Joe Pera | Best New York Comedy

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 7/2/13

July 2, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

For my Del Close Marathon report, please click here

Hilarious surreal stand-up Joe Pera headlines at Carolines…

…and star Wyatt Cenac is interviewed about how he got started at Beginnings

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-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, five of The Magnet’s singing improv groups make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion, followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with a musical improv group to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Dan Starkey (Doctor Who, Strax) joins super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can’t make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Abigoliah Schamaun will tell dick jokes and eat fire at this stand-up & carny one-woman show that she’ll soon be taking to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Catch Abigoliah’s hour-long act while she’s still in NYC, tonight and tomorrow at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Abigoliah Schamaun: Subtle.

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($7.37 if you use code BREAKOUT online or by phone, plus 2-drink min.) One time I saw Joe Pera sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces. Another time he ended his set by slicing milk. For deadpan Joe’s latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here. For a mere $7 cover, come join me to see this unique NYC treasure headline for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Joe Pera

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Interviews with Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim, host of Night Train), Talib Kweli (Black Star), and Mandy Stadtmiller (xoJane) about “their earliest creative experiences and the nuances of having a creative career,” plus music from Xenia Rubinos (Ba Da Bing Records), for a weekly podcast that once a month goes live on the UCB East stage produced by Andy Beckerman & Mark Bisi and guest-hosted tonight by Nick Vatterott (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award): Beginnings

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Cammi Climaco & David Crabb host this monthly storytelling show, with tonight’s guests Brantley Brice, Susan Kent, Tim Manley, Julie Threlkeld, and more at the Axis Theatre (1 Sheridan Square, near West 4th Street and Seventh Avenue): Ask Me Stories

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $10.70 online): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, stand-up Chris Lamberth, storyteller Diana Spechler (The New York Times; author of Who By Fire and Skinny), “professional liar” Vinny Deponto (magician, mind reader), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall with hosts Kerri Doherty & Nate Fernald: Geeking Out

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Whitney Cummings (star of NBC’s Whitney; HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, MTV), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle’s Show, For the Love of the Game), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), and Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO’s Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Whitney Cummings, Gregg Rogell, Greer Barnes, Ryan Hamilton, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): A sketch comedy troupe that includes Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger, host of The Soul Glo Jam, Andy Kaufman Award finalist) at The PIT upstairs theatre: Slap Fight

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Neal Stastny, Matt Nedostup, The Wildcats, and more performing stand-up and/or sketch at this weekly show at Brooklyn’s The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Kevin McCaffrey, Robert Dean, Steve O’Brien, and tonight’s comic of honor Sachi Ezura: Comedy at Alligator Lounge: Sachi Birthday Edition

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Namaste, The Regulars, and Grammer—plus advanced improv students perform The Way of the Samurai—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, The Nights of Our Lives) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv. What’s happening tonight isn’t yet posted, but it’ll happen at the UCB East theatre and will likely be great: The Tony Show

9:30 pm ($8): A one-man multimedia show by Neil Goldberg about “the inherent strangeness of our need to kill and consume other living organisms in order to survive” at The PIT upstairs theatre: One Version of Events

[$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Mark Normand (hilarious rising star; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; opens for Amy Schumer; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Dan Soder (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Elon Gold (correspondent for Jay Leno, FOX’s Bones), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO’s Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Nick Griffin, Mark Normand, Nikki Glaser, and More

[$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Whitney Cummings (star of NBC’s Whitney; HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, MTV), Ari Shaffir (HBO’s Down & Dirty), and more performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club: ComedyJuice

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Legion of Skanks

Tuesday Open Mics & Jams

[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:15 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jay Dean and Tynan DeLong: Two Nice Guys Open MIc

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: This weekly 2-hour open-mic storytelling show allows each performer a full 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge, with tonight’s guest co-host Bodger Millerd (The Bodger Millerd Experiment) and host Jake Hart: The Dump

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:15: Sign up at 9:30 pm for the opportunity to make up a musical on the spot with members of some of The Magnet’s finest singing improv groups: Magnet Musical Improv Mixer

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): 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

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens’ Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world’s top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar’s sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

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.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Carolines Comedy Club, Comedy, Improv, Joe Pera, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, Wyatt Cenac | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 6/23/13

June 23, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Mike Lawrence has a new comedy album; check it out here

Tonight’s theme is “Transitions” at Melanie Hoopes’ & Ed Herbstman’s “Laurie Stanton’s Sound Diet”…

…while Joe Pera & Zach Broussard host a show that provides free admission and white wine to women 35+: “Cougar Night”

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] 2:00 pm: Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Stand-ups Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, Comedy Central, FOX), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Vanessa Hollingshead (Comedy Central Presents), Kevin Avery (head writer of FX’s Totally Biased), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1, host of Nick Turner & Acquaintances), and Lori Sommer performing for a free outdoor show at Central Park’s Mineral Springs: Laughter in the Park

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): A wonderful event that happens only once every few months at The Magnet, this show mixes the style of live radio with the depth of classic theatre and the energy of stage comedy to create something unique and unforgettable. It’s written and produced by Melanie Hoopes, and stars Melanie, her genius improvisor/actor husband Ed Herbstman, and superb Broadway and/or off-Broadway actors. Tonight’s theme is Transitions. Be sure to reserve tickets because this is likely to sell out: Laurie Stanton’s Sound Diet: Transitions

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Presents and Comedy Central Half Hour specials, HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, FX’s Louie, E!’s Chelsea Lately, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up), Jared Logan (rising star; Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, CNN, TBS, host of ComedyJuice), Liz Miele (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged), Kevin Barnett (MTV’s Guy Code, Comedy Central, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), and Andrew Short performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up), Jared Logan (rising star; Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, CNN, TBS, host of ComedyJuice), Matt Koff (Onion News Network, WitStream), Katie Hannigan (MTV), Jim Van Blaricum (Crappy Cinema Council), and more performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Hosted by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman (creators of The Scene), improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One

[TOP PICK] [$] [For women 35+ only, FREE plus FREE glass of white wine] 8:00 pm ($15; no min.): Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe’s latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code and Wildn Out, Comedy Central, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show), Reid Faylor (co-host of hilarious Creek show Underbelly), Janine Brito (staff writer/performer for FX’s Totally Biased), Charles Gould, Paul Higbie, and Team Submarine performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Joe Pera & Zach Broussard: Cougar Night

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, NBC, Broadway), Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien,Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Marina Franklin (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, VH1), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO’S Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Colin Quinn, Tom Papa, Gary Gulman, and More

9:00 pm ($7): Typically stellar stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) typically hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show): Comedy Night

[$] [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): Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Andrew Schulz (MTV’s Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX’s In Living Color, Comedy Central), Kevin McCaffrey (David Letterman, TruTV), Brian Frange, and Sean Wilkinson performing stand-up in the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at Beauty Bar

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): 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), 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), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Phil Hanley (Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central), and Modi (HBO’s The Sopranos, Comedy Central) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO’S Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Todd Barry, John Mulaney, Nick Griffin, and More

Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages

[FREE] 4:00 pm: A unique open mic for comedic musicians/singers, with signup at 3:30 pm, and a maximum of two songs & 10 minutes per performer, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City (which offers a keyboard, guitar plug-ins, and an iPod plug-in): Express Yourself: Musical Open Mic

[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

6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic’s 5-minute set at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop

[ALMOST FREE] 9:30 pm ($1): Open-mic comedy, with 4 minutes per performer, at The PIT downstairs lounge: Child Support

[FREE] 10:00 pm: The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens’ Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world’s top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, Comedy Juice on Tuesdays, and more; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar’s sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Cougar Night, Improv, Joe Pera, Laurie Stanton's Sound Diet, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 4/7/13

April 7, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Ophira Eisenberg has a bestselling book. Please check it out here.

SNL cast member Aidy Bryant is interviewed on Fooling Around with Colin Jost…

…and Leo Allen and Joe Pera perform at Creaghead & 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:

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase

6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic’s 5-minute set at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Jimmy Fallon writer Casey Jost performs sketch, and also interviews Saturday Night Live cast member Aidy Bryant, and hosts stand-up Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code, Comedy Central, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show) and sketch troupe The Last Car (Chris Anderson, Amy Miles, and Robin “Goldie” Goldwasser) at The PIT upstairs theatre: Fooling Around with Casey Jost

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe’s latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, host of Crime & Punishment, notable hair), and Dan Wilbur (author of How Not to Read; writer for The Onion, College Humor, McSweeney’s; co-host of Lasers in the Jungle) performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): 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), Kevin Meaney (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, HBO, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co -host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Todd Barry, Kevin Meaney, Mark Normand, and More

8:00 pm ($5): Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co -host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Damien Lemon (MTV2’s Guy Code, Comedy Central), Kendra Cunningham (Jimmy Fallon, The Tyra Banks Show, Law & Order), Phil Mazo, and Jono Zalay performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It

8:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Jolene Turner based on her actual adventures “working as a server at one of the most regimented restaurants in the country, The American Girl Doll Café, and dealing with the inner chaos of middle age, mixed with booze and bad decisions, which boils to a head within this super sugary-sweet doll world.” Check out this video promo and then come to The PIT downstairs lounge for Doll Talk: A Story of Girlhood

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Emily Heller (Comedy Central, FX’s Totally Biased), Dave Waite (Jimmy Fallon), Josh Gondelman, Josh Rabinowitz, and more performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($7): Long form improv in which scenes are edited by blackouts created by the director in the booth, and the stage is set by the improvisers from the previous scene, at The Magnet theatre: The Blackout

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An improv show that asks you to drop written suggestions into a box before it begins and then dips into the collection of suggestions throughout to propel new scenes: The Drop Box

9:00 pm ($7): Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX’s In Living Color, Comedy Central), Kareem Green, Scout Durwood, Chloe Hilliard, Crystian Ramirez, and Jessica Salomon performing stand-up, plus music from Dj Roofeeo, at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful 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): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry stand-up; writer for FX’s Totally Biased), Dave Waite, Paul Hooper, and Scott Nossen 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 Beauty Bar

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): This show begins with a delightful concept—Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare—and then executes it with the joyful craft only a sharp, tight theatrical ensemble can create. Everyone in the cast is terrific, but among the most memorable are Dan Hartley as Maverick, and Vayu O’Donnell who steals every scene he appears in with his hilariously deadpan delivery as Iceman. While this is playing at The PIT upstairs theatre for a mere $10, it’s really legit Fringe theatre, and I hope it eventually makes its way to FringeNYC or Edinburgh—or better yet, develops more songs and gets a commercial run as a musical. Meanwhile, don’t miss this opportunity to see a way fun parody of a cult classic for about half of what you oughta be paying: Jester’s Dead: Top Gun Shakesparody

9:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The Magnet, tonight from troupes Dispacho and Cookie Mountain: Magnet Sketch Teams

[ALMOST FREE] 9:30 pm ($1): Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Molly Austin & Mike Brown: Vicious Cycle

[$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co -host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Modi (HBO’s The Sopranos, Comedy Central), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Turae: Marina Franklin, Mark Normand, Joe List, and More

[FREE] 10:00 pm: The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam

[FREE] 10:45 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet hosted by Sebastian Conelli. Everyone who signs up—at 10:30 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Aidy Bryant, Comedy, Improv, Joe Pera, Leo Allen, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 3/10/13

March 10, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Please click for best clips from The Jeselnik Offensive and Kroll Show.

The wonderful Eileen Kelly performs funny songs & stories at The Magnet in Two Voices, Four Kidneys…

…Bobcat Goldthwait performs stand-up in Brooklyn for Creaghead & Company…

…Top Gun goes Shakespearean at The PIT in the cleverly executed Jester’s Dead…

…and Joe Pera performs for a rare free show (no cover, no min.) at top comedy club The Stand

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] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase

6:00 pm ($8): “Becky Flaum thinks she’s Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But her high cinematic hopes for her love life get in the way of reality on her quest to find the perfect co-star.” This one-woman show is at The PIT upstairs theatre: Hopeless Romantic Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Sean Lynch (Comedy Central, MTV, Spike TV), Frank Vignola (Comedy Central), Dante Nero (Comedy Central, HBO, ABC, FOX), and Rob Shapiro performing stand-up—and raising funds to pay the medical bills of a fellow comic—at the Comedy Bar (134 West 29th Street): Comedy Benefit for Nick Cimato

[FREE] 6:00 pm: “Short-form improv teams battle it out for the most points and a prize. C’mon, admit it! You miss the quick-witted fun and audience involvement of short-form improv. A different short-form team joins Mishmash! each month and struts their stuff for a panel of judges (including one judge chosen from the audience) until a winner emerges. There will be a series of completely improvised scenes, stories and musicals all based on your suggestions. Come ready to shout out suggestions, and even shout at the judges,” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Scrimmage

6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic’s 5-minute set at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Eileen Kelly (one of the finest storytellers in the country; also a superb stand-up; NBC’s Today Show, Showtime, staff comic for Lifetime; for video samples please click here and here, and for my review of her FringeNYC show please click here) and Marian Rosin (Conan O’Brien) perform comedic songs & stories at The Magnet theatre: Two Voices, Four Kidneys…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, Andy Moskowitz performs an improvised one-man show: Andy, Please!

7:00 pm ($8): Long-time friends Jessica van Campen & Danielia Donohue perform a two-woman show “exploring the 90s, Groupons, cats, sweaters, and being their own worst enemies” at The PIT upstairs theatre: Yarn Robot

7:30 pm ($5): Improv troupes not affiliated with any comedy school compete at UCB East for audience laughs and votes—and the privilege to go on to perform at the primary Cage Match show at UCB Chelsea—in this show hosted by the delightful Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (Krompf): Indie Cage Match

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): TV & movie star Bobcat Goldthwait (David Letterman, Jay Leno, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Police Academy, Shakes the Clown, Windy City Heat, etc.), Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV’s Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy), Jim Tews, and Alex Koll performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, NBC, Broadway), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Modi (HBO’s The Sopranos, Comedy Central), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Colin Quinn, Judah Friedlander, Gary Gulman, and More

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Carole Montgomery (Comedy Central, ABC’s Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Oprah, Showtime, MTV, VH1, A&E), and other gal stand-ups at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Girls Gone Funny: Carmen Lynch, Carole Montgomery, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): From Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman (producers of The Scene), improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One

[FREE] 8:00 pm: The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Ryan McKee (writer for MTV’s Guy Code), Rojo Perez, and more performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($7):A brand new show from The Magnet house sketch troupe Company 29 about “the rite of passage into modern adulthood involving flagrant consumption, waffling definitions of sexual propriety, a general disregard for all grown-up responsibility, and occasional learning:” Company 29 Presents: College

8:00 pm ($8): “ImprovFM is every improv lover’s dream. Not only are the radio station conversations improvised, but so are the names, the stories, the songs, reports, and sound effects! In and by their play, the performers create a parallel world with its own rules, based solely on their imaginations and interactions” at The PIT upstairs featuring Nate Starkey, Ashley Ward, Justin Akin, Michelle Best, and Erick Hellwig: ImprovFM

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Casey James Salengo, and Andrew Holmgren 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

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue), typically hosted by the wonderful 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): Comedy Night

9:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

9:30 pm ($5): Sketch comedy at The Magnet, tonight from troupes Risky Bottom (which includes the spectacularly talented Lauren Olson) and Cookie Mountain: Magnet Sketch Teams

[ALMOST FREE] 9:30 pm ($1): Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Molly Austin & Mike Brown: Vicious Cycle

[$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), and Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Marina Franklin, Greer Barnes, Ryan Hamilton, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm (no cover, no drink min.!): Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe’s latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color, MTV, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour). It’s very rare for a top comedy club to offer a show that’s 100% free; come and support this, and order from the acclaimed food menu and/or drink list if the spirit moves you: The Seaton Smith Show: Joe Pera, Jermaine Fowler, and More

10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience…and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam

[$] 11:30 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Justin Silver (star of CBS’ Dogs in the City) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Nikki Glaser, Joe List, Sam Morril, and More

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 3/4/13

March 4, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Legends in the making: Watch The Jeselnik Offensive Tuesdays and Kroll Show Wednesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.

Some of the coolest comics at UCB Chelsea perform at…

…a prestigious annual industry event: UCBT’s I’m Cool Showcase…

…while Sean Patton performs stand-up at Wyatt Cenac’s Night Train…

…and Joe Pera performs surreal oddities at Erin Lennox’s DTF

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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Cammi Climaco (co-host of Ask Me Stories) hosts this weekly hour-long open-mic storytelling show, with typically six audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 6-7 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge: Cammi Climaco’s Storytelling Open Mic: 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

6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Abigoliah Schamaun & Peggy O’Leary: Dicks Open Mic

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: After Cammi Climaco’s show ends (see 6:00 pm above), race on down to this other open-mic storytelling show, with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area (“Hot Chicks Room”) hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling with Julia Wiedeman

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs bits from a show he’s developing for an off-Broadway run that looks 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): Storytellers Steven Berkowitz, Justin Born, Craig Iturbe, and Laura Weinblatt tell tales about their nerdy past at The Magnet guest-hosted by Kelly Buttermore (while Adam Wade is out of town): Adam Wade’s Whatever Happened to the Nerds?

[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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): 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), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VHI, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), and George Gordon performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show): Night Train

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Some of UCB Chelsea’s finest sketch comedy & stand-up performers perform before industry folks who can make their careers at an all-you-can-watch revue: UCBT’s I’m Cool Showcase

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): 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), Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Todd Barry, Marina Franklin, Mark Normand, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00ish pm: Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe’s latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Joyelle Johnson (opens for such superstars as Maria Bamford), Matt Koff (Onion News Network, WitStream, 9 Am Meeting), Monroe Martin, and Billy Wayne Davis performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Grand Victory Bar (245 Grand Street) for this twice-a-month extravaganza hosted by Nick Maritato and the razor-sharp & delightful Erin Lennox (co-host of The Orphanage; for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): DTF

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Inspired by the popular blog My High School Boyfriend Was Gay, this superb show at UCB East “celebrates our most tragic, hilarious, and heinous teenage memories, full of chaste hugs, Grease sing-alongs, and trips to the stage door to accost the cast of Rent,” with true stories tonight from Miss Vodka Stinger, Meg Ferril, and Susan Kent, plus hosts Damian Bellino, and the super-delightful Camille Harris whose piano playing and singing will make you grin and dance in your seat: My High School Boyfriend Was Gay

8:00 pm ($8): Improv troupe Maybe Sherman makes up scenes involving mobsters at The PIT upstairs theatre: MafiaProv

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Kendra Cunningham, Sean Donnelly, Richie Redding, and Kenny DeForest 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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central, HBO, The Apprentice, opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Cardone (vaudeville magician), and Noah Winkler performing at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by comic Brett Druck and juggler Marcus Monroe: The Hang Out with Marcus and Brett

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out new bits: Chunk (which includes Zhubin Parang, Emmy-winning writer for The Daily Show) and Beige (which includes Dan Hodapp, who last August co-starred in FringeNYC smash hit Tail! Spin!): Maude Night: Chunk and Beige

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Liz Miele (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), Reid Faylor (co-host of hilarious Creek show Underbelly), Justy Dodge (co-host of Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; “I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;” for dark bio video, please click here), Bryan Walsh, Evon Campbell, and Brian Allen Mitchell performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Freddy’s Backroom (627 5th Avenue) with host Pat O’Shea: Ed Sullivan on Acid

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set—who tonight are Neil Constantine and Brandon Collins—and then Warren Holstein closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: On the Road

9:30 pm ($5): The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam

[$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): 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), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL’s Weekend Update), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), Modi (HBO’s The Sopranos, Comedy Central), and Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET’s Comic View) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Jena Friedman, Keith Alberstadt, Greer Barnes, and More

10:00 pm ($5): A rotating cast of veteran improvisors make up scenes based on improvised monologues from tonight’s guest Robert Weinstein at The Magnet theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience

[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: Whiplash

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): 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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 2/22/13

February 22, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Mulaney is sold out through Saturday, but you can still nab Sunday tickets for his red-hot headlining run at Carolines…

…and surreal rising star Joe Pera performs for a full 30 minutes, and then so does ace new MTV star Nikki Glaser, at UCB East’s Big Long Sets

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

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Lynn Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

7:00 pm ($10): Freestyle rapping long-form improv troupe North Coast clobbered some of the best groups in NYC last year at UCBT’s Cage Match. Tonight it takes the stage for nearly an hour at The PIT upstairs theatre: North Coast

7:00 pm ($8): Improv that flows from moment to moment, with no sweeps or tag outs—”each exit starts a new scene, while performers use devices ranging from monologues to in-scene questions to break into characters and relationships quicker and deeper” at The PIT downstairs lounge: Scoresby

7:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors make up scenes set in the 1920s playing the characters of a popular TV series: Downton Abbey Improv

[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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 ($10): Two red-hot rising stars each perform deliciously long 30-minute sets at UCB East: Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe’s latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here) and Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), hosted by Adam Newman (Comedy Central, College Humor; made superb choices tonight): Big Long Sets

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Stone Cold Fox is the only sketch troupe (vs. improv troupe) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCB Chelsea weekend schedule. It’s earned this slot because its cast is one of the finest in comedy. Particularly outstanding in this latest outing are Brandon Scott Jones and Molly Lloyd, two immensely talented and skilled actors ready to be hired for any TV or movie role—comedic, dramatic, or commercial—and excel. Also notable is Leslie Meisel, an actress who manages to be adorable, fearless, and ballsy all at once, which at times makes her mesmerizing. The quality of the sketch writing is mixed, but many of the bits are hilarious; and overall this production co-scripted by such sharp comics as Brandon Gulya and Michael Trapp (who also directed) is worth catching: Stone Cold Fox: All Keyed Up

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($27.25, plus 2-drink minimum; sold out for tonight & tomorrow, but you can still nab tickets for Sunday if you move fast via the box office or online): One of the most skilled, funny, and beloved stand-ups in the country—and a personal favorite—who’s a staff writer for Saturday Night Live (for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), )has performed repeatedly on Conan O’Brien and VH1’s Best Week Ever, and won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: John Mulaney

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who starred in a highly popular Comedy Central Presents special, hosted series on MTV and the Oxygen Network, was a recurring character on Showtime’s Weeds, and has also performed on CBS, ABC, E!, and Chelsea Lately headlines tonight and tomorrow at the Gotham Comedy Club: Bret Ernst

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20 & 2-item food/drink min.) The lovely Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central) headlines tonight and Saturday at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.), with stand-ups from The She-Devil Comedy Festival opening: Carmen Lynch

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Mike Britt (Comedy Central), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Big Jay Oakerson, Dan Soder, and More

8:00 pm ($10): A dozen writers & performers perform brand new sketch comedy at The PIT upstairs theatre: Big Business

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Stand-up, sketch, videos, and more at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre with Jeffrey Joseph and hosts Ron Krasnow & Joel Walkowski: The Short Bus

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that’s first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

8:30 pm ($10): A weekly show at The Magnet featuring sketches, jokes, interviews, and more, tonight including “an attempt to fix the budget before the looming sequestration deadline:” The Great American Sketch Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:45 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Lynn Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

[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] [$] [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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A gathering of comedic musicians, who tonight include musical sketch group Political Subversities, Happy Rappies, Liz Elkins, and Tim Girbach & the Garden State Sax Quartet, all performing at UCB East hosted by superb musical group Summer & Eve (for samples, please click here): Earworm Funny Music Party Show

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($8): One of my favorite people, Julie Sharbutt—who’s performed with some of the greatest improvisors alive at UCBT’s Gravid Water—goes for improv gold herself with comedy partner Cathleen Carr (Birds, The Scene, Dos Experimentos) as they “hope to establish themselves as the leading voices in contemporary South Boston crime noir improv comedy. Watch them, along with tonight’s guests Erick Hellwig, Bob Kulhan, and Chris Roberti, unspool a suspenseful, heavily-accented mystery thrilla” at The PIT downstairs lounge: Mystic Improv

9:30 pm ($10): A PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code WARD, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Tonight is the debut of its latest NYC run, performing every Friday night through April 4th, at the Soho Playhouse. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet—tonight with special guest Adam Wade (one of the finest storytellers in the country)—sing an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Russ Meneve (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1), and Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Big Jay Oakerson, Russ Meneve, and More

10:00 pm ($8): At this PIT downstairs lounge 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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Veteran improvisors reunite, new improvisors perform, and then old and new merge to create a one-nigh-only team at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Nick Arret: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Allan Havey (Louie), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Amy Schumer, Lynne Koplitz, and More

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

10:30 pm ($10): Tim Martin (Tosh.0), Jon Tyler (The Moth), We Godzillas, and Wicked City performing at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D’Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Emily Axford, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify

11:00 pm ($10): A sketch comedy troupe performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: Bridge & Tunnel: A 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, improv troupe Salmon Diane, 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

Midnight ($5): A variety of oddball comedy acts—tonight including “extreme juggler” Marcus Monroe—at UCB East hosted by sketch duo Matt Dennie & Josh Sharp: Cool Shit / Weird Shit

[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

[$] 12:15 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Russ Meneve (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Lynn Koplitz, and More

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 1/26/13

January 26, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

For a review of Anthony Jeselnik’s new DVD Caligula, please click here.

Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman celebrate 5 years of performing by doing their best sketches as Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, hilarious deadpan Joe Pera performs stand-up and then reveals his dark secrets at We’re All Friends Here…

…stellar musician Corn Mo is among the guests at The Dream Show, and Violet Krumbein’s at Characters Welcome

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] 4:00 pm: A dozen stand-ups—including Ben Kissel and Boris Khaykin—perform at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City produced by Andy Rocco and hosted tonight by Lucas Connolly: Rocco’s Playground

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes The Brawlers, Fancy Mantelpiece, and Human Pyramid at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman celebrate five years on stage by performing their most popular bits: “Five years ago Leah Rudick and Katie Hartman had a baby and named her Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting. What a terrible name for a child to grow up with. Now she is old enough to talk and doesn’t crap her pants anymore. Or does she…? Come find out at her Best Of birthday show!” Join this party thrown by a duo who’s rocked audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, FringeNYC, and numerous sketch festivals, tonight at The PIT upstairs theatre: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Ann Carr (Louie, Comedy Central), Violet Krumbein (30 Rock, Delocated), Tim Dunn (Animal Planet), and more performing character bits at UCB East hosted by Justin Tyler and Michael Hartney: Characters Welcome

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Wonderful sketch comics Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts host a free variety show featuring stand-up, character acts, music, and who knows what else, with tonight featuring superb musician Corn Mo (amazing comedic musician; Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, .357 Lover), Halle Kiefer (storyteller), Damien Lemon (stand-up; MTV2’s Guy Code, Comedy Central), and “a special guest” performing at the Comedy Bar (134 West 29th Street): The Dream Show

[$] 7:30 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, and More

7:30 pm ($7): Sharp Magnet improvisors “perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:” The Weave

7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then “turn that town’s tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:” The Curfew: Not From Around Here

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) An energetic regular on Chelsea Lately who’s also appeared on Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, VH1, and his own Comedy Central special headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Jo Koy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at this monthly gay-themed show at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tom Steffen: Rapier Wit

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

8:30 pm ($10): Jon Friedman (Jimmy Fallon, The Rejection Show), Reid Faylor (co-host of hilarious Creek show Underbelly), 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), Adam Conover (College Humor, host of Fresh Out), Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV, Logo), and Paul Jay 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] [FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups tell jokes and perform comedy as original characters at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Shakir Standley: Out of Character

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.” Tonight’s theme: Manhattan at The PIT downstairs lounge: Moon Pools

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

[$] [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): Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), Aaron Berg, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[$] 9:15 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Neal Brennan (razor-sharp, edgy comedy veteran; HBO, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, co-creator of Chappelle’s Show), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Tony Woods (David Letterman), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Neal Brennan, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): “Musical sketch comedy that skewers and dissects pop culture one roll of the dice at at time”—that is, dishes up a bunch of short, scripted sketches that include singing and/or dancing, at The PIT upstairs theatre: Pop Roulette

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm or 10:00 pm, depending on which webpage is accurate: Rising star Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set and became the highlight of the evening, by slicing milk; for reasons to hire Joe, please click here), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX’s In Living Color, Comedy Central), and Kate Hendricks 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] [$] 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 ($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 2011 won the ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist: Late and Dirty

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to “take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:” Grandma’s Ashes Gets Dark

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($5): At UCB East, improv troupe Sandino—which includes Aaron Jackson, Brandon Gulya, Don Fanelli, and Kate Riley—interviews an audience member about some puzzle and then acts out scenes providing an unexpected answer: Sandino: Unsolved Mysteries

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20 plus 2-drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), and Yannis Pappas performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Big Jay Oakerson, and More

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Original comedic songs are showcased, with tonight’s performers Myq & Micah (Myq Kaplan & Micah Sherman), Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers, Stone Cold Fox), Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman), Julia Morales, and Megan Lohne at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Justin Perez & Shaina Stigler: Totally Requesty

[$] 11:00 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Neal Brennan (razor-sharp, edgy comedy veteran; HBO, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, co-creator of Chappelle’s Show), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Russ Meneve (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Neal Brennan, Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, and More

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon; host of If You Bring It), Michelle Wolf (IFC’s Bunk), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), and Luke Younger share true-life longish funny tales at this UCB East mashup of stand-up and storytelling hosted by Alison Leiby: It’s a Long Story

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 for ratings!” This month’s episode: Out of Control Teens, featuring a dozen comics performing at UCB Chelsea including Charlie Todd, Veronica Osorio, and Zach Broussard: Late Night Trash

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups (not announced) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Midnight Run

[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

[TOP PICK] [$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Al Madrigal (correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Tony Woods (David Letterman), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), and Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson: Al Madrigal, Nikki Glaser, and More

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Corn Mo, Improv, Joe Pera, New York Comedy, Sketch, Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, Stand-Up, Violet Krumbein | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 8/20/12

August 20, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

For FringeNYC 2012 shows rated & reviewed, please click here.

Hilarious deadpan stand-up Joe Pera performs at Comedy Central Corporate Retreat…

…and comedic adventurer Melanie Hamlett shares stories of being on the road at Told

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: Weekly hour-long open-mic storytelling show, with audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 8 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge along with host Jake Hart: The Dump

6:00 pm ($5 cover & $5 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 ($12 at the door or $11.30 online): Storytellers Melanie Hamlett (brilliant storyteller/writer; Moth Grandslam Champion, Marie Claire Magazine, amazing blog, roving adventurer), PJ Vogt, Justine Barron, Greg Walloch, and David Crabb telling tales about this month’s topic “I Know What I DId Last Summer” at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) with host Seth Lind (NPR’s This American Life): Told: I Know What I Did Last Summer

[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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): 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), Phoebe Robinson (TV Guide’s 100 TV Shows To See Before You Die and 25 Biggest Reality Star Blunders), Will Hines (ace improv troupe The Stepfathers), Scott Moran (Rubber Bullets), Ben Kissel, and Gonzalo Cordova performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Michael Che: Comedy Central Corporate Retreat

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Sketch troupes Reformed Whores, Chess Club, and Matt Dennie & Josh Sharp each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites at UCB Chelsea hosted by Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Justy Dodge (co-host of Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; “I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;” for dark bio video, please click here), Joe List (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), and more performing stand-up at this weekly show 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

8:00 pm ($8): Improv performed by talented duos at The PIT upstairs theatre: Ampers&nd

[DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($11.34 [vs. $21.69] online using discount code LLED10): NYC stand-ups specializing in political humor make fun of our current election cycle at The Playroom Theater (151 West 46th Street); take advantage of discount code LLED10 to see this off-Broadway show for under $12: Laughing Liberally: Electile Dysfunction

8:30 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] 9:30 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a delightful dark musical about the rich consuming the poor—literally. Witty songs from Brian Glidewell, Marcy Jarreau, and Kevin Carter, a uniformly strong cast (Megan Maes, Aaron Jackson, Michael Martin, Katie Schorr, Dan Hodapp, Brian Glidewell, and Stephanie Streisand), and sharp direction from Christopher Gladysz and Lauren Conlin Adams make this 30-minute surreal parody of Newsies a winner as a UCBT comedy, and recommended. That said, right now the story is paper-thin and the characters cardboard. While the latter is turned into an asset (e.g., a leg-injured character is hilariously named “Cripply”), I’m hoping the creators consider making all the elements deeper and more nuanced, and expanding the production to a 90-minute legit theatre length. Meanwhile, enjoy this remarkably compact version that delivers a quick, sharp punch to the gut you’re likely to remember: Newsadoozies: A Man-Eating Musical…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, a show for which I had high hopes since some of my fondest childhood memories are of Krypto and his Space Canine Patrol Agents (S.C.P.A.). But this ain’t that. Instead, it’s a deliberately dumb version of Saturday morning cartoon shows that demonstrates little respect, affection, or wit towards its source material. The most notable elements are Neil Casey, who is hilarious as an evil alien insect-man; Rob Lathan as Neil’s lackey; and Sue Galloway as the gal even dog creatures want to make out with. This could have been so much more, especially with the brilliant Craig Rowin as co-writer; but instead it’s Dog Fleet

9:30 pm ($5): The debut of the only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set, and then a seasoned headliner closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: On the Road

10:00 pm ($5): A variety show in which comics perform characters, stand-up, and other bits at The Magnet hosted by Jon Bander: What’s to Get?

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Karaoke plus Mad Libs—in which the audience chooses a list of words to swap into a popular song—at the UCB East Bar hosted by karaoke experts Alan Starzinski and Amy Jo Jackson, plus live keyboard accompaniment by Joe McGinty: Karaoke Night at the Hot Chicks Room

[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 & Keith Huang: Base Jam

[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.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Comedy Central Corporate Retreat, Comedy NYC Tonight, Joe Pera, Melanie Hamlett, Seth Lind's Told, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
Posted by hybender

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