NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 6/22/14

June 22, 2014

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Leo Allen

Leo Allen (above), Aparna Nancherla, Anthony Atamanuik, and more perform at The Macaulay Culkin Show…

Nikki Glaser

…and Nikki Glaser (above), Brooke Van Poppelen, Jo Firestone, and more—plus free food—at Taste Test Comedy

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] 6:00 pm ($10, which includes copious food samples): Nikki Glaser (former co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Sanding, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV’s Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co- host of Dive Comedy), Jo Firestone (dynamic rising star; host of Punderdome 3000 and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), Alingon Mitra (Last Comic Standing), and Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon, MTV’s Nikki and Sara Live, VH1’s Best Week Ever) performing stand-up at this unique show offering free food samples (cold-pressed juices from Tumeric, bite-sized portions of donuts from Dun-Well and fresh Italian pasta, and more) at Cielo at the Mayfair (242 West 49th Street) hosted by Chris Duffy (public radio host You’re the Expert): Taste Test Comedy

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Kate Emswiler & Kelly Buttermore perform a duo sketch show about the over-the-top characters typically attending a wedding at The Magnet theatre: Kelly & Kate

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Improv, sketch, and audience participation from group Pin-up Squirrels, plus improv guests, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Night Out with The Pin-Up Squirrels

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Abigoliah Schamaun (carny stand-up; co-host of Abigoliah’s Bizarre Bazaar and Dick’s Open Mic) hones a 30-minute stand-up set this week every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Abigoliah Schamaun

7:00 pm ($10): A one-man show by Mikey Montalbano about a singing doctor in debt at The PIT upstairs theatre: Paging Dr. Montalbano

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

7:30 pm ($10): Sketch comedy from Mikael Walter, Kevin Young, Christopher Simpson, Paul Travisano, and Tyler Foltz at The Magnet theatre: Citizen Models

[$] 7:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s performed on Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and Chelsea Lately, and has over 1 million Twitter followers, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Rob Delaney

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Strong lineup of Leo Allen (Comedy Central Presents, Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Funny or Die; writer for Comedy Central’s Review; former long-time writer for Saturday Night Live; former director/co-writer of Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van; host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry, razor-sharp stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, former writer/performer for FX’s Totally Biased), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives, The Tony and Johnny Show), Jo Firestone (dynamic rising star; host of Punderdome 3000 and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), Megan Neuringer (HBO’s Flight Of The Conchords, Comedy Central’s Kroll Show, @midnight, FOX’s Fringe, VH1’s Best Week Ever, MTV; freelance writer for Jimmy Fallon), Gavin McInnes (Vice), and Julio Torres performing stand-up or sketch at Brooklyn’s Shea Stadium (20 Meadow Street) hosted by Brett Davis, Sally Burtnick, and Brian McElroy: The Macaulay Culkin Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00, 9:45 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight’s comics include Neal Brennan and Michael Che at the 8:00 show; a great lineup of Ted Alexandro, Judah Friedlander, Nick Griffin, Marina Franklin, and Nick Thune at the 9:45 show; and Mark Normand, Jon Fisch, Big Jay Oakerson, and Wil Sylvince at the 11:30 show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Sunday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Storytellers Cammi Climaco, Anna Drezen, JiJi Lee, and Jolenta Greenberg compete in telling “the most wince-worthy, second-hand embarrassment-inducing tale. After every story, each contestant can ask the performer a question to draw out all the juicy and/or disturbing details. The more contestants fuck with each other, the better. In the end, the audience will name the winner to be crowned the King/Queen of Shame” at This Theater (154 West 29th Street, 2nd Floor): The Shame Game

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Guest improvisors Doug Stoley, Morgan Phillips, Josh Lewis, and Philip Markle, and guest improv groups Chelsea Dallas Falato and Brothers in Comedy, join host Skycopter (which includes the incredible David Carl) to make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One

8:00 pm ($5): Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker, blogger for Comedy Central), Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupes Murderfist and The Prom, co-host of The Dream Show), Nimesh Patel (Comedy Central, co-host of Broken Comedy), Sean Crespo (Onion News Network, co-host of Lasers in the Jungle), and Chris Thayer performing at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically terrific stand-ups (not announced) performing at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) typically hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central specials Animal Furnace and Live From Chicago): Comedy Night

9:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Ruby Marez about ADD, OCD, and more at The Magnet theatre: Excessively, Obsessively

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Finoia, Daralyn Kelleher, Nate Fernald, and KC Arora performing at the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly stand-up show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at Beauty Bar

[$] 9:30 pm ($12): All-gal group Wicked City performs Peter Pan-themed sketch at The PIT upstairs theatre: Wicked City Does Peter Pan

[TOP PICK]10:00 pm ($15; no min.): Neal Brennan (razor-sharp, edgy comedy veteran; HBO, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, co-creator of Chappelle’s Show, comedy album Women and Black Dudes), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Michelle Buteau (FOX’s Enlisted, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, VH1’s Best Week Ever, @midnight), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Crystian Ramirez, and Jason Lawhead performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Neal Brennan, Judah Friedlander, Michelle Buteau, and More

Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (put your name in the bucket at 3:45), providing 3 minutes or more per comic at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by James Ferrarella: Face-Plant Comedy Open Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 5:00 pm ($1): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam

[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there’ll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area (“Hot Chicks Room”) hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer

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

6:00 pm ($5): Hour-long open mic stand-up providing 5 minutes per comic. Check-in is at 5:45 at the new Comedians Club of New York (158 West 72nd Street), which was formerly The Triad Theatre: Comedians Club Open Mic

9:30 pm ($3): Open-mic comedy, with 3-5 minutes per walk-in performer who signs up (first come, first serve) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Will Neville: Amateur Night At The Gemini

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet hosted by Sebastian Conelli. Everyone who signs up—at 9:45 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress

[FREE] 10:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show (sign up’s at 9:45 pm) providing 5 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from the bucket at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Christi Chiello: Lance Bass Space Mic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.

Please feel encouraged to reach out to tell me about comedy shows, hire me for book or screenplay work, or for any other reason by emailing me at hy@hyreviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 9/9/13

September 9, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Kate McKinnon, Jessi Klein, and more at Wednesday’s gala Sweet

Leo Allen

Leo Allen hosts two editions of his stellar stand-up show for a comedy concert film taping: 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:

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($25 at the door or $31.50 online, and no food/drink min.; please note Mike says discount code DAISEY will get you $20 tickets, and while it’s not working online it might if you buy at the box office): MIke Daisey is one of the finest and most respected storytellers alive; and he’s not resting on his prior achievements. Just within the past year Mike churned out an amazing nine new shows at Joe’s Pub (including such instant classics as Fucking Fucking Fucking Ayn Rand and Five Technical Rehearsals in India)…and that was a mere prequel. Mike is now embarked on telling 29 new shows in a row in a 29-night, 44-hour monologue that’s “a living theatrical novel.” See it live at Joe’s Pub (425 Lafayette Street, between East 4th Street & Astor Place), or experience it at your convenience via iTunes: All the Faces of the Moon

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Presents and Comedy Central Half Hour specials, HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, FX’s Louie, E!’s Chelsea Lately, comedy CD The Depression Auction) tries out new material every night this week at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Joe DeRosa

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): “Jews in comedy have been ignored for too long. To combat this trend, The Magnet’s Jewish house team members have formed a Jewish super-group that will be performing around Jewish high holidays. Their Jewish shows will be based on Jewish monologues from a Jewish Rabbi about the upcoming Jewish holiday—which this week is Rosh Hashanah.” What else needs be said? Come and support The Chosen Ones

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Veteran improvisors will be touring as representatives of The PIT, and practicing tonight at The PIT downstairs lounge: The PIT TourCo

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): The UK’s renowned Cambridge University is known for great scholarly achievement…but also a comedy troupe named The Footlights that helped launch the careers of John Cleese (Monty Python), Hugh Laurie (House), Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), and more. The 2013 edition of this group performs tonight at UCB Chelsea as part of a world tour: The Cambridge Footlights: Canada

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The lovely and talented gals (and a couple of guys) of HelloGiggles.com share tales about their tumultuous relationships at UCB East, with storytellers Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Bethany Hall (producer of The Chris Gethard Show), Corrine Caputo, Phil Jackson, and Sean Morrow, plus extraordinary host Ruby Karp: HelloGiggles: Night Moves

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Chris Gethard (comedy genius; Conan O’Brien, The Office, Comedy Central, IFC; star of The Chris Gethard Show; The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives; author of bestseller A Bad Idea I’m About to Do and Weird New York), Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), Eliza Skinner (writer for Totally Biased), Beth Stelling (Conan O’Brien, The Moth), Bryan Cook (Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction), and Jim Tews performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) guest-hosted by Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1, host of Nick Turner & Acquaintances): Night Train

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, NBC, Broadway), John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code and Wildn Out, Comedy Central, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), and Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO’s Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Colin Quinn, John Mulaney, Gary Gulman, and More

8:00 pm ($8): Luke Ward & Kevin Shimko debut this dual-hosted talk show featuring interviews, sketches, music, variety acts, and more (though, sadly, no guests announced) at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Two-Night Talk Show

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they’ve never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): An improv double-bill at The Magnet theatre: 4Some (which includes rising star Lauren Olson) and Upstate

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Michelle Wolf (super-likeable dark comic rising star; MTV, IFC), Alice Wetterlund (MTV’s Girl Code), Doogie Horner (America’s Got Talent), Jeff Cerulli (MTV, VH1), and Nate Fernald (Comedy Central), plus music from Justin Kilburn, 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 writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV’s Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm (with another at 11:00 pm): Some of the finest comics in the world gather for the shooting of a comedy concert film at UCB Chelsea hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central): Whiplash: Concert Film Taping

9:30 pm ($8): “Twitter comes to the stage as sketch comedy when two of Twitter’s finest, @himynamesam and @mrgehring, combine their tweets and talent” at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Tweet Show: 140-Character Comedy

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Live stage readings of popular Saved By The Bell episodes, with each cast member allowed an optional 3-minute Zack Morris style “time out” for episode-specific stand-up or a fan fiction bonus scene at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Bayside Myself

9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phillip Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Twelve improv comics who are “friends of Dorothy” perform at The Magnet hosted by Andrew Fafoutakis: There’s No Place Like Home: A GLBTQ Event

[$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle’s Show, For the Love of the Game), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Kyle Dunningham (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents), Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET’s Comic View), Marina Franklin (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, VH1), and Dan Soder (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO’s Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Hannibal Buress, Nikki Glaser, Greer Barnes, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: : Some of the finest comics in the world gather for the shooting of a comedy concert film at UCB Chelsea hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central): Whiplash: Concert Film Taping

Monday Open Mics & Jams

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

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

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: Open-mic storytelling, with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area (“Hot Chicks Room”), hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling with Julia Wiedeman

7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Monday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Tim Duffy: Comics Phoning It In

7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at One and One Bar’s Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word’s Open Mic Joint

10:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience…and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night. If you’re a comic who couldn’t get booked on UCBT’s all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this exceptionally supportive stand-up open-mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jarrid Reed: Fresh

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

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

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

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

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

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

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

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 4/7/13

April 7, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Aidy Bryant

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

Leo Allen and Joe Pera

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

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

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

[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there’ll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area (“Hot Chicks Room”) hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer

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

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

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

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’s Louie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Kevin Meaney (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, HBO, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co -host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Todd Barry, Kevin Meaney, Mark Normand, and More

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

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

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

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

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

9:00 pm ($7): Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX’s In Living Color, Comedy Central), Kareem Green, Scout Durwood, Chloe Hilliard, Crystian Ramirez, and Jessica Salomon performing stand-up, plus music from Dj Roofeeo, at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry stand-up; writer for FX’s Totally Biased), Dave Waite, Paul Hooper, and Scott Nossen performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at Beauty Bar

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

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

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

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

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

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

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 11/28/11

November 28, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Benjamin Walker

Benjamin Walker, star of red-hot upcoming movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is among the top Broadway actors at tonight's Gravid Water...

Leo Allen

...and the wonderful Leo Allen hosts one more time before heading out of town for a while at tonight's we'll-miss-you-Leo 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 upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld) and ) and Micah Sherman (Second City, Improv Asylum) perform at The PIT to practice for the recording of their comedy songs album: MyQ & Micah Make Music

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): World-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of The Adam Wade Show; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here) hosts a show at The Magnet that’s “like watching the characters of The Wonder Years and Freaks & Geeks all grown up and telling coming-of-age tales of love, lost, regret, and redemption,” with tonight’s guests Justin Born, Michelle Ditzhazy, Matt Demblowski, and Dana Ross: Adam Wade’s Whatever Happened to the Nerds?

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Calise Hawkins, Laura Prangley, Liam McEneaney, Neil Thornton, Jude Destin, Cameron Esposito, and Patrick Mitchell performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

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: Four improvisers form teams with comics they’ve never performed with before atThe Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Film, and Broadway & off-Broadway stars Jonathan Kaplan (Falsettos (Tony nominee), Diary of Anne Frank on Broadway), Cristin Milioti (30 Rock; Coram Boy, Lieutenant of Inishmore on Broadway), Stephen Ruddy (Skype Duet, Chekhov’s Gun), Julie Sharbutt (Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night, Maladies), and Benjamin Walker (star of super-hot upcoming film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Inherit the Wind on Broadway) mixing it up with some of the greatest  improvisors in the world—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel, John & Scott), Michael Delaney (Conan O’Brien, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Stepfathers), Becky Drysdale (Baby Wants Candy, Let’s Have a Ball, One Woman in Several Pieces), and John Lutz (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, John & Scott) as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at UCB Chelsea for actor/director Stephen Ruddy’s Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): This show begins with a delightful concept—Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare—and then executes it with the joyful craft only a sharp, tight theatrical ensemble can create. Everyone in the cast is terrific, but especially memorable are Kate Turnbull as the love interest, Dan Hartley as Maverick, and Vayu O’Donnell who steals every scene he appears in with his hilariously deadpan delivery as Iceman. While this is playing at The PIT for a mere $10, it’s really legit Fringe theatre, and I hope it eventually makes its way to FringeNYC or Edinburgh—or better yet, develops more songs and gets a commercial run as a musical. Meanwhile, don’t miss this opportunity to see a way fun parody of a cult classic for about half of what you oughta be paying: Jester’s Dead

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8.50 in advance online or $8 at the door): Lizz Winstead, Ron Lynch, Dan Wilbur, and Joseph Keckler at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from a duo who between them won four 2011 ECNY Awards—including Best Variety Show and Best Hosts—Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety with Kurt & Kristen

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Andy Haynes (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), Sam Morril, Joyelle Nicole, Taylor Clark, and “a fun special guest” performing at the One and One Bar (1st Street & First Avenue) for this new weekly stand-up show hosted by Louis Katz, Tim Dimond, and J. F. Harris: Raw Guts

8:00 pm ($5): Your guess is as good as mine regarding this show at UCB East which fails to mention a lineup, a host, or any permission from the Kaufman estate to exploit Andy’s name, but here’s the official description: “Andy Kaufman’s legacy lives on in the next generation of performers who epitomize Andy’s alternative, bizarre, and envelope-pushing sense of humor:”Andy Kaufman’s Fun House

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($18): The winning team that created Pope!: An Epic Musical (a big hit at last year’s FringeNYC) and The Spidey Project (a media sensation) is now developing a pirate musical at The Magnet about “the dashing young hero Declan as he seeks out the vicious Martin La Foe, the second most famous pirate ever,” with book and lyrics by Justin Moran & Jon Roufaeal, and music by Adam & Matt Podd: Nightfall on Mirango Island

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of UCB Chelsea’s finest in-house sketch comedy troupes Fambly(spearheaded by rising star Mamrie Hart, who’s snared over 212,000 visits to date with her Harry Potter YouTube viral video), plus in-house troupe Neighbor Boy (which isn’t in the same league, but features such appealing performers as Kate Hess and Tim Dunn), trying out new bits at Maude Night

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

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Recine (Comedy Central), Micah Sherman, Aaron Glaser, Sean Crespo, Cameron Esposito, and Trey Galyon 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, 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 ($5): All-gal improv at The PIT from troupe Goldie and the Hawns (Jennifer Bild, Christine DeNoon, Julianne Dunn, and Brandy Mitchell), plus guest stand-up and sketch gal comics: Boneless! A Night of Women in Comedy

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

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

10:00 pm ($5): Improv is dominated by guys, so this is a rare treat—a dozen female improvisors “for an evening of comedy that will delight men, women, babies, and kittens,” hosted by Megan Gray: We Might Just Kiss

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Keith Huang: Base Jam

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world performing at UCB Chelsea—who tonight include Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX’sLouie, HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestlerand Pete Smalls is Dead) and Ron Lynch (Comedy Central, Adult Swim; visiting from LA, where he hosts the weekly comedy show Tomorrow!)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central) for the last time for a while as Leo is going out of town, so catch him while you can: 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 at The PITupstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 4/19/11

April 19, 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.

Leo Allen and Hannibal Buress

Stellar stand-ups Leo Allen and Hannibal Buress (above), plus hilarious storyteller Adam Wade, perform tonight at Brooklyn's "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:

 [TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in New York—Kate McKinnon, Neil Casey, Leslie Meisel, and more—preview shows they’ll be performing on the prestigiious UCBT schedule over the coming weeks at UCBT’S Spring Showcase

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 ($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), Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS’ Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), and more performing at theLolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creator Chris Hastings (Dr. McNinjas) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop cultureat Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BIRBIG): 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 CAPTCHA, Badman, Sandino, Ragnaröck, and Standard Oil, and at 11:00 pm UCBT improv students performing with Harold Night veterans at The Lottery—all at Harold Night

8:00 pm ($10): The worlds of “magic, mind-reading, and mutilation” are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Thoroughly wonderful guests Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), 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), 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 extravaganzas Real 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), musical guest Kenny Pickett, and more performing at Brooklyn’s The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Colin Quinn (too many credits to name; Colin’s recent Broadway show Long Story Short is now playing on HBO), Will Miles (stand-up visiting from Chicago), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:30 pm ($5): An improv troupe I haven’t yet seen but has received acclaim: The Chainsaw Boys

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

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 9/20/10

September 20, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Reggie Watts and Daniel Kitson

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

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Brilliant comedic singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm, and NYC stand-ups Joe List (Comedy Central), Jayson Cross (Nip/Tuck, The View), and Liz Faublas performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

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

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5 online or $8 at the door): Visiting UK comedy genius Daniel Kitson (if you don’t know, come and find out), Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who’s one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), and Noah Garfinkel (VH1’s Best Week Ever, Huffington Post, co-host of Totally J/K) 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] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Andrea Rosen (Comedy Central’s Stella, Variety SHAC), musical comedy duo Stuckey & Murray, Susan Burke (Comedy Central’s Important Things), and Matt Peters (Weeds) performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos produced by Adam Lowitt and Matt Goldich: It Is It

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, Verizon FIOS guy, Front Page Films, The Other Guys, comedy CD Come Clean), Jordan Carlos (Comedy Central), Kevin Barnett, Matt Donaher, and Barbara Holm performing at Aces & Eights (34 Avenue A, off 3rd Street) for John Szeluga’s Not Friday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Treasured Time Out NY Comedy Editor Jane Borden, Victor Varnado, Jullian McCullough, Chris DeLuca, Vanessa Hollingshead, and Emmett Montgomery performing stand-up in the Lolita Bar for producer Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Thomas Middleditch, Eliza Skinner, Mike Still, and tonight’s guest Will Hines—making up a musical on the spot along with virtuoso improv pianist Frank Spitznagel: Diamond Lion

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—with tonight’s blowout edition featuring UK storytelling genius Daniel Kitson, improv beatbox genius Reggie Watts, and stand-ups Ron Lynch and Jeffrey Joseph—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 4/5/10

April 5, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Two of the funniest people in the universe, Paul Scheer (above) and Kristen Schaal, 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:

6:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Rachael Parenta, Ray Marshall, Harrison Greenbaum, TJ Del Reno, Hailey Boyle, John Szeluga, and Ben Aflalo performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb stand-ups Wyatt Cenac (correspondent on The Daily Show), Sean Conroy (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, member of legendary improv troupe The Swarm), Ali Waller (former staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy host of Entertaining the Bartender), and Kevin Barnett, plus musical guest David Lowe, performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s finest house sketch comedy troupes, Stone Cold Fox and Gorilla Gorilla, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Saturday Night Live cast member Jenny Slate reprising one of the best one-person shows of 2009, which “takes place during my funeral, if I died right now as an eccentric millionaire and left $300 million to my dog,” and shows off Jenny’s immense sweetness, darkness, and wit, with treasured moments ranging from cheese thrown with deadly force to Jenny’s unforgettable pronouncement regarding men and porn; plus the also wonderful Jon Friedman performing a smart & silly one-man show, in the double-bill Dead Millionaire and Bear With Me

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAPRIL, plus 2-item minimum): A blowout gathering of thoroughly wonderful stand-ups—Kristen Schaal, Ted Alexandro, Reggie Watts, and host Todd Barry—showing they’re among the very best in the biz at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Todd Barry and Friends

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Jen Grant,  Gilad Foss, Jay Bois, Charlie Kasov, Julien Dionne, Kristeen von Hagen, Alex Grubard, and Miguel Dalmau performing at Pat O’Shea’s free weekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy’s Backroom: Ed Sullivan on Acid

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including genius TV & movie stars Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive; shining star correspondent onThe Daily Show; co-star of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; AMC’s Mad Men; star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets), Paul Scheer (co-star of FX’s The League and MTV’s Human Giant), and Sean Conroy (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, member of legendary improv troupe The Swarm)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 2/9/09

February 9, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Schaal

Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Schaal

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

the perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours, at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] genius comedy duo Kristen Schaal (co-star of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, correspondent for The Daily Show) & Kurt Braunohler (Penelope, Princess of Pets; ECNY Award winner), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), guitar comic Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1), ventriloquist Carla Rhodes, star songwriter Eytan Mirsky, and more at Liam McEneaney’s free Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),

three hours of fresh new sketch comedy by talented young UCBT writer/performers at Maude Night (8:00 pm & 9:30 pm),

brilliant, sexy comedic singer/songwriter Jessica Delfino (I Wanna Be Famous YouTube star), Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report), Pat Stango (Don’t Touch Me There), Charles Star (Adult Education), and more performing at a free weekly variety show in Brooklyn hosted by the razor-sharp Jena Friedman: Entertaining the Bartender (8:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] and a free weekly show featuring some of the finest comics in the country—who tonight include movie & TV comedy stars Zach Galifianakis (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, Comedians of Comedy), Kristen Schaal (co-star of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, correspondent for The Daily Show…and racing over from her gig at tonight’s Tell Your Friends), Eugene Mirman (HBO, Comedy Central, Adult Swim)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central) at Whiplash (11:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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