NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 5/29/10

May 29, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Stuffed and Unstrung

Theatre combines puppets and improvisation at Stuffed and Unstrung

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 ($10): Kevin Scott (Centralia) directs a group of actors and improvisors as they mix improv and theatre to Level Next

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously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

[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 ($35 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle’s Showheadlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 11:00 pm ($37.50 online or at the box office using discount code ALIEN): Sharp comics and 80 Henson puppets collaborating on a show that’s partly scripted and partly improvised: Stuffed and Unstrung

8:00 pm ($5): Will Nunziata and Jerry Miller performing a two-man sketch show designed as a love letter to the dystopian films of the 70s, 80s, and 90s:” Dystopia Gardens

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:30 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount codePISANO, otherwise $20): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy

[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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Comedy duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman, whose production at last August’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival was proclaimed “biggest revelation” by the Guardian, performing a new sketch show: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Adam Lustick and Billy Scafuri are stellar members of world-class sketch troupeThe Harvard Sailing Team; and they’ve now branched out to form comedic rap duo Snakes…which recently won the 2010 ECNY Award for Best Musical Group! Check out their debut album, which can be downloaded from BillyandAdam.com, and then join them and their delightfully unusual guests at Snakes: FutureSex/LoveSnakes

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 5/28/10

May 28, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Adira Amram

Spectacular singer/songwriter Adira Amram (above) and unique ventriloquist Carla Rhodes team up at Brooklyn's Galapagos Art Space for One Night Only

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 ($10): “After leaving what she thought was the perfect marriage, Mandy Schmieder now finds herself stuck in limbo. Is it really over? This is her quest to find the answer. Told through the eyes of a band of characters who guide her on this journey through an expressionistic purgatory of…” Separation Anxiety

7:00 pm ($10): An NYC improv troupe, headed by Duncan Murdoch, making up scenes following not only an audience suggestion but the riffs of an instrumental jazz quartet: FACE

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($15 & $15 drink min.): Brilliant, fresh, sexy rising star Adira Amram and “rock ‘n roll ventriloquist” Carla Rhodes team up to perform at Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space (16 Main Street at DUMBO) for One Night Only

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A rising star who’s one of the very finest stand-ups in the country performing a deliciously long one-hour set at Karma Lounge that should really cost $50—but somehow is a mere $5, and should not be missed: Sean Patton

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10):Two of the funniest and most loveable sketch comics alive, Katherine Bryant and Chris O’Connor (half of sketch troupe Fearsome) team up with also hilarious sketch comics Mike Still (sketch troupe A Week of Kindness) and John Phillips (sketch troupe Trophy Dad) to perform a comedic play about a college buddy returning after 10 years to ruin his friend’s life; and sketch troupe Thunder Gulch has fun with American icons ranging from Lucy to Lost, in the double-bill Mace Bacon: The Worst Guy Ever and Pop Culture Apocalypse

[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 ($35 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle’s Showheadlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings

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

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups performing in Ochi’s Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by Paul Case: The Back Room

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Brilliant improvisor Thomas Middleditch (Improvised Shakespeare Company, Baby Wants Candy, The Law Firm) and Matt Oberg (Big Black Car) team up for one night only as improv duo Bergditch 2010

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): In this new show, Thomas Middleditch, Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Inside Joke Films vs. Camp Wayne compete for audience laughs and votes in Backyard Brawl

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 5/27/10

May 27, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Todd Barry

Todd Barry is among the star stand-ups performing at Wyatt Cenac's Comedy Below Canal

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:

[$] 7:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle’s Showheadlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings

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 ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Wonderful stand-ups Todd Barry, Wyatt Cenac, and John Fugelsang performing at 92Y TribecaComedy Below Canal

[$] 9:30 pm ($19.33, plus 2-item minimum): An irresistable stand-up and comedic actor—and the Verizon FIOS guy—performing with some of his superb comic friends (not announced) at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: The Matt McCarthy Stand-Up Comedy Show

9:30 pm ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Pangea 3000, Rue Brutalia, and Adam & Trevor each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites in a fun revue hosted by James Eason & Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two improv troupe titans, Reuben Williams and Death by Roo Roo, will make the heavens shake as they compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 5/26/10

May 26, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Baron Vaughn

Baron Vaughn performs his final NYC stand-up sets tonight (before moving to become a TV star in LA) at ¡Sacapuntas! and Big Terrific

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

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($12.89 online if you use code VIPMAY, plus 2-item minimum): Wyatt Cenac and Baron Vaughn join hosts Dan Allen and Ray Devito performing stand-up at the elegant Comic Comedy Club: ¡Sacapuntas!

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Wonderful stand-ups John Mulaney, Leo Allen, and Rob Cantrell joining host Noah Garfinkel (Joe Mande is out of town…) at Totally J/K

[FREE] 8:30: NYC stand-ups Chelsea White, Bruce Cherry, David Hodorowski, Garry Hannon, and Ahmed Bharoocha performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Kumail Nanjiani and Baron Vaughn—in what may be their last appearances in NYC before moving to LA—performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Adam Wade, John Flynn, Giulia Rozzi, Jon Gabrus, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight’s theme revolving around the immortal words of Vince Lombardi (Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser)—”Sore Losers:” The Nights of Our Lives

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($12.89 online if you use code VIPMAY, plus 2-item minimum): Two sharp stand-ups headlining at the elegant Comic Comedy Club: Michelle Buteau and Brent Sullivan

[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.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 5/25/10

May 25, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Arden Myrin

Breathtaking comics Arden Myrin (above) and Brooke Van Poppelen host a new show focused on female stand-ups, which tonight includes Janeane Garofalo: Powersuit

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] 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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: A special all-Jews edition (who knew there were enough funny Jews in New York to fill a whole line-up…), with terrific stand-ups Emily Epstein, Jena Friedman, Amy Beckerman, Gilad Foss, and Ben Rosenfeld performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

8:00 pm to 11:00 pm ($5): Three full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Bastian, DeCoster, Monstro, Badman, and Robber Baron—at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($3): Brooke Van Poppelen (TLC’s American Chopper, Maxim and Cosmo Radio, co-host of PowersuitSo-Low Show; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com andRockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Dan St. Germain (Onion News Network), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, CollegeHumor, co-host of Too Cool for School), Jen Grant (Just for Laughs festival), John Roy (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing), and “a surprise guest or two” performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO, Comedy Central,Carson DalyInsomniac Tour): Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Baron Vaughn (in one of his final appearances before moving to LA), Mickey Rapkin and a whole bunch of folks from his new book Theater Geek, and more performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie and Amy Beckerman hosting Patricia Villetto and other stand-ups performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): World-class storyteller Tom Shillue, sketch comic Ann Carr, and Ryan Paulson (one-man show I’m Uncomfortable) performing with delightful sketch comedy & musical duo Tim Ellis and Matthew Park hosting Of the Moment

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Movie & TV star Janeane Garofalo, Andrea Rosen (Variety SHAC, lots of TV ads), and Giulia Rozzi (co-host of Stripped Stories) performing at the debut of a new monthly all-female stand-up comedy show hosted by the gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen (TLC’s American Chopper, Maxim and Cosmo Radio, So-Low Show; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com andRockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here): Powersuit

[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.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 5/24/10

May 24, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company

The finest & funniest improv troupe in the world performs one last time before returning to Chicago: The Improvised Shakespeare Company

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

6:30 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 John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: The wonderful Baron Vaughn (before he leaves us for LA), Rory Scovel (who’s also moving to LA), comedy giant Sean Patton, and many more performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($17 online or at the door with discount codeIRCISC): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the last of a spectacular five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Don’t miss this final chance to catch the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The wonderful Baron Vaughn (before he leaves us for LA), Amy Schumer (Comedy Central Presents half-hour special), Colin Jost (writer for SNL), Lee Camp, Matt Goldich, and Jennifer Grant—plus musical guests BiPolar Bradley and A Brief View of the Hudson—performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Hannibal Buress (staff writer for Saturday Night Live), Matt McCarthy (Verizon FIOS guy, comedy CD Come Clean), Jane Borden, RG Daniels, and Paul Mecurio performing stand-up at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Daily Show producer Adam Lowitt: It Is It

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Fun political outrage from Chris Hayes (The Rachel Maddow Show, The Nation), Joe Randazzo (The Onion), and W. Kamau Bell (one-man show The W. Kamau Bell Curveat last year’s FringeNYC) at Citizen Radio LIVE!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Kate McKinnon, Sarah Claspell, Nicole Drespel, Jocelyn Guest, Veronica Osorio, and Aaron Glaser perform a sketch show written by Leila Cohan and Caitlin Tegart about Smith, our nation’s largest women’s college; plus real-life married couple James Eason & Jessica Allen, who are both superb veteran improvisors, stretching themselves with a scripted sketch show directed by Rachel Hamilton, in the double-bill This is About Smith and D-Bags, A-Holes & Lovers

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-up comics in the country—tonight including Kumail Nanjiani (shortly before he leaves us for LA), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for Saturday Night Live), and W. Kamau Bell (one-man show The W. Kamau Bell Curve at last year’s FringeNYC)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night LiveConan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 5/23/10

May 23, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company

There are just two more evenings—tonight at 10:00 & Monday at 8:00—to catch the smartest & funniest improv comedy troupe in the world in a spectacular NYC run that must not be missed: The Improvised Shakespeare Company

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Sara Benincasa performs the one-woman show that recently nabbed her a major book deal and possible movie deal, at The PIT for one night only: AGORAFABULOUS!

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($10 online with code TODDB, plus 2-drink minimum): One of the finest stand-ups alive—with appearances on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central PresentsThe Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature films The Wrestler andPete Smalls is Dead—headlining one final night at Carolines…and at a bargain discounted price!:Todd Barry

[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): Jessi Klein (staff writer for Saturday Night Live and brilliantly fresh, organic stand-up), Marina Franklin (irresistable stand-up; Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show), and “a special guest” performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall with comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Tearing the Veil of Maya

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Pat Dixon, Dan Allen, Katina Corrao, Jamie Lee, Ryan Hamilton, and Mike Recine 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: Ace sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, plus terrific stand-ups Pat Dixon, Ray Devito, and Scott Moran, performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($12 online or at the door with discount code ISCER): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the fourth of a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Michelle Buteau and Adam Sank (Last Comic Standing, TruTV) performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy— and celebrating the birthday of host by Brad Loekle:Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 5/22/10

May 22, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Donald Glover

Headlining NBC star Donald Glover (above) performs tonight with powerhouse stand-ups Sean Patton and Hannibal Buress at the elegant Comix Comedy Club

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15 including one drink; reservations via calling Cornelia Street Cafe at 212.989.9319 highly recommended): Four superb writer/performers tell personal stories. Three of them are true…but one is a pack of lies. Then the audience asks questions to try to figure out who’s fibbing. Tonight’s yarn-spinners are Johanna Clearfield (SNL’s Weekend Update), Sharon Spell (Shrink), Brad Lawrence (Monsters In The Wood), and Gabrielle Selz (The New York Times) joining wonderful host Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) at The Liar Show

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): A musical about “a pious Pope framed for a crime he didn’t commit…betrayal, Holy War, foot-stompin’ musical numbers” and everything else it takes “to entertain the Hell right out of you” in Pope: The Musical

[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

[$] 7:30 pm pm ($41 & 2-drink min.) A Curb Your Enthusiasm star and superb stand-up headlining for one night only at Carolines: Susie Essman

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NY stand-ups, not announced, performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Lil’ Seany Boy

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPMAY, plus 2-item minimum): A young veteran comic who’s a star improvisor and sketch performer for comedy troupe Derrick; co-star of the feature film Mystery Team; former staff writer for 30 Rock; and co-star of NBC sitcom Community, headlining tonight with powerhouse openers Sean Patton and Hannibal Buress at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Donald Glover

8:00 pm ($10): NY stand-ups Jamie Lee (who’s also the producer and host), Baron Vaughn (in one of his final NYC appearances before moving to LA), Phoebe Robinson, and more performing atKarma Lounge for a show benefiting an animal shelter: Diamonds in the Fluff

8:00 pm ($5): Will Nunziata and Jerry Miller performing a two-man sketch show designed as a love letter to the dystopian films of the 70s, 80s, and 90s:” Dystopia Gardens

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($20): Thoroughly wonderful stand-ups & comedic storytellers Demetri Martin, John Mulaney, Kumail Nanjiani, Ophira Eisenberg, Tom Shillue, and Joe Bolster—and free beer!—at acclaimed monthly comedy showcase Moonwork

9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($17 online or at the door with discount codeFBKISC): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the third of a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($31.25, plus 2-drink minimum): One of the finest stand-ups alive—with appearances on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central PresentsThe Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead—headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Todd Barry

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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:30 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount codePISANO, otherwise $20): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): A special one-night-only parody of Lost, packed with top comedy talents: Dharma Station

10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy hosting his own extravaganza—which goes beyond a stage show to have the makings of a hit MTV series—tonight celebrating his birthday!: The Chris Gethard Show

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 5/21/10

May 21, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company

Breathtakingly skilled & hilarious The Improvised Shakespeare Company continues its NYC run tonight at The Barrow Theatre

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Wearing wigs and waistcoats, extraordinarily quick-witted improvisors Neil Reynolds and Matt Tucker portray “two of America’s angriest founders: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr” and the events leading up to their historic duel—while crafting deliciously silly scenes. For example, when the duo performed during the magical Del Close Improv Marathon in 2007, Burr proposed a law declaring US land as “international waters” so he’d have more freedom to sleep with married women. When Hamilton thwarted him, the villain seceded and declared his body his own country, “the United State of Burr.” These Boston-based improvisors are among the sharpest in the country, and it’s thrilling that they’re gracing NYC for this one night only with their unique themed improv. Expect something quite special at Code Duello: Hamilton & Burr

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($29, plus 2-drink minimum): One of the finest stand-ups alive—with appearances on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central PresentsThe Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead—headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Todd Barry

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm:Julian McCullough (Comedy Central Presents), Giulia Rozzi (Stripped Stories), and “special guest host Betty White” celebrating Roger Hailes’ birthday with hosts Pat Stango & Blaine Perry, all at Karma Lounge for this endearingly oddball monthly comedy show: Don’t Touch Me There

[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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPMAY, plus 2-item minimum): A young veteran comic who’s a star improvisor and sketch performer for troupe Derrick; co-star of the feature film Mystery Team; and co-star of NBC sitcom Community, headlining tonight through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Donald Glover

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Award-winning sketch troupe Murderfist, plus stand-ups Jared Logan, Vince Averill, Max Silvestri, Nick Vatterott, and Ben Kronberg, performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for hosts Nick Turner’s & Jason Saenz’s Too Cool for School

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

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups Allison Castillo, Michael Terry, Cara Kilduf, Karith Foster, and Jym Benzin performing in Ochi’s Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by Paul Case: The Back Room

[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): The Harvard Sailing Team

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($17 online or at the door with discount codeFBKISC): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the second of a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): In this new show, Thomas Middleditch, Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

11:00 pm ($5): Professional clowns Jeff and Chris Manley combining clowning, acrobatics, magic, and improv in Neon Lights

11:30 pm ($5): Dan Hodapp & Natasha Rothwell, champions of the Magnet Theater’s 2009 Improv Duo Tournament, bring nearly five years of improv collaboration to stage “for an evening of bold, committed characters and truthful, grounded scenework” at Hodapp & Rothwell

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): “Jon Gabrus is a rugby player from Long Island who loves to drink, which is the perfect trifecta for getting into ridiculous and dangerous situations. Come drink along with Gabrus as he shares some of his beer-soaked tales, like the time he ate a dead snake, or cooked a fork on a barbecue and branded himself…twice. There will plenty of drinking games, lots of audience participation, and an appalling lack of shame. His bartender, special guests, and his lack of self-control will join forces to create a night Jon probably won’t remember:” Blackout Drunk

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 5/20/10

May 20, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company

The smartest & funniest comedy improv troupe in the world tonight begins a spectacular five-night run in NYC that must not be missed: The Improvised Shakespeare Company

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm (reservations highly recommended by calling 212.563.7488): The fearless darkly funny troupe that won this year’s ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group performing a free show to kick tonight off: Murderfist: Chaos Reigns

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.)  A one-of-a-kind comedy star headlining for one night only at Carolines: Gilbert Gottfried

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 ($10): Amy Heidt’s one-woman show was one of the very best productions at this past August’s FringeNYC Festival (for my review, please click here)—if you didn’t catch it then, don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see Amy demonstrate her brilliance as both actress and writer; plus Deborah Gross recreating absurd and amusing conversations she’s experienced through her sharp storyteller’s perspective, in the double-bill Dominate Yourself and Conversations with Deb

8:00 pm ($8): Dave Ahdoot and Ethan Fixell relating their YouTube-documented romantic adventures live on stage—possibly accompanied by visits from some of the gals—on Double Date Us

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Three of the finest stand-ups to ever grace NYC—Pete Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, and Baron Vaughn—in a final get-together before they all move to LA, plus equally genius stand-up Sean Patton, and more at tonight’s blowout extravaganza at 92Y Tribeca: Comedy Below Canal

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($26.75, plus 2-drink minimum): One of the finest stand-ups alive—with appearances on HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central PresentsThe Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, and feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead—headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Todd Barry

9:30 pm ($5): If you’re a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it, and more—Sarah Schneider, Patrick Cassels, Streeter Seidell, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Rubin, and Jake & Amira—on stage tonight at CollegeHumor Live

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online or at the door with discount codeTHRISC): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight begins a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupes Reuben Williams and Zuleyka compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.