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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 2/25/13

February 25, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Legends in the making: Watch The Jeselnik Offensive Tuesdays and Kroll Show Wednesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.

Former SNL cast member and comedy treasure Rachel Dratch…

…and Krysta Rodriguez (Smash) are among the stars performing at tonight’s Gravid Water

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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Cammi Climaco (co-host of Ask Me Stories) hosts this weekly hour-long open-mic storytelling show, with typically six audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 6-7 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge: Cammi Climaco’s Storytelling Open Mic: Six by Six

6:00 pm ($5 cover for comics, no cover for audience with code HyReviews, plus 1-drink min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4 1/2 minutes per set and 20 comics crammed into 2 hours—at the Greenwich Village Comedy Club (99 MacDougal Street) for John Morrison’s Village Motel

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

7:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Jolene Turner—best described by this video promo—at The Magnet theatre: Doll Talk: A Story of Girlhood

[FREE] 7:30 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

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Star improvisors Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), Michael O’Brien (Saturday Night Live, 7 Minutes in Heaven), Neil Casey (Saturday Night Live), and Michael Delaney (The Stepfathers) mixing it up with theatre & film/TV stars Betty Gilpin (Nurse Betty, Heartless), Jennifer Grace (Theatre World Award winner for Our Town), Jonathan Kaplan (Broadway: Diary of Anne Frank, Falsettos (Tony nom.), Krysta Rodriguez (Smash, Broadway: Addams Family, Spring Awakening), and Amy Warren (Boardwalk Empire, Broadway: August: Osage County) as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at UCB Chelsea for actor/director Stephen Ruddy’s Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): 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.), Janine Brito (FX’s Totally Biased), Kevin Aveny (FX’s Totally Biased), and Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, comedy CD Not for Horses) performing at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim): Night Train

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This unique monthly storytelling show focuses on a different New York neighborhood each month—and is performed in or near that neighborhood, making this a roving show with no permanent home. Support this cool concept by attending tonight’s edition about Chinatown with Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, host of Sideshow Goshko), Dana Rossi (Soundtrack Series) Mandy Levy (Slurring Bee), Shannon Cason (The Moth), and Alyssa Pinsker (Huffington Post) at Lolita Bar hosted by Andrew Linderman: Local Stories: Chinatown Edition

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—Fran Gillespie, Michael Kayne, Amber Petty, Tim Martin, Ashley Ward, Morgan Phillips, and/or Winston Noel—making up a musical on the spot: KOSMOS Musical Improv

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), 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), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co -host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL’s Weekend Update), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno), performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Judah Friedlander, Marina Franklin, Nick Griffin, Mark Normand, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Jessica Delfino (enjoys singing songs about her vagina, as demonstrated by her CDs Dirty Folk Rock and I Wanna Be Famous; created the hilarious and wildly popular YouTube animated short film I Wanna Be Famous), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central, VH1’s Best Week Ever, The Jenny McCarthy Show); for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2’s Guy Code), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), R.G. Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up), and Zach Dresler (Sirius Radio) 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 Dive comedy and Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry stand-up; writer for FX’s Totally Biased), Phoebe Robinson (TV Guide), Adam Lowitt (Co-Executive Producer of The Daily Show), Craig Baldo (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion), and Guy Branum performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Bar Matchless back room (557 Manhattan Avenue, near the G subway’s Nassau Avenue stop) hosted by Nimesh Patel, Mike Denny, and/or Michael Che: Broken Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out new material: The Prom (which includes such stellar talents as Sasheer Zamata, Amber Nelson, Stephen Soroka, and Siobhan Thompson), and Dinner (which includes Eddie Dunn, Natasha Rothwell, and Bree Sharp): Maude Night: The Prom and Dinner

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set, and then a seasoned headliner closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: On the Road

9:30 pm ($8): Sketch comics (not announced) each show off their solo character work for this unique show at The PIT upstairs theatre, hosted by Sam Martin & Matthew Robert Gehring: Comedy Expo

9:30 pm ($5): The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues, Sharon Spell, Anna Callegari, and Sue Smith: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Al Madrigal (correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV), and Justin Silver (star of CBS’ Dogs in the City) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Al Madrigal, Nikki Glaser, Jon Fisch, and More

10:00 pm ($5): A variety show in which comics perform characters, stand-up, and other bits at The Magnet hosted by Jon Bander: What’s to Get?

[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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who are no longer being announced in advance, but it’s virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by someone wonderful: Whiplash

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): If you’re an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! 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 exceptionally supportive stand-up open-mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jared Reed: Fresh

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.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Gravid Water, Improv, Krysta Rodriguez, New York Comedy, Rachel Dratch, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 2/24/13

February 24, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Legends in the making: Watch The Jeselnik Offensive Tuesdays and Kroll Show Wednesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.

Enjoy The Oscars for free at Brooklyn’s Bell House, punched up during commercials by Dave Hill & Jena Friedman; or enjoy The Oscars for $10 at Manhattan’s The Stand Comedy Club hosted by Lynne Koplitz…

…and/or watch a master stand-up at work, starting 10:00 pm, for this final night of John Mulaney headlining at Carolines

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

[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: 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

6:00 pm ($8): “Becky Flaum thinks she’s Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But her high cinematic hopes for her love life get in the way of reality on her quest to find the perfect co-star.” This one-woman show is at The PIT upstairs theatre: Hopeless Romantic Comedy

[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] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Instead of watching tonight’s Academy Awards by yourself at home, why not see it with an audience at Brooklyn’s The Bell House (149 7th Street, between Second and Third Avenues) and enjoy top comics making fun of it throughout? The latter will be longtime friends Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes) and 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), courtesy of sponsor WITStream: The Oscars with Dave Hill and Jena Friedman

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($10, no min.): While it’s hard to beat the wit of pals Dave Hill & Jena Friedman (see directly above), if you’d rather be in Manhattan than Brooklyn, and have access to acclaimed food as well as drinks, consider watching the Oscars hosted by star comic Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style) at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): The Oscars with Lynne Koplitz

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs bits from a show he’s developing for an off-Broadway run that looks at US history “from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn

7:00 pm ($8): PIT upstairs theatre improvisors Nate Starkey & Chris Grace makes stuff up as Starkey & Grace

7:00 pm ($5): The comics at UCB East honor themselves for their cinematic achievements via UCB’s video sketch (Beta) teams: The Bettie Awards

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

[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): Two master improvisors blow the roof off: Ed Herbstman & David Razowsky

8:00 pm ($7): Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), Matt Graham (This Too Shall Suck one-man show at Soho Playhouse), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Doogie Horner, and Sean O’Connor performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company

8:00 pm ($8): A one-woman show by Berry Basile about “a Jersey girl in big city acting classes with Scarlet Johannson and Rosario Dawson. and a dating pool with a bunch of trust fund kids, searching for the Meatiest Role” at The PIT upstairs theatre: Meaty Role

[FREE] 8:00 pm: A slew of NYC comics “who may or may not be working on their Just for Laughs audition sets:” Justy Dodge (co-host of Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; “I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;” for dark bio video, please click here), Andrew Short, J.F. Harris, Nathan Macintosh, Tim Warner, Jon Savoy, Ben Conrad, and Harry Terjanian performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Free Oscar-themed improv at UCB East (this was originally scheduled as an Oscar viewing show, but there were last-minute technical difficulties with the live feed so it’s a pure stage show instead): Improv Jam

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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 at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Missy Baker, Mike Stanley, Andrew Short, and Brendan Eyre 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 the Beauty Bar

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Normally an all-gal storytelling show of “true tales with feelings; so many feelings…,”but tonight starring all guys instead: Casey Jost (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Ben Whitehouse, and Allen Arthur at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Caitlin Brodnick and Lisa Kleinman: Shut Up Storytelling Show

9:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The Magnet, tonight from troupes Dispacho and Fat Kids: 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

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), 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), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Sam Morril (Comedy Central) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Judah Friedlander, Marina Franklin, Mark Normand, and More

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($27.25, plus 2-drink minimum, at the door or online): One of the most skilled, funny, and beloved stand-ups in the country—and a personal favorite—who’s a staff writer for Saturday Night Live (for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), has performed repeatedly on Conan O’Brien and VH1’s Best Week Ever, and won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up, headlining one last night for a red-hot run (there are tickets still available for this 10:00 pm performance only because it was added just this weekend after John’s other performances sold out in a flash) at the Carolines Comedy Club: John Mulaney

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Dave Hill, Improv, Jena Friedman, John Mulaney, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 2/23/13

February 23, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Legends in the making: Watch The Jeselnik Offensive Tuesdays and Kroll Show Wednesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.

Anna Roisman (check out her messing with Les Miz by clicking photo) is among the song parodists at tonight’s Total Requesty…

…and Carmen Lynch headlines one last night at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club

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: A dozen stand-ups—including Amber Nelson, Ben Kissel, and Matt Ruby—perform on this month’s theme “The Therapy Show: Comedians share deep cuts from their lives” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Andy Rocco: Rocco’s Playground

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes The Best, Postrophe, and Petting Zoo at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Brandon Scott Jones (possibly the finest male comedic character actor at UCBT; top improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes, top sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox, and many other shows), Rob Lathan (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, ABC), Dan Klein (The Onion, acclaimed concept-driven sketch troupe Pangea 3000), Griffin Newman, Matt Starr, and more performing character bits at UCB East hosted by Justin Tyler and Michael Hartney: Characters Welcome

[$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), and Max Alexander (Jay Leno) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style): Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

7:30 pm ($7): Sharp Magnet improvisors “perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:” The Weave

7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then “turn that town’s tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:” The Curfew: Not From Around Here

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($27.25, plus 2-drink minimum; sold out for tonight, but you can still nab tickets for Sunday at 10:00 pm if you move fast via the box office or online): One of the most skilled, funny, and beloved stand-ups in the country—and a personal favorite—who’s a staff writer for Saturday Night Live (for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), has performed repeatedly on Conan O’Brien and VH1’s Best Week Ever, and won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: John Mulaney

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who starred in a highly popular Comedy Central Presents special, hosted series on MTV and the Oxygen Network, was a recurring character on Showtime’s Weeds, and has also performed on CBS, ABC, E!, and Chelsea Lately headlines one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Bret Ernst

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($20 & 2-item food/drink min.) The lovely Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central) headlines one last night at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.), plus stand-ups from The She-Devil Comedy Festival opening: Carmen Lynch

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), TV star Judy Gold, Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Judy Gold, Dan Soder, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00ish pm: Wonderful comics Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts host this free biweekly variety show featuring stand-up, character acts, music, and who knows what else, with tonight’s guests delightful raunchy singing duo The Reformed Whores (Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame; new album Ladies Don’t Spit), and stand-ups Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Sarah Tollemache (host of Last Night,; immortal story That’s Not My Shit), and Zach Broussard performing at the Comedy Bar (134 West 29th Street): The Dream Show

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at this monthly gay-themed show at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tom Steffen: Rapier Wit

8:30 pm ($10): Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller with notable bangs; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR’s trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet), Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), and Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea’s genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), 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.), TV star Judy Gold, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[$] 9:15 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

9:30 pm ($10): This popular all-guy comedy troupe performs both sketch and improv at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Stand-ups Chesley Calloway, Joel Walkowski, and Nick Naney performing sets and then being interviewed about their personal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand (who says “all these guys were hand-picked because they’re funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you’re gonna be like ‘oh yeah, that guy is a mess'”): We’re All Friends Here

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and Dante Nero performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Michael Che, and More

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to “take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:” Grandma’s Ashes Gets Dark

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and has so far crushed 10 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Original comedic songs are showcased, with tonight’s singers Anna Roisman , Sharon Spell, Tyler Fisher, Carly Ann Fibin, and Scott Swayz performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Justin Perez & Shaina Stigler: Total Requesty

Midnight ($5): Anthony DeVito, Halle Kiefer, Doug Smith, and Zach Broussard share true-life longish funny tales at this UCB East mashup of stand-up and storytelling hosted by Alison Leiby: It’s a Long Story

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups (not announced) joking about their culture—Jewish, African-American, Asian, geek, whatever—at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City : The Black Bar Mitzvah

Midnight ($5): Sketch troupes Coker & Stratton and The Charlies compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea hosted by sketch troupe Sidecar: Backyard Brawl

[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form “rare and wonderful one-night-only teams,” with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer

[$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Jay Oakerson, Lynne Koplitz, Kurt Metzger, and More

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Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 2/22/13

February 22, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Mulaney is sold out through Saturday, but you can still nab Sunday tickets for his red-hot headlining run at Carolines…

…and surreal rising star Joe Pera performs for a full 30 minutes, and then so does ace new MTV star Nikki Glaser, at UCB East’s Big Long Sets

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 happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Erin Lennox and Eli Sairs: The Orphanage

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Lynn Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

7:00 pm ($10): Freestyle rapping long-form improv troupe North Coast clobbered some of the best groups in NYC last year at UCBT’s Cage Match. Tonight it takes the stage for nearly an hour at The PIT upstairs theatre: North Coast

7:00 pm ($8): Improv that flows from moment to moment, with no sweeps or tag outs—”each exit starts a new scene, while performers use devices ranging from monologues to in-scene questions to break into characters and relationships quicker and deeper” at The PIT downstairs lounge: Scoresby

7:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors make up scenes set in the 1920s playing the characters of a popular TV series: Downton Abbey Improv

[FREE] 7:00 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 Nate Dern and Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Mic

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 ($10): Two red-hot rising stars each perform deliciously long 30-minute sets at UCB East: 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) and Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), hosted by Adam Newman (Comedy Central, College Humor; made superb choices tonight): Big Long Sets

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Stone Cold Fox is the only sketch troupe (vs. improv troupe) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCB Chelsea weekend schedule. It’s earned this slot because its cast is one of the finest in comedy. Particularly outstanding in this latest outing are Brandon Scott Jones and Molly Lloyd, two immensely talented and skilled actors ready to be hired for any TV or movie role—comedic, dramatic, or commercial—and excel. Also notable is Leslie Meisel, an actress who manages to be adorable, fearless, and ballsy all at once, which at times makes her mesmerizing. The quality of the sketch writing is mixed, but many of the bits are hilarious; and overall this production co-scripted by such sharp comics as Brandon Gulya and Michael Trapp (who also directed) is worth catching: Stone Cold Fox: All Keyed Up

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($27.25, plus 2-drink minimum; sold out for tonight & tomorrow, but you can still nab tickets for Sunday if you move fast via the box office or online): One of the most skilled, funny, and beloved stand-ups in the country—and a personal favorite—who’s a staff writer for Saturday Night Live (for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), )has performed repeatedly on Conan O’Brien and VH1’s Best Week Ever, and won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: John Mulaney

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who starred in a highly popular Comedy Central Presents special, hosted series on MTV and the Oxygen Network, was a recurring character on Showtime’s Weeds, and has also performed on CBS, ABC, E!, and Chelsea Lately headlines tonight and tomorrow at the Gotham Comedy Club: Bret Ernst

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20 & 2-item food/drink min.) The lovely Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central) headlines tonight and Saturday at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.), with stand-ups from The She-Devil Comedy Festival opening: Carmen Lynch

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Mike Britt (Comedy Central), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Big Jay Oakerson, Dan Soder, and More

8:00 pm ($10): A dozen writers & performers perform brand new sketch comedy at The PIT upstairs theatre: Big Business

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Stand-up, sketch, videos, and more at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre with Jeffrey Joseph and hosts Ron Krasnow & Joel Walkowski: The Short Bus

[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

8:30 pm ($10): A weekly show at The Magnet featuring sketches, jokes, interviews, and more, tonight including “an attempt to fix the budget before the looming sequestration deadline:” The Great American Sketch Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:45 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Lynn Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from comedy geniuses Chris Gethard and Shannon O’Neill, plus stellar comics Silvija Ozols, Zach Woods, Michael Delaney, Will Hines, and Connor Ratliff, performing at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers

[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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), 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 at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A gathering of comedic musicians, who tonight include musical sketch group Political Subversities, Happy Rappies, Liz Elkins, and Tim Girbach & the Garden State Sax Quartet, all performing at UCB East hosted by superb musical group Summer & Eve (for samples, please click here): Earworm Funny Music Party Show

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($8): One of my favorite people, Julie Sharbutt—who’s performed with some of the greatest improvisors alive at UCBT’s Gravid Water—goes for improv gold herself with comedy partner Cathleen Carr (Birds, The Scene, Dos Experimentos) as they “hope to establish themselves as the leading voices in contemporary South Boston crime noir improv comedy. Watch them, along with tonight’s guests Erick Hellwig, Bob Kulhan, and Chris Roberti, unspool a suspenseful, heavily-accented mystery thrilla” at The PIT downstairs lounge: Mystic Improv

9:30 pm ($10): A PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code WARD, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Tonight is the debut of its latest NYC run, performing every Friday night through April 4th, at the Soho Playhouse. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet—tonight with special guest Adam Wade (one of the finest storytellers in the country)—sing an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Russ Meneve (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1), and Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Big Jay Oakerson, Russ Meneve, and More

10:00 pm ($8): At this PIT downstairs lounge double-bill, Dan Hodapp & Natasha Rothwell “bring more than five years of improv collaboration to stage for an evening of bold, committed characters and probably a fart joke for good measure” as Hodapp & Rothwell, and then all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Veteran improvisors reunite, new improvisors perform, and then old and new merge to create a one-nigh-only team at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Nick Arret: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Allan Havey (Louie), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Amy Schumer, Lynne Koplitz, and More

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Fran Gillespie, Jon Gabrus, Sue Galloway, Matt Fisher, Craig Rowin, Nate Lang, and/or other superb improvisors at UCB Chelsea making up scenes about an audience member’s legal dispute: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

10:30 pm ($10): Tim Martin (Tosh.0), Jon Tyler (The Moth), We Godzillas, and Wicked City performing at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D’Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Emily Axford, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify

11:00 pm ($10): A sketch comedy troupe performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: Bridge & Tunnel: A Sketch Show

[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, improv troupe Salmon Diane, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—pushing boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Jacqueline Novak and Chris Laker: Permission to Fail

Midnight ($5): A variety of oddball comedy acts—tonight including “extreme juggler” Marcus Monroe—at UCB East hosted by sketch duo Matt Dennie & Josh Sharp: Cool Shit / Weird Shit

[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it’s an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage. Plus it’s hosted by members of Maude troupe Fambly, typically including such wonderful talents as Nicole Byer and Veronica Osorio: Liquid Courage

[$] 12:15 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Russ Meneve (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Lynn Koplitz, and More

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Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 2/21/13

February 21, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Catch the hilarious first episode of The Jeselnik Offensive, with Amy Schumer & Aziz Ansari, tonight at midnight on Comedy Central

Jonathan Ames, author & creator of HBO’s Bored to Death…

…and the luminous Sara Schaefer are interviewed at Running Late with Scott Rogowsky…

….Dave Hill (left) tells tales at Jenny Rubin’s Here’s the Story; Mara Wilson (right) does the same at Tom Shillue’s Funny Story; and Shannon O’Neill is at Todd Bieber’s Animated Stories….

…or enjoy one of the worst films ever made, the 1966 anti-classic Manos The Hands of Fate, at Devil Science Theater 3000

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: Joanna Parsons (The Moth, NYC actress) is tonight’s guest at this weekly open-mic storytelling show at UCB East, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, hosted by the wonderful John Flynn: Oh, Hey Guys!

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT musical improv troupe Adorable mixes with musical improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Pitch

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics’ names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving two minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek’supstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Anna Drezen about “lonely cannibals, clingy ghost roomies, manic pixie devil worshipers, and other adorable stains-on-society who just want to make a friend” (and, with any luck, I’ll be attending this tonight) at The PIT upstairs theatre: Spooky Jerks

7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill atThe PIT downstairs lounge: Punchbowl and THEM

[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Junior Varsity to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Comedic true tales from superb comics Shannon O’Neill (breathtakingly innovative, lighting-quick, and fearless improvisor/sketch comic and rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, The Stepfathers, ASSSSCAT 3000, Strangers Wanted, Ladies Night, The Lady Jam), Jeff Simmermon (NPR’s This American Life, host of And I Am Not Lying), Craig Rowin (College Humor, Head Writer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), Rory Panagotopulos (UCB), and Dylan Donahue (UCB), plus some open-mic slots for audience members, at UCB East hosted by Todd Bieber (Commercial Interruption, Director of Content & Production for UCBComedy.com) that at the end selects a favorite yarn to be turned into an animated short film premiering the following month (for hilarious samples, please click here): Animated Stories

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10; includes a free beer): Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller) gathers comics to tell funny stories at the Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th Street), with tonight’s guests former child actress Mara Wilson (Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, ABC’s The Unusuals), Jason Fried, and Jonathan Schnapp: Tom Shillue’s Funny Story

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Storytellers Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes), Danny Leary, Dana Rossi, and Eli Reiter performing for this twice-monthly storytelling show at 2A (25 Avenue A & 2nd Street) hosted by Jenny Rubin: Here’s the Story

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on the UCB Chelsea stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A former roommate & drinking buddy of such comedy giants as David Cross and Marc Maron performs a one-man show that was such a hit at August’s FringeNYC it’s been extended indefinitely. Please read my review by clicking here, and Jason Zinoman’s New York Times review by clicking here; and then come share an intimate hour with Matt Graham at theSoho Playhouse’s downstairs Huron Club so he can explain life and meaning and why This Too Shall Suck

8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill atThe PIT downstairs lounge: Hemlock and Dagger

8:00 pm ($8): Ora Fruchter & Christopher Scheer put a hand-puppet through improvised therapy atThe PIT upstairs theatre: Puppet Therapy

8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house troupes The Boss, Junior Varsity, Featherweight, and Hello Laser performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by Round Trip (long form improv that tells the story of a group of characters over the course of three separate monoscenes, directed by legendary improvisor Armando Diaz), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT’s Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component), tonight featuring Megalou vs. Listen, Weirs!: The Magnet’s Night Out

[FREE] 8:00 pm: A monthly showcase of both stand-ups and improvisors at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, hosted by stand-up Zach Broussard and improv troupe Priest & the Beekeeper: Pig Pile

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:40 pm ($13): The debut of a play about the history of Braille, with performers including NYC storytelling icon Leslie Goshko, at The Kraine Theatre (85 East 4th Street): The Spectator & the Blind Man: Stories of Seeing & Not-Seeing

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

9:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover and/or Emily Heller: Fresh Out

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Jonathan Ames (creator/showrunner of HBO’s Bored to Death; David Letterman; film The Girl Under the Waves; author of numerous books, including Wake Up, Sir), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), B. J. Mendelson (author of Social Media is Bullshit), stand-ups Sam Morril (Comedy Central) and Zach Broussard, and photographer Seph Olenick, all performing and/or being interviewed at The PIT upstairs theatre by host Scott R.: Running Late with Scott Rogowsky

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene

9:30 pm ($5): If you’re a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it plus like-minded comics on the UCB Chelsea stage—tonight including Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), Jeff Rubin, and Max Silvestri: CollegeHumor Live

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): 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.), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Ted Alexandro, Ryan Hamilton, Michael Che, and More

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($5 & 2-item food/drink min.) Comics heckle a genre feature film—with tonight’s victim the 1966 classic example of dreadful Manos The Hands of Fate (garnering an impressively low 1.9 on IMDB; for a wordless trailer that says it all, please click here) at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Devil Science Theater 3000

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes grinded its competitor to a fine powder and tossed it into the wind last week, winning with a audience vote of 105-18 (ouch!). Tonight the champ faces Huxtable at UCB Chelsea; and while things don’t look good for the challenger, you really never know what’s going to happen as these improv groups compete for your laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

11:00 ($5): NYC comics Anna Drezen (see 7:00 pm), Chris Grace (sharp improvisor, PIT star), Brendan Fitzgibbons (TLC, The Onion, Cracked, Rolling Stone). Cyrus McQueen (HBO, Power 105), and Bryson Turner performing stand-up at UCB East as part of the Reddit.com online community, hosted by Adam Lash (HBO, Showtime, The Daily Show): /r/standup

[$] Midnight ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Uncensored stand-up from Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Andrew Schultz (MTV2’s Guy Code), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2’s Guy Code), and Sam Morril (Comedy Central) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV): The Nasty Show: Big Jay Oakerson, Kurt Metzger, Andrew Schultz, and More

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Dave Hill, Improv, Jenny Rubin's Here's the Story, Jonathan Ames, Manos The Hands of Fate, Mara Wilson, New York Comedy, Running Late with Scott Rogowsky, Sara Schaefer, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, Tom Shillue's Funny Story | Permalink
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 2/20/13

February 20, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

For choice Kroll Show clips, click here; and then watch tonight at 10:30.

Wyatt Cenac (above), Nikki Glaser, Nick Vatterott, and more perform at the debut of Nick Turner & Acquaintances…

…and Jim O’Grady (above), John Flynn, and more share true sex stories—plus free ice cream cake!—at Yum’s the Word

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: Open-mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing 3 minutes per comic at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Max Corbel & Benel Germosen: Cracking It

7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Dr. Champagne, Bloomer, Chet Watkins, The Wrath, Horses, Brick, Flower Girl, and Nintendo performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Nintendo at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday

7:00 pm ($5): Kyle Grooms (Comedy Central), Brendan Mclaughlin, Joe Pontillo, And Kunal Arora performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by the delightful Abbi Crutchfield (VH1) and comedic rapper Andrew Singer (Sirius Radio): Positively Awesome

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm show ($10; includes free slices of homemade ice cream cakes!): Superb storytellers Jim O’Grady (NPR’s The American Life, The New York Times, WNYC Radio, Moth GrandSlam Champion), John Flynn (rising star storyteller/actor; Saturday Night Live, The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!), Desiree Burch (Comedy Central, VH1), and Diana Spechler (The New York Times, NPR) telling tales about this month’s theme Spooning and Fooling Around at the Le Poisson Rouge’s The Gallery (158 Bleecker Street) hosted by Robin Gelfenbien (storyteller and singer/songwriter; VH1, AMC, Sirius Radio, acclaimed one-woman show at FringeNYC) and that includes slices from any of three free ice cream cakes made by Robin herself: Yum’s the Word

7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes City Mouse and Huxtable: Lloyd Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At this UCB Chelsea double-bill, first sketch troupe Boat performs 30 minutes of bits at Boat: Comedic Sketches; and then four young writer/performers—Georgie Aldaco, Danielle Gibson, Viviana Olen, and Katie Simon—create a surreal and mostly witty sketch show as Former Business Partners: Everything Must Go

[FREE] 8:00 pm: 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

[$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Tom Papa, Michael Che, and More

8:00 pm ($5): Nate Starkey & Michelle Best performing duo improv at The PIT downstairs lounge: N&M Improv

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: 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.), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie’s Gone), Dan Mintz (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Bob’s Burgers, HBO, MTV), Nathan Macintosh, Steve Serra, and Ray Gootz performing stand-up at this free weekly comedy show at Lucky Jack’s Bar (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($8): Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim, host of Night Train), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Nick Vatterott (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s The Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Jason Saenz (host of Undefined) performing stand-up and/or sketch at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Nick Turner & Acquaintances

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors—and actual brothers—Will Hines and Kevin Hines make use of their intimate knowledge of each other to gracefully invent scenes (hopefully without any squabbling) at UCB East performing as duo The Brothers Hines

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Longtime UCBT stars Neil Casey (writer for Saturday Night Live; Death by Roo Roo) and Will Hines (The Stepfathers) in a two-man sketch show at UCB Chelsea directed by Michael Delaney: Small Men

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): 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.), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie’s Gone), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Ted Alexandro, Jessica Kirson, Gregg Rogell, and More

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB’s classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Rising stand-up stars—Jared Logan, Mike Lawrence, Mark Normand, Dan. St. Germain, Pat Dixon, Emily Heller, Michael Che, Joe List, and/or Nick Turner—at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: The Regulars

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: The wonderful Sasheer Zamata (Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, FX’s Totally Biased; comedy troupes Doppelganger, The Prom, Bucky) hosts 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. (Tonight’s scheduled guests include Rob Michael Hugel and Peggy O’Leary; for the complete list, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket ‘O Buckets

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma’s Ashes: The Improv Jam

[TOP PICK] [$] 11:30 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Uncensored stand-up from Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime’s Dave’s Old Porn and Comedy Central’s Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), and Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET’s Comic View) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): The Nasty Show: Dave Attell, Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Kurt Metzger, and More

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Improv, Jim O'Grady, New York Comedy, Robin Gelfenbien's Yum's the Word, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, Wyatt Cenac | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 2/19/13

February 19, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Kate McKinnon, Ted Alexandro, and Dan Mintz

SNL’s Kate McKinnon is at Sweet (appropriate, because she is); Ted Alexandro helps launch new UCB East stand-up show Beastmasters; Dan Mintz practices for his David Letterman set at ComedyJuice

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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open-mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT downstairs lounge, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT “sketch-perts:” Pens & Pencils

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, four of The Magnet’s singing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Aquarius and Vulcan (at 7:00) and Fisticuffs and Mint Condition (at 8:30); followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with musical improv troupe Mint Condition to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: College Humor head writer Patrick Cassels joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates, plus music from band The Baby Grand: Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Jeff Simmermon (NPR’s This American Life, host of And I Am Not Lying) is the booked guest tonight at this weekly 2-hour open-mic storytelling show that allows each performer a full 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Jake Hart: The Dump

7:00 pm ($5): Stand-up, sketch, storytelling, maybe juggling—it’s an “anything can happen” variety show at The PIT downstairs lounge, with regulars Amber Nelson, Molly Austin, Mike Brown, Shamikah Martinez, and Shak Standley, plus tonight’s guests Billy Prinsell and sketch troupe Grits: The Big Pony Show

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Rocks, Bucky, and The Regulars at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Christopher Agostino (tells stories using facepaint), Tammy Hart (Super Show), Damien Lemon (MTV2’s Guy Code, Comedy Central), and musical guest Iron Curtain (Chiptune music composed on a Game Boy) performing at Brooklyn’s Union Pool (484 Union Avenue) along with sketches from Moon regulars Camille Harris, Jordan Clifford, and Tim Skinner, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

8:00 pm ($5): Making great use of UCB East’s previous incarnation as an indie movie theatre, tonight features screenings of select films running five minutes or less—most of them funny—crafted in the style of TV pilots. The shorts receiving the most audience votes get to continue with additional episodes, while the others are “canceled” at Channel 101

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera, plus Charles Gould and Dan Licata: Dan + Joe + Charles’ Show

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Kate McKinnon (genius sketch comic and stellar cast member of Saturday Night Live; voice actress for Adult Swim’s Venture Brothers and Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans; one of my favorite people in the word), Har Mar Superstar (Seth’s description: “One of the most beloved, hilarious, and downright fabulous, short, white R&B rappers and vocalists to come out of LA in years, about to release his 5th album, Bye Bye 17, has performed on Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, The Sharon Osbourne Show, and in the films Pitch Perfect, Starsky & Hutch, and Whip It“), Greg Johnson (Sirius Radio host), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Chesley Calloway, Matt Ruby, Sean Donnelly, Gordon Baker Bone, and Dan Kalwhite perform stand-up—with composer Matt Garrisona’s four-piece jazz band playing in the background!—at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Mike Finoia: Code Name: Comedy and Jazz

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Sherlock & Cookies, A Sparrow, and Guthrie—plus advanced improv students get theatrical and make up on the spot a fully Improvised Play—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A brand new monthly stand-up show at UCB East which is starting out strong with 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.), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and more hosted by Nate Dern, Sarah Tollemache, and Paul Oddo: Beastmasters

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Al Madrigal (correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno), Dan Mintz (visiting NYC from LA this week to do his first set on David Letterman; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Bob’s Burgers, HBO, MTV), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), and more performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, CNN, TBS): ComedyJuice

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Legion of Skanks

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Comedy, Dan Mintz, Improv, Kate McKinnon, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling, Ted Alexandro | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 2/18/13

February 18, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Ted Alexandro, Colin Quinn, Judah Friedlander, Rich Vos, Hannibal Buress, Carmen Lynch, Bonnie McFarlane, and more do a benefit for NYC pets at The Stand…

…Janeane Garofalo (a huge pet fan herself) and more at Morrison Motel…

…and Brent Weinbach performs a 45-minute set at both 8:00 and 10:00 for Brooklyn’s Sack Magic

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 ($8.71 online, or $7 at the door if it doesn’t sell out in advance…but it probably will): Melanie Hamlett is a Moth Grandslam Champion, co-author of the book Leave the Lipstick, Take the Iguana, and a contributor to Marie Claire Magazine and Nerve.com. She’s also a roving adventurer who tours the globe to find memorable tales. Tonight Melanie debuts her monthly storytelling show at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue) with fellow brave souls Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes), John Flynn (rising star storyteller/actor; Saturday Night Live, The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!), and Daisy Rosario (NPR, Moth GrandSlam Champion). I’ll be attending this; come join me for travel slides, a campfire vibe, and amazing stories: Adventures with Melanie Hamlett

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Wonderful improvisors—and real life wife & husband—Mary Theresa Archbold and Pat Shay work up a sweat to make you laugh, along with improv troupe Glitter Face, at The PIT downstairs lounge: CardioProv

7:00 pm ($7): Sketch troupe Shelby Company performs oddball bits for this Magnet sketch show show that in the past has included two-timing monsters and presidential ninjas: Ephemerama

[FREE] 7:30ish pm ($5): Brooke Van Poppelen (MTV’s Girl Code; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry stand-up; writer for FX’s Totally Biased), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), and Max Silvestri (VH1, The Onion, co-host of Big Terrific) performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer Street) hosted by Sabrina Jalees (Last Comic Standing, MTV): Jennifer Laugh Hewitt

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Long sets from two of the finest rising star stand-ups in NYC—each of whom is practicing for a Comedy Central half-hour special to be taped in two weeks—Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this comic red-hot; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up) and Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There) performing at UCB East hosted by Pete Davidson: Comedy Central Corporate Retreat

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($5): Brent Weinbach (Conan O’Brien, Comedians of Comedy; 2007 Andy Kaufman Award winner; co-host of The Legacy Music Hour podcast) performs a 45-minute set for two consecutive shows (with openers by show hosts Louis Katz & Grant Gordon, plus “a special guest”) at Brooklyn’s Legion Bar: Sack Magic: Brent Weinbach Headlines

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), Damian Bellino (host of My High School Boyfriend Was Gay), Shannon Cason (Do Not Submit), Justin Morgan (stand-up), and musical guest Robin Gelfenbien (host of Yum’s The Word) sharing their tales of passion at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jefferson: Bare: True Stories of Sex, Desire, and Romance

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): 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), Desiree Burch (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Matt Koff (Onion News Network, WitStream), and Josh Gondelman performing stand-up, plus an interview with QuestLove of The Roots, at Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim): Night Train

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($30): A star-packed evening of stand-ups Ted Alexandro, Colin Quinn, Judah Friedlander, Rich Vos, Hannibal Buress, Carmen Lynch, Bonnie McFarlane, and more raising funds for NYC animals at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Sit, Stay, and Stand Up Benefit

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00ish pm: Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney’s), Joyelle Johnson (opens for Chappelle and Maria Bamford), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Ashley Brooke Roberts (co-host of The Dream Show), Andrew Short, and Nate Fridson performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Grand Victory Bar (245 Grand Street) for this twice-a-month extravaganza hosted by Nick Maritato and the razor-sharp & delightful Erin Lennox, who proclaims “This week we have a Grammy!!!! (an old woman we found on the bus and now can’t get rid of):” DTF

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 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), Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL’s Weekend Update), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), and Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color, MTV, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Marina Franklin, Tom Papa, Gary Gulman, Keith Alberstadt, and More

8:00 pm ($5): UCBT star & Chris Gethard Show icon Riley Soloner is a sweet and silly comic almost impossible to not like. His character Vacation Jason is over-the-top ridiculous, which means Riley has to walk a tightrope between getting laughs and creating a reality believable enough to make us care about what’s going on. This first attempt at a sketch show falters on the latter; and I’d encourage Riley to be bolder about doing sharp, smart comedy, even with dumb characters, as he moves forward with his young and promising career. But script aside, there are worse ways to spend 30 minutes then watch Riley on stage while you’re wearing a show-supplied Hawaiian lei of flowers around your neck: Vacation Jason’s Island Flavors…

…and in the other half of this UCB Chelsea double-bill, young talents—gay and otherwise—put on a meta-musical spoofing Broadway musicals of the future that’s hit-or-miss, but fun overall:The 2017 Tony Awardz: A Parody of Musical Proportions

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($15 if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $20], which includes one drink; calling 212.989.9319 to reserve seats is recommended): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up), Emily Heller (Comedy Central, FX’s Totally Biased; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Hari Kondabolu (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, , FX’s Totally Biased), and Tom Ryan (David Letterman, Bill Maher, Showtime) performing stand-up at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison’s Morrison Motel

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Racing over from UCBT East’s 8:00 pm show, rising stars Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this comic red-hot; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up) and Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), plus Shakir Standley, Jordan Ferber, and Neruda Care Bear Williams performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Bar Matchless back room (557 Manhattan Avenue, near the G subway’s Nassau Avenue stop) hosted by Nimesh Patel, Mike Denny, and/or Michael Che: Broken Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm: In celebration of post-Valentine’s Day, one of the best-known romantic comedies of the past two decades skewered by stand-ups Michelle Wolf, Jared Fried, and more at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge with host Robbie Collier: Hey We Live There!: You’ve Got Mail

9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out new material: Supereasy (which includes comedy chameleon Livia Scott) and Onassis (which includes such talents as Lauren Adams and Frank Hejl): Maude Night: Supereasy and Onassis

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Hilary Schwartz, Joe Rocha, J.F. Harris, Angry Bob, Alex Fosella, and Jason Kantner performing at Brooklyn’s Freddy’s Backroom (627 5th Avenue) with host Pat O’Shea: Ed Sullivan on Acid

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime’s Dave’s Old Porn and Comedy Central’s Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Andrew Schulz (MTV2’s Guy Code), and Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Dave Attell, Nick Griffin, Joe List, Dan Soder, and More

10:00 pm ($8): A group of actors and improvisors attempt to duplicate the success of UCBT’s Gravid Water by putting improvisors in the middle of classic theatre scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre. UCBT uses top Broadway and improv talent for its show, making it extraordinary. The participants of this show are unannounced; but the format is so strong that this might work anyway, despite the awful title: The Actor’s Worst Nightmare

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” at The Magnet 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 & Langston Belton: Base Jam

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Brent Weinbach, Comedy, Improv, Janeane Garofalo, Melanie Hamlett, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, Storytelling | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 2/17/13

February 17, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

Nab tickets now for Monday’s debut of Adventures with Melanie Hamlett, a hot new storytelling show with Dave Hill & John Flynn.

A comedy legend is celebrated at Queen’s MoMA PS1 by T.J. Miller and more: The Andy Kaufman Effect…

…Brent Weinbach is in Queens for The Andy Kaufman Effect, then in Brooklyn to perform at Comedy Night…

…and Top Gun goes Shakespearean at The PIT in the cleverly executed Jester’s Dead

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:

[MEGA-TOP PICK] Noon-6:00 pm ($10): The Queens branch of the Museum of Modern Art celebrates Andy Kaufman starting at 1:00 pm with an interview with his former girlfriend, Lynne Margulies, who recently published a collection of letters Andy received from women during his wrestling career: Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!; at 2:00 pm with a panel discussion from superb Kaufman-influenced surreal comics T.J. Miller and Brent Weinbach; and at 3:30 pm with the East Coast premiere of Tony Clifton: The Movie, all at MoMA PS1 (22-25 Jackson Avenue): The Andy Kaufman Effect

[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] 5:00 pm: A smorgasbord of of stand-up, comedic music, comedic dance, sketch, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Chris O’Neil: Mishmash Variety Hour (and a Half)

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] [$] 7:00 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), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL’s Weekend Update), and Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Marina Franklin, Gary Gulman, NIck Griffin, and More

7:00 pm ($8): “Becky Flaum thinks she’s Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But her high cinematic hopes for her love life get in the way of reality on her quest to find the perfect co-star.” This one-woman show is at The PIT upstairs theatre: Hopeless Romantic Comedy

[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($49 & 2-drink min.) A TV and movie comic who first earned fame on Chappelle’s Show, and has gone on to star in the hour-long Comedy Central special I WIll Not Apologize and appear in TBS’ Are We There Yet?, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Charlie Murphy

7:30 pm ($5): Improv troupes not affiliated with any comedy school compete at UCB East for audience laughs and votes—and the privilege to go on to perform at the primary Cage Match show at UCB Chelsea—in this show hosted by the delightful Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (Krompf): Indie Cage Match

[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): Jon Benjamin (unique off-the-wall comedy genius; FOX’s Bob’s Burgers, FX’s Archer, Comedy Central’s Jon Benjamin Has a Van, Adult Swim, MTV’s Human Giant), Selena Coppock (author of upcoming book The New Rules for Blondes), Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), George Gordon, and Josh Gondelman performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15): Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV, Logo), and Mo Diggs (MTV’s Choose or Lose) performing stand-up that rips something or someone deserving to shreds at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Nathan Rand: An Invitation to a Beheading

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Shacottha Fields performs a one-woman improv show, and then Christina Gausas & Ruby Marez perform duo improv, for this Magnet theatre double-bill: One Deep and Gausas & Marez

[FREE] 8:00 pm: James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Hari Kondabolu (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, , FX’s Totally Biased), Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, comedy CD Not for Horses), Naomi Ekperigin (College Humor, Huffington Post), and more performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/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), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Todd Barry, Gary Gulman, NIck Griffin, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Brent Weinbach (Conan O’Brien, Comedians of Comedy; 2007 Andy Kaufman Award winner; co-host of The Legacy Music Hour podcast), Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney’s), Calise Hawkins (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, writer for Playboy.com), and Mike O’Rourke performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) guest-hosted by Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC, Adult Swim): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Michelle Wolf (IFC), Jon Savoy, Jeff Wesselschmidt, Kelly Fastuca, and Scott Chaplain performing stand-up in the East Village’s Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at the Beauty Bar

9:00 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] 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 Jacktown 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

10:00 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

[$] 10:30 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): 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), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Jena Friedman, Gary Gulman, Greer Barnes, and More

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

11:00 pm ($8): Kathryn Dunn enjoys performing improv, characters, and puppetry, and she’ll probably do all of that in this open-ended one-woman show at The PIT upstairs theatre: Kathryn Dunn’s Experimental Hour

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Brent Weinbach, Comedy, Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!, Improv, Lynne Margulies, New York Comedy, Sketch, Stand-Up, T.J. Miller, The Andy Kaufman Effect | Permalink
Posted by hybender

February 16, 2013

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.
Amy Schumer’s just-released DVD Mostly Sex Stuff is great. Buy it here.

Keisha Zollar & Sasheer Zamata fix centuries of oppression in “Black History Month: A Comedy Bit Show”…

…and Ali Wong visits from LA to briefly supercharge our town again at the 11:00 pm Comedy Cellar

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 weekly open-mic stand-up show (“starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one”) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour

6:00 pm ($8): All-gal improv troupes are rare, but this show showcases two of them: Deer Babies and Wicked City, performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Womanhattan

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes The Two Als, Brawlers, and Big Fat Liars at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Sasheer Zamata (highly charming, innovative rising star; Comedy Central’s Amy Schumer Show, FX’s Totally Biased; host of UCBT’s School Night, member of red-hot improv troupe Doppelganger, sketch troupe The Prom, and Harold Night troupe Bucky) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger, host of The Soul Glo Jam, Andy Kaufman Award finalist) host this character bit & sketch show inspired by February, with guests Naomi Ekperigin, Charla Lauriston, Paul Higbie, John Zachary Townsend, Alan Starzinski, and more! “Come make up for years of oppression by coming to this show” at the UCB East theatre: Black History Month: A Comedy Bit Show

7:00 pm ($5): Layer by layer, improvisers build a town based on an audience member’s suggestion for the town’s name, while artist Asher Rogers paints a large map of the town based on the improvisers’ descriptions. This cool-sounding new show is at The PIT downstairs lounge: Our Town

7:30 pm ($7): Sharp Magnet improvisors “perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:” The Weave

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: The debut of this live show based on “a bold comedic Web series by Stefanie Grassley & Julia Tokarz based on 100% real (and really scary) online dating messages. Join us for a fun night of highlights, deleted scenes, bloopers, and the screening of two new episodes” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: It’s Not Okay, Cupid—Live

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($49 & 2-drink min.) A TV and movie comic who first earned fame on Chappelle’s Show, and has gone on to star in the hour-long Comedy Central special I WIll Not Apologize and appear in TBS’ Are We There Yet?, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Charlie Murphy

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who starred in his own Comedy Central Presents 1/2-hour special, and performed on David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, and The Howard Stern Show (for Letterman stand-up video, please click here), headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Joe Matarese

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Danny Lobell (Comical Radio), Selena Coppock (Connotation), Adam Chisnall (Killer Comedy), Trevor Williams (College Humor), Jesse Jones (Comedy BrewHaha), and Amanda Baramki (Arab Comedy Festival) performing stand-up at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and/or Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

8:30 pm ($10): Seaton Smith (Opie and Anthony), Luke Cunningham (Jimmy Fallon, The Colbert Report), Nore Davis (MTV, Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus), Erin Lennox (host of DTF, co-host of The Orphanage; for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here), Jeff Wesselschmidt (Rooftop Comedy), and Neal Stastny performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), Mike Britt (Comedy Central), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:00 pm ($8): An improvised musical made up on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge by The Shady Bunch

9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[$] 9:15 pm ($24 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), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Marina Franklin, Greer Barnes, Michael Che, and More

9:30 pm ($10): This popular all-guy comedy troupe performs both sketch and improv at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($11.34 online; or $10 at the door—but this show usually sells out in advance): J.R. Havlan (The Daily Show), Tom Ryan (David Letterman), Reid Faylor (host of Underbelly), Adam Conover (VH1’s Best Week Ever), Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon), Michelle Wolf (IFC), Eli Sairs,Taylor Clark, Ron Krasnow, and Joel Walkowski performing stand-up, plus Abigoliah Schumann hammers a nail into her skull, “Ant Man” Moffett (your guess as good as mine), beatbox genius Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan, and Vikki Badd (pole dance) for this show in which stand-up and burlesque are weirdly blended together based on the reasoning “The nude female form is truly a work of art. That’s why people the world over like to jerk off to it. Who are we to disagree with the world?”at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents): Pat Dixon’s (Nearly) Naked Lady Hour: Now with Bacon Bar

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($8): A small army of comics—Silvija Ozols (The Stepfathers), Amber Nelson (Comedy Central), Micah Sherman (Second City), Ashley Ward (Baby Wants Candy), Arthur Meyer (Jimmy Fallon), Steve Soroka (Sundance Channel), Lucas Hazlett (MTV), Joe Schiappa (MTV), Billy Keenly (Serious Lunch), and Sarah Nowak (The Baldwins)—performing as characters at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Overload the Machine

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): 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), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Marina Franklin, Joe DeRosa, Nikki Glaser, and More

10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] [$] 11:00 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime’s Dave’s Old Porn and Comedy Central’s Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Ali Wong (visiting from LA!; fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, FOX, NBC’s Are You There Chelsea?, film Savages), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Dave Attell, Ali Wong, Gary Gulman, and More

11:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy from a troupe born in a Boston college and tonight performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Astronaut Theatre

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Improv is dominated by guys…and for no good reason. A way to help remedy this situation are shows like this one at UCB Chelsea, which is a monthly open improv jam for any female wanting to participate, at any experience level—and which has a very special and communal “gal energy” you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. The show’s creator, the wonderful Shannon O’Neill, is out of town this weekend, but it’s still likely to be good thanks to the participation of other top UCBT gal improv stars: The Lady Jam

Midnight ($5): Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger, host of The Soul Glo Jam, Andy Kaufman Award finalist) hosts a variety show at UCB East that’s a mix of forms, with tonight’s performers Keisha Zollar (stand-up and music), and jams with improv teams led by Aisha Carter, Alexis Lambright, and Ray Cordoba: The Soul Glo Jam

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups (not announced) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Midnight Run

Midnight ($5—or free if you show up in a costume): “A scandalous night of down-right-sexy improv at The PIT downstairs lounge. Incorrigible performers team up to turn down the lights, slip into something a little more comfortable, and spend the good part of an hour tickling your funny boners. Beware of partial nudity, strong sexual themes, and the possibility to be dragged on stage for a not-so-wholesome game of Truth or Dare:” Yes, Yes, Yes…And

[TOP PICK] [$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime’s Dave’s Old Porn and Comedy Central’s Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Erik Rivera: Dave Attell, Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Gary Gulman, and More

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: Ali Wong, Black History Month: A Comedy Bit Show, Comedy, Improv, Keisha Zollar, New York Comedy, Sasheer Zamata, Sketch, Stand-Up | Permalink
Posted by hybender

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