NYC Top Comedy Choices for Wednesday 7/13/11

July 13, 2011

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Rich Vos and Mindy Raf

Rich Vos and a fun mix of other comics tell stories for host Tom Shillue at Carolines, while brilliant singer/songwriter Mindy Raf is a Comedy School Dropout

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 to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($11 & 2-drink min.): Star yarn-spinner Tom Shillue hosts a storytelling show with performances by an endrearing mix from our comedy community spectrum: Rich Vos, Kurt Braunohler, John Flynn, and Swords, all for one night only at—of all places—the Carolines Comedy Club: Tom Shillue’s FunnyStory.biz

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Improv geniuses Gavin Speiller of Death By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers ofThe Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm form one of the finest comedy troupes in NYC as Outlook of the Poet; plus in the other half of this double-bill, Chelsea Clarke & Brandon Gardner perform as the duo Improv Nerds

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Mindy Raf (brilliant singer/songwriter; VH1), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1’s Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Abbi Crutchfield (MTV, VH1), and Annie Lederman (Comedy Central) performing stand-up at the East Village’s Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad’s & Amy Albert’s free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): Typically terrific NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Nick Turner: Monsters

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Carla Rhodes (acclaimed ventriloquist), Calvin S. Cato (Game Show Network), Boris Khaykin (Comedy Central’s Atom TV), Kristeen von Hagen (Showtime’s Comics Without Borders), and Rae Sanni performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

9:15 pm ($5 if you say the code Not Guilty, What? at the door): Stand-up Adam Newman (College Humor), The People Sketch Association, and “a mystery guest from Toronto” performing at UNDER St. Marks for Sketch Block

9:30 pm ($5): A new UCBT sketch show by Ryan Karels: Radio Rogue; and in the other half of this double-bill, a mini-play that pleased the college-age audience I saw it with, but that I wish wasn’t written to be so calculating and by-the-numbers (e.g., the ending was dead obvious within the first few minutes)…but is probably worth seeing if only for the genuinely fresh & funny tailor scene: Brad Sacks Gets a Handjob

[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

[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 in Queens’ Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket ‘O Buckets

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Thursday 6/3/10

June 3, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tom Shillue

World-class storyteller Tom Shillue (above) hosts an all-star lineup, including talents from SNL and The Daily Show, at tonight's edition of Tell

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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($7.44 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): Thoroughly wonderful comics Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic stand-up; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Aasif Mandvi (correspondent for The Daily Show), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), and James O’Grady (The New York Times) join host Tom Shillue for a show that brings together stand-ups, improvisors, and storytellers for an evening of world-class yarn-spinning at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Tom Shillue’s Tell

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10 cover, no min.): A delightful comedic singing duo (according to Molly, “really smart, funny, talented, awesome people with great bods; Molly is bitter, heavily medicated and she reads poetry”) perform at new venue The Copper Room (e.g., the bar at the Comix Comedy Club) for an intimate hour of music and more: Mel & El: Our Time of the Month

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp stand-ups Laurie Kilmartin, Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s New York Stand-up, Jimmy Kimmel) and Dave Lester (NYC Comedy Olympics, Who’s Got Jokes With Bill Bellamy) headlining at Ochi’s Lounge for host Eric Vetter’s No Name & A Bag O’ Chips

7:30 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] [$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up veteran who’s appeared on David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Last Comic Standing; hosted the HBO stand-up showcase Down and Dirty; was a cast member of the wonderful though short-lived HBO sitcom Lucky Louie, and performed his own HBO half-hour One Night Stand special; has appeared in such hit films asSpider-Man; is a regular on XM Satellite Radio’s The Opie & Anthony Show; and is the author of the book Happy Endings, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Jim Norton

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb comics Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) and John Lutz (writer & occasional actor on SNL since 2004;recurring character on 30 Rock) perform acclaimed two-man improv in 2 Square

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Magical alternative comics Eugene Mirman, and Gabe Liedman & Jenny Slate, plus Michelle Maryk, joining the fresh, sexy, and razor-sharp gals of comedy group Variety SHAC

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who’s written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle’s Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant troupe troupes, Death by Roo Roo and Monstro, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 2/22/10

February 22, 2010

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Star comedic storytellers Tom Shillue and Adam Wade perform tonight at Tell Your Friends

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

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

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Erin Judge (Comedy Central; for hilarious stand-up bit about being bisexual, please click here), Sean Donnelly, Hari Kondadbolu, Adam Pateman, and Pat O’Shea 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): Blowout comedic storytelling edition with stars Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade Show; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), Joey Gay (finalist in NBC’s Last Comic Standing), and musical guest Michelle Leona all performing in the Lolita Bar with host Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Broadway & off-Broadway stars Jennifer Grace (Theatre World Award Winner for Our Town), Kevin Kelly (Shakespeare In The Park: Twelfth Night, The Brother/Sister Plays), Lori Myers (Our Town, Mother Courage and Her Children), and Amy Rutberg (The Divine Sister, The Jazz Age), mixing it up with some of the best improvisors in the world—Scott Adsit, Becky Drysdale, Tara Copeland, Michael Delaney, and Tami Sagher —as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at actor/director Stephen Ruddy’s Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A sneak peek at a new animated series from Comedy Central, with brilliant voiceover actors and writers Larry Murphy, Kurt Metzger, Randy Pearlstein, and Matt Oberg, and host Julian McCullough: Ugly Americans

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including Reggie Watts, God’s Pottery, Amanda Melson, and Nate Bargatze—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 4/27/09

April 27, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase

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

the perfect show for short attention spans, open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—tonight including Livia Scott, Emily Epstein, Hilary Schwartz, Sean Crespo, Mark Normand, Eric I, Matt Maragno, Josh Comers, Matt Ruby, Jay Bois, Matteson Perry, Aalap Patel, and John Morrison—at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents) performing what’s likely to be a mesmerizing comedic one-man show: Supernormal (7:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] luminous Broadway actors Katie Finneran (Tony winner), Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Jonathan Kaplan, Sandy Rustin, and Amy Rutberg mixing it up with some of the best improvisors in the world—Michael Delaney, Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Anthony King…and tonight, also comedy icon Chevy Chase!—as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at Gravid Water (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] terrific stand-ups Christian Finnegan (two Comedy Central specials and a third airing soon, commentator on MNBC’s Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1’s Best Week Ever; Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), Bobby Miyamoto (Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson, Nick Turner (VH1, ESPN), John Morrison (beloved producer of comedy shows Ochi’s Motel and Morrison Motel), and musical guest The Fools at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),

[FREE] a free comedy show hosted by Jon Friedman featuring sharp NYC stand-ups Sean Patton, Becky Ciletti, Mark Normand, Tom McCaffrey, Peter Kassnove, and Neal Stastny at Chelsea Market’s Comedy Night (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] two of the most beloved comics in NYC performing deliciously long stand-up sets in a 45-minute block at an acclaimed music hall: Joselyn Hughes & Brooke Van Poppelen at Rockland (8:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] and Anthony Jeselnik (writer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), Kumail Nanjiani (Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report), Sean Patton (VH1), and more at a free weekly show featuring some of the finest comics in the country: Whiplash (11:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 4/13/09

April 13, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

John Mulaney

John Mulaney

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:

Rob Lathan debuting a new show starring his hyperactive life coach character in Get Psyched: Suck It, Recession! (6:30 pm),

the perfect show for short attention spans, open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—tonight including Joselyn Hughes, Jared Logan, Dan St. Germain, Emily Epstein, Leah Dubie, Sean Crespo, Hilary Schwartz, Mark Normand, Sean Donnelly, Blaine Perry, Aalap Patel, and Matteson Perry—at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents) performing what’s likely to be a mesmerizing comedic one-man show: Supernormal (7:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] brilliantly funny comics Dave Hill (HBO, VH1, Spike TV, The New York Times), Victor Varnado (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, NBC’s My Name is Earl, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Josh Comers, Moe & Mary, and more at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] and a free weekly show featuring some of the finest comics in the country—who tonight include John Mulaney (one of the best stand-ups in the biz; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien; just aired his first Comedy Central Presents half-hour special) and Jon Glaser (long-time writer & sketch performer for Conan O’Brien; creator & star of new Adult Swim series Delocated)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central) at Whiplash (11:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

NYC Top Comedy Choices for Monday 4/6/09

April 6, 2009

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tom Shillue

Tom Shillue

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

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

[TOP PICK] star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents) performing what’s likely to be a mesmerizing comedic one-man show: Supernormal (7:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] brilliantly funny comedy stars Jessi Klein (Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Punch Up Your Life), Andy Kindler (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Root of All Evil), Eric Drysdale (former writer for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report), Scott Jacobson (former Emmy-winning writer for The Daily Show), and more at Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] and a free weekly show featuring some of the finest comics in the country—who tonight include Andy Kindler (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Root of All Evil), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), and Laurie Kilmartin (VH1, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central) at Whiplash (11:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Leave a Comment » | Best New York Live Comedy Shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by hybender

Next Entries »