NYC Comedy Picks for Week of August 16, 2010

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 8/16/10

Jessi Klein, Eugene Mirman, and Jeff Garlin perform tonight at Whiplash

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($17.50 online with discount code NIFF): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, and Lauren Seikaly, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they've all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title's Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you'll ever see. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight's 11th installment at the Soho Playhouse of what's been extended to a 12-week Monday night run (and then an open-ended run starting in late September): Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Rogan, Justin Silver, David Foster, Jason Good, and Jude Destin performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson (Last Comic Standing): Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:30 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 the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison's Motel Luca

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive; shining star correspondent on The Daily Show; co-star of HBO's Flight of the Conchords; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-author of new bestselling book The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex) and master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central Presents; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets) host their legendary weekly sketch & stand-up comedy show, with guests Sara Schaefer (Jimmy Fallon, Get Off Your Knees), Max Silvestri (Comedy Central, Huffington Post, Big Terrific), and "a special musical guest (MTV, Letterman, Conan)" performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street): Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Victor Varnado, Andrea Rosen, JC Coccoli, comedic hypnotist Liam Drennan, and musical guests Eden & John performing in the Lolita Bar for producer Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's fine house sketch comedy troupes, Gramps' and Thunder Gulch, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Thomas Middleditch, Eliza Skinner, Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Mike Still, and Kevin Hines—making up a musical on the spot at Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including comedy giants Jeff Garlin (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jessi Klein (writer for Saturday Night Live), and Eugene Mirman (credits too numerous to mention)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 8/17/10

Ted Alexandro (Get Off Your Knees) and John Mulaney (Punch Up Your Life)

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm:Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Rachel Shukert (author of Everything is Going To Be Great), JC Coccoli (stand-up from LA), and more performing at Brooklyn's Bell House Front Lounge guest-hosted by the gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen: Get Off Your Knees

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (star finalist on this summer's Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central), Jon Gabrus (genius improv troupe Outlook of the Poet, genius storytelling show The Nights of Our Lives, College Humor), Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), and Jamie Kilstein (Comedy Central, Citizen Radio) performing at Brooklyn's The Royal Oak with host Jordan Clifford: The Moon Show

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

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes The Opera, Robber Baron, Badman, Bastian, and Ragnaröck; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students mix it up with improv veterans—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jamie Kilstein (Comedy Central, Citizen Radio), Jen Kwok, Danny Solomon, Nore Davis, and Randy Epley performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($3): John Mulaney, Kurt Braunohler, Margot Leitman, and Matt Maragno performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (new comedy CD The Depression Auction) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Punch Up Your Life

[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

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 8/18/10

Ace stand-ups Jessi Klein, Jeff Garlin, and Amy Schumer perform tonight at Jeff Garlin's Combo Platter

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

6:30 pm & 9:00 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—with two installments running back to back every Wednesday at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): "Seven family members, friends, coworkers and a neighbor of seven weeks accidentally ruin their final goodbyes," performed by such stellar talents as Lennon Parham and Leslie Meisel; and "seemingly unrelated or meaningless episodes of multiple personalities, bizarre delusion, and general perversion, suggesting a deranged mind," co-written and performed by Paul W. Downs, in the double-bill Oh My God, I Heard You're Dying! and The Paul Downs Syndrome

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Jess Wood, Paul Mecurio, Aparna Nancherla, Jay Bois, and Mike Cotayo performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Totally J/K; author of new book Look at This F*cking Hipster), and Dave Holmes performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Adira Amram (fresh, sexy, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter), Patrick Borelli, Becky Yamamoto, Andy Haynes, JC Coccoli, Aparna Nacherla, and Andrew Shultz performing at the East Village's Angels and Kings with delightful dark humor host Jena Friedman: Entertaining the Bartender

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($5 cover if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $10], plus $7 drink minimum; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Sharp stand-ups Myq Kaplan, Jamie Kilstein, Stephen Kruiser, Frank Vignola, Harry Terjanian, Brian Longwell, and Julia Gorin have fun with politics at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison's Politics to the Left of Me, Politics to the Right of Me

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($5): Wonderful stand-ups Jessi Klein, Amy Schumer, and more at a show hosted by the equally wonderful co-star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm: Jeff Garlin's Combo Platter

[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

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 8/19/10

Stand-up superstar Jim Gaffigan (The Daily Show and Friends) and ace improv troupe Rogue Elephant ( Cage Match)...

...and phenomenal comedic singer/songwriter Adira Amram tonight hosts her monthly extravaganza Electric!

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAUG, plus 2-item minimum): Stand-up superstar Jim Gaffigan, plus Daily Show producers Rory Albanese and Adam Lowitt, and more performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: The Daily Show and Friends—with Jim Gaffigan

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday ($39.50 online or at the box office using discount code PPBBOX): This is a show for which I have enormous affection; although my joy came from watching not only what occurred on stage, but the faces of the women in the audience turning stonier and stonier as they visibly projected the thought, "Dick tricks? This entire show really consists of dick tricks? All my suspicions about men have just been confirmed..." If you cherish bravery in performers, go forth to the 45 Bleecker Theatre (right next to the #6 subway's Bleecker Street stop) and experience Puppetry of the Penis

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comedy dynamo Shannon O'Neill performing her extravaganza about an annual talent show in "Charlie Sheen Prison, the only talent show starring the criminally retarded and insane," directed by the wonderful Will Hines; and "pop culture obsessed Billy Eichner takes you on a fun-filled 30 minute journey through his twisted and topical celebrity-fueled world," in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and Billy Eichner Goes Pop!

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Tony Camin, Giulia Rozzi, Al Jackson, and more performing at 92Y Tribeca's Comedy Below Canal

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Ace storytellers John Flynn and Leslie Goshko, plus stand-ups Katina Corrao, Colin Dempsey, Nick Zimmerman, and Calvin Cato, performing in Ochil's Lounge at Sharon Spell's Shrink West

9:30 pm ($5): Three sketch comedy troupes—Murderfist (2010 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group), Hammerkatz, and New Exc!tement—each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites in a fun revue hosted by James Eason & Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

9:30 pm ($5): The debut of a show by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru that "explores the bizarre worlds of magic, mind-reading, and mutilation; not for the faint of heart:" Strange Things

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($8): "A few things will happen when you visit Electric! 1. Adira Amram and The Experience will rock you and then pump up it up in your heart! 2. Becky Yamamoto will show her love for you. 3. Our stellar guests will blow your mind! 4. Post-show Dance Party!" Tonight's guests at this rockin' monthly extravaganza are Sandra Bauleo (MTV), Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central; co-host of The Party Machine), and Nat Avino-Towsen (co-host of The Moon) performing at Arlene's Grocery (95 Stanton Street) hosted by Becky Yamamoto (called "priceless" by The New York Times), and brilliant comedic singer/songwriter Adira Amram and her musical group The Experience—with Adira thoroughly living up to show's title: Electric!

[$] 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, Doppelganger and Rogue Elephant, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 8/20/10

Christopher Titus (headlining at Carolines) and Jon Gabrus (Blackout Drunk)...

...and comedy giants Tom Shillue and Anthony Jeselnik celebrate Pat Stango's birthday at Don't Touch Me There

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), stand-ups Leighann Lord (Fox News, Huffington Post) and Jane Galvin-Lewis, illusionist Lee Alan Barrett, and musical guests Sarah Herklots and The Summer Replacements performing at Otto's Shrunken Head (538 East 14th Street, between Avenues A and B) hosted by Eric Vetter: No Name and A Bag O' Chips

7:00 pm ($8): "Where there is a stage and a piano, she will be there. Where there are strangers with embarrassing stories, she will be there. Where there is a group of people willing to sit and watch someone make up songs, she will be there. A one-woman musical improv journey through the lives of the audience. You tell the story, Rebecca Vigil sings the soundtrack:" The Vigilante

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): A spectacular and unforgettable demonstration of the artful power of mime when combined with a wickedly sharp modern sensibility, executed with great wit and style. Street performers have given mime a bad rep; but if you think about it, what mime does is boil a situation down to its essential elements, and then express those elements in a manner that's instantly and universally understood. That's really what art is all about; and that's also what Billy the Mime does, often brilliantly. (For my review of his FringeNYC show in 2006, please click here.): Billy the Mime; plus a sketch show from UCBT troupe Thunder Gulch: Pop Culture Apocalypse

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Celebrating co-host Pat Stango's birthday are genius stand-up Anthony Jeselnik (writer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), razor-sharp stand-up Jared Logan (Comedy Central), and more—including sketch comedy, musical group Fortress of Attitude, and "a drunken makeout-filled afterparty" with hosts Pat Stango & Blaine Perry, all at Karma Lounge for this endearingly oddball monthly comedy show: Don't Touch Me There

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAUG, plus 2-item minimum): A quartet of friends who like to harmonize a cappella—on national TV series such as Scrubs—sing and dance for one night only at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: The Blanks

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): A TV star who's made a career out of confessional comedy headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Christopher Titus

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe performing with new guests each Friday and making a valid complaint: Centralia: We Were Supposed To Have Flying Cars By Now

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

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

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAUG, plus 2-item minimum): A popular stand-up and friends performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Colin Kane Unzipped

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Thomas Middleditch, Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Dru Johnston, Noah Forman, and Alex Demers springboard off an audience suggestion to improvise an entire silly and energy-charged play in 40 minutes; especially keep an eye on Demers, who has a wild Sean Penn quality that makes you think he might explode into violence or insanity at any moment, adding to the edgy quality of The New Deal

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): "Jon Gabrus is a rugby player from Long Island who loves to drink, which is the perfect trifecta for getting into ridiculous and dangerous situations. Come drink along with Gabrus as he shares some of his beer-soaked tales, like the time he ate a dead snake, or cooked a fork on a barbecue and branded himself...twice. There will plenty of drinking games, lots of audience participation, and an appalling lack of shame. His special guest bartenders Max Silvestri and Noah Garfinkel, and his lack of self-control, will join forces to create a night Jon probably won't remember:" Blackout Drunk

[$] 12:30 am ($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

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 8/21/10

Ted Alexandro headlines tonight at Karma

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAUG, plus 2-item minimum): Past contestants of NBC's Last Comic Standing—including Judah Friedlander, Christian Finnegan, Leo Allen, Myq Kaplan, and Julian McCullough—performing at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Still Standing Up: A Last Comic Standing Showcase

[TOP PICK] ($5; email AnHourWithTedAlexandro@yahoo.com to reserve seats) 8:00 pm: A national comedy star who's performed on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and The View; performed two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; and has been described by Uproar as having "an appeal similar to Ray Romano and Jerry Seinfeld" and by Time Out New York as "one of the top comedians working today," headlining for tonight only at Karma Lounge: Ted Alexandro

8:00 pm ($10): "A 17-person middle school talent show created and performed by two people—Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron—who like themselves more now that they're older. A comedic tribute to the best three years of our lives, and a comedic play for anyone who ever thought it couldn't get any better than prank calls and slow-dancing:" Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): A TV star who's made a career out of confessional comedy headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Christopher Titus

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion 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!

9:30 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

9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups Mike Drucker (writer for SNL and The Onion), Shorty (Last Comic Standing), Aparna Nancherla, Alex Grubard, Calvin Cole, and Jermaine Fowler performing at Ochi's Lounge with adorably sly host Calise Hawkins (Last Comic Standing, Russell Simmons Presents): Laugh in Limbo

[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 superb comedic performers (both straight and gay)—including Leslie Meisel, Megan Neuringer, Ilana Glazer, Sue Galloway, Stephen Guarino, Brian Faas, and Brian Glidewell—plus two audience members who'll be selected to compete in a design challenge, at The Same Sex-Tacular

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 8/22/10

A guy argues with himself through the magic of videotape in Evan O'Television in Double Negatives

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] 1:45 pm ($18): FringeNYC is one of the most delightful annual events in NYC, and it's happening for the rest of August; to learn lots more, please click here. Be sure to check out the Festival's superb comedy shows—such as today's event involving a guy playing straight man to a video recording of himself: Evan O'Television in Double Negatives

[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] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Victor Varnado, Ali Wong, Noah Garfinkel, Michael Che, and more performing at Calise Hawkins' free weekly show at The Fat Black Pussy Cat (130 West 3rd Street): S'Weird Man

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Dan St. Germain, Adam Newman, Greg Barris, Andy Haynes, and John F. O'Donnell performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly extravaganza Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Ophira Eisenberg (sharp stand-up and brilliant storyteller; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Shecky Beagleman (feature film Hacks), and Adam Lehman (Here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy tonight guest-hosted by Adam Sank: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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