NYC Comedy Picks for Week of February 8, 2010

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 2/8/10

Superb Awkward Kings of Comedy Marina Franklin, Victor Varnado & Hannibal Buress reunite at Tell Your Friends

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 (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] 7:00 pm ($5): Adam Wade is a hilarious storyteller who's won the Moth GrandSlam twice, and is a record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; has written for The New York Times Magazine; and is host of True Tales of College. Tonight Adam performs his monthly show at Under St. Marks that's likely to be a treat, with guest storyteller Margot Leitman (Conan O'Brien, Stripped Stories): The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League

[FREE] 7:45 pm: NYC stand-ups Liz Miele, Michael Terry, Sean O'Connor, Erik Rivera, and Tirrell Abraham performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A reunion of the superb stand-up comics in the concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy, with Hannibal Buress (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), and Marina Franklin (Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), plus Hari Kondadbolu (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central's John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show), and wonderful musical guest Jessica Delfino, all performing in the Lolita Bar with producer Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Sketch duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman performing sketch comedy following an acclaimed run at last August's Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Fun political outrage from Janeane Garofalo, Matt Taibbi (Rolling Stone), and Jeremy Scahill (Democracy Now, The Nation), plus musical guest Jack Dishel (The Moldy Peaches), all performing at Citizen Radio LIVE!

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including guest host Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Jessi Klein (brilliantly fresh, organic stand-up; staff writer for Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central's Michael & Michael Have Issues), John Mulaney (brilliant & lightning-fast stand-up; Conan O'Brien, staff writer for Saturday Night Live), Tig Notaro (Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program; for stand-up video about Tig's name, please click here), and Gabe Liedman (co-host of Big Terrific)—performing at Whiplash

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 2/9/10

Deliciously hilarious comics Kristen Schaal, Tig Notaro, and Jessi Klein perform tonight at the Comix Comedy Club

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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($5 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $10], plus 2-item minimum): Tig Notaro (hilarious deadpan stand-up; Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Last Comic Standing; for stand-up video about Tig's name, please click here) hosts a show with movie & TV star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive) and Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic stand-up) at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Tig Notaro and Friends

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Hilary Schwartz and Rachael Parenta hosting an Eat My Feelings Valentines Day Special Edition of their intriguing show at Ochi's Lounge described as "emotionally inappropriate comedy:" Please, Someone Kill Me

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5):Zane Grant (IDW's We Will Bury You), and Grace Randolph (Marvel's Her-Oes, Nation X) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm (no cover, one drink min.): Tom Shillue (world-class comedic storyteller; Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show), Matt Goldich (Comedy Central, VH1), Hadiyah Robinson, and Vladimir Caamano performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) with delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Badman, The Bishop, DeCoster, The Law Firm, and Scootch,
followed at 11:00 pm by superb improv troupes Outlook of the Poet and (again) The Law Firm —all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($5): Super lineup including Brooke Van Poppelen, Kevin Allison, Matt McCarthy, Katie Crown, and Iliza Schlesinger performing stand-up at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show tonight guest-hosted by Joe Derosa: Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; recent killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Tig Notaro (hilarious deadpan stand-up; Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Last Comic Standing; for stand-up video about Tig's name, please click here), Iliza Shlesinger (LA-based winner of sixth season of Last Comic Standing), Craig Baldo (Conan O'Brien) , and more performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, and Gloria Bigelow hosting guest stand-ups Jamie Lee, RG Daniels, and Cara Kilduff performing in Ochi's Lounge at Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($15 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $20], plus 2-item minimum): Jessi Klein hosts her fellow Saturday Night Live staff writer Hannibal Buress, plus razor-sharp comic Joe Mande, on a headling double-bill at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Hannibal Buress and Joe Mande

[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 2/10/10

Adam Wade & friends tell their True Tales of College...

...and brilliant comics Dave Hill and Jessica Delfino perform with burlesque stars at the raunchy Skits 'n' Tits

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] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): World-class storyteller & luminous talent Kambri Crews, Andy Hendrickson, and Peter Aguero join 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) in Ochi's Lounge to share their favorite real-life campus anecdotes at True Tales of College

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member "Oh, I've been though a whole lot worse than this." Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out...and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show's title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened...) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple

8:00 pm ($5): The delightful Andrée Vermeulen performing a one-woman show in which she applies for "The Greatest French Person in the World Award" only to discover a terrible family secret involving waffles—and while performance trumps material here, Andrée is a fresh young talent worth discovering (for a memorable show highlight, shot with Andrée's real-life boyfriend Thomas Middleditch, please click here); plus 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...), in the double-bill French Toast and Highly Evolved Human

[FREE] 8:00: Superb comedic storyteller John Flynn, and NYC stand-ups Nick Zimmerman, Sean Crespo, Brian Longwell, Greg Leitman, and Colin Dempsey, all performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Theatrical scenes made up on the spot with breathtaking skill by brilliant and passionate improvisors who are becoming one of the best comedy duos in the biz—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Christina Gausas (Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report), a.ka. Adsit & Gausas

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($8, or $6.50 online): From Examiner.com:" I can sell this show in 10 words or less…pasties, beautiful ladies, hysterical comedy, a house band, and beer…done. The electric trio made up of Jessica Delfino, Diane O’Debra, and Steph Sbelli (who both sing raunchy songs and perform sketch comedy) put on their smashing monthly variety show Skits n Tits that can only be described as hilarious, bad ass, and sexy. Catch some of the hottest up and coming acts in burlesque and comedy." Tonight's guests include comedians Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, star of The King of Miami, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, The Dave Hill Explosion), Costaki Economopoulos, and Mike Amato, plus burlesque stars The Chi-Ciones and Jo Boobs, all performing in The Bowery Poetry Club at the monthly extravaganza known at Skits 'n' Tits

[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

Please Note: Big Terrific has been canceled tonight because of the expected snowpocalypse. As far as I know, however, all the shows listed above will go on as scheduled.

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 2/11/10

World-class comedy troupes Fearsome and Stuckey & Murray perform (with clothes) at A-Side/B-Side...

...and world-class comedic storytellers Michael Showalter and Mike Daisey reveal their obsessions at Risk!

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 ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight include legendary sketch & stand-up comic Michael Showalter (co-star of Comedy Central's Michael & Michael Have Issues), acclaimed world-class storyteller Mike Daisey (called "the master" by The New York Times), stellar raunchy storyteller Giulia Rozzi (VH1, co-host of Stripped Stories), Peter Lubell (The Moth), and Juliet Wayne (The Moth)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight's theme "Obsessions" at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Comedy dynamo Shannon O'Neill performing a one-woman 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 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 Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and BoF in This Old Thing

8:00 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] [$] 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—with tonight's participants star storyteller Adam Wade, wonderful stand-up & storyteller Brooke Van Poppelen, Jenn Wehrung, Jasmin Singer, Todd Rosenberg, Julia Wright, Boni Joi, and Julianna Forlano—produced in New York by Anne Altman and Julia Wright, with tonight's theme geared for Valentine's Day: Mortified: Heartbreak Edition

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Three of the best comedy troupes in NYC—Fearsome, Stuckey & Murray, and Elephant Larry—each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites in a fun revue hosted by James Eason & Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes—The Brothers Hines and The Big Ass Movie—compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 2/12/10

Stand-up star Ted Alexandro headlines with friends tonight at Comix

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): In this fun show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member's suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with "all the music and magic of a Disney flick...plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:" Once Upon a Time

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $20], plus 2-item minimum): Superb stand-ups Joe Derosa, Morgan Murphy, and Pete Dominick join one of the finest stand-ups in the country to perform at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Ted Alexandro & Friends

8:00 pm ($10): A "best of" show from one of UCBT's house sketch troupes: Thunder Gulch's Pop Culture Apocalypse

8:00 pm ($5): John O'Donnell tells lots of comedic stories in his long-running one-man show The O'Donnellogues

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups 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

9:30 pm ($10): Improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan following up winning the recent SketchProv Tournament with this PIT run, and veteran improv duo formerly known as Project:Projekt, in the double-bill Swords and The Nathan & Joe Show

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

11:00 pm ($5): A fun improv show that makes up scenes based on the contents of an audience member's wallet: Gimme the Loot!

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Top UCBT talents—tonight featuring Nate Lang, Kate McKinnon, Ben Rodgers, Nick Ross, Mike Still, and Andrée Vermeulen as the performers, and Adam Conover, John Frusciante, Kevin Hines, Anthony King, Craig Rowin, Jim Santangeli, Nate Smith, Gavin Speiller, Erik Tanouye, Caitlin Tegart, and Greg Tuculescu as the writers—creating a one-night-only sketch comedy show directed by comedy genius Gavin Speiller, with musical guest Cavalier Rose: Beneath Gristedes

[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 2/13/10

Two of the sharpest and funniest stand-ups in NYC, Sara Schaefer and Brooke Van Poppellen,
perform tonight at a Valentines Day edition of Lil' Seany Boy

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] 5:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Hot Cripple, a superb and heartfelt one-woman show by Hogan Gorman about her experiences with the US health care system, legal system, and government programs for the down-but-not-out. (The performance I attended was especially memorable because a small fire broke out on the second floor of the venue. Hogan had to stop two-thirds into her monologue so the building could be evacuated; and she did so with a wry smile, telling a comforting audience member "Oh, I've been though a whole lot worse than this." Three fire trucks and 30 minutes later, the fire was out...and Hogan made a quick joke about the Hot in her show's title and then resumed performing as if nothing had happened...) Running through February, come see it uninterrupted: Hot Cripple

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Valentine's Day edition with gorgeous ace stand-ups Sara Schaefer and Brooke Van Poppellen, plus Shawn Hollenbach, Jeff Rubin, Sergio Chicon, Kara Klenk, and "a very special guest"—plus an opportunity to "win a date with Pat Stango"—performing in Ochi's Lounge at Sean Donnelly's Lil' Seany Boy

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

7:00 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] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($30 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $35], plus 2-item minimum): A cast member of 30 Rock, and a performer on VH1's Best Week Ever, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, MTV's Wonder Showzen, NBC's The Tonight Show, and over 20 films headlining tonight and Sunday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander

[TOP PICK] 8:00 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] [$] 8:00 pm ($18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Allen Warnock and Andrea Alton (members of sketch troupe Freedumb) teaming up to create hilarious characters in a very silly and fun show—for my review, please click here. The production has now been revived for a commercial run through February 28th: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and which recently won the Cage Match Championship 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 ($12): An unlikely matchmaker that's resulted in actual marriages, and even babies!—followed by a free party at 11:00 pm: The PIT Dating Game

[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] 12:00 am ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy finally hosting his own extravaganza—which goes beyond a stage show to have the makings of a hit MTV series—with guests including Shannon O'Neill, Bethany Hall, Vincent Milosevich, Michael Kayne, Don Fanelli, the Kung Fu Monkeys...and maybe Sean "Diddy" Combs: The Chris Gethard Show

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 2/14/10

30 Rock stand-up star Judah Friedlander headlines with friends tonight at Comix

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] [DISCOUNTED] 3:00 pm ($9 using discount code KTCCSVA, otherwise $18): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2008 was Allen Warnock and Andrea Alton (members of sketch troupe Freedumb) teaming up to create hilarious characters in a very silly and fun show—for my review, please click here. The production has now been revived for a commercial run through February: Carl & Shelly: Best Friends Forever

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm ($30 online if you use code VIPFEB [otherwise $35], plus 2-item minimum): A cast member of 30 Rock, and a performer on VH1's Best Week Ever, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, MTV's Wonder Showzen, NBC's The Tonight Show, and over 20 films headlining tonight and Sunday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A small army of superb comedic writers, storytellers, and stand-ups—including Adam Wade, Elna Baker, Sean Patton, Sara Schaefer, Eliza Skinner, Julie Klausner, Michelle Collins, Katina Corrao, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri—sharing their tales of being turned down at Brooklyn's The Bell House for this special Valentine's Day edition of Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Star comics Anthony Jeselnik, Wyatt Cenac, and Julian McCullough performing stand-up at this weekly event at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Tearing the Veil of Maya

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Victor Varnado, Jareed Logan, Gilad Foss, Susannah Perlman, and Shawn Pearlman performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Jared Logan, Jamie Lee, Noah Garfinkel, and Matt Wayne performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: An all-gal lineup consisting of Ali Wong (hilarious human dynamo), Lori Sommer, and Dana Lovecchio performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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