NYC Comedy Picks for Week of August 23, 2010

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 8/23/10

One of the very best FringeNYC 2010 comedies concludes its run tonight: Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories

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 final installment at the Soho Playhouse of an initial 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 Phoebe Robinson, Kevin McCaffrey, Kyle Daniel, Kendra Cunningham, Calvin Cole, and Jayson Cross performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub guest-hosted by Jamie Lee (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 ($8): 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 Livia Scott, Leo Allen, and Greg Barris performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street): Hot Tub Variety

8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups Carole Montgomery, Jamie Kilstein, Ali waller, Ray DeVito, and more performing in the Lolita Bar for producer Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's finest house sketch comedy troupes, High Treason and Slow Burn, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:45 pm ($18): One of the very best shows at FringeNYC 2010 is a comedy from NYC's own Faye Lane, a luminous storyteller and singer who will charm your socks off—and possibly give you a moon pie to boot. Please read my review by clicking here; and don't miss the final Fringe performance of Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Young talents doing a sketch show about cops, and Peter Blomquist and Jeff Wiens performing an all-new multimedia sketch show, in the double-bill The Sit Down and Shut Up NYPD Variety Hour and Franco & Billy: Diamonds of Fire

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including Hannibal Buress, Marina Franklin, and TJ Miller—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 8/24/10

Evan O'Sullivan fights an impossible battle with himself in the FringeNYC show 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] 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 Ragnaröck, DeCoster, Sandino, Bastian, and Monstro; and at 11:00 pm select members from every UCBT house troupe forming a one-night-only troupe—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Eddie Brill (David Letterman, FX's Louie), Leighann Lord (Comedy Central), Anthony DeVito (Conan O'Brien, Apostles of Park Slope), Aparna Nancherla (Last Comic Standing), and Matt Singer (Joe's Pub) 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): Mindy Raf as Leibya Rogers (brilliant singer/songwriter; VH1), Paul Mecurio (The Daily Show), Greg Barris (host of Heart of Darkness), and Nick Vatterott performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) and the hilarious Dan St. Germain: Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 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

[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 8/25/10

Top FringeNYC comedy shows today from Katharine Heller (My Dad's Crazier) and Lauren Olson (Our Condolences)

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] [$] 4:15 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—including Katharine Heller delivering an unforgettable portrait of her father (for my review, please click here) at My Dad is Crazier Than Your Dad: A Scientific Inquiry

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 ($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—including Lauren Olson's tale of her mom passing away and how the people around her behaved in the aftermath: Our Condolences

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Typically top comics (not yet announced for tonight) join best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sean Crespo, Cary Prusa, Andrea Gibbs, Carrie Gravenson, Peggy O'Leary, and Alison Grillo performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Adam Wade, Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn, Jon Gabrus, Carter Edwards, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight's can't-be-missed theme Regrets at the gala 50th edition of The Nights of Our Lives

[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 8/26/10

Shannon O'Neill (Prison Freaks: A Talent Show) and Gilbert Gottfried (headlining at Carolines)...

...and the UCBT debut of Dan St. Germain's & Jared Logan's sketch show They Hated Each Other...

...and the final FringeNYC performance of puppet indie rock musical The Princes of Persuasion

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Very smart and very funny comics Jared Logan and Dan St. Germain teaming up to debut a two-man sketch show about history's most infamous rivalries: They Hated Each Other

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.) A one-of-a-kind comedy star headlining at Carolines: Gilbert Gottfried

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Star storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here) hosts other superb yarn-spinners in Ochi's Lounge sharing their favorite real-life campus anecdotes at True Tales of College

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 ($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] [$] [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] [$] 8:30 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—including tonight's final performance by pre-programmed puppets singing songs about romance and zombies: The Princes of Persuasion

[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.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie and Amy Beckerman hosting guest female stand-ups in Ochi's Lounge at Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard

9:30 pm ($5): A new 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] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant troupe troupes, Rogue Elephant and Tesla, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 8/27/10

One of the very finest stand-ups in the biz headlines tonight and Saturday at Carolines: John Oliver

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

7:00 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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): A comedy genius who's a star correspondent on The Daily Show; and one of the very finest—and nicest—stand-ups in the biz, headlining tonight and Saturday at Carolines: John Oliver

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAUG, plus 2-item minimum): Performers, writers, and others connected to one of the most beloved comedy shows in TV history: Saturday Night Live Showcase

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): A delightful tale of heartbreak by Leslie Meisel—who manages the impressive feat of being adorable, sexy, and hilarious all at the same time, and is a sharp comedic talent very much worth keeping an eye on—quite ably abetted by co-writer Megan Neuringer in one of the smartest theatrical shows to grace UCBT this year: Love Can Suck a Dick...and So Can I

The other half of this double-bill is a one-man show that walks a challenging line between gay confessional and comic nerd celebration...and unfortunately ends up falling short on both sides. For example, I adored the name-dropping of my favorite Superman artist Wayne Boring, yet not a moment was spent following it to explain what made him so special. Plus who wants to see a show about someone "liking" Superman? If you aren't passionately in love with the fiction—and committed to saying so, and to clearly articulating why—what's the point? The production is nonetheless a laudable try at mixing the worlds of mainstream and genre; and if you're not as comics-obsessed as I am, maybe the skim-the-surface approach won't be an issue for you at So I Like Superman: A One-Nerd Show

[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

[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Matt McCarthy, Aparna Nancherla, Yannis Pappas, Dean Masello, and David Cope performing at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Mark Normand: Hot Soup

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

[TOP PICK] ($12) 9:00 pm: Todd Barry (HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Totally J/K; author of book Look at This F*cking Hipster), Jesse Popp, Brent Sullivan, and more performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($20): 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), Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko), Peter Aguero (Moth Grandslam Champion), and wonderful host Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) performing at the Park Avenue Lounge in Freehold, New Jersey at The Liar Show

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

[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

11:30 ($5): Improvisors Brigid Boyle, Emily Bryan, Nicole Cascio, Caroline Ficksman, and Alexis Saarela parodying The View in a show self-described as "Hey, Darlings! Come sit down with a cup of coffee (or perhaps a martini) and join the panel of five of New York's most talkative and opinionated women as they discuss the week's events, and interview alluring guests from the worlds of literature, politics, comedy, and more. Let's talk about issues, over drinks!" This show will keep you in Focus

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Mike Duffy vs. Boat compete for audience laughs and votes in Backyard Brawl

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 8/28/10

Chris Gethard raises money via a Telethon of Shame, and Lauren Olson relates Our Condolences

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] [$] 5:30 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—including Lauren Olson's tale of her mom passing away and how the people around her behaved in the aftermath: Our Condolences

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 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): 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

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

[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

[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] [FREE] Midnight: A comedy genius, who's currently starring in the Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake, hosting his own extravaganza—which goes beyond a stage show to have the makings of a hit MTV series—with tonight's show devoted to insane stunts to raise money for the March of Dimes: The Chris Gethard Show: Telethon of Shame

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 8/29/10

A gala fundraiser featuring Rachel Maddow and Mike Birbiglia, and hosted by Adsit & Gausas: Friends with a Benefit

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 ($50 orchestra, $40 balcony): Christina Gausas & Scott Adsit (genius improv duo Adsit & Gausas) host a blowout fundraiser for the American Bird Conservancy's efforts in the Gulf, featuring such stars as Rachel Maddow, Ira Glass, Mike Birbiglia, and Michelle Collins, plus musicians Lucy Wainwright Roche, Barkuna, and Erin McKeown, performing at Town Hall for one night only: Friends with a Benefit

[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: Jess Wood (HBO's Def Comedy Jam), Nick Turner (co-host of Too Cool For School), Neal Stasny, and David Cope performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jena Friedman, Sean Donnelly, Sean O'Connor, John F. O'Donnell, Jason Good, and Anton Shuford performing at Calise Hawkins' free weekly show at The Fat Black Pussy Cat (130 West 3rd Street): S'Weird Man

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Del Harrison, Jeff Joseph, John Moses, and David Cope performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by Hannibal Buress (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock): Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Andrea Rosen, Brent Sullivan, Sean Crespo, and Adam Sokol performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly extravaganza Beauty Bar Comedy

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