NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 8/24/11

August 24, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For comprehensive coverage of the spectacular FringeNYC 2011 Festival, please click here.

John Mulaney and Sara Schaefer

Stellar stand-ups John Mulaney ("Totally J/K") and Sara Schaefer ("Staycation")

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), Joe Pera, and more performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe hosted by Elihu Dietz: Staycation

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Colin Jost (also a writer for Saturday Night Live), and Neal Stasny joining best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K

8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Nick Turner: Monsters

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Mike Still (Death by Roo Roo, Diamond Lion) pulls out all the stops for a dynamic one-man show packed with comedic ideas revolving around a tyrant so evil that he machine-guns the audience (twice!), with direction by fellow Roo Roo star Neil Casey: Dictator For Life;

…and in the other half of this double-bill, Paul Welsh performs a one-man sketch play directed by the wonderful Shannon O’Neill: Men in Paintings

[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 show makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

[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 new book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 8/22/11

August 22, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For comprehensive coverage of the spectacular FringeNYC 2011 Festival, please click here.

John Mulaney and Vanessa Bayer

Saturday Night Live's John Mulaney and Vanessa Bayer perform tonight at Whiplash

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 in Queens’ Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

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 Motel Luca

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup andWe’re All Friends Here), Nore Davis (MTV), Joe Zimmerman, Christian Polcano, Damien Lemon, and Sam Morril performing stand-up at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): UCBT has developed several terrific in-house sketch comedy troupes, but only one of them currently rivals the finest sketch groups in the country: Gramp’s, spearheaded by comedy genius Kate McKinnon. Kate’s group will be trying out all-new bits tonight, but the chances are a bunch of them will be breathtakingly smart, inventive, and hilarious. Also on this double-bill is house troupe Onassis, which isn’t nearly in the same league, but includes such notable performers as Sue Galloway—all at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): “Jonathan Blank and Samara Doucette say what everyone else thinks on dates, but never says… so join them and guest comedians as they divulge all of their wildest and most embarrassing dating stories! This monthly storytelling show contains the truth and nothing but the truth. However, most of the stories are more surreal than if David Lynch directed romantic comedies. Everything from wild hookups to emotional breakups are on the table at This is Awkward

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Max Silvestri (VH1, co-host of Big Terrific), and musical guest Thin Skin Jonny performing at the Magnet Theatrefor Adam Lerman’s and Willy Appleman’s Deep Traffic

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Brooklyn’s Freddy’s Bar (627 Fifth Avenue; take R subway to Prospect Avenue) for this free biweekly show hosted by Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; TLC, blogger for trutV; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy

9:30 pm ($8): The worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s in-house sketch comedy troupes, Arbuckle (which includes the unique Violet Krumbein) and Stone Cold Fox (which includes performers Fran Gillespie, Nate Smith, John Murray, and Molly Lloyd), trying out new bits at Maude Night

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic sketch, stand-up, improv, videos, and anything else quick & comedic, at The Magnet with host Leanne Linsky: Casual Sketch

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the world—who tonight include 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), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), and Vanessa Bayer (cast member on Saturday Night Live)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should beWhiplash! 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 hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 7/18/11

July 18, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Colin Quinn and John Mulaney

Star stand-ups Colin Quinn (Whiplash) and John Mulaney (For the Hour)...

Jet Eveleth

...and Chicago's Jet Eveleth—accompanied by ace improvisors Scott Adsit (30 Rock) & Paul Brittain (SNL)—at "Touched"

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 in Queens’ Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

7:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups telling jokes, followed by improvisors making up scenes springboarding off the material, at Daws of Death

7:00 pm & 9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—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 9:30 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison’s Motel Luca

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Josh Homer (Comedy Central), Geno Bisconte (FOX News), Hadiyah Robinson (BET), Rose Surnow, Merril Davis, and Brendan McLaughlin performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A writer/performer for Saturday Night Live (for a sample, please click here) who’s also one of the very finest stand-ups in the country—with appearances on Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever, etc.—performing a deliciously long set tonight that’s likely to leave you breathless with laughter and chuckling weeks later: John Mulaney: For the Hour

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Improv genius Scott Adsit (30 Rock) & Paul Brittain (Saturday Night Live) make up scenes from the air; and a (mostly) one-woman show from Jet Eveleth, the artistic director of the Chicago Improv Festival, and who the Chicago Tribune has called “always terrific and subtle” (for video samples, please click here and here): Adsit & Brittain, and Jet Eveleth’s Touched

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Ira Glass (host of NPR’s This American Life), Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), a “hilarious lady from LA,” guest DJ Ted Leo, and as house band the super-amazing Adira Amram and the Experience (winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act)—performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from multi-award winning Kurt Braunohler (Kristen’s tied up but will be back with Kurt next week): Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest & nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. This show was previously a wonderful theatrical event that cost $18 and up. Don’t miss this five-week Monday evening run, concluding August 15th, at the elegant Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street, near the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop) that allows you to catch the gals for a mere $10: Naked in a Fishbowl

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): UCBT has developed several terrific in-house sketch comedy troupes, but only one of them currently rivals the finest sketch groups in the country: Gramp’s, spearheaded by comedy genius Kate McKinnon. Kate’s group will be trying out all-new bits tonight, but the chances are at least some of them will be breathtakingly smart, inventive, and hilarious. Also on this double-bill is house troupe Onassis, which isn’t nearly in the same league, but includes such notable performers as Sue Galloway—all at Maude Night

9:30 pm ($5): “A group of renegade writers, actors, directors, and designers brought together by a shared belief that theatricality, production values, and sketch comedy are not mutually exclusive;” 2010 INNY Award winners for Best NY Sketch Group: People’s Sketch Association

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic sketch, stand-up, improv, videos, and anything else quick & comedic, at The Magnet with host Leanne Linsky: Casual Sketch

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include TV & movie star Colin Quinn (Broadway & HBO show Long Story Short, Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central’s legendary Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn), TV & movie star TJ Miller (David Letterman,Opie & Anthony; co-stared in ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-starred in such hit movies as Cloverfieldand She’s Out of My League; member of awesome sketch troupe Heavyweight, which blew the roof off at SketchFest NYC 2011), the lovely 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, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), and Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should beWhiplash! 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 hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 5/23/11

May 23, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

John Mulaney

One of the very finest stand-ups in the country performs a deliciously long set at UCBT: "John Mulaney: For the Hour"

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($30, plus $12 min. if you sit at a table): ” A musical one-woman comedy show from Broadway’s Jackie Hoffman at Joe’s Pub: Jackie Five-Oh

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Phil Hanley (Craig Ferguson), J-L Cauvin (Craig Ferguson), Graham Keay, Jake Weisman, and John Mihilser performing at a free weekly show in theManchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A writer/performer for Saturday Night Live (for a sample, please click here) who’s also one of the very finest stand-ups in the country—with appearances on Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever, etc.—performing a deliciously long set tonight that’s likely to leave you breathless with laughter and chuckling weeks later: John Mulaney: For the Hour

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest & nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. This show was previously a wonderful theatrical event that cost $18 and up. Don’t miss this run at The PIT that allows you to catch the gals for a mere $10: Naked in a Fishbowl

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, movie star; host of Sweet), Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up), Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing), and musical guest Leeni 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

8:30 pm ($5): Young comic Cass Bugge performing a one-woman show with the hopeful self-fulfilling title I Remember Edwina DeBooveman’s One Woman Show

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, Fambly (featuring rising star Mamrie Hart) and Neighbor Boy, trying out new bits at Maude Night

9:30 pm ($5): Marie Cecile Anderson and Katy Frame “sing about everything from venereal diseases to Jurassic Park in sweet harmonies that will remind you of the good old days. Their lilting country style will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and make you cross your legs in fear and discomfort. You are powerless against the force that is” Reformed Whores

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the world—who tonight include Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Simon Anstell (brilliant, charismatic UK comedic storyteller), and Owen Smith (Comedy Central, Everybody Hates Chris)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should beWhiplash! 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 hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Adira Amram (fresh, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter; winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act), David Smithyman, Graham Keay, Bob Powers, Doug Smith, Stone & Stone, and Tess Barker performing at Brooklyn’s Freddy’s Bar (627 Fifth Avenue; take R subway to Prospect Avenue) for this free weekly show hosted by Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; TLC, blogger for trutV; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 4/12/11

April 12, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

John Mulaney and Andy Blitz

Comedy geniuses John Mulaney and Andy Blitz will make you helpless with laughter tonight at "Sweet..."

Dan St. Germain

...and rising star Dan St. Germain headlines for one night only at Carolines

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

7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors play themselves on stage (similar to Naked in a Fishbowl) in Self Image; and in the second half of this double-bill, Jenny Dunne and Rick Andrews improvise a single moment in two characters’ lives again and again, exploring three parallel realities, and the difference that a look or tone can make, in The Cascade

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($16.50 & 2-drink min.)  A quick-witted rising star who’s performed onJimmy Fallon, MTV, and College Humor headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Dan St. Germain

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creators Jonathan Lang, Michael Lapinski, and Christopher Mangun (the guys behind Feeding Ground) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($49.50): One of the finest comics in the country, Mike Birbiglia’s credits include the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live; the book Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories; and his hit off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me. Mike’s now returned to the stage, once again creating his unique blend of stand-up and storytelling, for an all-new one-man show at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop) slated to run through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Very Good Kiss, Standard Oil, Badman, Ragnaröck, and Dybbuk; and at 11:00 pm a superb double-bill that merits a separate listing (see below) but is included in this $5 admission—all at Harold Night

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: Rebound & BEEES!

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Andy Blitz (comedy genius best known for being an Emmy-nominated and long-time writer/performer for Late Night with Conan O’Brien; has also written for Comedy Central’s Important Things, MTV’s Human Giant, etc.; a thoroughly unique stand-up whose sets—ranging from talking peanut butter to jet-flying cats—tend to be unforgettable), Todd Womack (cast member of Barely Political, visiting from LA), and Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up, and co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here) performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Hosts Justin Tyler & Alden Ford (sketch troupe Sidecar) and stand-up David Cope, plus guests David Smythian, Andrew Rosen, and Jon Tyler, will answer “first time” questions from the audience leading to improv and stand-up riffs at Campfire

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, make up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar form a surprise breakout hit as all-gal troupe Doppelganger

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 3/23/11

March 23, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Andrea Rosen and John Mulaney

2011 ECNY Best Stand-Up winner Andrea Rosen will show off her range at her stellar one-woman show "Ding Dong Meow," while SNL's John Mulaney will kill with his special brand of observational comedy at his one-man show "For the Hour"

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

7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Andrea Rosen is already famed as a comic—in fact, she recently won the prestigious 2011 ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up—but what’s not as well-known is that Andrea’s among the finest comedic storytellers in the country. This new one-woman show should fix that. It offers smart, fearless, hilarious material ranging from fast food you should avoid to the medicinal power of a boyfriend’s penis. It also provides one of the sharpest comedic performances that will grace NYC this year (for which kudos are also deserved by the show’s superb director, John Flynn). Plus if you sit in the first few rows, expect free home-baked cookies. Don’t miss Andrea’s unique blend of dark comedy and silliness: Ding Dong Meow…

…and in the other half of this double-bill, Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) do a show about history’s most infamous rivalries that includes putting God on stage and hitting on Her for a date: They Hated Each Other

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($5.50 & 2-drink min.): Two of the finest stand-ups in the country, John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’sBest Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here) and Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), plus “a very special guest,” and more performing for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club with host Joe Mande: Above 14th Street

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): A blow-out lineup including 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.), Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here andhere), Eddie Pepitone (Conan O’Brien, The Sarah Silverman Program, Old School), and Dan Soder (Comedy Central) performing stand-up at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 online or at the door using code MOON): Star comedic storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller) performing a smart, engaging, and often hilarious one-man show at PS 122 (150 First Avenue off 9th Street ) running through April 2nd: Tom Shillue is Supernormal

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($35.50): Mike Birbiglia’s credits include the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live; the book Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories; and his hit off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me. He’s doing the stage thing again, tonight debuting his all-new one-man show at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop) slated to run through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Robin Gelfenbien (superb musical comic & storyteller; one-woman show My Salvation Has a First Name: A Wienermobile Journey), Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (terrific sketch duo), Katey Healy-Wurzburg (energy-charged UCBT improvisor, ECNY nominee), Sean Crespo (The Electric Company), and Rob Crean performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Bar (119 St. Marks Place) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Brad Loekle, Shawn Hollenbach, Paul Case, Michelle Buteau, and more will roast host Adam Sank on his 40th birthday at the Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge (542 Tenth Avenue, between 40th & 41st Streets) in a special edition of That Sank Show

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): A writer/performer for Saturday Night Live (for a sample, please click here) who’s also one of the very finest stand-ups in the country—with appearances on Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever, etc.—performing a deliciously long set tonight that’s likely to leave you breathless with laughter and chuckling weeks later: John Mulaney: For the Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 1/16/11

January 16, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

John Mulaney and Sean Patton

Treasured New York stand-ups John Mulaney (Comedy Night) and Sean Patton (Sunday Night Stand-Up)

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] 4:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up…and not for every taste. But whether you’re ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it’s worth experiencing if only for Daniel’s lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, “Ooh, that’s a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I’m certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you’re reading to plow on. Look, you’re still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment.” Place your faith in Daniel, check out the write-up in The New York Times, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church

6:30 pm ($5): Two new shows—with no descriptions but cool titles—auditioning at The Magnet:Stand Up & Sing and Lizards & Snakes

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Dan St. Germain (MTV; quick-witted rising star), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central), and Scott Moran performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge:Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($5): Dan St. Germain (MTV; quick-witted rising star), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Rob Stern (Comedy Central), and Andy Haynes performing stand-up at The PIT for a free weekly show hosted by Sean Donnelly and Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

[$] 8:00 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): An acerbic stand-up star who’s appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, The View, and many other TV shows—and several films, to boot—headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore

8:00 pm ($5): An improvised date, and a sketch show about the weird, audition at The Magnet:Double Date and Top Gunzz

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Ben Lerman (delightful raunchy comedic singer/songwriter), Rob Shapiro (at his best, fast-talking hilarious stand-up who comes off as one step away from being homeless), and Jermaine Fowler performing at Brooklyn’sKnitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Nothing announced this week, but check Vince Averill’s Facebook page later today in case there really is a stand-up tonight (as there usually is) in the East Village’s Beauty Barat Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy tonight hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 12/20/10

December 20, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Michael Ian Black and John Mulaney

It's a big night for stand-up, with Michael Ian Black appearing on both Citizen Radio Live and Whiplash, John Mulaney performing at Hot Tub Variety...

Great, You Ruined Christmas

...and Erin Lennox debuting her new comedy show "Great, Your Ruined Christmas"

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

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Hugh Moore (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, The Tyra Banks Show), Justin McClure (NPR), and Gabe Pacheco (Anecdotal Evidence) performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[FREE] 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm: Students of The Magnet’s storytelling classes—taught by delightful award-winning storyteller Adam Wade—demonstrate what they’ve learned at two free shows featuring Corinne Allarde, Chris Eslami, Jody Kinney, Judy Peluchette, Catherine Pappas, Sean Reives, Nathan Rice, and Jennifer Sanders: Adam Wade’s Storytelling Class Showcase

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), the Found Footage Festival presenting great lost videos of Christmas Past, MC Mr. Napkins (Comedy Central Records), Creamy Stevens (Coney Island Burlesque on the Beach), and “a special guest” (as if all that wasn’t enough) performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two of the finest stand-ups of our NYC community—Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1, recent ex-smoker) and gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC, Maxim and Cosmo Radio; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here)—plus Tim Dimond, Billy Prinsell, and more performing at the White Rabbit (145 East Houston Street) for John Szeluga’s Not Friday

8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, High Treason and Slow Burn, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Lawrence (Just for Laughs Festival, Comix headliner), Jordan Carlos (Comedy Central), Adam Conover, delightful host Erin Lennox (Fresh—see 11:00 pm), plus musical guests The Bandana Splits, debuting this new comedy show at the 11th Street Bar (510 East 11th Street between Avenues A & B): Great, You Ruined Christmas

8:00 pm ($5): Improv based on headlines from the amazing New York Post: Headless Body in Topless Bar

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($5 cover if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $10], plus $7 drink minimum; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Louie, Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), Eddie Brill (14 years as booker & warmup for David Letterman), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Logo one-woman show My Cookie’s Gone), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, Verizon FIOS guy, Front Page Films, The Other Guys, comedy CD Come Clean), Lee Camp (Jimmy Fallon, The Onion, The Huffington Post), and “a very special guest” performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison’s Morrison Motel

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Michael Ian Black (TV star of such wonderful hits as NBC’s Ed and MTV’s seminal sketch show The State, and more recently co-star of Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), Jack Dishel & Adam Green (Moldy Peaches), and more being interviewed on stage at Jamie Kilstein’s and Allison Kilkenny’s Citizen Radio Live

9:30 pm ($8): Kent Wood performs a one-man show about his life in show biz and his work as a “civilian therapist” helping celebrities through emotional crises, and Charles Sanchez does a one-man show about his being arrested in LA and hospitalized in Arkansas, in the double-bill A Gay in the Life and Arrested

10:00 pm ($5): Hip hop musical improv from Nick Brown, Don Romaniello, and Michael Short pretending to be NYC police officers: Rap Crimes Division

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include Michael Ian Black (TV star of such wonderful hits as NBC’s Ed and MTV’s seminal sketch show The State, and more recently co-star of Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), Kumail Nanjiani (David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel, writer/performer for Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), and Sean Conroy (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, member of legendary improv troupe The Swarm)—guest-hosted by the wonderful and recently cigarette-free Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1) at Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should beWhiplash! 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 on this stand-up open-mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and Erin Lennox: Fresh

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 8/17/10

August 17, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

John Mulaney

John Mulaney performs tonight at Punch Up Your Llife

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm:Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, twoComedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Rachel Shukert (author of Everything is Going To Be Great), JC Coccoli (stand-up from LA), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Bell House Front Loungeguest-hosted by the gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen: Get Off Your Knees

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (star finalist on this summer’s Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central), Jon Gabrus (genius improv troupe Outlook of the Poet, genius storytelling showThe Nights of Our Lives, College Humor), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central),  and Jamie Kilstein (Comedy Central, Citizen Radio) performing at Brooklyn’s The Royal Oak with host Jordan Clifford: The Moon Show

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

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes The Opera, Robber Baron, Badman, Bastian, and Ragnaröck; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students mix it up with improv veterans—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jamie Kilstein (Comedy Central, Citizen Radio), Jen Kwok, Danny Solomon, Nore Davis, and Randy Epley performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($3): John Mulaney, Kurt Braunohler, Margot Leitman, and Matt Maragno performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (new comedy CD The Depression Auction) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Punch Up Your Life

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open-mic stand-up show that’s seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 4/27/10

April 27, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Mulaney, hot off his first appearance on SNL's Weekend Update, performs tonight at Punch Up Your Life

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): MC Chris (animator, voice artist, writer, and producer for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim) joins super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Robin Cloud, Shawn Hollenbach, Rich Kiamco, and Matt Militello performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Ragnaröck, Badman, DeCoster, Bastian, and Robber Baron; and at 11:00 pm Decoster “improvises brand-new classic plays by legendary playwrights who don’t exist,” plus stellar improv troupe The Law Firm: The People’s Court—all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($5): John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Jesse Popp, Jay Larson, Giulia Rozzi, Ryan Conner, and Michael Terry performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO, Comedy Central, Carson Daly, Insomniac Tour): Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Todd Barry (HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Ian Edwards (HBO, Conan O’Brien, SNL), Jay Larson (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, AMC), and “a very special guest co-host” performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open-mic stand-up show that’s seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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