NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 1/4/10
Brilliant comedic actress Amy Heidt shows her skill at multiple characters in her one-woman show Dominate Yourself!...
...and thoroughly hilarious comics Dave Hill, Jim Norton, and Anthony Jeselnik perform stand-up at 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 (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
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Terrific stand-ups & comedic storytellers Brooke Van Poppelen, Dan Allen, Luke Cunningham, Maddog Mattern, and more 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): Thoroughly wonderful stand-ups Todd Barry, Kumail Nanjiani, Ali Waller, Roger Hailes, and Ann carr performing in the Lolita Bar with producer Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb sketch troupe Pangea 3000 being ironically self-deprecating, and sketch troupe Sidecar performing bits about the end of the world, in the double-bill Pangea 3000 Sucks and Sidecarmageddon
[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Amy Heidt's one-woman show was one of the very best productions at this past August's FringeNYC Festival (for my review, please click here); a slimmed-down version plays tonight, along with a try-out for a sketch show, in the double-bill Amy Heidt: Dominate Yourself! and This is About Smith
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: A blowout gathering of some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including three of my all-time favorites, Anthony Jeselnik, Dave Hill, and Jim Norton—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 1/5/10
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm doors, 8:00 pm show ($6.50 online, $7 at the door): For the fourth year in a row, 50+ NYC comics gather to each tell the first joke he or she has written in 2010. Expect an exuberant gathering of comedic talent...and wild partying afterwards. For the scheduled lineup, please click here. In previous years, this event was free but super-packed with people; come and see if charging tickets for a huge venue this year makes the event better or worse... Hosted by Jiwon Lee, Claudia Cogan and John F. O’Donnell, it's 50 First Jokes, 2010 Edition
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Delightful hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage —along with a guest who (unusually) hasn't yet been announced—conduct a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club
8:00 pm to midnight
($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight
featuring UCBT house troupes Robber Baron, The Law Firm, Ragnaröck, Badman,
and Penthouse Riot,
followed by UCBT advanced students playing an improv game in which scenes flow
from one location to another—all
at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb stand-ups Dave Hill, Morgan Murphy, and Arden Myrin—and possibly some happy surprises—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.): Shane Webb, Lewis Tierney, David Prince, and Lisa Levy telling tales about their first time doing something (subject is up to them) performing in Ochi's Lounge at Rachel Axelrod's & Evan Morgenstern's SNC: The Virgin Chronicles
9:30 pm ($5): Pat Shepherd thought he was getting married. He was wrong. Learn the details in his one-man show Disengaged
[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 1/6/10
Dave Hill demonstrates why he's Big in Japan...
...and Wyatt Cenac & Todd Barry perform stand-up at Big Terrific (with Todd warming up for his headlining show tomorrow at Carolines)
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 ($5): Eliza Skinner is a genius musical improvisor (as member of I Eat Pandas and Baby Wants Candy, and coach of Wildhorn!); and overall, one of the most talented comics in the biz. Honestly, Eliza hasn't yet developed a scripted production that showcases her immense talents; but in the meantime, tonight Eliza reprises a one-woman show she did last year which received acclaim: Shameless
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A big show that's gotten even bigger, as comedy giant Dave Hill performs an expanded hour-long version of his charming and hilarious series of tales about a musical tour overseas: Dave Hill: Big in Japan
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Brilliant wry stand-up Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim, The Wrestler; use promo code TODDB for $10 tickets for Todd's headlining show tomorrow at Carolines), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central), and Jesse Pop (co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy) performing at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Brilliant stand-ups Anthony Jeselnik and Kumail Nanjiani, plus sharp comics Erin Judge, Phoebe Robinson, Mark Normand, and Sheng Wang, plus an improv troupe to open, performing at UNDER St. Marks for Christian Polanco's And Then What Happened?
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC comics telling their funniest one-liners at host Matt Goldich's 25 Words or Less
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): An hour-long play made up on the spot by razor-sharp, passionate improvisors Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Christina Gausas (Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report) at Adsit & Gausas
[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 1/7/10
One of the finest stand-ups in comedy history headlines for tonight only at the Comix Comedy Club: Anthony Jeselnik...
...and the smartest
& funniest comedy improv troupe in the world tonight begins a spectacular
five-night run in NYC that must
not be missed:
The
Improvised Shakespeare Company
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Superb storyteller Tom Shillue, pundit Leighann Lord, and musical comedy duo The Knuckleheads performing at host Eric Vetter's No Name & a Bag O' Chips
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($10 online using discount code TODDB & 2-drink min.): A wryly brilliant stand-up who's one of the very best in the biz, having performed on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim, The Wrestler, and much more, delivering a deliciously long headlining set tonight at Carolines—and with the $25 tickets discounted to $10, how can you pass this up?: Todd Barry
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code JODY, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award this August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event during this magical five-night NYC run, starting tonight: Baby Wants Candy
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 superb sketch troupe Trophy Dad performing a comedic play about a college buddy returning after 10 years to ruin his friend's life, in the double-bill Highly Evolved Human and The Worst Guy Ever!
8:00 pm ($5): A sketch show self-described as "silly, abstract, a little bit touching, and very entertaining" from comedy duo Hobart & Michael
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
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Sharp comics Rob Cantrell, Thomas Dale, Kendra Cunnigham, and Tony Woods performing at Brooklyn's Building on Bond for a free stand-up show hosted by Yannis Pappas: A Very Good Comedy Show
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Colin Quinn (SNL, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn), Brooke Van Poppelen (Chicago Public Radio), Shayna Ferm (brilliant comedic singer/songwriter), Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Rory Albanese (Executive Producer of The Daily Show), and more performing at a blockbuster edition of Comedy Below Canal
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($20 & 2-item min.): One of the finest, sharpest, funniest comics in comedy history—who's barely started his career, but is already a staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, and has performed killer sets on Conan O'Brien, HBO's Down and Dirty, and a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special—headlining for one night only at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Anthony Jeselnik
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Movie & TV comedy superstar Janeane Garofalo, Jason Trachtenburg (Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players), and Amelie Gillette (The Onion's The Hater columnist) joining the fresh, sexy, and razor-sharp gals of comedy group Variety SHAC
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] [$] ($15 online or at the door with discount code ISCTHR): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight begins a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupes The Brothers Hines and The Scam battling for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 1/8/10
Genius visiting improvisors: Boston-based Code Duello and Chicago-based Improvised Shakespeare Company
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 new 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
7:30 pm ($10): Raunchy comedic singer/songwriter Cock Lorge and friends performing at his monthly show at Pianos in Thank Cock It's Friday
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Wearing wigs and waistcoats, extraordinarily quick-witted improvisors Neil Reynolds and Matt Tucker portray "two of America's angriest founders: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr" and the events leading up to their historic duel—while crafting deliciously silly scenes. For example, when the duo performed during the magical Del Close Improv Marathon in 2007, Burr proposed a law declaring US land as "international waters" so he'd have more freedom to sleep with married women. When Hamilton thwarted him, the villain seceded and declared his body his own country, "the United State of Burr." These Boston-based improvisors are among the sharpest in the country, and it's thrilling that they're gracing NYC for this one night only with their unique themed improv. Expect something quite special at Code Duello: Hamilton &. Burr
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code JODY, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event during this magical NYC run through Monday night: Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: The debut of a new monthly comedy show featuring top NYC stand-ups and musical comics, with tonight's guests brilliant singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm, stellar storytellers Tom Shillue and Giulia Rozzi, and superb stand-ups Leo Allen, Claudia Cogan, and Craig Baldo performing at Happy Ending for wonderful stand-up/comedic rapper host Carolyn Castiglia's Splurge!
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): A comedy superstar headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: D. L. Hughley
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC sketch comics & stand-ups Murderfist (fearless sketch troupe), Rob Lathan (performed sketch on Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Human Giant), Jordan Carlos (The Colbert Report, Ghost Town), Jesse Popp (Comedy Central, co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy), Pat O'Shea, and Jake Young performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for host Nick Turner's and new co-host Jason Saenz 's Too Cool for School
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics Allison Castillo (Comedy Central), Yamaneika Saunders (NBC's Stand-Up for Diversity), Tom Ragu (The Tom Ragu Revue), and Garry Hannon performing in Ochi's Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by the lovely Jenny Rubin: The Back Room
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] [$] ($17 online or at the door with discount code ISCCFBK): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the second of a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Top UCBT talents—tonight featuring Jeff Hiller, Fran Gillespie, Nate Lang, Jim Santangeli, Mike Still, and Andree Vermeulen as the performers, and Neil Casey, John Frusciante, Dan Gregor, Dan Gurewitch, Anthony King, Craig Rowin, Eric Scott, Nate Smith, Caitlin Tegart, and Greg Tuculescu as the writers—creating a one-night-only sketch comedy show directed by Will Hines, with musical guest McGinty & White: 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 1/9/10
The smartest
& funniest improv comedy troupe in the world continues its spectacular
NYC run that ends on Monday and must
not be missed:
The
Improvised Shakespeare Company...
...plus D. L. Hughley headlines at Carolines, and a musical is created on the spot by the magical improv troupe Baby Wants Candy
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 (no cover, 1-item min.): Stellar storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents), terrific stand-ups Joe Devito (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) and Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), way fun sketch comics Pat Stango & Blaine Perry (Don’t Touch Me There), and much more performing in Ochi's Lounge at Lil' Seany Boy
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code JODY, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event during this magical NYC run through Monday night: Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm & 12:30 am ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): A comedy superstar headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: D. L. Hughley
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($20): Wonderful stand-ups Tom Shillue, Kumail Nanjiani, God's Pottery, Michelle Buteau, Myq Kaplan, and Sean Crespo—and free beer!—at acclaimed monthly comedy showcase Moonwork
9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!
9:30 pm ($10): PIT house comics tell tales about "The First Time" in the debut of this comedic storytelling show: Campfire Stories
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($17 online or at the door with discount code ISCCFBK): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the second of a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy finally hosting his own extravaganza, with guests including Shannon O'Neill, Joe Mande, Noah Garfinkel, Don Fanelli, Shaun Diston, and Bethany Hall : The Chris Gethard Show
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 1/10/10
Over the past three nights, audiences at the Barrow Theatre saw an older woman so sexually aggressive that each young man she seduces quickly perishes (from audience suggestion The Taming of the Cougar); a general so cruel that he kills his subordinates in front of their young, ailing children; and a deus ex machina in the form of Scrooge McDuck. And it was all hilarious...
...There are just two more evenings—tonight at 10:00 & Monday at 8:00—to catch the smartest & funniest improv comedy troupe in the world in a spectacular NYC run that must not be missed: The Improvised Shakespeare Company
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] 2:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code JODY, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event during this magical NYC run through Monday night: Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Rob Cantrell and other sharp NYC stand-ups performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Superb stand-ups Ophira Eisenberg, Ali Wong, Joe Devito, Craig Baldo, Harry Terjanian, and Dan Goodman performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): A comedy superstar headlining this one last night at Carolines: D. L. Hughley
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC comics—who haven't been announced this week—performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online or at the door with discount code ISCSUN): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the fourth of a five-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Don't miss the final two performances of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[FREE] 10:00 pm: All-gal stand-ups Ali Wong, Karith Foster, Roberta Rockwell, and Joanne Filan performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Copyright © 2010 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
