NYC Comedy Picks for Week of June 21, 2010

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/21/10

Wonderful improvisor/actresses in week #3 of their 10-week Monday night run at the Soho Playhouse: Naked in a Fishbowl...

...and Laurie Kilmartin, Wyatt Cenac, Sara Schaefer, and other superb stand-ups perform at John Morrison's Morrison Motel...

...and Chris Gethard and Horatio Sanz preview their new Comedy Central series Big Lake

[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 grab tickets for tonight's third installment at the Soho Playhouse of a 10-week Monday night run: Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Roger Hailes (Comedy Central, DTMT), Sean Donnelly (Lil' Seany Boy, DTMT), Giulia Rozzi (MTV, Stripped Stories), Geno Bisconte (VH1), Tommy Amado, and Matthew Maragno 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): Two of UCBT's finest house sketch comedy troupes, High Treason (featuring NYC comedy treasure Kate McKinnon) and Slow Burn, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($5 cover if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $10], plus $7 drink minimum; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Superb stand-ups Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Laurie Kilmartin (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1's Best Week Ever), Sara Schaefer (brilliant, inventive, luminous comic; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever; host of Tuesday comedy show at The Bell House), Liam McEneaney (host of Tell Your Friends), RG Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up), Matt Ruby (MTV, host of We're All Friends Here), and Scott Moran performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison's Morrison Motel

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Mike Birbiglia (flat-out one of the finest stand-up comedians in the country; hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live; off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me) is preparing his one-man show for the Just for Laughs Festival—which means you can see a performance worth at least $40 for $5. Seats are sold out; but if you don't mind standing, come and enjoy Mike Birbiglia: 60 Minutes of New Stories

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: A free sneak preview of the latest Comedy Central series—hosted by its stars, UCB favorites and comedy geniuses Horatio Sanz and Chris Gethard: Big Lake

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/22/10

Reggie Watts, Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler, and more perform for the filming of a concert movie in Brooklyn: Tell Your Friends

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[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 Bastian, Ragnaröck, Badman, Sandino, and Monstro; and at 11:00 pm high-level improv students tutored by Neil Casey & Ryan Karels perform in four-person teams ala top troupe Krompf—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Negin Farsad (Nerdcore Rising, Comedy Central's The Watch List), Mark Normand (Last Comic Standing, Hot Soup), Matt Kelly, Danny Lobell, and Selena Coppock performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

[FREE] 8:30 pm ($3): Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (PBS' The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, The BEATdown), David Angelo (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Ryan Hamilton (Last Comic Standing), Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central's John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show, Jimmy Kimmel), and Ben Kissel performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Punch Up Your Life

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5 at the door, $7 in advance online): Be immortalized as part of the audience of the live filming of a concert movie based on one of NYC's best and longest-running comedy shows, Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends, tonight starring Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler, Reggie Watts, Christian Finnegan, Leo Allen, and Rob Paravonian at Brooklyn's The Bell House: Tell Your Friends: The Concert Movie

[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 6/23/10

Seth Herzog, Kevin Allison, Michelle Collins, and other stars reveal their TV failures at Jon Friedman's The Rejection Show

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] 6:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive; shining star correspondent on The Daily Show; co-star of HBO's Flight of the Conchords; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; AMC's Mad Men; star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets) and Jim Henson's Puppets are the guests at this evening's live broadcast of the WFMU radio show 7 Second Delay

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, host of Sweet), Michelle Collins (VH1), Rob Lathan (Conan O'Brien, MTV), and Megan Neuringer (HBO, VH1) share their tales of TV material being turned down at Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon; for video samples, please click here), John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central), James Adomian (Craig Ferguson), and musical sax duo Ronald Reagon performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[FREE] 8:30: NYC stand-ups Kristeen von Hagen, Brian Longwell, Matt Rohr, Carrie Gravenson, Marian Rosin, and The Bridgets Fitzgerald performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improv geniuses Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik make up an entire feature film on the spot; and Deborah Gross recreates absurd and amusing conversations she's experienced through her sharp storyteller's perspective, in the double-bill The Two-Man Movie and Conversations with Deb

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($7.44 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): Four of the finest comedic actresses in the country—Lennon Parham, Christina Gausas, Livia Scott, and Ophira Eisenberg—take on characters they're always wanted to play at the elegant Comix Comedy Club's Dream Role

[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 6/24/10

Jenny Slate is among the superb storytellers at Risk!, and an army of top stand-ups offer their A-list material at 50 Best Jokes

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—who tonight are Jenny Slate (SNL), Matt Gallagher (author of Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War), Glennis McMurray (Dream Role), Ann Carr (Comedy Central), and Keri Heidecker (Freak Magnet)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight's theme "Revenge: Settling Scores Big and Small" at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($33.48 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): Unforgettably hilarious co-star of NBC's Ed, member of legendary sketch troupe & seminal MTV series The State, co-star of Comedy Central's Michael & Michael Have Issues, and much more headlining tonight through Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Michael Ian Black

[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): 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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 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] 9:00 pm ($12): The debut of what promises to be a very special event: Fifty of the best comics in NYC gather to each tell his or her very best joke. Expect extreme hilarity at 92Y Tribeca's 50 Best Jokes

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): At this month's edition of NYC's best show of comedic sexual tales, the theme is Determination; and the storytellers are Brian Longwell (Edinburgh Fringe), Erin Goodwin (Off The Record), musical guest Thin Skin Johnny, and sensual hosts Margot Leitman & Giulia Rozzi's, all performing at Stripped Stories

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/25/10

Star stand-ups Ted Alexandro (headlining at Gotham Comedy Club) and Michael Ian Black (headlining at Comix)...

...and some of the finest improv troupes in the country, including Code Duello and The Stepfathers,
battling for $10,000 at The Friars Club Improv Competition

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

7:00 pm ($10): An NYC improv troupe, headed by Duncan Murdoch, making up scenes following not only an audience suggestion but the riffs of an instrumental jazz quartet: FACE

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Brilliant improvisor Thomas Middleditch (Improvised Shakespeare Company, Baby Wants Candy, The Law Firm) and Matt Oberg (Big Black Car) team up for one night only as improv duo Bergditch 2010

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm-10:30 pm ($12): Five improv troupes—Code Duello (Boston), The Stepfathers (UCBT-NY), Cook County Social Club (Chicago), Badman (UCBT-NY), and The Jon & Eddie Show (LA)—try hard to make you laugh for a prize of $10,000 (!) in this first annual contest sponsored by the Friars Club: The Friars Club Improv Competition

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($33.48 online if you use code VIPJUNE, plus 2-item minimum): Unforgettably hilarious co-star of NBC's Ed, member of legendary sketch troupe & seminal MTV series The State, co-star of Comedy Central's Michael & Michael Have Issues, and much more headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Michael Ian Black

[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: Streeter Seidell, James Adomian, Team Submarine, and Lisa Delarios performing stand-up at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 plus 2-drink minimum): An exceptionally organic and personable stand-up who's performed on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, The View, and two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ted Alexandro

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Terrific NYC stand-ups Carolyn Castiglia, Katina Corrao, Jenny Rubin, Leah Dubie, Adrienne Iappalucci, Danny Leary, and Naomi Eckperigen celebrating a special event in Ochi's Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by Paul Case: The Back Room: Happy 30th Birthday, Paul Case

[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): 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 ($5): Five women performing an improvised, and possibly tipsy, parody of The View at Focus

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

[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/26/10

Star stand-ups Ted Alexandro (headlining at Gotham Comedy Club) and Michael Ian Black (headlining at Comix)...

...and top sketch comic Mary Theresa Archbold (Drop Six) and world-class storytellers Leslie Goshko (The Liar 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] [$] 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 Leslie Goshko (razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller; Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko; one-woman show Vodka Shoes), Steve Zimmer (Moth GrandSlam Champion), Tracy Rowland (Emmy Award winning editor/producer), and J. Keith Van Straaten (What's My Line? Live) performing with host Andy Christie (The New York Times) at The Liar Show

7:30 pm-10:30 pm ($12): Five sketch troupes—including the world-class Harvard Sailing Team—try hard to make you laugh for a prize of $10,000 (!) in this first annual contest sponsored by the Friars Club...and while last night's improv competition featured the worst stand-up I've ever witnessed host an event at UCBT, tonight's host is the wonderful Jon Friedman: The Friars Club Sketch Comedy Competition

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups Jared Logan, Streeter Seidell, Andy Haynes, and Matt Maragno performing in Ochi's Lounge at Lil' Seany Boy

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 plus 2-drink minimum): An exceptionally organic and personable stand-up who's performed on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, The View, and two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials headlining tonight at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ted Alexandro

[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

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] [$] 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] 10:00 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

Midnight ($5): A comedic recreation of one of the seminal events of the last 1970s, performed by such UCBT stars as John Gemberling and Gil Ozeri: The Last Night at Studio 54

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 6/27/10

Comedy giants Dave Hill and Janeane Garofalo perform tonight in Brooklyn at Heart of Darkness

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 ($8 online or at the door): Movie & TV star Janeane Garofalo, comedy genius Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, star of The King of Miami, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, The Dave Hill Explosion), Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon; for video samples, please click here), Craig Baldo (Conan O'Brien), and more performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall for a show hosted by Greg Barris: Heart of Darkness

[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] 8:00 pm: Sharp NYC comics Laurie Kilmartin (co-star of this summer's Last Comic Standing), Streeter Seidell (star of CollegeHumor.com), Calise Hawkins (host of Laughter in Limbo), Sean Donnelly (host of Lil' Seany Boy), Phil Hanley, and Paul Virzi 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 Dan Goodman, Ben Kronenberg, Calvin Cato, and Ryan Hamilton performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress: Comedy Night

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Nick Turner, Jay Bois, Mike Recine, and Matt Maragno performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

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