman’s New York Times review by clicking here; and then come share an intimate hour with Matt Graham at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club so he can explain life and meaning and why This Too Shall Suck

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: The East Side Orphan Riot and Harvey

8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house troupes Junior Varsity, Hello Laser, Flower Girl, and The Boss performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by Medusa (all improvisers stay on stage at all times, and alternate between speaking roles and playing inanimate objects), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) featuring Horses vs. Wanda: The Magnet’s Night Out

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10 at the door or $12.75 in advance online): Three of the hottest rising star nerds of stand-up perform at Brooklyn’s Union Hall—Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, host of ComedyJuice), Mike Lawrence (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up), and Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable; Jimmy Fallon, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1): The Dark Lords of Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there’s still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC’s My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Brooks Wheelan, Sean Keane, Drennon Davis, and Matt Fulchiron performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover & Emily Heller: Fresh Out

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced by 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) 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] 9:00 pm ($10): Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), and more performing stand-up at The Creek’s upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Cody Hess & Jessica Gross: Cookies!

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Improv genius John Lutz (John & Scott; 30 Rock; previously spent six years as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live) and Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) perform two-man improv as 2 Square

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): Rob Barnett (CEO of My Damn Channel), Streeter Seidell and Jeff Rubin of College Humor, and more at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Scott Rogowsky (The Onion): Running Late with Scott Rogowsky

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene

[FREE] 10:30 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by Justin Williams: Death Comedy Jam

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

11:00 pm ($5): Interns at UCB Chelsea show off their improv and sketch chops at Mop it Like It’s Hot: The UCB Intern Showcase

11:00 pm ($5): Sketch and improv by puppets at The PIT downstairs lounge: Puppet

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 11/7/12

November 7, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais—above, delighted at President Obama’s victory—is among the stars kicking off this year’s New York Comedy Festival

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] November 7th-11th: Among the stellar events at this year’s New York Comedy Festival—which begins tonight—are shows by comedy titans Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan, Aziz Ansari, Bill Maher, Pete Holmes, Colin Quinn, Kevin Hart, Brian Regan, the Wayans Brothers, and lots more, as well as interviews with such giants as Ricky Gervais and Robin Williams. For the complete massive schedule, please click: New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK]  [DISCOUNTED] November 7th-12th ($7 off most shows if you use discount code FANS online): A gathering of most of NYC’s best storytelling shows—which tonight are Martin Dockery’s The Surprise and And I Am Not Lying—packed into five evenings at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): The First Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up hosted by Cody Hess at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Listen! The Open Mic

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5 at the door or $6.17 online): TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs a brand new show looking at US history “from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT—starting downstairs at 6:00, then upstairs from 7:00 on—for PIT Super Free Wednesday

7:00 pm ($8): “Desperation, dictatorship, and punches to the testicles are just some of the themes in the second run of the sketch show written by Gabe Capone (National Scandal) and Ryan Darden (Nuns on the Run). It’s silly, cerebral, and unapologetically dark” at The PIT downstairs lounge: Gabe and Ryan’s Facebook Timeline

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

7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes Huxtable and City Mouse: Lloyd Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Murderfist, Stone Cold Fox, and more performing at UCB Chelsea to represent Best of New York’s Sketch Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($25 at the door or $26.87 online): TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn and a few of his friends perform stand-up at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Crowd Work with Colin Quinn

8:00 pm ($5): A sketch show (for a well-crafted sample, please click here), with some stand-up thrown in, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Dane Hanson: The Dane Hanson Show

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically terrific NYC comics (not announced) performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) typically hosted by Gabe Liedman and/or Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): The comics who train, teach, and perform at UCB-NY are among the finest improvisors in the world. The UCB Touring Company consists of the cream of the crop, with the mission of showing audiences beyond those visiting UCB’s theatres in NYC and LA what improv is all about. For just this evening, however, the traveling troupe—which includes brilliant comics Gavin Speiller, Neil Casey, and Fran Gillespie—will be strutting its stuff on the UCB East stage: UCB TourCo All-Stars

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Selena Coppock (author of upcoming book The New Rules for Blondes), Nick Cobb (Comedy Central), Ryan Reiss (The Howard Stern Show), Amy Albert (Tony and Tina’s Wedding), Sergio Chicon (Comedy Central), and Jeremy Pinsly performing stand-up at this free weekly comedy show at Lucky Jack’s Bar (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): “It’s Judgment Day, and Chuck Black can’t wait to meet Jesus! But things seem to go terribly awry when he has a crisis of faith. Who can blame him? All his pals seem a bit more interested in getting presents from ChristCo than trying to save their souls. And don’t even get Chuck started on Mocha Mint Mel, the know-it-all atheist with two moms.” This mini-play by Matt Fried is at The PIT downstairs lounge: A Charlie Brown Apocalypse

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer created Broad City as a Web series, which was then picked up for development as a TV series for FX…and is also a monthly stage show at UCB Chelsea. Tonight’s theme is The State of the Union for this “delicately crafted hour of fun:” Broad City Live

[$] 9:30 pm ($20 & 2-drink min.) The stars of a popular MTV2 show perform live on stage for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: MTV2’s Guy Code

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Killer line-up of rising stand-up stars—Jared Logan, Mike Lawrence, Mark Normand, Dan. St. Germain, Pat Dixon, Emily Heller, Michael Che, Joe List, and Nick Turner—at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: The Regular Suspects

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma’s Ashes: The Improv Jam

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: As many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that’s part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. (Tonight’s scheduled guests include Matt Koff, Julia Wiedeman, Adam Conover, and guest host Charla Lauriston; for the complete list, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

11:00 pm ($5): A variety show with stand-up, sketch, storytelling, magic, and more at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Andrew Tavin & Gabriel Laks: Phantasmagoria

[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 more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 11/6/12

November 6, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama

Laugh at televised coverage of the Presidential election with sharp comics at UCB East, The PIT, or The Creek…

Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts: The Dream Show

…or enjoy the debut of a Brooklyn variety show from wonderful comics Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts: The Dream Show

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT downstairs lounge, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT “sketch-perts:” Pens & Pencils

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, each of four of The Magnet’s singing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Aquarius and Atticus (at 7:00) and Mint Condition and The Montels (at 8:30); followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with musical improv troupe The Montels to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Election-based comedy from superb musical comics Ben Lerman, Summer & Eve, and Political Subversities, plus non-musical comedy from Matt Koff, Gentlemen Party, and more—and the election of our new President—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Election Night Live

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm tarot readings, 8:00 show ($5): Wonderful sketch comics Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts debut a free variety show featuring tarot readings at 7:30 from Kat Toledo, and then stand-up, character acts, and music from guests Tom McCaffrey, Lauren Maul, Tim Dillon, and Phi Thi Tach performing at Brooklyn’s Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer Street), plus sketch and election updates from the lovely hosts putting on their Dream Show

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Rocks, The Regulars, and A Sparrow at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake and Manhattan Cable Access’ The Chris Gethard Show; The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of A Bad Idea I’m About to Do and Weird New York), Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1), and Sarah Tollemache performing stand-up at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre, hosted by Joe Pera, Charles Gould, and Dan Licata: Dan + Joe + Charles’ Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC comics—including James Adomian (Last Comic Standing finalist)—”discuss how our nation will survive the outcome of the most historic elections since the last one. We’ll also watch FOX News and MSNBC together to see who’s crying voter fraud and who starts dancing in the end zone. Lots of silly debate, uniformed opinions, and special guests while we find out who is the next American Idol” at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge, hosted by Chris Laker: Election Day Show Special

[TOP PICK] [FREE]  8:00 pm: Anthony Atamanuik, Ryan Karels, and other razor-sharp comics guide you through the Presidential elections for this free event at UCB East (at great place to screen TV since it used to be a movie theatre): Election 2012 Coverage Extravaganza

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($65): This isn’t pure comedy, but an enchanting hodgepodge of original tall tales fueled by laughs. The 2-hour play from the wonderful guys of PigPen blends shadow puppetry, songs, inventive staging, and more to create living dreams. For my review of PigPen’s two previous shows at FringeNYC, please click here and here. This newest work is their most ambitious, and that sometimes results in the story feeling too slow or padded; but it also yields a deeper emotional payoff. And even though not all the bits hit the mark, so many of them do that you’re likely to feel satisfied—and missing PigPen’s world after the show is over. The production is at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street) through November 26th: The Old Man and the Moon

8:00ish pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): 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), Drennon Davis (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Brooks Wheelan, Jaqi Furback, Zach Sherwin, and George Gordon performing on this week’s topic Dead Presidents at Sidewalk NYC (94 Avenue A) produced by Chenoa Estrada, Emily Heller, and George Gordon and hosted tonight by Josh Gondelman: The Afterlife: Dead Presidents

8:00 pm ($8): A house sketch troupe performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: National Scandal

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), MC Mr Napkins (a.k.a. Zach Sherwin; Epic Rap Battles of History), Jordan Carlos (The Colbert Report, MTV, VH1), and more performing stand-up at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Joe Larson (Jay Leno), Joe Zimmerman (Beards of Comedy), Alexis Guerreros (Show Me Your Bits), and Anthony Devito performing stand-up at this weekly show at Brooklyn’s The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Steve O’Brien, Robert Dean, and/or Kevin McCaffrey: Comedy at Alligator Lounge

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Bucky, GoodGirl, and Salmon Diane—plus advanced improv students “strips the Harold down to its component parts and rearranges them into a rhythmically complex, mashup-inspired performance piece” for a form called Scramble NYC—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): 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), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Showtime, Comedy Central, VH1, Bravo), MC Mr Napkins (a.k.a. Zach Sherwin; Epic Rap Battles of History), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), and more performing at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): ComedyJuice

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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