NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 12/14/09
Beloved comedy giants Sara Schaefer (The Inevitable) and Reggie Watts (Headlining at Le Poisson Rouge)...
...and beloved comedy giants Ted Alexandro and Elna Baker (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:
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—at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Thoroughly wonderful stand-ups Pete Holmes, Sara Schaefer, and Kumail Nanjiani performing at Brooklyn's Union Pool for a new weekly comedy show hosted by Kurt Braunohler: The Inevitable
8:00 pm ($5): The talented young writer/performers of UCBT scripted comedy house troupes Gramp's and Thunder Gulch trying out their newest sketch material at Maude Night
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5; plus 2-item min. if you sit): A musical improv comedy genius (2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and the 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon) performing tonight and Tuesday at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): Reggie Watts
9:30 pm ($5): Michael O'Brien (Saturday Night Live) and Peter Grosz (The Colbert Report) performing the latest version of their acclaimed 2-man sketch show: Misled
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: A blowout gathering of some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including Elna Baker (genius storyteller and bestselling author), Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent on The Daily Show), Baron Vaughn (red-hot rising star; Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Awkward Kings of Comedy), and Costaki Economopoulos (The Bob and Tom Show)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 12/15/09
Comedy geniuses Reggie Watts (Headlining at Le Poisson Rouge) and Janeane Garofalo (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] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics creator Greg Pak (The Incredible Hulk) and Fred Van Lente (The Incredible Herc) joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture—which tonight is the show's third anniversary, and promises lots of surprises and prizes—at Comic Book Club
8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Five full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring every single Harold UCBT house troupe: Scootch, DeCoster, Robber Baron, Ragnaröck, Penthouse Riot, Bastian, People People, Badman, The Law Firm, and The Bishop—all at The Longest Harold Night of the Year
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: TV & movie comedy superstar Janeane Garofalo, Joe DeRosa (Comedy Central, Carson Daly), Andrea Rosen (Stella, Variety SHAC), and Chris Fleming (HBO Comedy Fest) performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show typically hosted by brilliant stand-ups Pete Holmes and Jessi Klein—and which is the last edition for 2009: Punch Up Your Life
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5; plus 2-item min. if you sit): A musical improv comedy genius (2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and the 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon) performing tonight at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): Reggie Watts
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Stellar stand-ups Leo Allen, Jeff Ross, and Craig Baldo; circus acrobat Rudi MacAggi; and lots of surprises at The Slipper Room for this special holiday edition of 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
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 12/16/09
Hilarious Dan St. Germain (Big Terrific), the wonderful Leslie Goshko's Sideshow Goshko, and the magical Livia Scott (Shrink)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightfully quirky monthly storytelling show in which comics and comedic yarn-spinners are asked to reveal aspects of themselves that are odd and unusual—and that includes such carnival elements as an accordion player, and a challenging trivia contest for someone in the audience to win a bottle of wine. Tonight's performers are Brad Lawrence (Moth GrandSlam Champion, 2008 FringeNYC one-man show Monsters in the Wood), Dan St. Germain (razor-sharp stand-up), DJ Hazard (American Misfits, When Stand-Up Stood Out), Tracy Rowland (Moth Slam Champion), Evan Morgenstern (host of Swiss Neutral Comedy), and thoroughly charming and razor-sharp host Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, UCBT): Sideshow Goshko
[$] 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm ($25 & 2-item min.): Called "The Pit Bull of Comedy," a hyperactive stand-up who's performed on HBO, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, and numerous feature films, and headlines tonight and Thursday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Bobby Slayton
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Deliciously original and superb comedic storytellers, character actresses, and stand-ups Livia Scott, Melanie Hamlett, John Flynn, Desiree Burch, Adrienne Iapalucci, and Trevor Williams performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
8:00 pm ($5): Sharp sketch troupe Pangea 3000 being ironically self-deprecating, and 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, in the double-bill Pangea 3000 Sucks and BoF in This Old Thing
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Rising star Sean Patton, Chappelle's Show writer Roger Hailes, Totally J/K's co-host Noah Garfinkel, and more performing at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific
9:30 pm ($5): Clever sketch troupe Sidecar performing bits about the end of the world, and a one-man show about extreme homophobia, in the double-bill SIDECARMAGEDDON and Brent Sullivan: Fag Life
[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 12/17/09
Anne Altman (Mortified), The 36th Annual J Hobart B All-Star Christmas Spectacular, and Kevin Pollak (Headlining at Comix),
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] 7:25 pm & 9:20 pm ($11): Brilliant comedy trio Derrick (Dominic Dierkes, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson) screen their feature film at NYC's Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street) for the final night of its initial NYC run—and the gang promises to appear live at both of this evening's playings of Mystery Team
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A veteran stand-up called "The Pit Bull of Comedy," and a hilarious comic and impressionist who's also a movie star, sharing the headlining credits tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Bobby Slayton and Kevin Pollak
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12 online, $15 at door): An annual gathering of top NYC comedy talent for a 3-hour holiday show, with tonight's guests including Leo Allen, Andrea Rosen, Snakes, Elephant Larry, and many more at The 36th Annual J Hobart B All-Star Christmas Spectacular
8:00 pm ($5): Nick Ross performing a show about his combating cancer, with a deliciously vibrant and adorable performance by actress Leslie Meisel as a variety of secondary characters (including the cancer itself...); and an all-white musical about fast food that claims to "give new life to the most popular songs of Tupac Shakur. Join us for a romp through all the themes held most dear to Tupac's heart: economic oppression, dreams deferred, and mall food courts" in the double-bill Highly Evolved Human and 2Pac: The Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): A comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers, produced in New York by Anne Altman and Julia Wright: Mortified
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Dynamite beatbox improv genius Reggie Watts tops off tonight's show in which sharp comics Peter Aguero and John Knefel tell sexual tales revolving around tonight's theme "Modes of Transportation" at the best sexy storytelling comedy show in NYC: Margot Leitman's & Giulia Rozzi's Stripped Stories
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two of the finest improv troupes in the country, The Stepfathers and Hot Sauce, fiercely battling for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 12/18/09
Movie super-fan Kevin Maher delivers an unforgettable collection
of hilarious film clips at Kevin
Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag,
and brilliant and wonderfully unique comic Dave Hill demonstrates why
he's Big in Japan
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] 7:30 pm: Superb stand-ups Sara Schaefer, Reese Waters, Sean Donnelly, and Nick Cobb, and much more performing in Karma Lounge at this special holiday edition of occasionally uncomfortable comedy from beloved sketch & stand-up comedy hosts Blaine Perry & Pat Stango: Don't Touch Me There
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A big show gets even bigger tonight when comedy giant Dave Hill debuts an expanded hour-long version of his charming and hilarious one-man show about a musical tour overseas: Dave Hill: Big in Japan
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hilarious genre film clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on holiday-themed movies (e.g., a video tribute to tribute to Chanukah, "How He-Man Spent the Holidays"), plus an assortment of Kevin's flat-out favorites covering such diverse topics as Shakespeare, Godzilla, The Smurfs, Kafka, cupcakes, Batman, and The Harlem Globetrotters, plus free holiday cupcakes and trivia prizes: Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and impressionist who's also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific stand-ups & comedic storytellers Kevin Allison (MTV's The State, RISK!), Sean Patton (Comedy Central, VH1), Barry Rothbart (MTV, Discovery Channel), Sean Lynch (MTV, Moon Over Oniontown), and more performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for Nick Turner's Too Cool for School
8:00 pm ($10): A beloved high-concept sketch troupe that delights in exploring silly ideas and wordplay (for example, demonstrating that a caveman and the Cookie Monster sound remarkably alike when saying such things as "Me have problem with subject/verb placement...") debuts its all-new show for the holidays: Elephant Larry's Mandated Christmas Event
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics Jackie Monahan, Cara Kilduff, H. Alan Scott, and Bryan Wilson 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
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
11:00 pm ($5): Ace sketch troupe Olde English, plus comedy guests who are asked to perform entirely new material—who tonight are stand-ups Jamie Kilstein and Roger Hailes, and cartoonist Emily Flake (Lulu Eightball)—at Very Fresh
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 12:20ish am: My favorite open mic stand-up show, where odd things involving drunk audience members tend to happen at it heads towards 2:00 am, hosted by brilliant & lightning-quick Pete Holmes: Gutbucket
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 12/19/09
Movie star Kevin Pollak and rapidly rising star Ophira Eisenberg are Headlining at Comix...
...new comedy duo Dan St. Germain and Jared Logan are debuting their sketch show They Hated Each Other...
...and exceedingly odd holiday comedic wrestling commences at midnight at Hanukkaos
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
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 ($10): Improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and impressionist who's also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club, plus opening sets by brilliant stand-up/storyteller Ophira Eisenberg and emcee Reese Waters: Kevin Pollak
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Very smart and very funny comics Jared Logan and Dan St. Germain teaming up to debut a two-man sketch show at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City about history's most infamous rivalries: They Hated Each Other
8:00 pm ($10): Dave Ahdoot and Ethan Fixell relating their YouTube-documented romantic adventures live on stage—possibly accompanied by visits from some of the gals—on Double Date Us
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, 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, who've formed the new troupe Trike
11:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from a troupe consisting of Walker & Cantrell, Black20.com performers, and a producer for The Daily Show: The Day Ryan
[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): "It's going to be a Festival of Fights as UCBW MegaStars do battle in Eight Crazy Matches at this annual holiday season spectacular! Featuring Bar Mitzvah Boy (with his Jewish Mother) vs. Adolf Hitler and special guest referee, the Birthday Boy himself, Jesus Christ!" As crazy as professional wrestling is, this takes things to a whole other level. Physical sketch comedy to the extreme, it's UCBW: Hanukkaos
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 12/20/09
Rachel Feinstein, "Auntie" Sara Benincasa, and Jamie Lee tell holiday tales at Family Hour with Auntie Sara Christmas Spectacular
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) 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] 7:30ish pm: Typically terrific stand-ups performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Stellar stand-ups Anthony Jeselnik (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Leo Allen (SNL, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Whiplash), Kumail Nanjiani (David Letterman, Michael & Michael Have Issues), Liam McEneaney (VH1's Best Week Ever), Jordan Carlos (The Colbert Report), Tim Molloy (TV Guide), and more performing at Lolita Bar—with 1950s live jazz music in the background!—at the NYC debut of Jamie Flam's Be-Bop Jazz Comedy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sharp NYC stand-ups Victor Varnado, Jared Logan, Bobby Miyamoto, Barry Rothbart, Gilad Foss, and Shawn Pearlman performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC comics—who tonight are Rachel Feinstein, Jamie Kilstein, Jamie Lee, Sean Donnelly, Pat Stango, Elon James White, 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 Christmas Spectacular
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Comedy genius Dave Hill, plus stand-ups Chesley Calloway, Nick Turner, and Erik Bergstrom performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar guest-hosted tonight by Kenny Zimlinghaus (while Vince Averill & Jesse Popp are off for the holidays) at the free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Terrific gal stand-ups Jackie Monahan, Robin Fox, Adrienne Iapalucci, and Susan Alexander performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Copyright © 2009 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
