NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 7/28/11

July 28, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Lisa Lampanelli

Lisa Lampanelli tells tales of online dating at Risk!...

Jessi Klein

...while Jessi Klein performs stand-up at Lasers in the Jungle

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

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

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

7:00 pm ($5): A one-man show from comic Matthew Robert Gehring (member of sketch troupePolitical Subversions): #GenericWhiteGuy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Some of the Magnet Theatre’s finest improvisors make up theatrical plays on the spot: Playhouse

8:00 pm ($5): Seth Kirschner (30 Rock, Lipstick Jungle) plays every character in a half-hour one-man TV episode parodying 90s sitcoms—and is debuting a new episode tonight—in Sertainly Seth; and in the other half of this double-bill, Paul Welsh performs a one-man show about a hall of portraits in Men in Paintings

8:00 pm ($5): “Best friends Dave Ahdoot and Ethan Fixell created an internet phenomenon by challenging pairs of women to double date them, and documenting the hilarious results for YouTubers everywhere. Two hundred dates later, their experiences were translated into reenactments, educational songs, and valuable lessons in everything from dancing to kissing. Tonight, these “dating experts” will improvise demonstrations inspired by audience participation, in an attempt to enlighten on the art of romance…and perhaps do a little bit of matchmaking along the way:” Dave and Ethan: Dating Coaches

8:00 pm ($5): Terrific sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (Leah Rudick and Katie Hartman) host a comedy variety show, with tonight’s Desiree Burch, David Smithyman, Killy Dwyer, and Cocoon Central Dance Team performing at The PIT’s basement lounge: Daddy’s Basement: A Comedy Variety Freakshow

[$] 8:00 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.) A comic who’s performed on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of ComedyShowtime at Harlem, BET’s ComicView, and the feature film Next Fridayheadlining tonight and Friday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are star insult comic Lisa Lampanelli, stunt journalist AJ Jacobs, and Emmy-winning Daily Show Supervising Producer Adam Lowitt—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “Met on the Net” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Sam Grittner (for stand-up about the gayness of Heaven, please click here), and Harry Terjanian (XM Radio) performing stand-up at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for Sean Crespo’s & Carol Hartsell’s weekly comedy show Lasers in the Jungle

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

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT’s basement lounger for The Scene

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): The highly talented Fran Gillespie, who came in as a solo improvisor, made the odd choice of requesting an audience member who had zero improv experience to come on stage and perform with her for her entire set—and then periodically scolded her new partner for making choices counter to improv rules that Fran explicitly requested the audience member not know… Spectacular musical improv troupe Diamond Lion (which includes improv genius Tara Copeland) ended up garnering nearly twice as many audience votes—and will be a champion that all subsequent opponents will find hard to beat. Tonight DL goes up against new UCBT Harold Night house troupe Mr. Crime, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

11:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT for this comedy club-style (i.e., long set) weekly show hosted by Harrison Greenbaum: The Big One

11:00 pm ($5): Magnet improv troupes Listen, Kid! and Upstate compete for audience laughs and votes—yes, like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component—at Inspirado

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 6/21/11

June 21, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Jessi Klein

Jessi Klein performs in Brooklyn's Union Hall for "Mr. Coconuts Comedy Show"...

Kurt Braunohler

...while Kurt Braunohler headlines at Carolines

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

7:00 pm ($5): Two tough guys from the 1930s will explain the ins and outs of Hollywood at sketch show Listen Kid! ; and a sketch show about how life sometimes turns into a storm, in German: Der Storm

7:00 pm ($5): Any show ballsy enough to begin its description with “Have you ever loved a mop? Susan-Kate Heaney has…” is worth exploring. This one-woman show is happening at The PIT: Confessions of a Mop-oholic

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent of The Daily Show), Colin Jost (writer for SNLJimmy Fallon), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), and musical guest Chris Dyas (Musical Director of Blue Man Group) performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comic book creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage for a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Dan St. Germain, Calise Hawkins, Nikki Glaser, Erik Bergstrom, Seaton Smith, Pat Thornton, and more performing at The Studio at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues) hosted by Team Submarine: MTV Comedy Showcase

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Bandter (Jon Friedman with Stuckey & Murray), Rob Cantrell (organic pothead stand-up), Kara Klenk, Ashley Brooke Roberts, and more performing stand-up at Queens LIC’s The Creek hosted by Jackie Zebrowski, Julia Johns, and Sharron Paul: Twat’s Up!

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Dance Break, Grandma’s Ashes, Airwolf, Sandino, and Very Good Kiss, and at 11:00 pm UCBT students mixing it up with improv veterans—all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5 at the door, $7.63 in advance online): 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), Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Gabe Liedman (co-host of Big Terrific), and more Dan St. performing for this new monthly show at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by Gabe Delahaye: Mr. Coconuts Comedy Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; host of Joe Mande Presents at Carolines, co-host of Totally J/K; author of book Look at This F*cking Hipster), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys), comedy duo James & JF, and musical guest The Birdhive Boys performing at Brooklyn’s The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford, the delightful Camille Harris, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night LiveComedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives), David O’Doherty (award-winning writer/stand-up visiting from Ireland; to get a feel for this extraordinary storyteller, please click here and here and here), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] [$] 9:30 pm (only $5 cover if you buy in advance by calling (212) 757-4100, plus 2-drink min.) A sketch master who’s also gotten good enough at other forms of comedy to win this year’s ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up; is the creator & host of IFC game showPointless; is the co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; and co-hosts Hot Tub Variety, headlining for one night only (with Nick Turner and Lisa Delarios opening) at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kurt Braunohler

9:30 pm ($5): David Angelo (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Will Sylvince (HBO), and Dan Soder (Comedy Central) performing at the PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty,Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show from Julie Ann Dulude about being raised by strict Catholic parents: Bless This Mess

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

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 1/18/11

January 18, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For my all-time favorite oddball comedy videos, please click here.

Moshe Kasher and Jessi Klein

Moshe Kasher and Jessi Klein make wearing glasses super-cool tonight at Sweet

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

7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors play themselves on stage (similar to Naked in a Fishbowl) in Self Image ; and in the second half of this double-bill, eight improvisors trace the storylines of characters at a single event suggested by an audience member in Hell Buffalo

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up…and not for every taste. But whether you’re ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it’s worth experiencing if only for Daniel’s lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, “Ooh, that’s a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I’m certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you’re reading to plow on. Look, you’re still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment.” Place your faith in Daniel, check out write-ups in The New York Times by clicking here and here, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents, John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, Jimmy Kimmel), colin jost (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Fallon), Baratunde Thurston (Web editor of The Onion), and Stone & Stone performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

8:00 pm ($10): A new show by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru that “explores the bizarre worlds of magic, mind-reading, and mutilation; not for the faint of heart:” Strange Things

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Very Good Kiss, Dybbuk, Sandino, Ragnarock, and CAPTCHA; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students chosen by chance perform with veteran improvisors—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Reese Watere (Comedy Central), Carolina Hidalgo, Justin Murray, Ken Schultz, and Michael Shawki performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Moshe Kasher (very funny LA-based stand-up; comedy CD Everyone you Know is Going To Die, And Then You Are), Andrea Rosen (delightfully fearless stand-up and storyteller; HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Comedy Central’s Stella, Variety SHAC, The Nights of Our Lives), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Matt McCarthy, Louis Katz, Max Silvestri, and “a surprise guest or two” performing stand-up at the Ace of Clubs (9 Great Jones Street, underneath Acme Bar & Grill) hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and DirtyComedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

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

For my all-time favorite oddball comedy videos, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 10/10/10

October 10, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jessi Klein

Deliciously organic & hilarious stand-up Jessi Klein performs tonight at Sunday Night Stand-Up, Comedy Night, and Adam Buxton is Pleased to Meet You

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

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Mike Birbiglia (one of the finest stand-up comedians in the country; hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presentshalf-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; comedy CDsTwo Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live; off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me), Adam Buxton (UK & YouTube comedy star), and Max Silvestri (co-host of Big Terrific) performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall guest-hosted by the wonderful Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets): Tearing the Veil of Maya

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Murderfist (NYC’s fearless heavy metal version of a sketch troupe; winner of the 2010 ECNY Award), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Nick Cobb (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Mike Recine performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central,Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), Andy Haynes, Monroe Martin, and John F. O’Donnell performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) guest-hosted by Damien Lemon:Comedy Night

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Visiting UK and YouTube comedy star Adam Buxton headlines in this special showcase that also features Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Sean Crespo at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street): Adam Buxton is Pleased to Meet You

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Sara Schaefer (brilliant, inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever; host of Get Off Your Knees), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool for School), Chris Jurek, Jay Welch, and Danny Solomon performing stand-up in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[$] 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 at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Yamaneika! (BET, TruTV), and Brian Barry (Broadway actor on Pal JoeyStar Search finalist) performing stand-up at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 8/16/10

August 16, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For Hy’s coverage of the spectacular FringeNYC 2010 Festival, please click here.

Jessi Klein

Jessi Klein

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open-mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story…and if it’s a good one, possibly be included in Kevin’s popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($17.50 online with discount code NIFF): My #1 pick for the2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, and Lauren Seikaly, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight’s 11th installment at the Soho Playhouse of what’s been extended to a 12-week Monday night run (and then an open-ended run starting in late September): Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Rogan, Justin Silver, David Foster, Jason Good, and Jude Destin performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson (Last Comic Standing): Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison’s Motel Luca

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive; shining star correspondent on The Daily Show; co-star of HBO’s Flight of the ConchordsComedy Central Presents half-hour special; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-author of new bestselling book The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex) and master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central Presents; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets) host their legendary weekly sketch & stand-up comedy show, with guests Sara Schaefer (Jimmy Fallon, Get Off Your Knees), Max Silvestri (Comedy Central, Huffington Post, Big Terrific), and “a special musical guest (MTV, Letterman, Conan)” performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street): Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Victor Varnado, Andrea Rosen, JC Coccoli, comedic hypnotist Liam Drennan, and musical guests Eden & John performing in the Lolita Bar for producer Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, Gramps’ and Thunder Gulch, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Thomas Middleditch, Eliza Skinner, Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Mike Still, and Kevin Hines—making up a musical on the spot at Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including comedy giants Jeff Garlin (HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jessi Klein (writer for Saturday Night Live), and Eugene Mirman (credits too numerous to mention)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night LiveConan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For Hy’s coverage of the spectacular FringeNYC 2010 Festival, please click here.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 2/9/10

February 9, 2010

For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tig Notaro hosts brilliant stand-up guests Kristen Schaal and Jessi Klein tonight at the 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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($5 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $10], plus 2-item minimum): Tig Notaro (hilarious deadpan stand-up; Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Last Comic Standing; for stand-up video about Tig’s name, please click here) hosts a show with movie & TV star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive) and Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic stand-up) at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Tig Notaro and Friends

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Hilary Schwartz and Rachael Parenta hosting an Eat My Feelings Valentines Day Special Edition of their intriguing show at Ochi’s Lounge described as “emotionally inappropriate comedy:” Please, Someone Kill Me

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Zane Grant (IDW’s We Will Bury You), and Grace Randolph (Marvel’s Her-Oes, Nation X) joining 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 (no cover, one drink min.): Tom Shillue (world-class comedic storyteller; Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show), Matt Goldich (Comedy Central, VH1), Hadiyah Robinson, and Vladimir Caamano performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) with delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Badman, The Bishop, DeCoster, The Law Firm, and Scootch,
followed at 11:00 pm by superb improv troupes Outlook of the Poet and (again) The Law Firm —all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($5): Super lineup including Brooke Van Poppelen, Kevin Allison, Matt McCarthy, Katie Crown, and Iliza Schlesinger performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show tonight guest-hosted by Joe Derosa: Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Tig Notaro (hilarious deadpan stand-up; Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Last Comic Standing; for stand-up video about Tig’s name, please click here), Iliza Shlesinger (LA-based winner of sixth season of Last Comic Standing), Craig Baldo (Conan O’Brien) , 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, Amy Beckerman, and Gloria Bigelow hosting guest stand-ups Jamie Lee, RG Daniels, and Cara Kilduff performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($15 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $20], plus 2-item minimum): Jessi Klein hosts her fellow Saturday Night Live staff writer Hannibal Buress, plus razor-sharp comic Joe Mande, on a headling double-bill at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Hannibal Buress and Joe Mande

[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 the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 9/22/09

September 22, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For FringeNYC 2009 Encore Series coverage, please click here.

Aziz Ansari helps celebrate the return of one of the finest comedy shows in NYC: Pete Holmes' and Jessi Klein's Punch Up Your Life

Aziz Ansari helps celebrate the return of one of the finest comedy shows in NYC: Pete Holmes' and Jessi Klein's free Punch Up Your Life

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:

5:00 pm & 8:00 pm (NYTVF pass): The New York Television Festival, running through September 26, has two comedy panels today: The Future of Comedy at 5:00 pm, with Brent Haynes (East Coast Senior VP of Series Development at MTV) and Debbie DeMontreux (Senior VP of Original Programming at IFC TV), running 45 min.; and Late Show with David Letterman Writer’s Room at 8:00 pm, with co-head writers Eric Stangel and Justin Stangel, moderated by SNL’s Jason Sudeikis, running 75 min. For details on getting festival passes, please visit the Web site of The New York Television Festival

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Writer David Gallaher & artist Steve Ellis, the creators of Zuda Comics High Moon (a Western comic book about werewolves that’s published on the Web), joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Ragnaröck, Scootch, Robber Baron, The Law Firm, and DeCoster, followed by UCBT students improvising a Cops & Robbers story on the spot based on an interview with a randomly selected audience member—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific stand-ups Ophira Eisenberg, Abbi Crutchfield, Luke Thayer, and Ray Ellin performing at the Conker Hill Bar, hosted by Doug Adler & Harris Bloom: Comedy at Conker Hill

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: After an August hiatus, this wonderful free weekly show triumphantly returns with TV stars Aziz Ansari (NBC’s Parks and Recreations, Human Giant) and Kumail Nanjiani (SNL, The Colbert Report, writer/performer on Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), plus superb comic Joe Mande (co-host of superb NYC live comedy show Totally J/K; writing book for St. Martin’s Press based on his blog Look at This Fucking Hipster) performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe, and hosted by brilliant stand-ups Jessi Klein (Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Pete Holmes (Comedy Central, VH1’s Best Week Ever, The New Yorker): Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Some of the finest comics in the country—Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and the 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon), Whitney Cummings (visiting from LA; HBO, ABC, FOX, Showtime), Ben Kronberg (visiting from LA; Jimmy Kimmel, Carson Daly), and more—performing at the famed LES weekly stand-up show at The Slipper Room 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 in Ochi’s Lounge hosting guest comics Lisa Kaplan, Calvin Cato, and Clayton Fletcher at Dykes on Mics

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For FringeNYC 2009 Encore Series coverage, please click here.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 7/28/09

July 28, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Oliver practices for his next Comedy Central special tonight at both Punch Up Your Life (free) and Sweet ($5)
John Oliver practices for his next Comedy Central special tonight at both Punch Up Your Life (free) and Sweet ($5)

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:

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 Broadway Motel (6:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] Marvel Comics writer Stuart Moore (Wolverine: Noir), and Marvel & DC Comics writer Ivan Brandon (Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape, Viking) joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),

four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Robber DeCoster, Ragnaröck, The Scam, Badman, and Bastian—followed by UCBT students at all levels performing with improv veterans, all at Harold Night (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show and genius stand-up comic), Hannibal Burress (Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson, concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy), performing at the final summer 2009 edition of this free show hosted by brilliant stand-ups Jessi Klein (Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Pete Holmes (Comedy Central, VH1’s Best Week Ever, The New Yorker): Punch Up Your Life (8:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show and genius stand-up comic), Michael Showalter (co-star of Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues; MTV’s The State, legendary comedy troupe Stella, writer/director/star of feature film The Baxter, co-writer/co-star of feature film Wet Hot American Summer), Natasha Leggero (Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, Reno 911!, and The Sarah Silverman Program; It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Heather Fink (MTV, Adult Swim, CollegeHumor.com, Dr. Phil, co-host of Street Meat) performing at the wonderful Seth Herzog’s Sweet (9:00 pm).

and delightful stand-up comics Jackie Monahan, Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, and Gloria Bigelow performing and hosting guest comics Joanne Filan, Pat Galante, and Adrienne Iapalucci at Dykes on Mics (9:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 3/30/09

March 30, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Comedy geniuses Todd Barry, Jessi Klein, and John Mulaney...

Comedy geniuses Todd Barry, Jessi Klein, and John Mulaney...

...and comedy geniuses Anthony Jeselnik, Pete Holmes, and Kumail Nanjiani

...and comedy geniuses Anthony Jeselnik, Pete Holmes, and Kumail Nanjiani will perform at The Pete Holmes Roast

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:

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 (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] magical comedy duo Kristen Schaal (The Daily Show, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords) & Kurt Braunohler (Penelope, Princess of Pets; 2008 ECNY Award for Best Director), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Matt Goldich (writer for VH1’s Best Week Ever; Comedy Central), and more at Liam McEneaney’s free Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Glenn Wool (UK-based comedy star), Sam Brown (Whitest Kids U’ Know), Adam Newman (Street Meat), Mark Normand (We’re All Friends Here), Chessley Calloway, Hilary Schwartz, videos by Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower, and more at a free weekly variety show in Brooklyn hosted by endearing dark comedy stand-up Jena Friedman: Entertaining the Bartender (9:00 pm),

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] and a blowout spectacular featuring some of the finest comics in the country—Leo Allen (Roastmaster), Todd Barry, Anthony Jeselnik, Jessi Klein, John Mulaney, Kumail Nanjiani, TJ Miller, Seth Herzog, and more—honoring one of the most quick-witted, organic, and hilarious stand-ups to ever light up a stage: The Pete Holmes Roast (11:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.