NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 10/14/11

October 14, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

The fourth largest annual cultural event in NYC, attracting over 96,000 people, New York Comic Con is sold out for every day except TODAY, for which tickets are still available at $45. There will be tons of events about comics, TV, movies, and more, with panelists including such NYC comedy stars as Jessi Klein and Kevin Maher. To learn more, please click the image above.

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 Creekupstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Some of The Magnet’s finest comics—including the brilliant and delightful Lauren Olson (powerhouse one-woman show Our Condolences at last year’s FringeNYC)—team up with Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz to deliver sketch comedy in Good Morning, Ladies!

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($18): Tom X. Chao has a wry, deadpan sense of humor that graces indie theatre only occasionally. This weekend is among those rare times when Tom is performing one of his oddball comedic shows—which has received a glowing review from The New York Times—at the HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue—co-starring Tom and directed by the wonderful John Harlacher: Callous Cad

7:00 pm ($5): At this PIT double-bill, award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with “a celebrity guest improvisor’ at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Selena Coppock (author of upcoming book The New Rules for Blondes), John Moses (Sirius XM Radio), Josh Carter (College Humor), Joe Machi, and Monroe Martin performing stand-up at Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street) at this biweekly show hosted by Peter Ostrovski & Ilya Gofshteyn: Beautiful Comedy

[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/or Ben Rameaka (Airwolf)—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.)  A star stand-up who’s done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central’sTough Crowd with Colin Quinn and cast member on FOX’s The Jury; appeared repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O’Brien; and guest starred on such TV shows as NBC’s The Office and FOX’sArrested Development, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Patrice Oneal

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($20 [vs. $25] online or at the box office using discount code BOOK): Telly Savalas returns to life to entertain you and provide life guidance in this 50-minute show that was a hit at FringeNYC 2011 and is now enjoying an open-ended Friday night run at the Soho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club. The script is at times very smart, especially in its choices of hilarious video clips and music tracks from the real Savalas…who, in his more intense moments, apparently rivaled William Shatner at his silliest. But even when Hunter Nelson’s writing isn’t consistent, actor Tom DiMenna—who is a professional comic with great timing and skill at engaging an audience—will keep you entertained: Who Loves You, Baby?

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

[FREE] 8:00 pm: 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), Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET’s Comic View), Clayton Carrick-Leslie (visiting from New Zealand), Amaya Perea (visiting from LA), and Miguel Dalmau performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Postmark Cafe (326 6th Street) hosted by  Abbi Crutchfield & Luke: The Living Room

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Eight small improv teams compete as part of a 32-team tournament at The Creekupstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by James Ferrarella: The Arena Small Team Tournament, Round 2

[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] [FREE] 8:30 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), Pat Stango, Kate Hendricks, Robert Dean, Greg Stone, and “a very special guest” performing stand-up at One and One (76 East 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) in celebration of Sean’s wife’s birthday at Sean Donnelly’s Lil’ Seany Boy: Mariel Birthday Edition

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): Ace Magnet improvisors who are married, including improv genius Ed Herbstman, and Matt Fisher, Matt Evans, Christine Walters, Maggie Kemper, Robert Cuthill, Ryan Rodgers, Christian Paluck, and Michele Laikowski: The Mamas and the Papas

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): “WitStream is your 24-hour live comedy ticker. An endless flow of up-to-the-minute comedy and commentary delivered to you in real time: what’s funny about what’s happening, now.” Tonight’s scheduled contributors are Dave Hill, Matt McCarthy, Sam Grittner, Julia Segal, and Bridey Elliot performing at UCB East, plus lines typed remotely from other stellar comics: WitStream Live

[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): 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 stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:30 pm ($10): Sketch comedy from Jen Curran (Harvard Sailing Team) Clayton Early (Harvard Sailing Team), and Chris Roberti (New Excitement) at The PIT upstairs theatre, plus stand-up, music, and more: The Monster Show

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($15): Nerds team up with artistic strippers in “this sexy symposium that will settle a feud that has raged since the Golden Age of Comics: Which is superior, DC or Marvel? Arguing on behalf of Team Marvel will be nerd rapper Schaffer the Darklord and his team of marvelous maidens Lefty Lucy, BB Heart, Mary Cyn and Fem Appeal. Leading the arguments for Team DC will be vaudevillian Nelson Lugo with evidence provided by DC darlings Iris Explosion, Magdalena Fox, Victoria Privates, and Cherry Pitz (stellar storyteller Cyndi Freeman). The winner will be determined by your vote. In addition, we’ll have a raffle drawing, and stage a contest for the best-costumed audience member. Think Geek!” The extravaganza will happen at tonight and Saturday at The Tank Theater at TADA (15 West 28th Street, between Broadway & Fifth Avenue): Epic Win Burlesque Presents DC vs Marvel

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: “Improv comedy that’s all like, ‘Have you been drinking tonight, sir?’ but then is all like, ‘Lemme get a sip'” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Teenage Cop

[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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Stellar talents who are comics fans perform monologues and other bits at a show that will appear at this Saturday’s New York Comic Con at 11:00 am, but that for night owls is first happening at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Nedalogues

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Dan Chamberlain, and troupe Moonfight performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D’Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

[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

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Hammerkatz NYU competing with a typically obscure sketch troupe (I don’t know why, that’s just how this show is done) for audience laughs and votes at UCB West, with troupe Sidecar hosting: Backyard Brawl

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

 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 Sunday 10/9/11

October 9, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Michael Showalter and Nerd Lover

Michael Showalter performs at "Pretty Good Friends;" stellar writers & comics are at Kevin Maher's "Sexy Nerds & Dirty Words".....

The Bandana Splits

...and music from The Bandana Splits, and more, at The Moon 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:

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

[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

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Advanced Magnet students performing improv as couples directed by Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz: Dynamic Duos

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Justin Shanes (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Streeter Seidell (College Humor), and Dan Gurewitch (College Humor) participate in “a weekly podcast that assembles a new panel of comedians and weird characters to give funny advice, or at the very least relate to the people’s problems with their own stories” at UCB East hosted by Andy Rocco: Here to Help

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A one-time-only event “where erotica meets neurotica, where the obscene meets the obscure, with geeks providing comedy for geeks” from Kevin Maher (creator of the smash hit Kevin Geeks Out shows; HBO, Comedy Central, AMC). Performers include Web superstar Mark Douglas (The Key of Awesome) doing stand-up, Mike Edison (author of Dirty! Dirty! DIrty!) chronicling the history of America’s greatest girlie magazines, M. Sweeney Lawless revealing a secret conspiracy in comic book covers, and Iris Explosion doing burlesque dancing; plus Geek Bingo! It all happens at Under St. Marks: Sexy Nerds & Dirty Words

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBwest’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] 7:30 pm ($5): Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star;Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), utterly adorable comedic singers The Bandana Splits (for video samples, please click here and here), delightful comedic singer Camille Harris, and more performing at UCB East along with sketches from Moon regulars Camille Harris, Jordan Clifford, Stephanie Fagan, Bryan Condon, and Tim Skinner, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Michael Showalter (MTV’s The State, comedy troupe Stella, writer/star of feature films The Baxter and Wet Hot American Summer and Comedy Central’s Michael & MIchael Have Issues; author of bestselling new book Mr. Funny Pants), 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), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here), and Cameron Esposito (acclaimed storyteller; one-woman show Side Mullet Nation; Logo TV) performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for comedy giant Eugene Mirman’s Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Seaton Smith, Tess Barker, Frank Liotti, and Reid Taylor performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[$] 8:00 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who’s been called “The African King of Comedy,” and has performed on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, BET’s ComedyView, and the feature film Next Friday headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

[FREE] 8:00 pm: From the producers of The Scene, improvisors at The PIT downstairs lounge make up one-act plays on the spot: Act One

8:00 pm ($5): A troupe that performs a sketch show with an improv segment at the end directed byMagnet co-owner Armando Diaz: Dumbrowsky

8:00 pm ($5): PIT improvisors Nate Starkey & Chris Grace makes stuff up in Two-Prov with Starkey & Grace

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, host of Monsters), and Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central; co-host of The Party Machine) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Maureen Langan (Jay Leno, Joy Behar), Emily Epstein, and Adam Lehman performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle:Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

11:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes not associated with a particular comedy theatre at UCB East, hosted by Thank You Robot: Indie Improv Showcase

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 Friday 3/25/11

March 25, 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.

Kevin Geeks Out About Dream Sequences

Movie superfans Kevin Maher & Tom Blunt host a not-to-be-missed collection of jaw-dropping film clips: Dream Sequences

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 ($8): Award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with “a celebrity guest improvisor’ at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12; buying online highly recommended because this will very likely sell out): An amazing array of oddball haunting film clips, plus a delightful set of guests—ranging from authors to harp players—guide you through some of Hollywood’s worst nightmares and most enchanting fantasies, hosted by movie super-fans Kevin Maher & Tom Blunt at 92 Y Tribeca for a show you’ll probably remember for years to come (whether you want to or not…): Dream Sequences

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.)  A comedy star who’s snared just about every major credit a comic can—and is a long-time cast member of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm—headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Richard Lewis

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Mamrie Hart is a rising star who somehow manages to be razor-sharp yet immensely warm & accessible at the same time. Don’t miss this rare talent, who seems to be getting better every month, with her comedy partner Stephen Soroka performing as Best of Friends in their new sketch show which educates you about how to effectively promote it when you tell all your pals to see it: BoF: It’s Pronounced ‘Boaf’!; and in the other half of this double-bill, a two-man sketch show from Two Fun Men

[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 andMy 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, performing 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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott performing with a three-piece rock ensemble: Centralia

8:00 pm ($7): “In March of 2009 a gaggle of performers were born. Some died, some wandered off into the woods, others went to work in the private sector. Those that remained grew strong by feeding on the nectar of specific choices and the gruel of strong character work. The 2-year-old terror that exists today is akin to watching a Tsunami of hair and teeth attack a baby Blue Whale and destroy it with the will of a thousand hungry Burnese Mountain Dogs. What does it all mean? We don’t know.” In other words, improv from Chet Watkins

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sharp NYC stand-ups (lineup not announced) performing at O’Hanlon’s (14th Street off 1st Avenue): Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A star stand-up duo—whose numerous comedy credits include starring in their own MTV show Apartment 2F; performing a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; guest-starring in an Emmy-winning episode of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, on Entourage, on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy (as conjoined twins), and FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; and performing in four seasons of ESPN’s Cheap Seats—headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: The Sklar Brothers

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: “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] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

9:00 pm ($7): Duo improv set in the roarin’ 1920s from David Levin & Alex Marino in The Cousins Zell

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): 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) delivering a brand new collection of sketches titled Ms. Larsen’s Class: The Harvard Sailing Team

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

10:30 pm ($10): Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other fine improvisors make up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

11:00 pm ($5): “Actors enter with cell phones, not knowing what the night will hold. Their job: To speak aloud whatever they hear through their earpieces. The phones start to ring and the real-time adventure begins. Spontaneous conversations, narrated journeys, and unique experiences overlap as the night’s theme sporadically emerges: Line One

[FREE] 11:00 pm: A free show featuring stand-up and sketch comedy guests hosted by improv troupe Bad Luck Rising

11:30 pm ($5): Five women performing an improvised, and possibly tipsy, parody of The View at Focus

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Hammerkatz NYU and Atomic Age compete for audience laughs and votes, with troupe Sidecar hosting, in Backyard Brawl

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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 12/1/10

December 1, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Kevin Geeks Out About Genre Busters

Kevin Maher revives his beloved series exploring the odd and fannish with tonight's gathering of writers in less than respected genres: Kevin Geeks Out About Genre Busters

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 in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[$] 7:30 pm ($15): Superb storyteller Martin Dockery (The Moth, The Liar Show; acclaimed as “fantastic” by The New York Times) testing out a brand new fictional one-man show that’s “a man confronted with an eternity in paradise…a flight of fancy about the afterlife” at Dixon Place: Heist

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Five authors doing amazing work in less-than-respected genres—young adult novels, comic books, romance novels, wrestling magazines, and mash-up literature—offer presentations on such topics as ‘Why We Kill Everyone” and “Tales Designed to Thrizzle” hosted by super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca: Kevin Geeks Out About Genre Busters

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Award-winning British comedy writer & book author Jane Bussmann (South Park, Brass Eye, The Fast Show) performs her acclaimed Edinburgh Festival show for one night only: Bussman’s Holiday: The Worst Date Even

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door, $5 online with discount code Supermango): Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzasReal Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted, hilarious stand-up; MTV, Comedy Central; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here)), Katina Corrao (HBO), and a mystery guest so special that he can’t even be named here, performing at the Bowery Poetry Club with host Dan Allen: ¡Sacapuntas!

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories) tonight debut a weekly stand-up comedy show, with their first lineup including Andrea Rosen, Mara Herron, Nick Turner, Gilad Foss, Matt Ruby, George Gordon, and more performing at Brooklyn’s Hank’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Saloon (46 Third Avenue at Atlantic): Dive Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Will Hines, Erin Judge, Amy Beckerman, Jason Saenz, Jeff Kreisler, and Boris Khaykin performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Adsit & Gausas have virtually become legends as one of the most brilliant and passionate duos in improv comedy for making up theatrical scenes on the spot with breathtaking skill. The duo recently decided to refresh their palettes via other couplings; for example, Christina Gausas last month paired with Becky Drysdale, and will likely do so again early next year (keep an eye on the UCBT schedule). Meanwhile, Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-director & cast member of Adult Swim’s awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) tonight buddies up with fellow 30 Rock actor John Lutz (who previously spent six years as a staff writer forSaturday Night Live), forming what’s likely to be another magical improv duo: John & Scott

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 4/16/10

April 16, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Lectures on Don Knotts: Reluctant Sex Object, Jesus vs. Magneto, the making of Monster's Ball, and much more when superfan Kevin Maher invites his very special friends to entertain you at Kevin Geeks Out All-Stars

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): In this fun show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member’s suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with “all the music and magic of a Disney flick…plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:” Once Upon a Time

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Superfan Kevin Maher hosting a two-hour cultural cavalcade at 92Y Tribeca of trivia, prizes, free cookies, and guest speakers “presenting rare film footage and TV clips you won’t find on YouTube or Netflix.” Tonight’s blowout includes an analysis of whether Jesus would best Magneto in a fight; Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Will Rokos describing the rollercoaster ride of bringing Monster’s Ball from script to screen; a lecture on Don Knotts: Reluctant Sex Object; and much more. Don’t miss one of the best shows in NYC, which consistently sells out in advance (buy your ticket online by clicking here): Kevin Geeks Out All-Stars

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Comedy dynamo Shannon O’Neill debuting her extravaganza about an annual talent show in “Charlie Sheen Prison, the only talent show starring the criminally retarded and insane,” directed by the wonderful Will Hines; plus Kate McKinnon, Sarah Claspell, Nicole Drespel, Jocelyn Guest, Veronica Osorio, and Aaron Glaser perform a sketch show written by Leila Cohan and Caitlin Tegart about Smith, our nation’s largest women’s college, in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and This is About Smith

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($41.00 plus 2-drink minimum): A former Saturday Night Livestar headlining tonight through Saturday at Carolines: Kevin Nealon

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): A beloved high-concept sketch troupe that delights in exploring silly ideas and wordplay (for example, demonstrating that a caveman and the Cookie Monster sound remarkably alike when saying such things as “Me have problem with subject/verb placement…”) debuts an all-new show: Elephant Larry

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Genius comedic actress Kate McKinnon, comedy dynamo Shannon O’Neil, and numerous other talents ask you to “join Dusty Springfield and your favorite dead singers from the 60’s and 70’s as they blow the pearly gate right off its hinges. The music is live, the performers are not, so come get rocked at the concert God himself wants you to see!”: Dusty Springfield: Live in Heaven

[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 2/19/10

February 19, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Super-fan Kevin Maher screens a breathtaking collection of hilarious film clips tonight when Kevin Geeks Out About Monkeys

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 ($5): Improvisors Brigid Boyle, Emily Bryan, Nicole Cascio, Caroline Ficksman, and Alexis Saarela parodying The View in a show self-described as “Hey, Darlings! Come sit down with a cup of coffee (or perhaps a martini) and join the panel of five of New York’s most talkative and opinionated women as they discuss the week’s events, and interview alluring guests from the worlds of literature, politics, comedy, and more. Let’s talk about issues, over drinks!” This show will keep you in Focus

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Wonderful stand-ups Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central) and Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC’s My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Awkward Kings of Comedy; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), and Neil Stastny (MTV); sketch comedy from Roger Hailes, Steve Bossous, Sean Donnelly, and hosts Pat Stango & Blaine Perry; musical group Fortress of Attitude; and a super-secret script reading of the last episode of Lost, all at Karma Lounge for this endearingly oddball monthly comedy show: Don’t Touch Me There

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hilarious film clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is summed up by this trailer; the show is sold out, but grab tickets for subsequent shows now while they’re still available; or show up and hope for a stand-by line for Kevin Geeks Out About Monkeys

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Amy Heidt’s one-woman show was one of the very best productions at this past August’s FringeNYC Festival (for my review, please click here); if you didn’t catch it then, don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see Amy demonstrate her brilliance as both actress and writer. Plus Kate McKinnon, Sarah Claspell, Nicole Drespel, Jocelyn Guest, Veronica Osorio, and Aaron Glaser perform a sketch show written by written by Leila Cohan and by Caitlin Tegart about Smith, our nation’s largest women’s college, in the double-bill Amy Heidt: Dominate Yourself! and This is About Smith

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Wonderful stand-ups Hannibal Burress, Kurt Braunohler, Stuckey and Murray, Hari Kondadbolu, Bobby Miyamoto, Claudia Cogan, and Mike Recine performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for hosts Nick Turner’s & Jason Saenz’s Too Cool for School

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member “Oh, I’ve been though a whole lot worse than this.” Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out…and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show’s title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened…) Come catch the final performance of this February commercial run: Hot Cripple

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($30 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $35], plus 2-item minimum): An MTV and movie film star headlining at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Tom Green

8:00 pm ($10): “A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics,” following sold out shows at Joe’s Pub: Political Subversities

8:00 pm ($5): John O’Donnell tells lots of comedic stories in his long-running one-man show The O’Donnellogues

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

9:30 pm ($10): Improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan following up winning the recent SketchProv Tournament with this PIT run, and veteran improv duo formerly known as Project:Projekt, in the double-bill Swords and The Nathan & Joe Show

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): “Jon Gabrus is a rugby player from Long Island who loves to drink, which is the perfect trifecta for getting into ridiculous and dangerous situations. Come drink along with Gabrus as he shares some of his beer-soaked tales, like the time he ate a dead snake, or cooked a fork on a barbecue and branded himself…twice. There will plenty of drinking games, lots of audience participation, and an appalling lack of shame. His bartender, special guests, and his lack of self-control will join forces to create a night Jon probably won’t remember:” Blackout Drunk

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 12:20ish am: My favorite open-mic stand-up show, where odd things involving drunk audience members tend to happen at it heads towards 2:00 am, normally hosted by brilliant & lightning-quick Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, VH1’s Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, host of Punch Up Your Life)…though if Pete isn’t back in town yet, expect a stellar guest-host for Gutbucket

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 1/22/10

January 22, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Movie super-fan Kevin Maher delivers an unforgettable collection of hilarious film clips at Kevin Geeks Out: Visions of the Future

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): In this fun new show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member’s suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with “all the music and magic of a Disney flick…plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:” Once Upon a Time

7:00 pm ($10): Michael O’Brien (SNL) and Lyndsay Hailey (iO Chicago) performing a mix of improv and sketch for one night only as Big White Angels

7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups & storytellers Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Slam champion, Sideshow Goshko), Adrienne Iapalucci, Justin Murray, Sassi, and Brian Bromberg, plus musical guest Adam Dunstan, all performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Calvin S. Cato’s Nouveau Poor

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Stand-ups Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, upcoming HBO series Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Sean Donnelly, and Steve Bossous; sketch comedy from Roger Hailes, and hosts Pat Stango & Blaine Perry; musical group Fortress of Attitude; the debut of a new short film in 3-D; and much more at Karma Lounge for this occasionally oddball monthly comedy show: Don’t Touch Me There

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hilarious genre film clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on an irresistible topic…to get a feel for it, please click here: Kevin Geeks Out: Visions of the Future
Please Note: Since this morning’s posting, Kevin’s show has entirely sold out, including standby tickets. But you can purchase tickets for next month’s extravaganza, focusing on Monkeys, by clicking here.

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A young, dynamic and inventive musical improv troupe making up a theatrical story with songs on the spot: Veal

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($23 online today, or $18 for Saturday, if you use code VIPJAN [otherwise $30], plus 2-item minimum):A star stand-up who’s performed on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno; performed three of his own Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; was a regular on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Shorties Watchin’ Shorties; is a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show and the Opie and Anthony radio show; hosted his own radio program on NYC’s 92.3 Free FM; creates periodic Web-based free audio shows for Blog Talk Radio; and has acted on such TV shows as HBO’s The Sopranos and Lucky Louie, and was nominated twice for an Emmy award for his writing on The Chris Rock Show, headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Nick DiPaolo

8:00 pm ($10): Disarmingly charming comedy duo Mamrie Hart and Stephen Soroka performing silly skits and—most memorably—tackling the news on the fly based on audience requests; and an all-white musical about fast food that claims to “give
new life to the most popular songs of Tupac Shakur. Join us for a romp through
all the themes held most dear to Tupac’s heart: economic oppression, dreams
deferred, and mall food courts,” in the double-bill BoF in This Old Thing and 2Pac: The Musical

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Allison Castillo (Comedy Central), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central), Dan Goodman (HBO, Starz, Cinemax, Showtime, Encore), Dan Curry (The Onion), and Kevin Barnett (Florida comic who recently moved to NYC) performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for hosts Nick Turner’s & Jason Saenz ‘s Too Cool for School

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($7): A special 3-Year Anniversary Edition of singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

9:30 pm ($10): Improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan following up winning the recent SketchProv Tournament with this new PIT run, and veteran improv duo formerly known as Project:Projekt, in the double-bill Swords and The Nathan & Joe Show

11:00 pm ($5): Three NYC sketch troupes— New Excitement, Kelly and Greg, and Mr. Whitepants—each performing one of their most popular bits and one of their personal favorites in a sketch revue hosted by James Eason & Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

11:00 ($5): Improvised one-act plays by four experienced improvisors relatively new to NYC, including superb Austin comedic actress Lee Eddy: The Hypotheticals

11:30 ($5): Improvisors Brigid Boyle, Emily Bryan, Nicole Cascio, Caroline Ficksman, and Alexis Saarela parodying The View in a show self-described as “Hey, Darlings! Come sit down with a cup of coffee (or perhaps a martini) and join the panel of five of New York’s most talkative and opinionated women as they discuss the week’s events, and interview alluring guests from the worlds of literature, politics, comedy, and more. Let’s talk about issues, over drinks!” This show will keep you in Focus

[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 12/18/09

December 18, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Movie super-fan Kevin Maher delivers an unforgettable collection of hilarious film clips at Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag

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] 7:30 pm: Superb stand-ups Sara Schaefer, Reese Waters, Sean Donnelly, and Nick Cobb, and much more performing in Karma Lounge at this special holiday edition of occasionally uncomfortable comedy from beloved sketch & stand-up comedy hosts Blaine Perry & Pat Stango: Don’t Touch Me There

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A big show gets even bigger tonight when comedy giant Dave Hill debuts an expanded hour-long version of his charming and hilarious one-man show about a musical tour overseas: Dave Hill: Big in Japan

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hilarious genre film clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on holiday-themed movies (e.g., a video tribute to tribute to Chanukah, “How He-Man Spent the Holidays”), plus an assortment of Kevin’s flat-out favorites covering such diverse topics as Shakespeare, Godzilla, The Smurfs, Kafka, cupcakes, Batman, and The Harlem Globetrotters, plus free holiday cupcakes and trivia prizes: Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and impressionist who’s also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific stand-ups & comedic storytellers Kevin Allison (MTV’s The State, RISK!), Sean Patton (Comedy Central, VH1), Barry Rothbart (MTV, Discovery Channel), Sean Lynch (MTV, Moon Over Oniontown), and more performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for Nick Turner’s Too Cool for School

8:00 pm ($10): A beloved high-concept sketch troupe that delights in exploring silly ideas and wordplay (for example, demonstrating that a caveman and the Cookie Monster sound remarkably alike when saying such things as “Me have problem with subject/verb placement…”) debuts its all-new show for the holidays: Elephant Larry’s Mandated Christmas Event

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics performing stand-up in Ochi’s Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by the lovely Jenny Rubin: The Back Room

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

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

11:00 pm ($5): Ace sketch troupe Olde English, plus comedy guests who are asked to perform entirely new material—who tonight are stand-ups Jamie Kilstein and Roger Hailes, and cartoonist Emily Flake (Lulu Eightball)—at Very Fresh

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 12:20ish am: My favorite open-mic stand-up show, where odd things involving drunk audience members tend to happen at it heads towards 2:00 am, hosted by brilliant & lightning-quick Pete Holmes: Gutbucket

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 11/20/09

November 20, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Hundreds of hilarious movies clips are screened tonight in rapid-fire fashion at the not-to-be-missed event Kevin Geeks Out About Dummy Deaths

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

6:30 pm ($5): An all-gal sketch troupe that was a hit at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, and a one-man show, at this double-bill of auditions for a UCBT prime-time performance slot: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting and Ray Munoz

7:00 pm ($10): A new sketch show from Chris & Rebecca Smith, two members of world-class sketch troupe The Harvard Sailing Team who are married to each other: The New York Smiths

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: One of the finest stand-ups ever, Anthony Jeselnik (staff writer & performer on Jimmy Fallon; HBO, Comedy Central Presents) headlines a show that also includes Liz Miele (Comedy Central), Charlie Kasov (new film Sensitive Guido), and more on a show delivering occasionally uncomfortable comedy in Karma Lounge hosted by beloved sketch & stand-up comedy duo Blaine Perry & Pat Stango: Don’t Touch Me There

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hundreds of hilarious horror movie clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on a very odd and uniquely cinematic moment: Kevin Geeks Out About Dummy Deaths

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A delightful comedic cast—Kurt Braunohler, Andrea Rosen, Matt McCarthy & Katina Corrao, Rob Lathan, sketch troupe Pangea 3000, Jill Donnelly, Gabe Liedman, and Nick Ross—performing very silly stage acts in this 2-year anniversary celebration of Eliot & Ilana Glazer’s High School Talent Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A new sketch show from highly talented husband & wife comedy team Tim Girrbach & Alicia Levy about “The journey of two unlikely hip-hop stars to the top of the charts told through the people who made them—managers, stylists, choreographers, optometrists. Written and preformed by Alicia & Tim, and directed and choreographed by Wendy Seyb: Paired Up and Pumpin’

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: A blowout gathering of comedic talent, including Livia Scott (magical comedic chameleon; Conan O’Brien), Donald Glover (writer for 30 Rock; NBC’s Community, co-writer/co-star of film Mystery Team), Timmy Williams (IFC’s Whitest Kids U Know), Dave Rosinski (Animal Planet’s The Dave Rosinski Show), Travis Irvine (Jay Leno), and Neal “The Real Deal” Stastny (original host of E’s Talk Soup) performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for Nick Turner’s Too Cool for School

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) One of the most popular contestants on Last Comic Standing, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ralphie May

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics performing stand-up in Ochi’s Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by the lovely Jenny Rubin: The Back Room

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe focusing on our favorite city: Centralia: The New York Show

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

11:00 pm ($10): Chuck Armstrong and Charlie Stockman, a sketch comedy duo from Seattle, performing a short run at The PIT while visiting NYC: Charles

11:00 pm ($5): Ace sketch troupe Olde English, plus comedy guests who are asked to perform entirely new material, at Very Fresh

[TOP PICK] ($5) 12:20ish am: UCBT female comics take over the stage for “a safe, supportive environment where fans of the Twilight saga can celebrate their love for these dazzling, perfect, beautiful works of film and literature:” Twihards Anonymous: A Meeting of Twilight Addicts

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 10/23/09

October 23, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For Q&A with bestselling author Elna Baker, please click here.

Super-fan Kevin Maher unveils a glorious collection of horror movie clips tonight at Kevin Geeks Out About Vincent Price

Super-fan Kevin Maher unveils a glorious collection of horror movie clips tonight at Kevin Geeks Out About Vincent Price

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): The debut of a comedic play about the erotic escapades of heavily franchised characters: The Sex Lives of Disney Princesses

7:00 pm & 8:30 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:30 pm ($6.13 per show online): NYC improv and sketch troupes—many of whom perform at The PIT—compete against each other via this unusual annual contest in which each group, regardless of specialty, will perform both improv and sketch…as well as a comedy form known as sketchprov using the Second City routine The Pad. The 27 teams participating this year are Audience of Two, Bacivo Nuggets, Bad Luck Rising, Cool Guyot, Dave and Ethan, Do You Like This in Your Face?, Dumpster Tequila, Etc…, Foolhardy Manor, Friends of the Museum, Gentleman Caller, Halfbear, Hopeful Chester, Inside Joke Films, Maybe Sherman, Mrs. Estherhouse, Ninja Sex Party, Nobody’s Token, Party Lights, Pembroke and Lu, Peoples Sketch Association, SidViscous, Sisters!, Slapstick Picnic, Swords, Veal, and Yawn. The competition, running through Saturday, is SketchProv

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Superb stand-ups Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC’s Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1’s Best Week Ever; Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show) and Julian McCullough (Comedy Central), plus much more in Karma Lounge at this special Halloween edition of occasionally uncomfortable comedy from beloved sketch & stand-up comedy hosts Blaine Perry & Pat Stango: Don’t Touch Me There

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of horror movie clips from super-fan Kevin Maher at 92 Y Tribeca when Kevin Geeks Out About Vincent Price

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($29 & 2-item min.): A highly popular co-star of the Comedians of Comedy tour and Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, and a regular on Conan O’Brien, headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Brian Posehn

[$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) A Curb Your Enthusiasm star and superb stand-up headlining at Carolines: Susie Essman

8:00 pm ($10): One-man shows by Greg Tuculescu (ace sketch troupes Quiet Library and Stone Cold Fox) and stand-up comic Brent Sullivan, in the double-bill F@#&ing Foreigners and Fag Life

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Superb stand-ups Sean Patton, Ali Waller, Bobby Miyamoto, Luke Cunningham, and Zach Sims, plus clips from the filmmakers of the new film Everything is Terrible, at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for Nick Turner’s Too Cool for School

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics performing stand-up in Ochi’s Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by the lovely Jenny Rubin: The Back Room

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

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

[FREE] 12:20ish am: Your opportunity to perform on the UCBT stage with improv veterans, hosted by stellar troupe The Law Firm: Jammin’ with Ralph

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For Q&A with bestselling author Elna Baker, please click here.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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