NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 10/16/11

October 16, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Patrice Oneal

Patrice Oneal headlines one last night at Carolines...

Elna Baker

...and Elna Baker is "Here to Help"

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] [$] 2:00 pm ($18): Tom X. Chao has a wry, deadpan sense of humor that graces indie theatre only occasionally. Today 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 theHERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue—co-starring Tom and directed by the wonderful John Harlacher: Callous Cad

[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] 5:30 pm: Improv duo The Bedtime Brothers begin by making up scenes based on an audience member’s horrible dating or break-up experience, and end with scenes springboarding off an audience-supplied movie quote; and in between invited stand-ups and sketch comics perform. It all happens at at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City: Love Sucks! Movies Rock!

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Elna Baker (genius storyteller, and bestselling author of the comedic book The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance; writer for Glamour, Elle; NPR’sThis American Life; co-host of red-hot The Talent Show), John Flynn (host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!The Nights of Our Lives), Matt Fisher (stellar improvisor & sketch comic; The Law Firm, Sidecar), and “a surprise guest” 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

[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

7:30 pm ($5): Ray Munoz telling true stories about growing up in NYC, and gal improvisors springboarding scenes from their real life childhood diaries, in a double-bill at UCB East (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Off the Cuff and Red Vag of Courage

[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): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Barry Rothbart, and Adam Clayton-Holland performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall with tonight’s guest-host Msx Silverstri: Pretty Good Friends

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 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’s Tough 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’s Arrested Development, headlining one more night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Patrice Oneal

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Calise Hawkins (writer for Playboy.com), Harry Terjanian, Scott Moran, and Andrew Short performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Magnet sketch comics performing new material: Ripe Sketch Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge for a free weekly show typically hosted by Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

9:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups perform sets at The PIT, and then improv troupe Before the Accident makes up scenes springboarding off the material: Daws of Death

9:30 pm ($5): All-gal sketch troupe Chloroform Babiez debuting at The Magnet with the defensive title Never Heard of You Either

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

[$] 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 at the Carolines Comedy ClubPaul Mooney

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Allison Castillo (Comedy Central), Calvin Cato (The Onion), and Chris Doucette performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy guest-hosted tonight by the show’s founder Adam Sank: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

11:00 pm ($5): “Iconic soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live are ending, so climb out of the well your stepfather has trapped you in, grab your evil twin, and join us for some steamy, sexy, funny bits that celebrate the demise of daytime television. Hosts and secret BFFs Susan Lucci and Kelly Ripa will toast daytime fans and fanatics and roast former soap stars. You don’t have to be a sad middle-aged suburban housewife to stop by” at UCB East and join Katie Schorr & Cody Lindquist as they bid Farewell to Daytime: A Soap Opera Tribute

 For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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