NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 3/7/10

March 7, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Today at 1:00 pm is the last chance to catch the delightful Leslie Goshko perform her one-woman show Vodka Shoes

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] 1:00 pm ($10): Razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko) spinning yarns about her childhood in this final performance of her one-woman show that Backstage says demonstrates “a wicked wit and endearing grace:” Vodka Shoes

[TOP PICK] 2:30 pm ($16): Superb storyteller Martin Dockery (The Moth, The Liar Show; acclaimed as “fantastic” by The New York Times) concluding his one-man show about LSD—or, as Martin describes it, “A comic monologue about peddling chemical truths:” The Bike Trip

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm doors, 8:00 pm Oscars: Watch the 2010 Academy Awards for free at the elegant Comix Comedy Club. Hosted by the luminous Kambri Crews, the evening will feature big flat screen TVs showing the Oscars; ballots for sale with chances to win lots of prize packages given out during commercial breaks; discounted food and drinks; and probably some lively comedic commentary. Please RSVP kcrews@comixny.com with your name and number of people in your party to attend the 2010 Oscars at Comix

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($29 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony and who performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining at Carolines: Jim Jefferies

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Leo Allen (brilliant stand-up and writer; SNL, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central, host of top comedy show Whiplash), Carolyn Castiglia (hilarious stand-up and white rapper; VH1, ECNY nominee), Dan St. Germain (razor-sharp and enormously likeable stand-up worth keeping an eye on), Nick Cobb, Ryan McKee, and Nick Vatterott performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: A weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by red-hot rising stand-up star Hannibal Buress (who should get in the habit of announcing lineups, but otherwise is wonderful): Comedy Night

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 3/6/10

March 6, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tonight Wyatt Cenac headlines at Comix, and Cyndi Freeman tells amazing tales at The Liar Show

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15 including one drink; reservations via calling Cornelia Street Cafe at 212.989.9319 highly recommended): Four world-class writer/performers tell personal stories. Three of them are true…but one is a pack of lies. Then the audience asks questions to try to figure out who’s fibbing. Tonight’s yarn-spinners are stellar storyteller & burlesque star Cyndi Freeman (HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, The Moth, award-winning one-woman show Greetings From Hollywood), Brad Lawrence (FringeNYC 2008 one-man show Monsters in the Wood…and Cyndi’s fella), Daniella Schiller (Moth GrandSlam finalist), and Carter Edwards joining wonderful host Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) at The Liar Show

7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NY stand-ups Ritch Duncan (author of The Werewolves’ Guide to Life), Erik Bergstrom (author of Grimmer Tales), Pat Stango & Blaine Perry, Phoebe Robinson, Michael Terry, Phil Murphy, Andy Haynes, and “a very special headliner” performing in Ochi’s Lounge at Sean Donnelly’s Lil’ Seany Boy

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony and who performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Jim Jefferies

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): A charismatic correspondent for The Daily Show on his way to stardom headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Wyatt Cenac

8:00 pm ($10): In this unique monthly show, stand-up comics perform in the buff. A reviewer from The Boston Globe observed, “The dynamic of nude comedian and clothed audience added an extra dimension to self-deprecating material.” For a New York Magazine review, please click here; or simply come see for yourself The Naked Comedy Showcase

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and which recently won the Cage Match Championship for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams

10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike

12:00 am ($5): Andy Rocco’s extravaganza of sketch comedy, music, dancing, free t-shirts, and special guests—who tonight include MC Chris, Jake Fogelnest, and Ed Larson: The Hipster Show

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 3/5/10

March 5, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Jim Jefferies continues his headlining run through Sunday at the Carolines 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:

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

7:00 pm ($5): Disarmingly charming comedy duo Mamrie Hart and Stephen Soroka performing silly skits and—most memorably—tackling the news on the fly based on audience requests: BoF in This Old Thing

7:30 pm ($10): Superb musical duo Stuckey & Murray and stellar storyteller Margot Leitman join raunchy comedic singer/songwriter Cock Lorge and his band performing at his monthly show at Pianos: Thank Cock It’s Friday

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko) spins yarns about her childhood in her one-woman show Vodka Shoes

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony and who performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Jim Jefferies

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): A charismatic correspondent for The Daily Show on his way to stardom headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Wyatt Cenac

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Two of the funniest and most loveable sketch comics alive, Katherine Bryant and Chris O’Connor (half of sketch troupe Fearsome) team up with also hilarious sketch comics Mike Still (sketch troupe A Week of Kindness) and John Phillips (sketch troupe Trophy Dad) to perform a comedic play about a college buddy returning after 10 years to ruin his friend’s life; and Deborah Gross recreates absurd and amusing conversations she’s experienced through her sharp storyteller’s perspective, in the double-bill Mace Bacon: The Worst Guy Ever and Conversations with Deb

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Ace sketch comic & storyteller Kevin Allison (MTV’s The State, host of top storytelling show Risk!), and superb stand-ups Brooke Van Poppelen (ECNY nominee for Best Stand-Up; Carolines, Comix; Maxim Radio, Cosmo Radio, Chicago Public Radio; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), Rob O’Reilly (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and Rob Gorden (host of SpikeTV’s Geek Ray Vision) performing at Brooklyn’s Coco 66 for hosts Nick Turner’s & Jason Saenz’s Too Cool for School

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

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

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

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

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5):A comedic freestyle rap contest featuring some of the funniest & sharpest comics in NYC—Ray Devito, Margot Leitman, Jessie Richardson, Jason Saenz, and Jim Santangeli—plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by genius comedic musical performers Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan (Freestyle Love Supreme), and red-hot rising star and stellar BEATdown substitute host Baron Vaughn (while Eliza Skinner is in LA), all at The BEATdown

11:00 ($5): Improvised one-act plays by four experienced improvisors relatively new to NYC: superb Austin comedic actress Lee Eddy, Ben Sterling (Start Trekkin’), Caitlin Sweet (Topanga), and Jeremy Lamb (Out of Bounds Comedy Festival): The Hypotheticals

11:00 pm ($5): A fun improv show that makes up scenes based on the contents of an audience member’s wallet: Gimme the Loot!

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 3/4/10

March 4, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Star Australian stand-up Jim Jefferies headlines tonight through Sunday 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:

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($29 & 2-drink min.): Stellar Australian comic who’s been a regular on Opie & Anthony and who performed his own HBO special, I Swear To God, headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Jim Jefferies

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An entirely improvised hour from the staff of one of the best-crafted comedy shows on TV: The Colbert Report Writers

8:00 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason “take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces,” and veteran improvisors play with “elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde,” in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Star stand-ups Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive, and amazingly still getting better and better), Hannibal Buress (red-hot rising star; staff writer for Saturday Night Live), Scott Moran, Wayne Federman, and Hari Kondabolu performing at Comedy Below Canal

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko) spins yarns about her childhood in her one-woman show Vodka Shoes

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($12.89 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): Kumail Nanjiani (red-hot hilarious stand-up and writer; David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, writer/performer for Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues) and Kyle Kinane (Comedy Central, NBC) headlining along with host Jared Logan at the elegant Comix Club for one night only: Kumail Nanjiani and Kyle Kinane

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Wonderful comics Todd Barry and Kurt Braunohler, plus musical guests Supercute, join the fresh, sexy, and razor-sharp gals of Variety SHAC

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes—The Brothers Hines and Scootch—compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 3/3/10

March 3, 2010

For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Todd Barry experiments with telling dirty jokes while Rich Vos goes wholesome at Comix's The Squeaky Dirty, Filthy Clean Show

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

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

7:00 pm ($5): Brent Sullivan performing his one-man show about extreme homophobia in Fag Life: A Conversation with Fred Phelps

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The delightful Andrée Vermeulen performing a one-woman show in which she applies for “The Greatest French Person in the World Award” only to discover a terrible family secret involving waffles—and while performance trumps material here, Andrée is a fresh young talent worth discovering (for a memorable show highlight, shot with Andrée’s real-life boyfriend Thomas Middleditch, please click here); plus real-life married couple James Eason & Jessica Allen, who are both superb veteran improvisors, stretching themselves with this new scripted sketch show directed by Rachel Hamilton, in the double-bill French Toast and D-Bags, A-Holes & Lovers

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7; or save a buck and avoid a sell-out by buying in advance online): Lightning-fast & thoroughly hilarious Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up, VH1’s Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, host of hit shows Punch Up Your Life and Gutbucket), plus superb stand-ups Rachel Feinstein, Jon Friedman, Seth Herzog, and Baratunde Thurston, at Dan Allen’s & Ray Devito’s popular showcase ¡Sacapuntas!

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($12.89 online using code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item min.): A mix of clean and blue stand-ups—who might opt to switch places—tonight including stellar comics Todd Barry, Rich Vos, Bonnie Franklin, Myq Kaplan, and host Bryan Kennedy: The Squeaky Dirty, Filthy Clean Show

[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Rachael Parenta, Jay Bois, Dave Konig, Dan Hirshon, Garry Hannon, and Carrie Gravenson performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Hannibal Buress (red-hot rising star; staff writer for Saturday Night Live), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, Look At This F**king Hipster), Frank Lesser (writer for The Colbert Report), Jared Logan (Comedy Central), and “a special guest” performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Comedy geniuses Gavin Speiller (Death by Roo Roo, Rogue Elephant), Ben Rodgers (Reuben Williams, co-host of Cage Match), and Jon Gabrus (Conan O’Brien, Best Week Ever, The Nights of Our Lives) comprise one of the most hilarious improv trios in NYC, and they’ll demonstrate that tonight as troupe Outlook of the Poet; plus genius Death by Roo Roo improvisors Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik will create an epic film on the spot at The Two-Man Movie

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

For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Tuesday 3/2/10

March 2, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Lectures on such topics as "Why You Want a Monkey" for tonight's theme "Animal Minds, Animal Bodies" at Adult Education

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] 8:00 pm ($5): Witty writers offering delightfully silly lectures about “Animal Minds, Animal Bodies” (e.g., Why You Want a Monkey: The Psychology of Primates Owning Primates) at Charles Star’s Brooklyn comedic show Adult Education

[FREE] 8:00 pm ($5): World-class stand-up star Ted Alexandro, superb sketch troupes Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting and Murderfist, and stand-up Mark Normand performing at the debut of this hot new comedy show at Pianos hosted by host Ben Kissel: Piñata

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Stand-up Mike Drucker (SNL, The Onion) and comics creator Bob Fingerman (From the Ashes) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[FREE] 8:00 pm: DJ Hazard (American Misfits), Lee Camp (Comedy Central, The Onion), Matt Ruby (Hot Soup, We’re All Friends Here), and Del (Jamie Foxx’s Laffapalooza) performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Scootch, Badman, Bastian, The Law Firm, and Robber Baron, followed at 11:00 pm by a show revolving around improvised scenes taking place in the same location, all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Streeter Seidel, Craig Baldo, Sean O’Connor, and DJ Mr. Blue performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open-mic stand-up show that’s seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 3/1/10

March 1, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

A wonderful hip-hop improv troupe performs at the Comix Comedy Club to shower you with its Freestyle Love Supreme

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($25, plus 2-item min.): An amazing comedic freestyle hip-hop group, using audience suggestions as a springboard for creating improvised music inspired by jazz, rap, and comedy, performing at this super-charged monthly event at the Comix Comedy Club: Freestyle Love Supreme

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Damien Lemon, Jason Saenz, Ray Marshall, Kara Klenk, and Simeon Goodson performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): John Fugelsang (former host of America’s Funniest Home Videos), Kumail Nanjiani (David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, writer/performer for Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), Ryan Middleton (producer for The Daily Show), Myq Kaplan (Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Kristeen Von Hagen (Canadian stand-up), and musical guest The Fools performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Some of UCBT’s funniest sketch comedy & stand-up performers—Jon Friedman, Joe Mande, Shannon O’Neill, Beneath Gristedes, Snakes, Pangea 3000, and Thunder Gulch—plus musical guest The Fools, at an all-you-can-watch revue: UCBT’s I’m Cool Showcase

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Nominated for an ECNY Award for Best One-Person Show, comedy giant Dave Hill performs an hour-long telling of his charming and hilarious series of tales about a musical tour overseas: Dave Hill: Big in Japan

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including Hannibal Buress (red-hot rising star; staff writer for Saturday Night Live), Kumail Nanjiani (David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, writer/performer for Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues), Sheng Wang, Team Submarine, and maybe an extra-special guest—joining wonderful guest-host Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Sunday 2/28/10

February 28, 2010

For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Legendary political comic Dick Gregory celebrates Black History Month tonight when he headlines 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:

[TOP PICK] 3:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Allen Warnock and Andrea Alton (members of sketch troupe Freedumb) teaming up to create hilarious characters in a very silly and fun show—for my review, please click here. The production was revived in February, and this is the final day of its commercial run: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever

[$] 7:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A pioneering legendary political comic headlining at Carolines: Dick Gregory Celebrates Black History Month

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

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Liam McEneaney (Comedy Central, VH1’s Best Week Ever, host of stellar comedy show Tell Your Friends), Adam Newman (MTV’s College Humor), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel), Negin Farsad (FringeNYC), Lee Camp (The Onion), and John F. O’Donnell performing at RG Daniels’ free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: The debut of a weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by red-hot rising stand-up star Hannibal Buress (who needs to get in the habit of announcing lineups, but otherwise is wonderful): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Roger Hailes, Katina Corrao, Kenny Zimlinghaus, and Dan Newbower
performing in the East Village’s Beauty Bar at Vince Averill’s & Jesse Popp’s free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Adam Sank (Last Comic Standing, VH1’s Best Week Ever), Brian Barry (Broadway’s Pal Joey), and Yameneika (BET, NBC’s Standup for Diversity) performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For the best of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, please click here.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Saturday 2/27/10

February 27, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Delightful storytellers Ophira Eisenberg, Faye Lane, and birthday host Andy Christie tell hard-to-believe tales tonight at The Liar Show

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

[TOP PICK] 4:00 pm ($10): Razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko) spins yarns about her childhood in her one-woman show Vodka Shoes

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15 including one drink; reservations via calling Cornelia Street Cafe at 212.989.9319 highly recommended): Four world-class writer/performers tell personal stories. Three of them are true…but one is a pack of lies. Then the audience asks questions to try to figure out who’s fibbing. Tonight’s yarn-spinners are Ophira Eisenberg (sharp stand-up and brilliant storyteller; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Faye Lane (delightful storyteller, host of Beauty Shop Stories), and Ryan Britt (Nerve.com), and Steve Osborne (NYPC Gang Squad Detective), both performing and celebrating the birthday of wonderful host Andy Christie Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) at The Liar Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Allen Warnock and Andrea Alton (members of sketch troupe Freedumb) teaming up to create hilarious characters in a very silly and fun show—for my review, please click here. The production has now been revived for a commercial run through February 28th: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever

7:00 pm ($10): A musical about “a pious Pope framed for a crime he didn’t commit…betrayal, Holy War, foot-stompin’ musical numbers” and everything else it takes “to entertain the Hell right out of you” in Pope: The Musical

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): A comedy superstar from Curb Your Enthusiasm headlining at Carolines: Jeff Garlin

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($34.57 online if you use code VIPFEB, plus 2-item minimum): A star stand-up who’s done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and cast member on FOX’s The Jury; appeared repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O’Brien; and guest starred on such TV shows as NBC’s The Office and FOX’s Arrested Development, headlining at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Patrice Oneal

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($20): Superb comics Livia Scott (Conan O’Brien), Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel, Adsit & Gausas), Lizz Winstead (The Daily Show), Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, Sweet), and Henry Zebrowski (Murderfist) joining host Rob Kutner (former staff writer for Conan O’Brien and The Daily Show) for a very Jew-y celebration (for s video sneak preview, please click here) at Purim Party 2010

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and which recently won the Cage Match Championship for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC comics—who tonight are Stuckey and Murray, Margot Leitman, Adrienne Iapalucci, Bex Schwartz, and comedy’s finest cookie baker H. Alan Scott (who will likely be supplying free treats to the audience, which is reason to brave the snow all by itself)—telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives at Ochi’s Lounge for a show hosted by gorgeous rising star Sara Benincasa (CNN, MTV, The Sarah Palin Vlogs): Family Hour with Auntie Sara

9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams

10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): “The most fabulous show on Earth,” hosted by Tim Gunn (John Flynn) and Tim Gunn (Michael Hartney), featuring brilliant comedic performers (both straight and gay) including Kate McKinnon, Shayna Ferm, Jeff Hiller, Sue Galloway, and Megan Neuringer, plus two audience members who’ll be selected to compete in a design challenge, at The Same Sex-Tacular

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.


NYC Top Comedy Choices for Friday 2/26/10

February 26, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Hilarious and thoroughly loveable stand-up star Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiams) headlines tonight and Saturday 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:

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Comedy geniuses Gavin Speiller (Death by Roo Roo, Rogue Elephant), Ben Rodgers (Reuben Williams, co-host of Cage Match), and Jon Gabrus (Conan O’Brien, Best Week Ever, The Nights of Our Lives) comprise one of the most hilarious improv trios in NYC, and they’ll demonstrate that tonight as troupe Outlook of the Poet

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Allen Warnock and Andrea Alton (members of sketch troupe Freedumb) teaming up to create hilarious characters in a very silly and fun show—for my review, please click here. The production has now been revived for a commercial run through February 28th: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever

7:00 pm ($10): “After leaving what she thought was the perfect marriage, Mandy Schmieder now finds herself stuck in limbo. Is it really over? This is her quest to find the answer. Told through the eyes of a band of characters who guide her on this journey through an expressionistic purgatory of…” Separation Anxiety

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): A comedy superstar from Curb Your Enthusiasm headlining tonight and Saturday at Carolines: Jeff Garlin

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($34.57 online if you use code VIPFEB, plus 2-item minimum): A star stand-up who’s done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and cast member on FOX’s The Jury; appeared repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O’Brien; and guest starred on such TV shows as NBC’s The Office and FOX’s Arrested Development, headlining through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Patrice Oneal

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

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

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

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

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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Hilarious sketch duo Chris O’Neill and Paul Valenti describe themselves as “vaudeville gold for a 2009 crowd.” Whatever. They’re funny. Especially the bit with the nose. Come catch their latest material tonight at The Chris and Paul Show Presents: Abduction

11:00 pm ($5): A fun improv show that makes up scenes based on the contents of an audience member’s wallet: Gimme the Loot!

11:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Bleak Comedy and HammerkatzNYU compete for audience laughs and votes in Backyard Brawl

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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.