NYC Comedy Picks for Week of July 19, 2010

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 7/19/10

Award-winning star singer/songwriters Kira (Tell Your Friends) and Moby (Citizen Radio Live!)

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($17.50 online with discount code NIFF): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, and Lauren Seikaly, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they've all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title's Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you'll ever see. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight's seventh installment at the Soho Playhouse of a 10-week Monday night run: Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Red-hot stand-up Hannibal Buress (Variety's 2010 Top 10 Comics to Watch; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, George Lopez, concert film The Awkward Comedy Show; 2010 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up), plus NYC stand-ups Dave Greek, Kevin Carlin, Carrie Gravenson, and Tony Deyo performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:30 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 the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison's Motel Luca

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A powerhouse lineup of stand-ups—Todd Barry (HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Andres DuBouchet (former writer for Conan O'Brien), Jon Rineman (writer for Jimmy Fallon), and Peggy O'Brien (The Notorious POB)—plus Danish Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Kira—performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's finest house sketch comedy troupes, High Treason and Slow Burn, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Rock superstar Moby and comedy star Billy Connolly provide entertaining political outrage at Citizen Radio LIVE!

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the country—tonight including Dave Hill, Tig Notaro, Alex Knoll, and Sean O'Connor—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 7/20/10

Marc Maron (one-man show at Union Hall) and John Oliver (Punch Up Your Life)

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] 7:30 pm & 9:20 pm ($12): A comedy legend who's exceptionally passionate and personally revealing, and highly respected for his observations; frequent guest on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; performed solo comedy special for HBO and two solo specials for Comedy Central Presents; many other TV appearances include being a regular on Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; performed a popular off-Broadway one-man show, Jerusalem Syndrome, which he then turned into a 2001 book; co-hosted Morning Sedition on Air America Radio, hosted The Marc Maron Show on LA's KTLK-AM, and currently hosts podcast WTF; and tonight performs new material in a not-to-be-missed one-man show at Brooklyn's Union Hall: Marc Maron

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm [FREE] 8:00 pm: Charlyne Yi (winner of the prestigious Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival for Paper Heart; one-woman show tomorrow night at UCBT), Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Ann Carr (Louie), and comedy duo Team Submarine performing at Brooklyn's Bell House Front Lounge hosted by the breathtaking Sara Schaefer (Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon): Get Off Your Knees

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in 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 Monstro, The Opera, Badman, Sandino, and Bastian; and at 11:00 pm advanced UCBT students improving scenes taking place simultaneously—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Evan Morgenstern (host of Switzerland Neutral Comedy), Luke Thayer (co-host of The Living Room), George Gordon, and Laura Prangley performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($3):John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show and genius stand-up comic), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted, hilarious stand-up; MTV), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing), and Danny Solomon performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (new comedy CD The Depression Auction) and Jared Logan: Punch Up Your Life

[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 7/21/10

Rachel Feinstein (headlining at Gotham), Jeff Garlin (Marc Maron's WTF), and Charlyne Li (A Little Time with Charlyne Yi)

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 & 9:00 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—with two installments running back to back every Wednesday at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): Comedy legend Marc Maron hosts two live-on-stage tapings of his podcast WTF with stars from HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, NBC's 30 Rock, and more live at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Marc Maron's WTF with Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Judah Friedlander, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Charlyne Yi, winner of the prestigious Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival for Paper Heart, will "share songs and tales of doomed love, and perhaps woo you with a little magic, if you know what I mean... wink wink;" help Charl hone her show for the upcoming Edinburgh Festival at A Little Time with Charlyne Yi

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.) A hilarious observer of dating rituals and other odd behavior, and who's currently among the top seven remaining stand-ups on NBC's Last Comic Standing, headlining for one night only at the Gotham Comedy Club: Rachel Feinstein

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Michelle Collins, Ben Kronberg, DC Benny, and Brent Sullivan performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Superb comics Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) and John Lutz (writer & occasional actor on SNL since 2004; recurring character on 30 Rock) perform acclaimed two-man improv in 2 Square

[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 7/22/10

Arden Myrin (Power Suit) and Tracy Morgan (headlining at Carolines)

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] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—Rachel Dratch (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), James Braly (The Moth), Fiona Walsh (Galway Comedy Festival), and Jessica Grose (Slate)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight's theme "Heroism: Saving the Day" at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who's one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tracy Morgan

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): 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) hosts other superb yarn-spinners in Ochi's Lounge sharing their favorite real-life campus anecdotes at True Tales of College

7:30 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] 8:00 pm ($5): Hilarious stand-ups Andrea Rosen, Sara Schaefer, and Michelle Collins, and raunchy storyteller Giulia Rozzi, perform along with wonderful hosts Brooke Van Poppelen (TLC's American Chopper, Maxim and Cosmo Radio, So-Low Show; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here): Power Suit

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday ($29.50 online or at the box office using discount code PPBBOX through July 24th): This is a show for which I have enormous affection; although my joy came from not just watching what occurred on stage, but the faces of the women in the audience turning stonier and stonier as they visibly projected the thought, "Dick tricks? This entire show really consists of dick tricks? All my suspicions about men have just been confirmed..." If you cherish bravery in performers, go forth to the 45 Bleecker Theatre (right next to the #6 subway's Bleecker Street stop) and experience Puppetry of The Penis

8:00 pm ($10): A fun sketch troupe (for video samples, please click here) present its latest work at Inside Joke Films

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Top stand-ups Rich Vos, David Alan Grier, Morgan Murphy, Amy Schumer, Bonnie McFarlane, and Joe DeRosa performing at 92Y Tribeca's Comedy Below Canal

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie and Amy Beckerman performing and hosting other gal stand-ups in Ochi's Lounge at Dykes on Mics

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A one-man show from Michael Hartney about an obsession (which, given my comic book background, I consider utterly reasonable), and improv trio Charlie Todd (Reuben Williams), Chuck Dauble (Chuck D. & Jawnee Show), and Eric Scott (Reuben Williams), in the double-bill : So I Like Superman: A One-Nerd Show and C, C, & E Improv Factory

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant troupe troupes, Doppelganger and Sandino, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 7/23/10

Dave Pasquesi and T.J. Jagodowski are performing tonight through Monday as TJ & Dave

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): Chicago-trained improv veterans Ed Illades, Jordan Klepper, and Pat Tracy make stuff up for one night only in The Edens

7:00 pm ($8): Corinne Fisher performing a one-woman show that details how to keep tabs on someone with whom you're obsessed: I Stalk You

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Comedy dynamo Shannon O'Neill performing her 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 Dominic Dierkes (Derrick, Mystery Team) and Sean Clements perform all-new sketches, in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and Dom and Sean: Time for Water

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($36.66 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): A star from In Living Color who Comedy Central named one of the 100 greatest stand-ups headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: David Alan Grier

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe performing with new guests each Friday and making a valid complaint: Centralia: We Were Supposed To Have Flying Cars By Now

[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Rob O'Reilly, Zach Sims, Drew Michael, and Dan Boulger performing at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 9:30 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] [$] 10:00 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who's one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tracy Morgan

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn't match with months of labored writing. Tonight begins a four-evening run, through this Monday, at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Thomas Middleditch, Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

11:30 pm ($10): The creators of a popular comedic video blog share favorite clips and tell behind-the-scenes tales at this one night only event: An Intimate Evening with Everything is Terrible

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Mike Duffy and Wrestling Team compete for audience laughs and votes in Backyard Brawl

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 7/24/10

David Alan Grier (headlining at Comix) and Tracy Morgan (headlining 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:

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15 including one drink; reservations via calling Cornelia Street Cafe at 212.989.9319 highly recommended): Four world-class writer/performers tell personal stories. Three of them are true...but one is a pack of lies. Then the audience asks questions to try to figure out who's fibbing. Tonight's yarn-spinners are Faye Lane (thoroughly delightful storyteller who's about to perform her acclaimed show Beauty Shop Stories at this year's FringeNYC), Cormac Barrett (Last Comic Standing), Robert Hurst (Moth Champion), and Ryan Britt (Nerve.com), plus wonderful host Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) at The Liar Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm & Midnight ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who's one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlining tonight and Sunday at Carolines: Tracy Morgan

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Blow-out Second Anniversary show, with some of the finest stand-ups in the country—Hannibal Buress (Variety's 2010 Top 10 Comics to Watch; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, George Lopez; 2010 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up), Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Pat Stango (co-host of Don't Touch Me There), Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien), and Mike Recine; plus brilliant comedic singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm—all performing in Ochi's Lounge at Lil' Seany Boy

[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] 8:00 pm ($5): True tales of being a losing contestant on a TV game show, from sharp comics Margot Leitman (The Price is Right), Eliot Glazer (Wheel of Fortune), Andy Ross (Who Wants to be a Millionaire), Glennis McMurray (Chain Reaction), and Rob Lathan (America's Got Talent), all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall for a show devoted to stories of being turned down—Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion 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 ($10): "A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics," following sold out shows at Joe's Pub: Political Subversities

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn't match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the second of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

[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

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 7/25/10

Stifler's mom does stand-up tonight and Monday at Comix: Jennifer Coolidge

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] 7:30 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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): An improvisor/actress best known as Stifler's mom in the American Pie movies and a variety of oddball characters in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films—and who once candidly observed "I like going back and doing a sequel; it's the only chance to really ask for some money"—will now be demonstrating her stand-up chops headlining tonight and Monday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Jennifer Coolidge

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Comedic singer/songwriter Ben Lerman (debut album Size Matters), plus Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel), Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien), Charlie Kasov, John Szeluga, and Morgan Venticinque performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Drucker, Nore Davis, Louis Katz, James Smith, and Seaton Smith performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress: Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn't match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the second of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Yamaneika (BET, TruTV), Chris Doucette (Here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics), and M. Dickson performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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