NYC Comedy Picks for Week of January 7, 2008

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 1/7/08

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

hilarious hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande presenting such fearlessly funny comics as

Charlie Sanders (Conan O'Brien) and Jon Daly & Brett Gelman (as Cracked Out) at Totally J/K (8:15ish pm),

a brand new monthly comedic variety show from ace sketch troupe A Week of Kindness (8:15ish pm),

and one of the funniest shows in NYC—which just happens to be free—featuring stand-up stars

Todd Barry, Demetri Martin, and Jessi Klein, at a TV previews party from Human Giant (11:00 pm).

Totally J/K

Hosted by quick-witted and enormously funny best buds Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel

(for dueling birthday videos, please click here and here; and for other videos,

please click here and here). Tonight's terrific guests include

Cracked Out (artfully shocking chameleons Jon Daly & Brett Gelman

parodying a hip-hop group; for samples of the duo's mind-blowing videos,

please click here and here, and check out their album Fleetwood Cracked),

Charlie Sanders (brilliantly dynamic comic who's one of the most committed performers 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), and

Andrew Orvedahl (for stand-up about riding on a bus, please click here).

8:15ish pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

Dan Hopper, Mike Still, and Nate Kushner

A Week of Kindness' Monthly Variety Show: Premiere!

Hilarious sketch troupe A Week of Kindness—consisting of Dan Hopper, Nate Kushner, and Mike Still—host this new monthly comedy extravaganza. To understand why these guys richly deserve their own show, please check out their videos on tiny folk The Thumblettes, a gripping science fiction saga, and Purple People Eater implants by clicking here, here, and here. Also consider Mike Still's motto: "When Oprah gives me opportunities, I call them Oprah-tunities.

And life is the greatest Oprah-tunity of all."

Tonight's scheduled guests are

Greg Johnson (superb stand-up, and co-host of one of the funniest shows in NYC,

The Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show every Friday at 8:30 at Rififi),

Michelle Collins (VH1's Best Week Ever and All Access, MTV U, YouCantMakeItUp.org; for a memorable chat about the power of penises over vaginas, please click here),

Henry Zebrowski (member of sketch troupe Murderfist),

Matt Little (loves unicorns), and the Bing Crosby Family.

Why miss this Oprah-tunity to catch great sketch and stand-up comics?

8:15ish pm at Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street at Stanton; tickets are $8

The Billy Club

Stand-up comedy hosted by Billy Reno (SNL's Weekend Update,

Caroline's; for video samples, please click here and here).

Tonight's scheduled guests are

Sara Benincasa (host of NYC weekly live comedy show Family Hour with Auntie Sara;

for hilarious video, please click here; for bio, please click here),

Matt Taylor (MTV's Parental Control; host of Astoria, Queens show Tuesday Night Comedy),

Allison Castillo, Peter Kassnove, and Todd Montesi.

8:00ish 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)

Author Mark Crispin Miller & his election book Fooled Again, and host Lizz Winstead

Shoot the Messenger

Lizz Winstead is co-creator and former head writer of the original The Daily Show; former Executive VP of Air America Radio; and a performer on such shows as Comedy Central Presents and HBO's Women of the Night. (She's also a character; e.g., for a memorable anti-apology after canceling her appearance on the live NYC show Drink at Work, please click here.)

Tonight's guest is Mark Crispin Miller, author of the books Boxed in: The Culture of TV, The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder, Cruel and Unusual: Bush/Cheneys New World Order, and Fooled Again (which argues the last Presidential election was literally stolen).

To get a feel for STM, view a fun interview with cartoonist David Rees by clicking here.

To buy tickets online (each $10 plus $2.50 service charge), please click here.

8:30 pm at Ace of Clubs, 9 Great Jones Street (3rd St. between Lafayette and Broadway); $10

This theatre is downstairs from the Acme restaurant. Nearest subway stops are

Bleecker Street on the #6 and Broadway-Lafayette on the F/V/D/B.

Singles Night: Solo Performances

Two one-man shows for five bucks.

Tonight's performers (reprising their tales of a month ago) are

George Clark: Storked—A Journey into Fatherhood, and

Steve Kornstein: In Search of Little Red Rosenberg.

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

Todd Barry, Jessi Klein, and Demetri Martin...

...and Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, and Aziz Ansari (a.k.a. Human Giant)

Human Giant

Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, and Paul Scheer, the wonderful stars

of MTV comedy hit Human Giant, will be showing off clips-in-progress

for their upcoming second season (slated to air in March).

There's no one better at working an audience than these guys;

and their first season was, in my opinion, one of the funniest shows in TV history.

(For details, please click here.)

Helping the guys throw a great party will be an all-star gathering of stand-up comics:

Todd Barry (wryly brilliant; Late Show with David Letterman,

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents;

HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Lucky Louie;

Comedy Central's Freak Show, Dr. Katz, and Shorties Watching Shorties;

Adult Swim's Space Ghost, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Tom Goes To The Mayor),

Demetri Martin (The Daily Show: Trendspotting, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,

Comedy Central's Demetri Martin. Person., These Are Jokes CD/DVD), and

Jessi Klein (winner of 2003 ECNY Best Female Stand-Up award; Director

of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend

and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;

NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;

voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;

for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save

the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here).

This is likely to be one of the flat-out funniest shows in NYC.

And it's free.

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 1/8/08

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

some of the most talented and hilarious women in New York: Adira Amram, Livia Scott,

The Apple Sisters, Julie & Jackie, Katina Corrao, and Ann Carr—all of whom are

nominated for this year's ECNY Awards—at Carolyn Castiglia's Chicks & Giggles (8:00 pm),

superb stand-ups including Todd Barry, Liam McEneaney, Maureen Langan, Thomas Middleditch,

and raunchy deaf comic Douglas Ridloff at John Morrison's The Morrison Motel (8:30 pm),

and star stand-up comics Anthony Jeselnik (Premium Blend), Demetri Martin (The Daily Show), Peter Grosz

(The Colbert Report), Michael Showalter, and Craig Baldo at Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm).

Livia Scott, Adira Amram, and Julie Klausner & Jackie Clarke...

...and Katina Corrao; Sarah Lowe, Rebekka Johnson, & Kimmy Gatewood as The Apple Sisters; and Ann Carr

Chicks & Giggles

Carolyn Castiglia normally hosts a lineup of solid female stand-up comics;

but tonight's scheduled guests are awesome.

They've all been nominated for a 2007 ECNY Award; and they're all

incredibly smart, fiercely talented, and hilarious. They include:

Adira Amram, brilliantly funny writer/singer; Jane Magazine Editor's Choice;

nominated for Best Musical Comedy Act (by herself) and Best Variety Show

(with Rob Lathan for Get Psyched!); for sample songs & videos, please click here,

The Apple Sisters—Kimmy Gatewood, Rebekka Johnson, and Sarah Lowe—nominated for Best Musical Comedy Act (for the trio writing, singing, dancing, and acting up a storm for eight different shows in 2007) and Outstanding Achievement in Postcard Design (with the help of Matthew C. Johnson and Keith Huang), and Best Director (for Kimmy Gatewood); to get a feel for their highly acclaimed and much-loved The Apple Sisters Variety Show,

please click here & here & here & here,

Livia Scott, a brilliant and breathtakingly talented comedic chameleon who performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, is a member of world-class sketch troupe Meat, and has been nominated both for Best One-Person Show (for Goodnight, O.J.) and Best Emerging Comic,

Julie Klausner & Jackie Clarke, a duo of writer/performers who are creating some of

the freshest & most hilarious material in NYC via their UCBT show Obsessed with Julie & Jackie, nominated for Best Short Comedic Film Exuhcise, and Best Director (Jackie Clarke for the UCBT shows Get Psyched! and Film Noir),

Katina Corrao, who's performed on HBO's Daddy and on Comedy Central, and is a member of the NYC live comedy show 500% Italian, nominated for an Emerging Comic Award;

for video samples, please click here and here,

and Ann Carr (Nominated for Best One-Person Show, There is Only One You;

please click to view her hilarious Comedy Central Motherload video Honesty Wedding).

8:00 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)

Cover of Special Forces by Kyle Baker; illustrations by R. Sikoryak

Comic Book Club

Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,

who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.

Tonight's guests are acclaimed comics writers/illustrators

Kyle Baker (winner of both the Harvey and Eisner Awards; writer of 13 graphic novels; cartoonist for publications ranging from The New Yorker to The New York Times to National Lampoon; most recent series are Special Forces and The Bakers); and

R. Sikoryak (cartoons & illustrations in The New Yorker, Nickelodeon Magazine, Raw,

and Drawn & Quarterly, and on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart).

8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5

Harold Night

The Harold is longform improv, pioneered by Del Close.

Tonight, five improv troupes—

Raynard, Tantrum, 1985, Bastian, and DeCoster

—each give it a go for 30 minutes, with

short breaks in between, for a total of 3 hours.

Some of the groups are great; some are less so. And this show

is designed more for students of improv than the general public.

But if you're interested, and patient, a mere $5 will buy you

a full evening's education...and periodic solid laughs.

8:00-11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Todd Barry, John Morrison, and Maureen Langan

The Morrison Motel

John Morrison (host of NYC weekly open mic show Ochi's Motel)

welcomes these superb stand-up comics:

Todd Barry (wryly brilliant; Late Show with David Letterman,

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents;

HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Lucky Louie;

Comedy Central's Freak Show, Dr. Katz, and Shorties Watching Shorties;

Adult Swim's Space Ghost, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Tom Goes To The Mayor),

Liam McEneaney (VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's

Premium Blend, former writer for Standup Nation with Greg Giraldo),

Maureen Langan ( winner of the Bud Light "Ladies of Laughter" Contest;

named by Backstage as one of the "Ten Standout Stand-ups Worth Watching"),

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),

Thomas Middleditch (improv at Second City and 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), and

Douglas Ridloff (deaf comic, and co-creator/producer of ASL [American Sign Language] in the Raw; will be performing via his interpreter for the hearing; reportedly raunchy & hilarious).

Discount Note: Please mention HyReviews.com at the door for $5 off the $10 cover!

8:30 pm at Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (between West 4th Street and Bleecker);

$5 per ticket (vs. $10) if you mention HyReviews.com at door, plus one item (food or drink) minimum

Demetri Martin, Anthony Jeselnik (being lauded by Robin Williams), and Michael Showalter...

...and Seth Herzog, Peter Grosz, and Craig Baldo

Sweet

Hosted by the razor-sharp, dynamic, and hilarious Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).

Tonight's all-star stand-ups are

Anthony Jeselnik (phenomenal comic specializing in darkly shocking jokes,

and already one of my favorite stand-ups ever;

Comedy Central's Premium Blend, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live,

NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, MTV's Walk of Shame;

for a video stand-up sample, please click here),

Demetri Martin (The Daily Show: Trendspotting, Comedy Central Presents,

Comedy Central's Demetri Martin. Person., Conan O'Brien, These Are Jokes CD/DVD),

Michael Showalter (MTV's The State, legendary Stella comedy troupe,

co-writer & co-star of comedy feature film Wet Hot American Summer),

Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials,

member of UCBT star improv troupe 3 Square), and

Craig Baldo (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing,

Comedy Central's Premium Blend, VH1, Bravo, The Onion).

9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5

Donald Glover and friend, and Tom Shillue

Her Majesty's Stand-Up

Hosted by Jon Bander, Dan Gregor, and Lucas Held.

Tonight's terrific comics include

Tom Shillue (Comedy Central Presents, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with

Jon Stewart, storytelling podcasts; for stand-up samples, please click here and here),

Donald Glover (writer for NBC's 30 Rock; multiple appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; member of three-man improv/sketch comedy troupe Derrick, which is a star

both on stage at UCBT and on the Web via their wildly popular YouTube videos—

for samples, please click here and here and here and here), and

Dan Curry (Comedy Central; author of book Drunk on a Bike;

for stand-up video, please click here).

9:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

The Blender

Stellar members of various UCBT improv teams are

mixed together to form new teams for just an evening.

Tonight's one-time-only troupes are:

Team 1: Maggie Carey, Devlyn Corrigan, Dominic Dierkes, Aaron Glaser,

Birch Harms, Doug Moe, Ben Schwartz, and Kate Spencer.

Team 2: John Adam, Anthony Atamanuik, Sarah Burns, Brian Faas,

Lydia Hensler, Ryan Karels, Mike Still, and Joe Wengert.

Come take advantage of this chance to see wonderful improvisers

who normally don't work together try to instantly form a group mind.

11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 1/9/08

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

sharp stand-up comedy from Eric Andre, Baratunde Thurston, and other members

of The Black Comedy Project at host Neil Charles' The Deal (7:30 pm),

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

silly musical celebration of school days, in White Orphans and High School Talent Show (8:00 pm),

typically stellar stand-up comics hosted by the great Eugene Mirman & Bobby Tisdale at Invite Them Up (9:00 pm),

a 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).

The Black Comedy Project Presents The Deal

Neil Charles hosts some of the best African-American stand-up comics in NYC:

Eric Andre (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham; 2007 HBO Aspen Comedy Festival; Geico caveman; for a video sample, please click here),

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),

Elon James White (stand-up comedy series Hey Mon),

Josh Homer (New York Underground Comedy Festival Award winner), and

Dave Lester ("I love comedy the way you love your mother after she punishes you

youre pissed at her, but you'd do anything just to be near her").

7:30 pm at The Tank, 279 Church Street (bet. Franklin & White Streets); tickets are $5

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

...and High School Talent Show's Ilana & Eliot Glazer (left) and Mindy Raf (right)

Penny: White Orphans and High School Talent Show

Two delightful sketch shows for a mere five bucks.

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 white orphan for your very own." Directed by Susannah Beckett.

The double-bill then continues with High School Talent Show,

a fun extravaganza from brother-sister duo Eliot & Ilana Glazer in which

"Upper Central High School's brightest stars take to the stage to deliver rabble-rousing performances in song, dance, magic, slam poetry, stilts, and more!" The cast of enormously talented comics playing high school students includes Ann Carr, Carolyn Castiglia, Shawn Hollenbach, Rob Lathan, and brilliant writer/singer Mindy Raf.

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

Invite Them Up

Hosted by comedy greats Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale (above).

The lineup—which is usually stellar—tends to be posted late afternoon

on the day of the show. To check whether the Web page

has been updated yet, please click here.

9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $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); tickets are $5

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 1/10/08

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

the last chance to see (before they go on tour) singing, dancing, and sexual innuendo from

one of the most charming & entertaining groups in NYC, The Apple Sisters (8:00 pm),

the delightful Kate Hess & Shelly Stover dancing and singing for laughs,

and talented comedic storyteller & real-life doctor Devlyn Corrigan providing an insider's look

at NYC hospitals and trauma centers, in We Kate Shelly and This is Gonna Hurt (8:00 pm),

the very odd but intriguing sketch troupe Murderfist (9:30 pm),

two comedic one-man shows from guys named Nick: Out of Africa My Mind and Cool Your J (9:30 pm),

and a battle between two of the funniest and most fiercely competitive improvisation troupes

in New York, Derrick and C, C + C Improv Factory, at Cage Match (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: Right to Bare Charms

The delicious Apple Sisters—Kimmy Gatewood, Rebekka Johnson, and Sarah Lowe, with Tom Thomsen on keyboard—have sung, danced, and naughtily joked their ways into New York City's heart. This homage to 1940s girl groups like The Andrew Sisters has been one of the great successes of 2007...so much so that the gals are about to go on tour to spread their special brand of cheer around the country. If you haven't seen their show before, grab this last chance.

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 in December, the sisters contemplated Christmas by retelling Jesus' birth, consuming slimy green pickles, and resolving 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.

The show consistently sells out, so it's recommended you buy an advance ticket

online ($9.19, including service charge) by clicking here.

8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $8 at the door

Kate Hess & Shelly Stover, and Devlyn Corrigan

We Kate Shelly and This is Gonna Hurt

This comedy double bill kicks off with We Kate Shelly,

a lively sketch show featuring singing, dancing, and crying,

written and starring the irresistible Kate Hess & Shelly Stover,

and directed by comedic genius Andy Secunda (The Swarm).

The laughter then continues, albeit blended with more serious themes,

via This Is Gonna Hurt: The ER Through a Doctor's Eyes.

This one-man show is written and performed by Devlyn Corrigan, a veteran improvisor,

storyteller (on The Nights of Our Lives), and performer (for a video sample, please click here)

who'll be relating hair-raising life & death experiences from his "day job" as a doctor

working at some of the busiest ERs and trauma centers in New York City.

Directed by the wonderful Adam Pally (Hot Sauce, Cage Match, The Nights of Our Lives).

8:00 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

Out of Africa My Mind and Cool Your J

Two funny one-man shows—by two comics named Nick.

First up is Out of Africa My Mind, written and performed by Nick Zimmerman.

The official description of this brand new show: "Out of Africa began as a book.

They made it a movie. Now it's a party...Nick Zimmerman (will) provide the whole wheat

fig bars and the coca-cola. All you have to do is show up."

Directed by the superb John Flynn (John Flynn Has Terrible Sex, The Nights of Our Lives).

And the other half of this double-bill is Cool Your J, written and performed by Nick Philip Ross (improv troupes Wilder, Sidework, and T.R.U.C.K.S.). The official description:

"Nick Ross embodies a dizzying array of idiosyncratic, fully realized characters,

each radically different from the last, but all sharing a certain desperation,

a blistering need to 'Cool Their Js'...a one man character comedy with music and lights...cool."

Directed by Nate Smith (sketch troupe Rogue Elephant).

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

vs.

Cage Match: Derrick vs. C, C + C Improv Factory

This delightful show pits two improv teams against each other while creating the

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 features the return of Derrick, which was an unbeatable champion in 2007 with
11 Cage Match wins, zero losses, and the breaking of several all-time records.

The sharp and enormously appealing members of Derrick—Dominic Dierkes, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson—have proved to be stars both on stage and via their wildly popular YouTube videos (for samples of the latter, please click here and here and here).

Pitted against Derrick will be another titanic trio: the hilarious C, C + C Improv Factory, consisting of Chuck Dauble (Chuck D. & Jawnee Show), Charlie Sanders (Conan O'Brien, Reuben Williams), and Charlie Todd (Improv Everywhere, Reuben Williams). This superb troupe scored five Cage Match victories in 2007. The guys were also a standout—amidst over 150 troupes—at last year's Del Close Improv Marathon.

This promises to be a tough battle between two wonderful comedic groups—

meaning the most likely winner will be the audience.

Otherwise, you can never be certain what'll happen at Cage Match...

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 1/11/08

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

sharp stand-ups such as Jessi Klein and Charles Star (along with less experienced talent)

performing sets about their relatives at Sara Benincasa's Family Hour (7:00),

lovely & witty Cathleen Carr & Daiva Deupree turning life's darkness into comedy as Two Girls for Five Bucks (8:00 pm),

brilliantly funny comics, including Dave Hill, John Mulaney, and (with luck) some surprise star guests

at one of the funniest shows in NYC: The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show (8:30 pm),

the return to The PIT stage of an acclaimed improv troupe—Centralia: Uncle! (9:30 pm),

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

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

and—for those with lots of patience—UCBT's free monthly open mic stand-up show

hosted by lightning-quick & hilarious Pete Holmes at Gutbucket (Midnight-ish).

Happy children with "Aunt" Sara Benincasa...

...and guests Jessi Klein, Kambri Crews, and Charles Star

Family Hour with Auntie Sara

A stand-up comedy show in which everyone tells jokes and/or stories related to

their family. Hosted by comic/actress Sara Benincasa (for hilarious video, please

click here; for bio, please click here). Tonight's guests are:

Jessi Klein (winner of 2003 ECNY Best Female Stand-Up award; Director

of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend

and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;

NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;

voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;

for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save

the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here),

Dan Vollmayer (freelance writer for Late Show with David Letterman),

Charles Star (Onion News Network; Stay Free! Daily blog; host of

monthly Brooklyn comedy show Pant-Hoot),

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 Donnelly (member of sketch comedy & funny short film troupe Don't Touch Me There;

for a stand-up video, please click here),

Michael Ennis (Discovery Channel, Wolfangle Films; for his odd comedic reel, please click here),

Maria Shehata (Comedy Central Motherload's The Watch List),

Amy Beckerman (Dykes on Mics; for a stand-up video, please click here), and

John Powers (for a stand-up video, please click here).

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)

Daiva Deupree & Cathleen Carr relaxing before their show

Carr & Deupree: Two Girls for Five Bucks

Two Girls For Five Bucks is very funny sketch comedy duo Cathleen Carr & Daiva Deupree,

who perform frequently in both NYC and Boston. These luminous women

offer a smart and wittily dark view of life and relationships,

and are well worth catching...and for a great deal more than five bucks.

In fact, the duo will be performing on Jan. 15 for $15 a pop at the acclaimed Ars Nova Theatre;

and if you're seeking to impress a date with your good taste amidst semi-elegant surroundings, that show will be a fine choice.

Otherwise, come see the gals tonight for a mere $8...and be prepared to laugh.

For a few sample MP3 audio clips—most notably, the top one in which

Daiva chats with Cathleen's vagina—please click here.

See also tonight's 11:00 pm show at The PIT.

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

Dave Hill, Whitney Cummings, and John Mulaney...

...and hosts Larry Murphy & Greg Johnson

The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show

This is flat-out one of the finest stand-up shows in NYC, hosted by

Greg Johnson (razor-sharp, quick-witted 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

Dave Hill (written for The New York Times, Salon, HBO, and the eerie

Web site Black Metal Dialogues; written and performed for VH1, Spike TV,

The Learning Channel, and the fabulous Smoking Gun TV series; hosts monthly

UCBT extravaganza The Dave Hill Explosion—to learn more, please click here),

John Mulaney (VH1's Best Week Ever, Late Night with Conan O'Brien;

for stand-up samples, please click here and here),

Whitney Cummings (VH1's Best Week Ever, MTV's Punk'd, ABC's What A<bout Brian,

HBO's Tell Me That You Love Me, host of Sundance Festival Dailies;

for rapid-fire sit-down comedy video, please click here),

and—with luck—one or two surprise star guests.

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

Centralia: Uncle!

Tonight marks the return to The PIT of acclaimed improv troupe Centralia, which consists of Kevin Scott, Jay Rhoderick, and Matt Higgins (Comedy Central, PSNBC; former improv instructor at Yale School of Drama; also founding member of improv troupe Burn Manhattan; three-time finalist for the Andy Kaufman award; for a stand-up sample, please click here).

The official description: "Centralia is known as one of the boldest, most inventive, ground-breaking improvisation groups to ever hit a New York stage. See the performers the Daily News called 'the purest form of theatre,' the Chicago Sun said is 'advancing the art of improvisation,' and the Village Voice said watching is 'like having a front row seat at a stranger's dream.'"

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8

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 the invaluable Frank Spitznagel on piano,

they all turn an interview with an audience member

into a musical made 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

The Monologue Hour

A show for monologues, partly open mic, and partly for invited guests. Tonight the latter are:

Cathleen Carr & Daiva Deupree of Two Girls For Five Bucks (see 8:00 pm UCBT show), Jill Donnelly (improv troupe Wilder), Richard Jones (sketch troupe Gay Christ Figures in Cinema), Jules (improv troupe Frank), and Dave Powers.

11:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8

Pete Holmes

Gutbucket

UCBT's monthly open mic show for stand-up comics.

If you're simply looking to laugh, this show can be

lots of fun, or deadly, depending on who turns up.

But if you're a comic yourself, it's a fine opportunity

to perform in front of an exceptionally sharp audience.

And in my opinion, it's well worth sitting through five minutes of

a dreadful comic to get even 30 seconds of hilarious comments

about the set afterwards from brilliant host Pete Holmes (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).

Holmes' lightning-fast mind will generate more perfect remarks

in a few moments than most comics can manage in a week.

Watching a master like Pete Holmes is a great treat;

and this show is free.

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 1/12/08

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

star 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 wonderful sketch show revolving around physical comedy from ace troupe Drop Six (8:00 pm),

star stand-up from Jessi Klein, Demetri Martin, John Mulaney, and more at

Tom Shillue's acclaimed monthly comedy show Moonwork (9:00 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),

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

and a sketch show (with some improv thrown in) from the superb stars of Derrick (Midnight).

Ochi's Motel

Lottery-style open mic for comics doing stand-up, sketch, improv, etc.,

with 4 minutes per performer...in return for a $5 contribution to the weekly prize kitty.

In addition, Ochi's 1-item food or drink minimum applies to everyone.

If you simply want to laugh, this might not be the best way to kick off your evening.

But if you're a performer looking for some stage time, it's a nice opportunity.

To be entered into the weekly random drawing for the show's performers,

please email host John Morrison (above) at ochismotel[at]gmail.com.

6:00 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)

Becky Drysdale, Anthony King, Christina Gausas, Peter Gwinn, and Tami Sagher

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

Drop Six

Drop Six is a superb NYC-based sketch troupe that makes great use of physical comedy.

The group—consisting of Marcus Bonnée, Tim Girrbach, Alicia Levy, Rodney Umble, and director Larry Rosen—was awarded Best of the Fest by Second City at the 2006 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. And their Drop Six: Mr. Lucky show killed at last year's FringeNYC, placing in my top 15 of the festival (out of 188 wildly diverse & competitive productions).

If you like sketch comedy, or simply enjoy laughing, I recommend Drop Six.

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

Drink at Work

Comedic variety show produced by Carol Hartsell (above left) and hosted by Sean Crespo

(above right; stand-up comic and prolific filmmaker; for samples, please click here & here & here).

Tonight's lineup includes

terrific stand-up Eric Andre (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham; 2007 HBO Aspen Comedy Festival; Geico caveman; for a video sample, please click here),

witty cartoonist David Rees (for fun video clip of interview with him, please click here), and

hilarously shocking comic Rachael Parenta (for audio clip in which she tells three jokes,

please click here).

8:15 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)

SKP's Stu Luth, Mel DeLancey, and Dan Maccarone

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

Jessi Klein, Demetri Martin, John Mulaney, and Tom Shillue

Moonwork

Acclaimed comedy show hosted by Tom Shillue (Comedy Central Presents,

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, storytelling podcasts;

for stand-up samples, please click here and here), who demonstrates his storytelling prowess via an extended witty monologue at the end of the show.

Tonight's stellar lineup:

Jessi Klein (honest, hilarious, delicious stand-up star; ECNY award winner for stand-up; Director of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend

and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;

NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;

voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;

for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save

the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here),

Demetri Martin (immensely popular stand-up star with his own segment, Trendspotting,

on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart [13 appearances]; Late Night with Conan O'Brien

[4 appearances]; Comedy Central Presents 30-minute special; Comedy Central 2007 one-hour special Demetri Martin. Person. [both specials now available on DVD]; These Are Jokes CD/DVD),

John Mulaney (one of the most razor-sharp stand-ups around; VH1's Best Week Ever,

Late Night with Conan O'Brien; for stand-up samples, please click here and here),

Andres du Bouchet (writer for & performer on FOX's Talkshow with Spike Feresten; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn, Cheap Seats, Giant Tuesday, comedic videos), and

Will Franken (performs slew of eccentric characters in stream-of-consciousness style—which doesn't always hit the mark, but it's different; for a video sample, please click here).

9:00 pm at Phil Coltoff Center, 219 Sullivan Street (between Bleecker & West 3rd); $20

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 interview an audience member, and then use the answers as the basis for a new TV show...which this fiercely talented comedy troupe creates & performs for you on the spot.

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

Derrick Comedy: Street Legal

Derrick is three sharp and enormously appealing performers,

Dominic Dierkes, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson, who have

proven themselves to be both stars and improvisation champions,

winning a breathtaking 11 improv matches in a row last year at Cage Match...

and breaking several all-time records while at it.

(And were defeated for the first time ever this week, but in a very close

close contest against a brilliant and fierce opponent. For details, please

tune in here next Thursday for info on this season's Cage Match finals...)

The guys also make wildly popular YouTube videos—

for some samples, please click here and here and here.

In this show, they perform sketch comedy live,

and throw in an improv session to boot.

These wonderfully inventive writer/actors are continually

creating new material, so even if you've seen this show before,

don't hesitate to come tonight; they'll still surprise you.

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 1/13/08

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 razor-sharp stand-up comedy stars, including Demetri Martin and Jessi Klein, joining hosts

Eugene Mirman & Michael Showalter in Brooklyn's Tearing the Veil of Maya (8:00 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)

Jessi Klein, Demetri Martin, Michael Showalter, and Eugene Mirman

Tearing the Veil of Maya

If you live in Brooklyn, or simply don't mind going a few subway stops

beyond Manhattan, some of the best comedy minds in New York can be found

at this weekly show hosted by Eugene Mirman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's

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

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

Michael Showalter (MTV's The State, Stella comedy troupe,

co-writer & co-star of comedy feature film Wet Hot American Summer).

Tonight's wonderful guests include:

Jessi Klein (honest, hilarious, delicious stand-up star; ECNY award winner for stand-up; Director of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend

and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;

NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;

voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;

for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save

the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here), and

Demetri Martin (immensely popular stand-up star with his own segment, Trendspotting,

on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart [13 appearances]; Late Night with Conan O'Brien

[4 appearances]; Comedy Central Presents 30-minute special; Comedy Central 2007 one-hour special Demetri Martin. Person. [both specials now available on DVD]; These Are Jokes CD/DVD).

8:00 pm at Union Hall, 702 Union Street at 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn; tickets are $7

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.