NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/14/10
This site is on vacation until June 17th so
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for my 15th book, The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Thyroid Disease
(due to be published February
2011—but only if I'm
done by Wednesday...).
If you need help with a book or
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please visit my sites BookProposal.net and HyOnYourScript.com.
And please tune in here again daily starting Thursday, June 17th.
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/17/10
Adira Amram, Tim Ellis & Matthew Park, and Kevin Allison perform tonight at Of the Moment
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
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[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($28.04 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): A stand-up who's performed three Comedy Central specials, is a commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever, and has appeared on Chappelle's Show and The Today Show, headlining through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Christian Finnegan
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): H. Alan Scott, Greg Leitman, and Dr. Michelle-Leona Godin join thoroughly charming and razor-sharp host Leslie Goshko for her delightfully quirky monthly storytelling show in which comics and comedic yarn-spinners are asked to reveal aspects of themselves that are odd and unusual—and that includes such carnival elements as an accordion player, and a challenging trivia contest for someone in the audience to win a bottle of wine: Sideshow Goshko
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): 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] 8:00 pm ($8): Leslie Collins performing a one-woman show based on her memories of growing up in Texas: Poteet Girls
[$] 8:00 pm ($51.25 & 2-drink min.): Marlon and Shawn Wayans headlining tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: The Wayans Brothers
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($12.89 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): All-star stand-ups & storytellers Ted Alexando, Jessi Klein, and Kurt Braunohler joining an irresistable stand-up and comedic actor—and the Verizon FIOS guy—at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: The Matt McCarthy Stand-Up Comedy Show
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): Delightful sketch comedy & musical duo Tim Ellis and Matthew Park closing out this season's run with thoroughly wonderful guests Adira Amram (fresh, sexy, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter), Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch show The State, host of top storytelling show Risk!), Katina Corrao, and musical guest Phil Yanos (of the band Dangaru): Of the Moment
9:30 pm ($5): If you're a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it on stage—along with comics Jeff Rubin, Jon Gabrus, Hardly Working Live, BriTANick, Matt Little, and more—at CollegeHumor Live
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant troupe troupes, Death by Roo Roo and Badman, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/18/10
Stand-up Christian Finnegan casts his spell on NYC tonight and Saturday headlining at Comix
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Adam Lustick and Billy Scafuri are stellar members of world-class sketch troupe The Harvard Sailing Team; and they've now branched out to form comedic rap group Snakes, along with unforgetable singer Chloé Weppe...who all won the 2010 ECNY Award for Best Musical Group! Check out their debut album, which can be downloaded from BillyandAdam.com, and then join them and their delightfully unusual guests at Snakes: FutureSex/LoveSnakes
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): In this fun show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member's suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with "all the music and magic of a Disney flick...plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:" Once Upon a Time
7:00 pm ($10): Sketch troupe Gentlemen Caller (Emily Altman, Aaron Burdette, Kathy Salerno, and Evan Thompson) spoofs Dianetics and more in Diabetics
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Kate Flannery (cast member of NBC's The Office) and Scot Robinson "drag you down to the sleaziest lounge in town" in their sketch show The Lampshades
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Sharp stand-up from Colin Jost (writer for Saturday Night Live), Mark Normand (co-host of We're All Friends Here), Rob O'Reilly (Comedy Central), and "special celebrity guest The Human Centipede;" sketch comedy from Roger Hailes, just-engaged Sean Donnelly, and Steve Bossous; musical group Fortress of Attitude; with hosts Pat Stango & birthday boy Blaine Perry, all at Karma Lounge for this endearingly oddball monthly comedy show: Don't Touch Me There: Blaine's Birthday Edition
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($28.04 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): A stand-up who's performed three Comedy Central specials, is a commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever, and has appeared on Chappelle's Show and The Today Show, headlining through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Christian Finnegan
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Killer lineup consisting of Adira Amram (fresh, sexy, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter), Sean Patton (red-hot rising star stand-up; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted, way funny stand-up), Joe List (Comedy Central), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy KImmel), and Greg Stone performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for hosts Nick Turner's & Neal Stasny's Too Cool for School
[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: A stand-up showcase 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
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups performing in Ochi's Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by Paul Case: The Back Room
[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
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): In this new show, 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
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Dru Johnston, Noah Forman, and Alex Demers springboard off an audience suggestion to improvise an entire silly and energy-charged play in 40 minutes; especially keep an eye on Demers, who has a wild Sean Penn quality that makes you think he might explode into violence or insanity at any moment, adding to the edgy quality of The New Deal
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): "Jon Gabrus is a rugby player from Long Island who loves to drink, which is the perfect trifecta for getting into ridiculous and dangerous situations. Come drink along with Gabrus as he shares some of his beer-soaked tales, like the time he ate a dead snake, or cooked a fork on a barbecue and branded himself...twice. There will plenty of drinking games, lots of audience participation, and an appalling lack of shame. His bartender, special guests, and his lack of self-control will join forces to create a night Jon probably won't remember:" Blackout Drunk
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/19/10
Beloved Comedy Central star Chris Gethard tonight schools his audience in The Art of Seduction at The Chris Gethard Show
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 ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups (who haven't been announced) performing in Ochi's Lounge at Lil' Seany Boy
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 11:00 pm ($37.50 online or at the box office using discount code ALIEN): Sharp comics and 80 Henson puppets collaborating on a show that's partly scripted and partly improvised: Stuffed and Unstrung
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($28.04 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): A stand-up who's performed three Comedy Central specials, is a commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever, has appeared on Chappelle's Show and The Today Show, and is currently the co-star of the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet?, headlining tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Christian Finnegan
8:00 pm ($10 suggested donation): Jamie Lee (who's also the producer and host), Phoebe Robinson (Case of the Mondays), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel), Ryan Hamilton (Last Comic Standing), and more performing stand-up at Karma Lounge for a show benefiting an animal shelter: Diamonds in the Fluff
[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 ($10): "A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics," following sold out shows at Joe's Pub: Political Subversities
9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups Ben Kronberg, Colin Kane, Michael Lawrence, Johnathon Randall, and Kase Raso performing at Ochi's Lounge with adorably sly host Calise Hawkins: Laugh in Limbo
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, quick-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:30 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code PISANO, otherwise $20): A Chicago-based troupe that's wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams
10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Hilarious sketch duo Chris O'Neill and Paul Valenti describe themselves as "vaudeville gold for a 2010 crowd." Whatever. They're funny. Especially the bit with the nose. Come catch their latest material tonight at The Chris and Paul Show
[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy—and star of the upcoming Comedy Central series Big Lake—hosting his own extravaganza, which goes beyond a stage show to have the makings of a hit MTV series—with guests including Shannon O'Neill, Will Hines, Bethany Hall, Don Fanelli, and the Kung Fu Monkeys...with this special show about The Art of Seduction, in which Chris promises "Love happens, people, and it's going to happen hard at this show. Single audience members should be prepared to leave not single anymore:" The Chris Gethard Show
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 6/20/10
Week after week, UCBT's signature show provides some of the smartest, funniest improv in the country: ASSSSCAT 3000
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Julian McCullough (Comedy Central Presents), Jamie Kilstein (The Onion), Ali Waller (Jimmy Fallon), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon), and Kevin Janus (The Sophisticates) performing stand-up at Karma Lounge for a monthly show hosted by Nick Cobb and Jay Welch: Arms & Hearts
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC comics Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman), Liz Miele (Comedy Central), Louie Katz (HBO's Down & Dirty; Carson Daly), Mike Lawrence (Brooklyn's The Woodshed), and Adam Pateman (Vancouver's Comedy Now!) performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically superb stand-ups performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress: Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Abbi Crutchfield, Jess Wood, Luke Cunningham, Matt Wayne, and Travis Irvine performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[$] 10:00 pm ($51.25 & 2-drink min.): Marlon and Shawn Wayans concluding their run headlining at the Carolines Comedy Club: The Wayans Brothers
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Karith Foster (MTV, VH1, Imus in the Morning), Jessimae (NBC’s Minute to Win It), and Adam Lehman (Here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics) 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
