NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 12/24/07 & Tuesday 12/25/07
There are no NYC comedy recommendations for Christmas Eve or Christmas;
all the usual suspects are closed.
But please tune in here again on Wednesday for the resumption of top comedy picks.
Meanwhile, hope you enjoy thoroughly happy holidays.
Warmest regards,
Hy
I've no comedy picks to offer for Christmas Eve or Christmas; but consider
seeing a funny and/or musical Broadway, off-Broadway, or off-off-Broadway show.
To learn how theatre tickets can be purchased for around 50% off—
or, in some cases, for as little as $3 each—
please read Hy on Theatre Discounts.
And one more thing:
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 12/26/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy are
a small army of UCBT improvisors bidding adieu to 2007
and a free improv show from the instructors at The PIT.
Talented improvisors—and a few brilliant ones—gather for a
post-Christmas blow-out to ring in the new year. The two teams will be:
FATHER TIME: Jon Gabrus, Aaron Glaser, Kevin Hines, Will Hines,
Shannon O'Neill, Nick Ross, Craig Rowin, and David Siegel.
BABY NEW YEAR: John Frusciante, Kirk Damato, Spike Friedman,
Oscar Magallanes, Bobby Moynihan, Gil Ozeri, Ben Schwartz, and Joe Spellman.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood
Some of the PIT's instructors—who include such talents as Ali Farahnakian,
Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Jen Nails, Pat Shay, Matt Donnelly, Kevin Scott,
Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood—perform improv for around 30 minutes.
Afterwards, house improv troupe The Baldwins takes the stage.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 12/27/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
an entirely improvised musical from genius duo McMurray & Skinner as I Eat Pandas (9:30 pm)
and a bunch of UCBT's superb improvisors having fun with religious stereotypes
at tonight's Cage Match: Jews vs. Christians (11:00 pm).
Jen & Angie and Hines & DeCoster: 7 Fights
The official description for Jen & Angie:
"A jet crashes on a remote island in the Pacific.
Only 2½ celebrities survive.
Angelina Jolie. Jennifer Aniston. And Brad Pitt...sort of.
It's a ferocious battle for survival as our protagonists
face hunger, the elements, and the truth about themselves.
Who will make it off the island?
A story not even In Touch could fabricate."
Written by Laura Buchholz and Christina Casa (with thanks to Matthew Stillman).
Starring Christina Casa and Sara Chase.
Directed by Susanah Becket.
The other half of this double-bill is 7 Fights,
a hilarious sketch show written and performed by
Will Hines & Matt DeCoster, formerly of acclaimed improv group
Monkeydick (plus Will periodically burns up the stage sibling Kevin
as The Brothers Hines at UCBT's Cage Match).
The show includes such scenes of contention as a political debate
in which a guy with a bloody harpoon through him
blithely denies he's been impaled. In a word, fun.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner are simply geniuses
at taking a suggestion from the audience and creating
an entire musical based around it, using only their imaginations,
immense talent, and the aid of their wonderful improv pianist
Frank Spitznagel. Each of these gals is a powerhouse performer;
what they manage to create together tends to be sheer magic.
Kudos to UCBT for giving them a stage; and don't miss
any chance to enjoy these comedic wizards at play.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
vs.
Cage Match: Jews vs. Christians
This delightful show pits two improv teams against each other while creating the
atmosphere of a professional wrestling arena (and providing such side-shows
as a bout to the death between guys costumed as an alcoholic wolf and TV's Alf...).
Tonight's very special bout features Jewish improvisors—who reportedly will be impersonating iconic comics such as Don Rickles, Groucho Marx, and Andrew Dice Clay—vs. Improvisers who prefer the New Testament.
(And possibly some commentary from Osama Bin Laden...)
Overall, history favors the Christians.
But this is New York, where Jewish comics may well have the edge.
There's no telling what will happen...which is one of the great pleasures of this extravaganza.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 12/28/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
the last chance to catch Holidoozy Christmess Special, a lively musical comedy with singing, dancing, and
sexual innuendo from one of the most charming & entertaining groups in NYC, The Apple Sisters (7:00 pm),
a holiday blow-out from host Sara Benincasa featuring Sean Lynch (Celebrity Death Match),
Francesco Marciuliano (Sally Forth, Emmy winner), Becky Donohue (Comedy Central),
Adam Conover (member of Olde English), and more at Family Hour (7:00 pm),
one of the most fascinating and hilarious storytelling shows in NYC, The Nights of Our Lives (8:00 pm),
a holiday blow-out featuring wonderful comedy stars Demetri Martin, Adira Amram,
Tom McCaffrey, Roger Hailes, and more at Power Hour (8:30 pm), and
some of the finest improv comedy in NYC from The Stepfathers (9:30 pm) and Death by Roo Roo (11:00 pm).
Photo on left: Rebekka Johnson, Kimmy Gatewood, and Sarah Lowe
Photo on right: Sarah Lowe, Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood
The Apple Sisters: Holidoozy Christmess Special
The lovely Kimmy Gatewood, who is an exceptionally talented writer, director, and comedic performer, demonstrates that she's also great at singing and dancing—partnered beautifully with Sarah Lowe and Rebekka Johnson, and Tom Thomsen on keyboard—in this homage to 1940s girl groups like The Andrew Sisters. From the official description: "The Apple Sisters are Candy, Cora, and Seedy. Their mother, Ms. Reddy Apple, was a vaudeville star and she passed down the legacy to her three girls! The trio present their live show, broadcast on WXYZ AM Radio, straight to the troops in Germany, and present the show on stage at the Peoples Improv Theater in their first and favorite home, the Big Apple! Be a chum and always use Doramad Toothpaste, now with Thorium!"
In October, the Apples celebrated Halloween getting pursued by a serial killer, learning the joys of gal-on-gal wrestling, and (unforgettably) spitting massive amounts of corn in each other's faces. In November, they paid homage to Thanksgiving by drinking hideous-looking gravy and proclaiming it dee-licious, having Kimmy dress as a turkey and perform a hot strip-tease, and teaching a wheelchair-bound President Roosevelt how to dance. And tonight is the sister's final show about Christmas—which includes a retelling of Jesus' birth, the consuming of slimy green pickles, and the resolution of a three-month storyline about Seedy Apple (played by the delightful Sarah Lowe) and her painfully platonic dating of God.
To get a feel for the production, please click here & here & here & here.
And for the amazing Ms. Gatewood's latest video—her profile on the
revolutionary matchmaking service Ché-Date—please click here.
The show consistently sells out, so it's recommended you buy an advance ticket
online ($9.19, including service charge) by clicking here.
7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $8 at the door
Happy children with "Aunt" Sara Benincasa...
...and guests Becky Donohue, Kambri Crews, and cartoonist Francesco Marciuliano
Hosted by comic/actress Sara Benincasa (for hilarious video, please
click here; for bio, please click here). Tonight's comedy guests are
Becky Donohue (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and
Shorties Watchin' Shorties; TLC's Trading Spaces; Fashion Police writer for US Weekly),
Adam Conover (member of stellar sketch troupe & prodigious funny filmmaker Olde English, which is on Entertainment Weekly's" Must See" list and hosts UCBT variety show Very Fresh),
Sean Lynch (writer/performer for MTV's hilarious Celebrity Death Match; co-creator/writer for MTV's Parental Control; also writes for VH1, Comedy Central, UPN, etc.),
Kambri Crews (fabulous comedy publicist & producer, actress, and storyteller;
for video of Kambri reading her jailed deaf dad's wedding toast, please click here),
Sean O'Connor (VH1; New York Posts Top 20 Entertainers to Watch For in 2006; upcoming album Shmeat is Shmurder; for hilarious stand-up samples, please click here and here),
Francesco Marciuliano (writer of nationally syndicated comic strip Sally Forth,
and of Web comics Medium Large and Teenage Girl President; winner of two 2007 daytime
Emmy awards for an episode he scripted of the children's series Seemore's Playhouse),
Baratunde Thurston (Web editor for The Onion; creator/producer of The Front Porch podcast;
for a history essay he wrote in 6th grade, please click here), and
Clea Wilson (Laugh Factory; very pregnant).
7:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
The Nights of Our Lives: The Best of 2007
This is always one of the best shows in New York.
But considering tonight is a Best Of show, it's bound to be...well, even better.
The format is simple: A bunch of razor-sharp writer/performers tell stories
about themselves revolving around the evening's theme.
The only rules are that the tales must be true, and must be funny.
The brutal honesty, and jarring bravery, of some the participants can be hair-raising.
What they offer aren't merely jokes, but resonant, humane perspectives on life.
At the same time, there are very few shows, on or off Broadway,
that will make you laugh as consistently and as loud.
Enormous kudos go to host David Martin; and to brilliant storytellers
Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn, Chris Gethard, Curtis Gwinn,
Anthony King, Margot Leitman, Adam Pally, and the other comedy soldiers
who've bared some of their darkest and funniest secrets on the Nights of Our Lives stage.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Roger Hailes, Tom McCaffrey, Adira Amram, and Demetri Martin...
...and hosts Larry Murphy & Greg Johnson
Hosted by Greg Johnson (sharp, quick-witted stand-up comic)
and Larry Murphy (brilliant voiceover actor who performs all the
key characters on Adult Swim's Assy McGee; other TV series include
Home Movies, O'Grady, Cheapseats, Computer Lab, Puppets N Such;
for an animated VO reel, please click here).
Tonight's wonderful guests include
Demetri Martin (The Daily Show: Trendspotting, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Comedy Central's Demetri Martin. Person., These Are Jokes CD/DVD),
Adira Amram (brilliantly funny and sexy writer/singer; Jane Magazine Editor's Choice;
co-star of UCBT's Get Psyched!; for sample songs & videos, please click here),
Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Shorties Watchin' Shorties), and
Roger Hailes (VH1, Chappelle's Show; for sample videos, please click here and here).
8:30 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Bobby Moynihan, Zach Woods, Christina Gausas, Michael Delaney, and Chris Gethard
Some of the smartest & finest improv comics in NYC—Michael Delaney, Christina Gausas,
Chris Gethard, Will Hines, Bobby Moynihan, Shannon O'Neill, Silvija Ozols,
and Zach Woods—make up a series of scenes from a one-word audience suggestion.
With art and grace, these star talents will make you laugh—a lot.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Death by Roo Roo: Your F*cked Up Family
Arguably the gutsiest improv troupe in NYC, the brilliant comics of Death by Roo Roo—Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, Jackie Clarke, Brett Gelman, John Gemberling, and Curtis Gwinn—interview an audience member about family and then act out his or her life story via improvised scenes. Sometimes scary, and usually hilarious.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Finally, what you've been demanding of Friday late night comedy: improvised puppetry!
The official description:
"It's time to play with your friends in the Afternoon Playland. Come have fun with us and our new buddies. There will be fun and laughs and maybe even a song or two. We will be sad if we don't see you there in the place where puppets and Improv meet."
I'm not familiar with this troupe, so can't vouch for quality; but it's a great idea.
11:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $8
To perform improvisation at UCBT, you must spend years taking classes and carefully perfecting your craft...or you can come to this monthly free show, which allows audience members to jump on stage and participate! Hosted by popular long-form improv troupe fwand (Dominic Dierkes, Jonathan Gabrus, Sean Hart, Kevin Hines, Ellie Kemper, Shannon O'Neill, Gil Ozeri, and Greg Tuculescu).
Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 12/29/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
hilarious perspectives on 2007 from a small army of comics at The 4th Annual It Sucked! Awards (7:00 pm),
star-packed improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report,
and The Daily show who joyously declare Let's Have a Ball (9:00 pm),
smart, inventive sketches from ace comedy troupe Harvard Sailing Team (9:30 pm),
great improv from one of the most talented comedy groups in NYC, Reuben Williams (10:30 pm),
and some undoubtedly shocking moments from the always inventive Cracked Out (Midnight).
Please Note: Three scheduled shows were canceled today
because of the holidays.
Therefore, if you were planning to attend
The Tiny Spectacular at The Magnet, or
Ochi's Motel or Drink at Work at Comix,
please consider enjoying some of the shows listed below instead.
The 4th Annual It Sucked! Awards
A look back at 2007, UCBT style.
Hosted by Eugene Cordero, Anthony King, and Lennon Parham,
three of the brilliantly funny members of Reuben Williams;
and starring a small army of sharp talent:
Julie Klausner & Jackie Clarke, Hot Sauce (Ben Schwartz, Gil Ozeri, and Adam Pally),
Olde English (Caleb Bark, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Adam Conover, Ben Popik, David Segal),
Pat Baer, Sidecar (Matt Fisher, Alden Ford, and Justin Tyler), Jim Santangeli & Nate Smith,
Tricia McAlpin & Devlyn Corrigan, Andy Rocco & Matt DeCoster,
Steven Slate, Kristy Webb, & Joe Spellman, and John Frusciante & Aaron Glaser.
This is likely to be enormous fun.
7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Some of the sharpest writers and performers in NYC get together for long-form improv fun.
Tonight's scheduled participants are Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-director & cast member of Adult Swim's brilliant & Emmy-winning Moral Orel), Kay Cannon (writer for 30 Rock), Becky Drysdale (One Woman in Several Pieces, HBO.com's upcoming Time Traveling Lesbian), Christina Gausas (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Stepfathers, Dorff & Gausas), Peter Gwinn (writer for The Colbert Report), Anthony King (UCBT-NY Artistic Director, Reuben Williams, Gutenberg! The Musical), Laura Krafft (writer for The Colbert Report), Tami Sagher (writer for 30 Rock; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006), and Rob Riggle (correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; Saturday Night Live, The Office).
9:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
The Harvard Sailing Team: On the Jitney
The Harvard Sailing Team (which was superb in SketchFest NYC 07)
performs their special brand of fresh, imaginative sketch comedy
that turns familiar rituals on their head. (For a video about awkward goodbyes
at the end of a party, please click here.) The very talented troupe consists of
Rebecca Brey, Jen Curran, Clayton Early, Faryn Einhorn, Katie Larson,
Adam Lustick, Chris Smith, Billy Scafuri, and Sara Taylor.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8
Reuben Williams: As Seen On TV
Anthony King demonstrates that in addition to running UCBT-NY brilliantly, he's a superb improvisor and actor. Joining him are stellar talents Eugene Cordero, Lennon Parham, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Kate Spencer, Charlie Todd, and Joe Wengert. This wonderful group will interview an audience member, and then create a TV show or network based on the person's life.
10:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Cracked Out (above) is the hilarious Jon Daly & Brett Gelman parodying a hip-hop group.
These guys love to shock; for a write-up of their previous UCBT show
in October, which featured trash gods and giant dildos, please click here.
For samples of the duo's mind-blowing videos, please click here and here;
and check out their album Fleetwood Cracked.
There's no telling what they have planned tonight,
but it's probably worth experiencing.
Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 12/30/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
UCBT's playground for celebrities and ace improvisors, ASSSSCAT 3000 (7:30 & 9:30 pm),
and the delightful Sara Schaefer testing your musical ear in her free Brooklyn show,
which tonight is a "Dan Fogelberg Commemorative Soft Rock Edition" of Name That Tune (8:00ish pm).
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's signature show, which features a monologist telling stories based on audience suggestions and a group of top improvisers (sometimes including stars such as SNL's Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz) creating scenes based on the stories. There are two shows every Sunday which share the same format, but are otherwise entirely different because everything is improvised. The 7:30 pm show is $8; advance tickets might be sold out by the time you read this, but a limited number of seats are available at the door for those who arrive early enough to nab 'em. The 9:30 show is free, with tickets distributed outside the theatre at 8:15 pm; but again, you may need to come early and wait on line to ensure getting into this first come, first served performance.
7:30 pm & 9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
Name That Tune with Sara Schaefer
The delightful Sara Schaefer (VH1's Best Week Ever, E! Network's Rise of the Geeks;
UCBT's Video Gaga) hosts this free comedic musical game show in Brooklyn.
Tonight is being advertised as the "Dan Fogelberg Commemorative Soft Rock Edition."
Expect fun.
8:00ish pm at Union Hall, 702 Union Street at 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn; free
Take the R train to Union Street and walk 1 block east; or take
the F train to 4th Avenue, walk north on 4th Avenue and turn right on Union Street, and go 1 block up;
or take the 2/3/4/5/Q train to Atlantic Avenue, walk south on 5th Avenue, and make a left on Union Street.
Finally, what you've been demanding of late night weekend comedy: improvised puppetry!
The official description:
"It's time to play with your friends in the Afternoon Playland. Come have fun with us and our new buddies. There will be fun and laughs and maybe even a song or two. We will be sad if we don't see you there in the place where puppets and Improv meet."
I'm not familiar with this troupe, so can't vouch for quality; but it's a great idea.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $5
The Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Adam Sank (former TV news producer for FOX and WABC-TV; written
for The New York Times, Esquire Magazine, and The San Francisco Sentinel)
hosts this free gay-themed stand-up comedy show.
Tonight's scheduled guests are
Vanessa Hollingshead, Neal Feinberg, Vicki Ferentinos, and Zach Rhinier.
To get a feel for the show, please click here.
10:00 pm at Therapy, 348 West 52nd Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues); free
Alternatively, consider seeing a funny and/or musical
Broadway, off-Broadway, or off-off-Broadway show.
To learn how theatre tickets can be purchased for around 50% off—
or, in some cases, for as little as $3 each—
please read Hy on Theatre Discounts.
Return to Previous NYC Comedy Picks
Copyright © 2007 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
