NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 5/17/11

May 17, 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.

Michael Showalter

Michael Showalter (above), Heather Lawless, Ophira Eisenberg, and more perform tonight 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:

7:00 pm ($5): Two tough guys from the 1930s will explain the ins and outs of Hollywood at sketch show Listen Kid! ; and duo improv by Dustin Drury and Andrew Yurman-Glaser in Upstate New York

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia performing a unique blend of stand-up and storytelling that’s one of the best theatrical shows in NYC. For my more detailed write-up, please click here; and then grab tickets at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop) for Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

8:00 pm ($5): Jon Rineman (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Victor Varnado (Conan O’BrienJimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC’s My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), and Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing) performing at the Lolita Bar for Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever), Greg Barris (host of Heart of Darkness), Erik Bergstrom, Sean Donnelly, and Selena Coppock performing stand-up at Queens LIC’s The Creek hosted by Jackie Zebrowski, Julia Johns, and Sharron Paul: Twats Up!

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

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Dybbuk, Grandma’s Ashes, Badman, Sandino, and Standard Oil, and at 11:00 pm a show so special it merits its own listing (please see below)—all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: 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), Heather Lawless (uniquely hilarious complainer; Comedy Central, Wonder Showzen, Variety SHAC), Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), and musical group The Last Car with Amy Miles 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: Tambourine and Rebound

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): TJ Miller (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Opie & Anthony; co-starred in ABC sitcom Carpoolers, TBS’ Very Funny Show; acted in feature films CloverfieldGet Him to the Greek, Unstoppable), Rob Cantrell (fun, organic stoner comic; The Marijuana-Logues), Mike Phirman (oddball musical comic), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:30 pm ($5): Sharp NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing at the PIT downstairs loungehosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and DirtyComedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Michael Kayne, Winston Noel, Amber Petty, Mike Still, Ashley Ward, and tonight’s guest Neil Casey (genius improvisor of Death by Roo Roo and The Two-Man Movie)—making up a musical on the spot along with virtuoso improv pianist Frank Spitznagel: Diamond Lion

[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.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 2/22/11

February 22, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you have a thyroid, or know someone with a thyroid, please consider buying my latest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

Michael Showalter and Wyatt Cenac

Michael Showalter, whose new bestselling book you can buy at half-price by clicking on the photo above, and Wyatt Cenac, who will be on stage for the sheer love of the craft, perform tonight at Seth Herzog's "Sweet"

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

7:00 pm ($5): Grace Helbig & Michelle Vargas parodying Lady Gaga and pop music in general in this singing sketch show: graceNmichelle: The Hamster Ball

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, eight improvisors trace the storylines of characters at a single event suggested by an audience member in Hell Buffalo

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress, Chris Sullivan a.k.a. Shockwave, Victor Varnado, Aidan Bishop, and Myka Fox performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb veteran improvisors—including Tara Copeland, Matt Higgins, and Matt Oberg—performing as new  troupe HugeTown

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Dybbuk, Standard Oil, Grandma’s Ashes, Badman, and Ragnaröck; and at 11:00 pm an improv show that begins and ends with the same scene—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: A lineup devoted to stand-ups from New Jersey—Mollie Sperduto, Alec Sobel, Peter Elias, Adam Mamawala, and more—performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) hosted by comedic rapper Andrew Singer and the delightful Abbi Crutchfield: Positively Awesome

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: The Sound & The Fury and Rebound

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent on The Daily Show), 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), Bobby Tisdale (former co-host of legendary and seminal NYC downtown comedy show Invite Them Up), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:00 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (finalist on last summer’s Last Comic StandingJay Leno, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, hot new comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Sean Donnelly (host ofLil’ Seany Boy), Susan Prekel, and more performing at the Ace of Clubs (9 Great Jones Street, underneath Acme Bar & Grill) hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and DirtyComedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm ($5): Elizabeth Blue performing her one-woman show in which she searches for meaning and happiness: Am I Blue

[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 have a thyroid, or know someone with a thyroid, please consider buying my latest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 2/21/11

February 21, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you have a thyroid, or know someone with a thyroid, please consider buying my latest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

Michael Showalter's Mr. Funny Pants

Michael Showalter has a new bestselling book, so go see him perform tonight at Hot Tub Variety

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: 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

7:00 pm ($5): 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; and duo improv from Ruby Marez and Binu Paulose will improvise within a single scene, in the double-bill The Cascade and RuBin

7:00 pm ($5): Comedy troupe Dept. of Etc. performing a show taking a silly look at reproduction:The Miracle of Birth

[FREE] 7:30 pm: The delightful Abbi Crutchfield (MTV, VH1, co-host of Positively Awesome), Adam Pateman, Doug Smith, Vlad Caamano, and Miguel Dalmau performing stand-up at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub guest-hosted tonight by Ray Marshall: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): 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), Patrick Borelli (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, and previously for Conan O’Brien; Adult Swim, ESPN; author of book Holy Headshot!), and Katina Corrao (HBO, Comedy Central, VH1) performing at Brooklyn’sLittlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Mike Still, Ashley Ward, and tonight’s guest Chelsea Clarke (Reuben Williams)—making up a musical on the spot along with virtuoso improv pianist Frank Spitznagel: Diamond Lion

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

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($5 cover if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $10], plus $7 drink minimum; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Stand-up & 30 Rock star Judah Friedlander; stellar storytellers Tom Shillue, Ophira Eisenberg, and Andy Christie; superb stand-ups Dan St. Germain and Leah Dubie; and author Bob Powers performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison’s Morrison Motel

8:30 pm ($5): Duo improv set in the roarin’ 1920s from David Levin & Alex Marino in The Cousins Zell; and duo improv from friends-like-sisters Lindsey Dinsmore & Julia Hynes in Sisser

9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, Arbuckle and Stone Cold Fox, trying out new bits at Maude Night

9:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show from Julie Ann Dulude about being raised by strict Catholic parents: Bless This Mess

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include John Mulaney, Eugene Mirman, Chris Gethard, and Carmen Lynch—at Whiplash

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you have a thyroid, or know someone with a thyroid, please consider buying my latest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 2/14/11

February 14, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you have a thyroid, or know someone with a thyroid, please consider buying my latest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.

Michael Showalter

It's a night for couples, with Michael Showalter & friend (Whiplash)...

Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal

...and Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal (Hot Tub Variety)

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: 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

7:00 pm ($5): 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; and duo improv by friends who, by a wild coincidence, have the same name, in the double-bill The Cascade and We’re Matt Weir

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($12): At this terrific annual tradition, “Three hot New York singles will ask outrageous questions to determine which of our hilarious PITizens will be their Valentine. The winners get a date and the losers get prizes that are way too inappropriate to mention here. Two winning couples from past shows have gone on to get married and have babies!” Really, how many shows can say that?: The PIT Dating Game

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, The Tyra Banks Show), Taylor Clark, James Parkinson, Daniel Tirado, and John F. O’Donnell performing at a free weekly show in theManchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

8:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy hosted by Madcar, and featuring such talents as Jeff Hiller and Katie Schorr, about the inevirable Valentine’s Day subject: Love Sucks!

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12): A small army of superb comedic writers, storytellers, and stand-ups—including Elna Baker, Adam Wade, Tom Shillue, Sara Schaefer, Seth Herzog, Ben Lerman, Katina Corrao, and Erin & Her Cello—sharing their tales of being turned down at Brooklyn’s The Bell House for this special Valentine’s Day edition of Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): The hilarious Found Footage Festival (oddball videos not to be missed), Sandra Bauled (YouTube star, MTV), and The Pajama Men (UK sketch comedy stars) performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety

9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, Onassis and Gramp’s, trying out new bits at Maude Night

9:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show from Julie Ann Dulude about being raised by strict Catholic parents: Bless This Mess

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include 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), Todd Barry (HBO,David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central PresentsThe Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), and Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV; for reenactment of Dan’s breakup, please click here)—at Whiplash

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you have a thyroid, or know someone with a thyroid, please consider buying my latest book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 10/28/10

October 28, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Michael Showalter

Michael Showalter is among the wonderful storytellers at tonight's edition of "Risk!"

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:

6:00 pm ($5): An oddball triple bill of sketch comedy—the potentially quite good Dystopia Gardens, the quite silly EC-comics inspired Orson Welles’ Basement of Terror, and the even way sillier Rob Lathan playlet A Benefit for Permanent Nutface Gary—all at tonight’s UCBT audition show Spank

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are the thoroughly wonderful Michael Showalter (The State, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer), Starlee Kine (This American Life, The New York Times), Jon Friedman (Jimmy Fallon, The Rejection Show), Nick Prueher (Found Footage Festival), and Keri Heidecker (Freak Magnet)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight’s theme “The Chase” at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Molly Knefel (newest member of superb theatrical improv troupeNaked in a Fishbowl) and her brother John Knefel host this monthly comedy show, with tonight’s guests Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; popular blogsNYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Dan Curry (Last Comic Standing), Ben Kissel (Roundtable of Gentlemen), and Jeff Kreisler performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): John and Molly Get Along

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

8:00 pm ($5): The Magnet’s co-owner Armando Diaz performs monologues on the spot and improvisors then act out scenes based on them at The Armando Diaz Experience

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($12.89 online with code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): NYC stand-ups Vic Henley, Mike Lawrence, Veronica Mosey, Mike Recine, Warren Holstein, and Russ Meneve performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Still Standing Up

8:00 pm ($5): A musical sketch comedy show, and a one-woman show about breast cancer, in the double-bill Sing Out, Louie! and Pam Murphy: The C Word

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): A comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) are shared by their original authors before total strangers at Mortified

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing stand-up on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killerset on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1): Comedy as a Second Language

9:30 pm ($5): In homage to Halloween, UCBT house sketch troupe Thunder Gulch presents aSaturday Night Live-inspired show that stars Frankenstein, Elvira, and Freddy Krueger: Monster Night LIve

[$] 10:00 pm ($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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupe The Beatles (Mike Still, Jim Santangeli, Achilles Stamatelaky, and Dan Klein) and genius improv troupe Outlook of the Poet (Gavin Speiller, Ben Rodgers, and Jonathan Gabrus) compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 12/6/09

December 6, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Michael Showalter and other comedy stars perform tonight at Eugene Mirman's Tearing the Veil of Maya

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

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

[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Stand-ups Matt Goldich, Adam Pateman, Dan Wilbur, and “very special surprise guests” performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm Doors, 8:00 pm Show ($10): Comedy stars Michael Showalter, John Mulaney, Kumail Nanjiani, and Thunderant (Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein) performing for this holiday show at Brooklyn’s Bell House hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman (who just released a new comedy album, God Is a Twelve Year Old Boy With Asperger’s): Tearing the Veil of Maya

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up veteran who’s appeared on David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Last Comic Standing; hosted the HBO stand-up showcase Down and Dirty; was a cast member of the wonderful though short-lived HBO sitcom Lucky Louie, and did his own HBO half-hour One Night Stand special; has appeared in such hit films as Spider-Man; is a regular on XM Satellite Radio’s The Opie & Anthony Show; and is the author of the book Happy Endings, headlining tonight at the Carolines Comedy Club: Jim Norton

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific NYC comics Mike Drucker, Dan St. Germaine, Team Submarine, Sean O’connor, Reese Waters, and Keith Alberstadt performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC comics Pat Stango, Ann Carr, Morgan Venticinque, and George Gordon performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Superb comics Ophira Eisenberg, Kate McKinnon, Gloria Bigelow, and H. Alan Scott performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.