NYC Comedy Picks for Week of December 31, 2007

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 12/31/07

Most of the usual suspects are either closed or way expensive tonight.

But if you're seeking a fun and relatively affordable comedy show—

with free beer, to boot—please click here.

Time Out New York is currently running a contest for the selection of best joke of 2007.

TONY's weekly pick of comedy lines—via sharp editor Jane Borden—is usually superb; but overall,

the list of top nine candidates is a tad underwhelming. (Was there a committee involved in the selections?)

Anyway, here are the four flat-out terrific ones:

I went into a Chinese restaurant. They had a suggestion box. I wrote, "Free Tibet."

—Mike DeStefano

It's so much easier for kids to jerk off than it used to be.

When I was young, you had to find the Sears catalog, flip to the lingerie section.

Now, with the Internet, I just turn on my computer, get online,

and go right to Sears.com.

—Dan Mintz

I called a strip club about getting a job and,

as a joke, asked, "Do I need to know Excel?"

The guy was like, "Nah, she don't work here no more."

—Claudia Cogan

While walking down the street, I saw a little old lady.

She noticed me...and clutched her handbag.

Something inside me died.

So I went up to the little old lady.

And I took that handbag.

—Stephen K. Amos

To read all the jokes, and to vote for your favorite, please click here.

Murderfist and Bandolero: Who Killed Father Time?

As their poster on the left indicates, inventive sketch group Murderfist is odd and intriguing.

For a grueling tale of an unusual gay couple done in the style of a silent film, please click here.

Improv troupe Bandolero bills itself as "the rowdiest, rough-n-tumble

comedy outlaws in the world of acting without a script."

Tonight, in an unlikely pairing of sketch and improv, Murderfist and Bandolero

perform The New Years Experience: Who Killed Father Time?

The official description: "The PIT brings in the new year with a buffet of comedy

and free champagne. And by that, we mean beer."

Hosted by Seena Jon, Dan Upham, and Ben Kissel.

9:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $20

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.

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 1/1/08

The usual suspects are closed today.

But for a 10-hour event—costing only $6—please click here.

Super-Show!

Ringing in the new year is this 10+ hour extravaganza—running from 1:00 pm

till past 11:00 pm—and slated to feature over 50 performers including

comics, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and acts you didn't even know existed.

And admission is a mere $6.

Performers slated to participate include Jessica Delfino, Livia Scott, Seth Herzog, Mike Dobbins, Jason Trachtenburg, John F. O'Donnell, Rob Lathan, Rob Shapiro, Juggernut, Reverend Jen, Puppies Hold Hands, Goatslayer of Uber Luber, Diane O'Debra, the Vox Illuminati, Howling Vic, Mike Amato, Mike Raphone, David Jenness, Dr. Steamwhipple of the Pizzas, the Bitter Poet, Rosie Rebel, Peter Mavros of Bellmer Dolls, the Fools, Dame Darcy, Touching You, Tom Ritchford, Chuck Funk, Bohemaphelia, Erick Kirchberger, Kelli Rae Powell... and more.

Sound too good to be true? Maybe.

But probably worth checking out.

1:00 pm-11:00 pm at The Green Room, 45 Bleecker Street (off Lafayette); tickets are $6

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.

But however you choose to spend today:

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 1/2/08

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

an hour of free sketch comedy from four wonderful troupes—The Apple Sisters, Elephant Larry,

Party Central USA, and Rue Brutalia—about to head off From The PIT to Chicago SketchFest (7:00 pm),

the delightful Amber Petty, Jessie Schupack, and Tricia McAlpin of Penny,

and the magical Livia Scott delivering a brilliant performance in her one-woman show

about OJ Simpson fans, in White Orphans and Goodnight, O.J. (8:00 pm),

a brand new show combining sex, alcohol, and improv: Happy Hour (9:30 pm),

and a laid-back free show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).

Stellar sketch troupes: The Apple Sisters and Elephant Larry

From The PIT to Chicago SketchFest!

Four sketch troupes based at The Peoples Improv Theater (two of which, the fabulous Apple Sisters and superb Elephant Larry, are nominated for ECNY Awards) are heading off to perform in Chicago's famed SketchFest. Before they go, they'll be demonstrating what they can do during this hour show—which is free, but encourages donations to help pay for travel expenses to the windy city. The groups are:

The Apple Sisters: Kimmy Gatewood, Rebekka Johnson, and Sarah Lowe.

Elephant Larry: Geoff Haggerty, Stefan Lawrence, Chris Principe, Jeff Solomon, and Alex Zalben.

Party Central USA : Mike Condrick, Brianne Halverson, and Michael Terry.

Rue Brutalia: Jon Pack and Jason Kalter.

7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; free

Comedy troupe Penny (Amber Petty, Jessie Schupack and Tricia McAlpin) in White Orphans...

...and Livia Scott in Goodnight, O.J.

Penny: White Orphans and Goodnight, O.J.

UCBT ushers in 2008 with an all-female double-bill extravaganza.

Sketch/improv group Penny consists of the adorable & very funny comedy trio

Amber Petty, Trisha McAlpin, and Jessie Schupack. In tonight's show, the gals

promise to "guide you through their wonderful world of art, music, and laughter.

You'll laugh till you cry, cry till you laugh, and be moved enough that you too

will want a w<qhite orphan for your very own." Directed by Susannah Beckett.

The double-bill then continues with comedic chameleon Livia Scott

(Late Night with Conan O'Brien, world-class sketch group Meat,

Livia's Castle of Enchantment), who wrote and performs this

superb ECNY Award-nominated one-woman show, described as follows:

"In 1994, while he was in prison and on trial for murder, O.J. Simpson received over 300,000 letters. To help pay for his defense and gain public support, he had them published in a book called I Want to Tell You by O.J. Simpson: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions. Alternately humorous, disturbing, and poignant, Goodnight, O.J. explores the minds of the people who wrote him."

The idea is clever; but Livia's thoughtful choices and brilliant performance make this truly special...and recommended. For a video sample, please click here. Directed by

Baron Vaughn (MTV's The Gamekillers, VH1's Best Week Ever, Shoot the Messenger).

8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); $5

Becky Drysdale, Anthony King, Chris Gethard, Jason Mantzoukas, and Miriam Tolan

Happy Hour

UCBT's signature show ASSSSCAT 3000 consists of a storyteller and a group of improvisors who act out the tales. This new show sounds like it might be a sexy & boozy variation of that. The official description: "Some of your favorite UCBT improvisers saddle up to the bar with their favorite drinks and spin their ribald and ridiculous bar tales into improv comedy you'll still remember in the morning." The players include

Deb Downing (improv at Second City),

Becky Drysdale (acclaimed one-woman show One Woman in Several Pieces,

Web video series Time Traveling Lesbian),

Chris Gethard (The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of book Weird New York),

Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report; famed for performing numerous Sonic commercials),

Anthony King (UCBT-NY Artistic Director, Reuben Williams, Let's Have a Ball,

Gravid Water, off-Broadway show Gutenberg! The Musical),

Jason Mantzoukas (Mother: The Soundtrack, We Used to Go Out, The Mantzoukas Brothers),

Thomas Middleditch (Second City, Baby Wants Candy; for cartoon that prompted the comment

"wow i think i actually feel my intelligence melting away as i watch this," please click here),

Tami Sagher (writer for 30 Rock; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006), and

Miriam Tolan (sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien 1993-1994, correspondent on The Daily Show 2000-2001, acted on The Office as "fake Tina Fey").

9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); $5

Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood

The Faculty and Sid Viscous

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 Sid Viscous takes the stage.

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free

School Night

Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,

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.

Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises,

that this free show makes possible.

11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 1/3/08

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

a sketch show that's been getting a lot of press (and I'll be catching tonight): Jen & Angie (8:00),

the fresh, sexy, and brilliantly funny gals of Variety Shac (9:30),

two of the finest improv troupes in NYC competing for audience votes,

Reuben Williams vs. The Brothers Hines at Cage Match (11:00 pm),

and two sketch/improv troupes who've decided to team up for

double hilarity: 3-D Beard and Sidecar in Speakeasy (11:00 pm).

For details, please click here. But first, read on because...

Late Night TV is Back!

(To learn why, please click here.)

Highlights of the return of both David Letterman and his WGA writers

to our homes on Wednesday night (1/2/08) included:

Hillary Clinton, who's been the target of numerous Late Show jokes, kicking off the show by declaring, "Dave has been off the air for eight long weeks because of the writer's strike. Tonight he's back. Oh well; all good things come to an end..."
Dave explaining the strike to his national audience with, "Simply put, the writers are sick and tired of having to buy their own pencils."
Dave doing an equally problematic job of explaining his beard.
Dave repeatedly thanking the WGA. (Example: "Without writers, and without caffeine, I'd have virtually no personality whatsoever.")
Dave taking phony audience questions. (Example: "Why are there still picketers outside?" "Oh, that has nothing to do with the strike. Those are just people who hate the show.")
The first Top 10 list of 2008 being "Demands of the Striking Writers"—from actual striking writers! (My favorite: "Complimentary tote bag with next insulting contract offer.")

Bill Scheft, who's both a Late Show staff writer and its WGA rep, interrupting a Dave comedy bit to sweetly say, "Unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to show you the conclusion of this joke. Why? It's to remind you that even though the Late Show writers are back at work, the WGA strike still goes on. Thousands of writers still walk the picket line every day until their legs cramp and their backs ache, only to return to a home they can now barely afford because of the producers' greed. So, to the arrogant media moguls who've gotten so fat off our sweat-soaked toil that they can no longer fit behind their oversized mahogany desks, I say to you, stop spending all your money on cufflinks, cocktails, and whores. Stick a crowbar in your wallet and start bargaining in good faith with the writers. Maybe then American won't be denied the joy of seeing David Letterman hold up a pair of flaming underpants."

To which Dave simply responded, "Right, Bill. Nice job."

Indeed it was.

Also returning Wednesday night was Conan O'Brien—but sans his writers

(which isn't Conan's fault; again, for details please click here). Highlights included:

Conan saying about the WGA, "I support their cause. These are very talented, very creative people who work extremely hard. I believe what they're asking for is fair. I do."
Conan delivering a fine monologue (because he's always been one of the sharpest comedy writers in the business...as well as a superb performer).
Conan killing time by sipping water.
Conan killing time by spinning his wedding ring on his desk.
Bob Saget as a guest dropping dud lines, repeatedly, without writer help.
Conan spinning his wedding ring some more.

All things considered, it was a pretty good show—a testament to Conan's magical talent.

But there were way more laugh lags and dull spots than in a typical Conan episode

crafted by his genius writing staff.

Here's hoping comments from luminaries such as Dave and Conan to their national audiences

help corporations realize they're doing no one any good by acting in bad faith with writers, who are the lifeblood of the entire industry...and that it's time to treat WGA members with the respect that writers so immensely deserve.

Devlyn Corrigan

Improvisor and storyteller (on The Nights of Our Lives),

tonight Devlyn Corrigan performs a one-man show...and will most likely

be relating hair-raising life & death experiences from his "day job" as an ER doctor.

For a video sample, please click here.

7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Christina Casa & Sara Chase in Jen & Angie, and Lance Rubin & Ray Munoz in The Lance & Ray Show

Jen & Angie and The Lance & Ray Show

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 Lance Rubin & Ray Munoz,

who perform sketch comedy as The Lance & Ray Show.

Tonight's bits reportedly include "a spin-off of The West Wing,

a visit to Seal World, Lance's work with an acting coach on a monologue

for a big audition, an interpretive ballet to the soulful sounds of Nick Lachey,

and a super-huge fight between Lance and Ray! On stage! Seriously!"

Plus DVD commentary.

8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Variety Shac

The hard-to-resist members of this hilarious group are musical host Shonali Bhowmik, and

ace comics Heather Lawless, Chelsea Peretti, and Andrea Rosen. The show features songs, brilliant stand-up comedy, sketches, and funny short films made by the foursome; for samples of the latter, please click here and here.

9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Murderfist

Sketch group Murderfist creates sketches that are very odd and unsettling.

For example, to watch a somewhat grueling tale of an unlikely gay couple done in

the style of a silent film, please click here. And here's the description of tonight's show:

"Use your mind's eye, and picture your beloved and elderly grandfather. Now, bit by bit, imagine him naked and hard as the dickens. That's what we do everyday, for a long time, in order to provide for you the entertainment to quench your souls. You're welcome."

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5

vs.

Cage Match: Reuben Williams vs. The Brothers Hines

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, two of the finest improv troupes in NYC go head to head.

Reuben Williams consists of Anthony King (brilliant Artistic Director of UCBT-NY, and stellar improvisor/writer/actor), and some of the most appealing and immensely talented improvisors in the country: Eugene Cordero, Lennon Parham, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Kate Spencer, Charlie Todd, and Joe Wengert.

The Brothers Hines consists of Will Hines and Kevin Hines—who really are brothers. Considering improv involves being able to "read" your partner's thoughts and go with his flow, growing up together and sharing DNA gives these siblings some natural advantages. In addition, they're razor-sharp performers.

Both of these teams have very impressive histories of winning at Cage Match.

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

Matt Fisher, Alden Ford, and Justin Tyler of Sidecar + Joe Randazzo, Henry Kaiser, and Chris Ryan of 3-D Beard

Speakeasy: Double-Action Hilarity from 3-D Beard & Sidecar

Offering an alternative to the combative Cage Match, in this show

two terrific improv troupes team up with each other. They are

Sidecar: Alden Ford, Matt Fisher, and Justin Tyler

(for a sketch about their interrogation technique, please click here)

and

3-D Beard: Joe Randazzo, Chris Ryan, and Henry Kaiser.

11:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 1/4/08

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

two of the funniest improv/sketch guys in NYC, Adam Pally & Charlie Sanders (7:00),

John Flynn telling hilarious, hair-raising tales about his adventures with Terrible Sex (8:00 pm),

star stand-up comics, including Eugene Mirman and Pete Holmes, plus superb

sketch troupe Olde English, at the hilarious Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show (8:30 pm),

an improvisation show that uses audience suggestions to create a new episode of Star Trek (10:00 pm),

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

and some of the finest improv comedy in NYC from The Stepfathers (9:30 pm) and Death by Roo Roo (11:00 pm).

Adam Pally & Charlie Sanders

Adam Pally (wonderful sketch/improv member of star troupe Hot Sauce;

storyteller on ace comedy show The Nights of Our Lives; Cage Match champion) and

Charlie Sanders (brilliantly dynamic comic who's one of the most committed improvisors you'll ever see; sketch performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; member of world-class improv troupes Reuben Williams, Buffoons, and C, C + C Improv Factory)

team up to bring you sketch, or improv, or possibly both.

Whatever comedy form they choose, this show is likely to be f*cking hilarious.

7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

John Flynn

John Flynn Has Terrible Sex (with Jason Mantzoukas)

Starting from his initial gay sexual experience up through the near-present, John Flynn (Showgirls: The Best Movie Ever Made. Ever!, The Nights of Our Lives) relates a multitude of amusing, shocking, but most of all very human encounters. These range from the first time anyone threw a line at him ("Want to pretend we're f*cking?"), which worked like a charm; to a friend helping John out of a financial jam by pimping him; to a college dorm neighbor who, John learned the hard way, got aroused in an unusual manner; to an Internet hookup with someone who turned out to be three feet tall. The tales are fascinating and laugh-filled throughout; and to make things even livelier, a friend helps by periodically asking questions in the role of "ignorant straight guy" (played by Jason Mantzoukas (Mother: The Soundtrack, We Used to Go Out, The Mantzoukas Brothers).

John Flynn is a great storyteller, and he's created a rich, hilarious show

that anyone, gay or straight, is likely to enjoy.

8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

Eugene Mirman, Pete Holmes, Brad Steuernagel...

...sketch troupe Olde English...

...Tig Notaro, and hosts Larry Murphy & Greg Johnson

The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show

This is one of the funniest shows in NYC, hosted by

Greg Johnson (razor-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 lineup includes comedy great

Eugene Mirman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's

Premium Blend and Jump Cuts, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, VH1, Adult Swim,

The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman and En Garde, Society! comedy albums),

Pete Holmes (brilliant, lightning-fast stand-up; VH1's Best Week Ever,

Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Motherload; writer for CollegeHumor.com;

cartoonist for mags ranging from The New Yorker to Cosmo Girl;

host of UCBT's monthly open mic stand-up show Gutbucket),

Olde English (sketch troupe and prodigious generator of funny videos;

ABC's Good Morning America, MSNBC, hosts UCBT variety show Very Fresh;

on Entertainment Weekly's" Must See" list; members are Caleb Bark,

Ben Popik, David Segal, Adam Conover, and Raphael Bob-Waksberg),

Tig Notaro (Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program; for stand-up

video about Tig's name & upcoming Have Tig at Your Party DVD, please click here), and

Brad Steuernagel (ImprovOlympic, shows Ice Cream Before Bed and Local Comedian;

for video with Brad as scary-hilarious magazine subscription salesman posing the

memorable question "Do you like information, sir?", please click here).

8:30 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

Ms. Jackson

"They're all street, all the time." Five funny women—pictured left to right,

Jessica Allen, Bayne Gibby, Stephanie Kasen, Caitlin Miller, and Tara Copeland

—who won the 2004 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group.

8:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Bobby Moynihan, Zach Woods, Christina Gausas, Michael Delaney, and Chris Gethard

The Stepfathers

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

Manhattan Comedy Collective: Star Trek Improv

If you'd like to experience a gentler, more relaxed, but still quite smart type of improv,

visit the Manhattan Comedy Collective run by the wonderful Stacy Mayer

(who's quick as lightning, but much funnier).

Tonight's show is a monthly feature titled Start Trekkin', in which

improvisors make up a Star Trek episode on the spot. The official description:

"Eight improvisers take the stage in full Federation uniform and, based on audience suggestions, create an entirely original 'episode' set in the Star Trek universe. Expect melodramatic acting, pointy sideburns, aliens in bad wigs, paper-maché rocks and transparent social commentary. But don't expect James T. Kirk or the USS Enterprise; this is a different ship and a new captain every week." The performers are Kate Caldwell, Topping Haggerty, Karie Hunt, Phil Ristaino, Aaron Saenz, Ben Sterling, Kenneth Scott Thompson, and Joyce Trotta.

10:00 pm at the Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);

tickets are $10 online (with no service charge) and $10 at the door

The Made-Up Musical

Veteran improvisor John O'Donnell is accompanied

by a rotating cast that might include such superb talents as

Tara Copeland, Scott Glover, Alex Marino, Louis Kornfeld,

Jessica Allen, Robin Rothman, and Megan Gray

—and with Frank Spitznagel on piano—

turn an interview with an audience member

into a musical they make up on the spot.

10:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

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

4 Track!

Springboarding from a word suggested by the audience, improvisors

George Basil, Frank Campanella, Christian Capozzoli, and Matt Evans

create group scenes that send four characters down different paths...

but end up making the characters collide into each other.

11:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Liquid Courage

The ultimate in audience participation: any group can submit a sketch and perform it!

If all you want is to be entertained, this show probably isn't a good choice.

But if you'd like to act on the UCBT stage, and/or have your sketch writing judged by an exceptionally savvy audience, this is a golden opportunity.

Sign-up begins at 10:30 pm and runs till 11:45 pm; sketches will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's wise to arrive early. For a complete list of the rules, please click here.

Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 1/5/08

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

stellar storytellers trying to fool the audience at The Liar Show (6:00 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 (7:30 pm),

a spectacular gathering of 50 terrific comics in Queens, each of whom will tell

the first joke he or she has written in 2008, for 50 First Jokes (8:00 pm),

comics experiencing the rush of performing with no clothes on in The Naked Comedy Showcase (8:00 pm),

improv comedy mixed with audience-supplied music at the rockin' Mother: The Soundtrack (9:00 pm),

inventive & hilarious sketch comedy from The Harvard Sailing Team (9:30 pm), and

improvised TV shows about audience members via world-class troupe Reuben Williams (10:30 pm).

For details, please click here.

The Liar Show

Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true...but

one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber.

Host Andy Christie (The New York Times) welcomes tonight's terrific yarn-spinners:

J. Keith van Straaten (VH1s Best Week Ever, hosted Comedy Centrals Beat The Geeks; performed on such acclaimed series as HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and WB's Gilmore Girls; since 2004, produces and hosts a live LA version of the classic game show Whats My Line?),

Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central; US Magazine's Fashion Police),

James Braly (NPR; only two-time winner of The Moth Storytelling GrandSLAM), and

Jennifer DeMeritt (Nerve.com, Glamour Magazine, Bust Magazine).

6:00 pm at Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (between West 4th Street and Bleecker);

tickets are $12, which includes one drink

Becky Drysdale, Anthony King, and Christina Gausas

Let's Have a Ball

Some of the sharpest writers and performers in NYC get together for long-form improv fun.

The players typically include 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 (acclaimed one-woman show One Woman in Several Pieces, Web video series 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).

7:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

The Tiny Spectacular

Magnet instructors & Second City veterans such as Rachel Hamilton, Ed Herbstman, Abby Sher, and Miriam Tolan, plus stars of Mother: The Soundtrack (see below) Jason Mantzoukas, Tara Copeland, James Eason, Christine Walters, plus occasional special guests (such as superstar Mike Meyers), turn a tiny suggestion into larger-than-life improvised scenes.

7:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

50 First Jokes

A gigantic laugh fest in Queens...and it's free!

Fifty NYC comics gather to each tell the first joke he or she has written in 2008.

Expect a happy gathering of comedic talent...and quite possibly wild partying afterwards.

For a list of participants, please see the poster above.

It includes some of the very best comics in New York.

Hosted by John F. O'Donnell (wild man who will make you love him; Comedy Central's Fresh Faces; host of biweekly Long Island City comedy show The Kingdom of Heaven),

Claudia Cogan (Logo Network, Sirius OutQ; finalist for Time Out New York's Best Joke of 2007),

and Jiwon Lee (Comedy Central).

8:15ish pm at The Creek and The Cave, 10-93 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens; free

From Manhattan, take the #7 subway to the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop (one stop after Grand Central);

exit on Jackson Avenue and walk one block north to 49th Avenue.

Andy Ofiesh, creator of The Naked Comedy Showcase

The Naked Comedy Showcase

Oddly enough, this is just what it sounds like;

stand-up, sketch, and improv comics performing in the buff.

A reviewer from The Boston Globe observed, "The dynamic of nude comedian

and clothed audience added an extra dimension to self-deprecating material."

For a New York Magazine review, please click here.

8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10

SKP's Stu Luth, Mel DeLancey, and Dan Maccarone, and storyteller Adam Wade

Slightly Known People Is Seeing Other People

Slightly Known People—Erik Bowie, Mel DeLancey, Stu Luth,

Dan Maccarone, and Josh Mertz—performs funny songs and sketch comedy.

In this weekly show SKP invites other talented comics

to come play along with it for an evening.

I'm not sure who's visiting tonight, but the show is titled

"Pent-Up Hostility with David Caruso."

For a hilarious SKP video deconstructing Billy Joel, please click here.

For a review of the show, please click here.

8:30 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

Mother: The Soundtrack

Jason Mantzoukas leads a vibrant team of improv comics—Scot Armstrong, Tara Copeland, Jon Daly, James Eason, Jesse Falcon, Doug Moe, and Christine Walters—who make up scenes based on CD tracks contributed by the audience. One of UCBT's most beloved shows.

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. Together, they turn an audience suggestion into a TV series...and perform it for you on the spot.

10:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 1/6/08

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

featuring prizes and fun, Name That Tune (8:00ish pm).

ASSSSCAT 3000

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)