NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 1/9/12

January 9, 2012

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Andrea Rosen and John Gemberling

Comedy geniuses Andrea Rosen, John Gemberling...

Chris Gethard's A Bad Idea I'm About to Do

...and Chris Gethard perform at Kurt & Kristen's Hot Tub Variety

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 stand-up show running about 90 minutes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A monthly storytelling show from the wonderful Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), along with guest storyteller Seth Lind (NPR’s This American Life, host of Told) and improv illustrator Sharon Spell drawing scenes as they’re described, all at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League

7:00 pm ($5): A sketch troupe trying out stuff at The Magnet: The Day Terrors

7:00 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4 minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2 hours—with an early show hosted by Sean Donnelly & Blaine Perry at 7:00 pm, and an entirely different group of stand-ups hosted by Dan Cartwright & Dave Greek at 9:00 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison’s & Carol Hartsell’s Motel Luca

[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 ($9.47 online or $8 at the door): A blowout show with Chris Gethard (star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake and Mannhattan Cable Access’ The Chris Gethard Show; The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of new bestseller A Bad Idea I’m About to Do), Andrea Rosen (HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Comedy Central’s Stella, Variety SHAC, The Nights of Our Lives, Ding Dong Meow, winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up), John Gemberling (genius improvisor & comedic character actor; Comedy Central, Adult Swim, Death by Roo Roo, The Tony and Johnny Show), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from a duo who between them won four 2011 ECNY Awards—including Best Variety Show and Best Hosts—Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety with Kurt & Kristen

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code SBWC, 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. Come to the Soho Playhouse tonight to see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Of all the superb comedic performers new to me at SketchFest NYC 2011, the one who most impressed was Meghan O’Neill. This exceptional actress has such a strong command of voice and movement that in one sketch she managed to convincingly evoke a dozen pop culture figures in under 30 seconds. O’Neill is also a sharp writer, bringing a groundedness and underlying meaning to even the silliest of scenarios. O’Neill is a member of the acclaimed Striking Viking Story Pirates, but is just starting to achieve the fame her talent deserves. If she’s been under your radar too, please watch her promo video by clicking here, and then come check her out at The PIT upstairs theatre performing a one-woman show with a title that belies O’Neill’s star quality: ‘Fraidy Cat

8:00 pm ($5): Typically superb stand-ups (unfortunately, not announced yet) performing at UCB East for a show with a Comedy Central stamp of approval: Comedy Central Corporate Retreat

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups George Gordon, Anthony DeVito, Calvin Cato, Adam Sokol, and “a special guest” performing at the One and One Bar (1st Street & First Avenue) for this weekly stand-up show hosted by Louis Katz, Tim Dimond, and J. F. Harris: Raw Guts

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): A monthly mix of storytelling & music at Under St. Marks from rockin’ hosts Peter Aguero & the BTK Band, with tonight’s yarn-spinners Ophria Eisenberg, Seth Lind, Cyndi Freeman, and Brad Lawrence, plus GoGo by the Bird of Paradise and Dangrrr Doll, and spontaneous illustrations by in-the-moment artist Sharon Spell: The BTK Band: We Resolve to Rock Your Face Off

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: PIT owner Ali Farahnakian and razor-sharp PIT instructors perform improv at The PIT downstairs lounge in The Faculty Part 2: Electric Boogaloo; plus improv troupe Technicolor

9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCB Chelsea’s house sketch troupes, Gramp’s and Onasis, try out new bits at Maude Night

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Long-form improv from troupe Casual Sex Offenders at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: CSO Improv Comedy

10:00 pm ($5): At this improv double-bill at The Magnet, Ruby Marez & Binu Paulose will play muliple characters within a single event as RuBin, and then Dustin Drury & Andrew Yurman-Glaser will “start off slow and relaxed and builds to a fast paced mosaic of characters and relationship” as Upstate New York

10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

[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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include genius stand-up & storyteller Daniel Kitson (currently performing a stellar theatrical show in Brooklyn) and 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, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here)—at UCB Chelsea hosted by Chris Gethard: Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). If you’re a comic who couldn’t get booked on UCBT’s all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this stand-up open-mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wed. 11/30/11

November 30, 2011

RIP Patrice Oneal, passed away from stroke yesterday.

John Gemberling and Elna Baker

Genius comics John Gemberling, Elna Baker, and more challenge your deductive skills at "The Talent Show: The First Thanksgiving Murder Mystery Dinner Party"...

Online Dating

...and Jessica Delfino, Amanda Duarte, and more tell tales of online dating at How I Learned the Laws of Attraction

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing four minutes per comic, with “15 people chosen randomly through e-mail, and five walk-ins; and a guaranteed spot to anyone who performs in character as a famous explorer” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Comedic Exploration Club of Long Island City, West

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The Reformed Whores (raunchy comedic singing duo Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame), Emily Epstein, Dan Cartwright, Darcy Burke, Jaqi Furback, and Justin Morgan performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) with host Selena Coppock: Connotation

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

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, genius improvisors Gavin Speiller ofDeath By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers of The Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm) perform asOutlook of the Poet; and then Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are the fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7 at the door, or $8.44 in advance online—the latter is recommended because this show usually sells out): Genius storyteller Elna Baker and Kevin Townley host New York Magazine’s 2011 pick for Best Variety Show, with tonight’s all-star guests John Gemberling, Kurt Braunohler, Bobby Tisdale, Shonali Bhowmik, Sarah Nowak, Eric Sloven, Eric Ledgin, and more performing a special post-holiday event at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street): The Talent Show: The First Thanksgiving Murder Mystery Dinner Party

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Tales of online dating, with stellar storytellers Jessica Delfino (enjoys singing songs about her vagina, as demonstrated by her CD Dirty Folk Rock; created hilarious & wildly popular YouTube short I Wanna Be Famous), Amanda Duarte (sharp-witted & razor-tongued comedic writer/actress/director; HBO, NBC), Brad Lawrence (Moth GrandSlam Champion, FringeNYC, co-host of The Standard Issues), Chloe Caldwell (author of upcoming essay book Legs Get Led Astray), and Craig Baldo (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion) performing at Happy Ending (302 Broome Street) hosted by Blaise Allysen Kearsley: How I Learned the Laws of Attraction

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a razor-sharp troupe consisting of writers for The Onionperform their best sketches: Pangea 3000: 12 Years of Hard Work…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, a sketch show that turns reality on its head, and that I’ll be seeing tonight. Meanwhile, suffice to say it’s directed by Neil Casey, who to date has been involved with most of the best scripted shows at UCBT this year (and performed in most of the best improvised ones): This is Not a Sketch Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Found Footage Festival (sharing hilariously odd amateur videos), Ron Lynch (Comedy Central, Adult Swim; visiting from LA, where he hosts the weekly comedy show Tomorrow!), and Matt Hobby & and Mary Grill of sketch troupe New Excitement performing at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Nick Turner’s & Jason Sáenz: Too Cool for School

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC comics Jessica Delfino, Greg Barris, David Lee Nelson, Tyler Gildin, and Nick Cobb performing at the East Village’s Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad’s & Amy Albert’s free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

[FREE] 8:30 pm: About a dozen NYC stand-ups, including Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central) and Luke Thayer (co-host of The Living Room), performing at the only notable weekly comedy show I know of taking place in Astoria Queens—specifically, the Astoria Brewhouse (2850 31st Street): Brewhouse Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and then UCBT Harold Night house troupes Very Good Kiss and Grandma’s Ashes make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form “Harold” rules at Cheating on Harold

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Bridey Elliott (David Letterman, WitStream), Katla McGlynn (Deputy Comedy Editor at The Huffington Post), Kambri Crews (author of new book Burn the Ground Down), and more performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

9:00 pm ($5): A dark comedy sketch group that includes beloved East Village performer Tanya O’Debra and ace singer/songwriter Ben Lerman celebrates its One Year Anniversary at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): Beaches 2

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Anthony Atamanuik, Christian Capazzoli, Jon Gabrus, Ryan Paulson, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious at UCB Chelsea, with tonight’s highly promising theme Religion: The Nights of Our Lives

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

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

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket ‘O Buckets

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 10/4/11

October 4, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Jenn Schatz

30 Rock actress Jenn Schatz and other wonderful stars join in for the debut of a weekly variety show at UCB East...

Anthony Atamanuik and John Gemberling

...hosted by disturbing comedy geniuses Anthony Atamanuik & John Gemberling: The Tony and Johnny Show

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

7:00 pm ($5): Jonathan Desley & Leslie Collins—and guests—improvise a suburban dinner party in 1978 “so wear your bell bottoms, and get ready to sip some sherbet punch with the Sheinbachs and their friends” at The PIT: The Dinner Party

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon), Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, podcast You Had to Be There), and more performing stand-up at UCB East for a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran on behalf of a great late actor: After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT downstairs lounge: Comic Book Club

8:00 pm ($8): At The PIT, the worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

8:00 pm-11:00 pm ($5): Three full hours of improv at UCB West for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Dance Break, Very Good Kiss, Mr. Crime, Sandino, and Grandma’s Ashes: Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly show features “a swarthy selection of fine stand-up comics and mildly entertaining recurring segments” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre, hosted by Jim Tews & Brendan Eyre: Chest Hair

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: Mint Condition and Rosencrantz

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): The Sklar Brothers (stars of MTV’s Apartment 2F; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; Emmy-winning episode of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm; ABC’sGrey’s Anatomy; FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; co-creators & stars of four seasons of ESPN’s Cheap Seats), Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon), Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, podcast You Had to Be There), Seaton Smith (Just for Laughs Festival, A&O Virus Tour), Justin Bartha (The Hangover movies, the National Treasuremovies), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), and Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central) performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty,Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm ($5): The debut of two one-person shows at The PIT: Sakina Jaffrey tells tales as a Trinidadian nanny and a Japanese pearl diver in What We Left; and Andy Hendrickson explores how his life has been enriched by a particular beverage in Thank You Beer

[FREE] 9:30 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

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Two of the most brilliant, fearless, and innovative comics in the biz, John Gemberling (Death by Roo Roo, Adult Swim, Comedy Central) and Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives), team up to create their own special version of a comedy variety show at UCB East. Celebrating tonight’s debut are Chris Gethard (genius improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake and UCBT’s The Chris Gethard Show; Magic Box of Stories, The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives,author of book Weird New York; winner of 2011 ECNY Award for Best Tweeter), 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 showWhiplash), and Jenn Schatz (30 Rock, Splinterheads): The Tony and Johnny Show

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free show, audience members can join in with musical improv troupe Mint Condition 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 at The PIT hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 9/30/11

September 30, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Anthony Jeselnik

One of the greatest stand-ups of all time, Anthony Jeselnik, headlines tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club...

John Gemberling and Arden Myrin

...and comedy giants John Gemberling, Arden Myrin, and more join Rob Lathan at "Stinson's Awesome Movie Night" to analyze...

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

...the film classic "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

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 start at 5:30 pm) at The Creekdownstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing), Louis Katz (HBO, Comedy Central), Calise Hawkins (Last Comic Standing), and Yannis Pappas (VH1) performing at Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street) at the debut of this new biweekly stand-up show hosted by Peter Ostrovski & Ilya Gofshteyn: Beautiful Comedy

7:00 pm ($5): Alexis Lambright performing a one-woman show at The Magnet about her quest to pop her cherry: Combating Adult Virginity

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): In one of the best scripted ensemble shows to grace UCB West for some time, troupe Stone Cold Fox performs hilarious parodies of off-off-Broadway theatre, as well as some of the very best sketches it’s crafted over the years, in a tight hour-long show directed by comedy genius Neil Casey (who, after also recently directing stellar one-person shows by Kate McKinnon and Mike Still, apparently can do no wrong), featuring delightful performances by Fran Gillespie, Molly Lloyd, D’Arcy Carden (watch for these three gals playing existential Truth or Dare), John Murray, Nate Smith, Brandon Scott Jones, and Jonathan Fernandez, and the writing of Leila Cohan-Miccio, Evan Greenspoon, Brandon Gulya, Matt Hunziker, Owen Parsons, and Michael Trapp: Stone Cold Fox: This Is Not Art

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—tonight featuring guests Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers) and Ben Rameaka (Airwolf)—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 online or at the box office using discount code TMAN): One of the very best shows at FringeNYC 2010 was an award-winning comedy from NYC’s own Faye Lane, a luminous storyteller and singer who will charm your socks off—and possibly give you a moon pie to boot—at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club. This marvelous event recently received a 2011 Bistro Award for Musical Comedy and 2011 MAC Award for Special Production. Please read my review by clicking here, watch Faye make a pecan pie by clicking here, see Faye be a Green Bean by clicking here, and then take advantage of this revival running Friday nights to experience the hilarious and unforgettable Faye Lane’s Beauty Shop Stories

8:00 pm ($10): An PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($26.75 & 2-drink min.) Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand-ups of all time, with a special gift for crafting dark and shocking short jokes, and a lightning-quick mind that allows him to play with any audience in the moment. This genius Emmy-nominated comic is a former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon, and has also performed on Conan O’Brien, HBO, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and his hit comedy CD Shakespeare. Anthony is headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club along with guitar comic Nick Thune: The Greatest: Anthony Jeselnik

[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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): Winner of the second season of Last Comic Standing, a frequent performer on Jay Leno and VH1, and star of two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials and an hour-long Comedy Central special, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: John Heffron

8:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy, sometimes interwoven with a live band: Citizen Models

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from UCB West’s all-star members of The Stepfathers

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Rob Lathan (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, ABC) as his cinema connoisseur character Stinson screens the notoriously awful film Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at UCB East along with top comics John Gemberling, Arden Myrin, James Adomian, and more: Stinson’s Awesome Movie Night

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there’s still a 2-drink min. per person): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on this summer’s Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1), and Aaron Berg performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:30 pm ($10): All-gal improv at The PIT, first from Brigid Boyle, Lorraine Cink, Leslie Collins, Danielia Donohue, and Ariel Karlin; and then from Lee Eddy, Meg Griffiths, Julia Morales, Sarah Nowak, and Mandy Schmieder, at Lucy

9:30 pm ($5): “Where there is a stage and a piano, she will be there. Where there are strangers with embarrassing stories, she will be there. Where there is a group of people willing to sit and watch someone make up songs, she will be there. A one-woman musical improv journey through the lives of the audience. You tell the story, Rebecca Vigil sings the soundtrack” at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Vigilante

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Long-form improv from troupe Casual Sex Offenders at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: CSO Improv Comedy

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

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

11:00 pm ($5): NYC comics The Brothers Hines, CJ Toledano, and Lance & Ray performing at UCB East: Gentrify

11:00 pm ($5): A comedy tribute at The PIT downstairs lounge to a gal on her 26th birthday: The PIT Roast of Corinne Fisher

11:00 pm ($5): All-gal improv at The PIT from troupe Goldie and the Hawns (Jennifer Bild, Christine DeNoon, Julianne Dunn, and Brandy Mitchell), plus guest stand-up and sketch gal comics: Boneless! A Night of Women in Comedy

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

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

[FREE] Midnight: This show typically isn’t much fun for audience members—which is why it hasn’t been on the UCB West schedule for a long time—but it’s an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB West stage. Hosted by Maude troupe Onassis: Liquid Courage

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 1/30/10

January 30, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Cage Match Champions for two years in a row...

...and one of the finest & funniest improv troupes ever: Death by Roo Roo

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): One of my favorite sketch troupes, making great use of physical comedy and music, returns to the NYC stage tonight for what I hope is a long run. It consists of Mary Theresa Archbold (for my review of this star’s funny & touching 2007 FringeNYC show Jazz Hand, please click here), Tim Girrbach, Jason Salmon, Rodney Umble, and director Larry Rosen, and has received acclaim at numerous top comedy and theatre festivals. For a brief medley of memorable moments, please click here; and then come tonight to experience all-new material from Drop Six

7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC stand-ups & sketch comics Pat Stango & Blaine Perry (hosts of Don’t Touch Me There), Luke Cunningham (The Colbert Report), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool For School), Steve Bossous (CNN’s Breaking the News with DL Hughley), Team Submarine, Moe and Mary, Robert Dean, and James Harris performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Lil’ Seany Boy

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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($28 online if you use code VIPJAN [otherwise $35], plus 2-item minimum): A star stand-up and writer who’s also the author of the 2008 book Cancer on $5 a Day (Chemo Not Included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life, headlining at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Robert Schimmel

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

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 11:30 pm ($12): According to their Web site,”God’s Pottery is a Christian acoustic duo formed to spread the Word using their unique blend of music, people-skills and Biblical know-how to inspire all who are willing to listen with open hearts.” Some in the secular world have called them Wilson Hall and Krister Johnson; others have called them harsher things. But most have called them very funny. Come catch these stars of Last Comic Standing and authors of the book What Would God’s Pottery Do?, along with such stellar guests as Tom Shillue, performing at Joe’s Pub: The Wonderful World of God’s Pottery

Midnight ($5): A rotating comedic cast—tonight consisting of Dan Avidan, Alex Charak, Shaun Diston, Kelly Hudson, Ben Kissel, Matt Mayer, Jill Marie Morris, Amber Nelson, Ninja Sex Party, Jim Santangeli, Nate Smith, and Emily Strachan—performing very silly stage acts at Eliot & Ilana Glazer’s High School Talent Show

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 7/24/09

July 24, 2009

About Last Night: Special kudos to Thursday’s Cage Match for putting on one of the greatest shows I ever expect to see. Musical improv troupe Veal delivered a wonderful series of scenes & songs about airplanes, and proved it deserves more appearances on the UCBT stage. And much love always to hosts Ben Rodgers and Eric Scott. But an extra special acknowledgement goes to the almost superhuman skill, timing, and comedic mastery displayed by last night’s Death by Roo Roo improv focused on, of all things, a bake-off, from Curtis Gwinn, Gavin Speiller, John Gemberling, Adam Pally, and Gil Ozeri. Guys, you are all superstars.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Oliver demonstrates his genius at stand-up tonight at Comix

John Oliver demonstrates his genius at stand-up tonight at Comix

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] [$] John Oliver, the star correspondent of The Daily Show and a genius stand-up, will show why he’s universally considered one of the finest comics alive tonight through Sunday as he delivers a deliciously long set Headlining at Comix (8:00 pm & 10:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] a blow-out farewell to this weekly free show’s co-host, Cassidy Henehan, with stellar stand-ups Baron Vaughn, Sean Patton, and Jesse Pop, superb sketch comedy troupes Bishop & Douch and The Straightmen, and sexy & hilarious singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm, in Brooklyn at Nick Turner’s Too Cool for School: Bon Voyage, Cassidy Henehan (8:00 pm),

[FREE] superb stand-ups Claudia Cogan, Pat Dixon, and Danny Solomon answering personal questions on stage at Matt Ruby’s & Mark Normand’s We’re All Friends Here (8:00 pm),

NYC stand-up comics Allison Castillo (Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, MTV), Giulia Rozzi (VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories), Eddie Sarfaty (Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, Logo’s Wisecrack), Jason Saft (here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics), and more at a gay-themed comedy show hosted by Jenny Rubin: The Back Room (9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers (9:30 pm),

singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical (10:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] top UCBT talents—including Neil Casey, Eugene Cordero, Sue Galloway, Curtis Gwinn, Anthony King, Adam Pally, Ben Rodgers, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Gavin Speiller, and Caitlin Tegart—writing and/or performing sketch comedy Beneath Gristedes (11:00 pm),

[FREE] and a free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage (12:20ish am).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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