NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/25/07
Glennis McMurray as animated character Jem
The 7:00 Workout: Jem and the Holograms
A live-action adaptation of the 1980s cartoon series Jem and the Holograms,
with new songs, new dance sequences, and an impressive comedic cast:
Glennis McMurray as Jem;
Amanda Allan, Jaime Skinner and Becky Yamamoto as The Holograms;
Eliza Skinner, Jan Hammaker, and Erin Rose Foley as The Misfits;
Jeff Hiller as Synergy, Greg Burke as Eric Raymond, John Flynn as Rio,
Jen MacNeil as The Orphan, Kristina Sepulveda as The Doctor, and Liz Black as Lin-Z.
This 1-hour musical comedy homage was produced by Amanda Allan & Justin Purnell, written & directed by Amanda Allan, composed by Amanda Allan & Tyler Walker, choreographed by Robyn Sklaren, and costumed by Angela Harner. To learn more, please visit the show's MySpace page and Amanda Allan's blog.
7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Michael Ian Black: I am a Wonderful Man
Michael Ian Black (MTV's The State, NBC's Ed, Stella comedy troupe) is making a few NYC appearances as he tries out material for his first comedy album, I am a Wonderful Man (to be released around the end of this year). This performance is sold out—and so is the one he'll be giving Tuesday evening at UCBT—but there might be a few tickets available at the door if some audience members fail to appear.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $10
Normally hosted by Aziz Ansari (one of the best stand-up comics on the planet, and member
of Human Giant). However, as Nick Kroll nicely put it, Aziz's career has been "blowing up" as a result of Human Giant's richly-deserved success. Therefore, Crash Test has been hosted for the past several weeks by extremely capable substitutes—such as Kroll himself, and Brett Gelman (and, on one magical night, Kroll and Gelman together—which culminated with their dressing like a Pilgrim and American Indian and dry-humping each other on stage...). Whoever the emcee is, guests are typically superb comedians trying out new material; and this is often one of the funniest shows in New York.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/26/07
Michael Ian Black: I am a Wonderful Man
Michael Ian Black (MTV's The State, NBC's Ed, Stella comedy troupe) is making this NYC appearance to try out material for his first comedy album, I am a Wonderful Man (to be released around the end of this year). Advance seats are sold out, but there might be a few tickets still available at the door for those willing to arrive early and wait on line.
7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Kimmy Gatewood having fun out of her element
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Industry guests are Jennifer Grunwald (Associate Editor of Marvel's trade
books), and Mike Oeming (writer of Marvel's Omega Flight and of Red Sonja);
and the comedy/musical guest is the lovely and brilliantly talented
Kimmy Gatewood (Apple Sisters Variety Show, Nerdcore Rising).
The last time Kimmy visited, she spent the entire show acting like she knew nothing
about comic books—but at the end performed a witty, insightful song she'd written
that contained about 15,000 comics references. After the audience's
wild applause abated, the hosts gave Kimmy a "you colossal liar!" look.
Kimmy shrugged innocently and said, "Wikipedia."
There's no telling what Ms. Gatewood might do tonight; but while you're pondering
possibilities, check out Kimmy's comedy & music videos on her MySpace page.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Post-Show Note: As it turned out, Kimmy once again delighted both the audience and the panelists in unexpected ways. She began by appearing in a Superman t-shirt and impersonating Justin Tyler (who normally co-hosts but couldn't attend on Tuesday). Kimmy then performed a number that startled everyone: a custom-tailored theme song for the Comic Book Club show! Kimmy's lyrics—which touched on subjects ranging from obsessive nerdiness, to effeminate superhero fans, to interspersing comics reading with Internet porn—were sharp, funny, and uncomfortably on target; and her energetic yet nuanced singing was a joy. Last I heard, the hosts had asked Kimmy to do it again on camera so they could preserve her surprise gift and make it into the show's official theme.
Hosted by Sean Crespo. Tonight's performers are Mike Birbiglia (Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central); Andres du Bouchet (Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn, Cheap Seats); Jocelyn Hughes; and sketch comedy group Elephant Larry, which recently demonstrated at SketchFest NYC that a caveman and the Cookie Monster sound remarkably alike when saying such things as "Me have problem with subject/verb placement..."
(Note: Lizz Winstead was also scheduled, but had to cancel. It's still a nice lineup, though.)
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
A showcase for comedy twosomes.
Scheduled performers are Tara Copeland & Jesse Falcon, Peter McNerney & Garrett Palm, Frank Campanella & Matt Evans, and Elana Fishbein & Matt Stillman.
9:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 6/27/07
A sketch show by powerhouse talents, including members of Reuben Williams and The Shoves. The production is directed and co-written by Anthony King (UCBT Artistic Director), and its head writer is Chris Kula (staff humorist for The Onion). Other writers are Susannah Becket, Will Hines, Megan Neuringer, Shannon O'Neill, Gavin Speiller, and Joe Wengert. And the performers are Sarah Burns, Jeff Hiller, Lennon Parham, Ben Rodgers, and Charlie Sanders.
7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Big Black Car and Fancy Dragon
Two of the PIT's top improv groups, Big Black Car and Fancy Dragon,
each perform for around 45 minutes.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; free
This is flat-out one of the best shows in New York.
The format is simple: A bunch of razor-sharp comedic writer/performers tell stories about themselves, revolving around whatever theme has been selected for the evening.
The only rules are that the tales must be true, and must be funny.
The brutal honesty, and jarring bravery, of some the participants can be hair-raising.
What they offer aren't merely jokes, but resonant, humane perspectives on life.
At the same time, there are very few shows, on or off Broadway,
that will make you laugh as consistently and as loud.
Enormous kudos go to host David Martin; and to brilliant storytellers
Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn, Chris Gethard, Curtis Gwinn,
Anthony King, Margot Leitman, Adam Pally, and the other comedy soldiers
who've bared some of their darkest and funniest secrets on the Nights of Our Lives stage.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
If The Nights of Our Lives is the main course, then School Night is dessert.
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent varies wildly—
but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back kick.
As Justin recently put it, "It's great of UCBT to provide a free show
where performers can try things out and goof around,
with everyone ending up having fun."
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/28/07
The Big Bang: Drawn, Third Wheel, and The Commercials
Running June 28-July 1, a set of three productions that include Drawn, Jessica Carr Phillips' one-woman show about Betty Boop. To learn more, please click here.
8:00 pm at Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);
tickets are $12 online or $15 at the door
Hosted by Rob Lathan, who plays comedic characters such as Lanny Lathan
and "Quick Lips" Lathan with immense energy and boldness.
(Thoroughly wonderful co-host Adira Amram won't be able to participate tonight,
but everyone who knows and loves Adira sends their very best wishes to her dear family.)
Tonight's guests are Carl Arnheiter (Inside Joke), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn), Roger Hailes (Chappelle's Show, VH1), Jamie Kilstein (opened for Dave Chappelle, Lewis Black, Darrell Hammond, Marc Maron, Louis CK, etc.), and Mindy Raf (relationship columnist for CollegeHumor.com).
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Anthony King and Scott Brown host a comedic look at the news, with shouting
A funny version of a pundit show about current events. The hosts are Anthony King (UCBT Artistic Director, Reuben Williams) and Scott Brown (writer for Entertainment Weekly, and co-writer with Anthony King of Gutenberg: The Musical). Tonight's panelists are Becky Drysdale (Time Traveling Lesbian, One Woman In Several Pieces), Jason Mantzoukas (Mother: The Soundtrack, We Used to Go Out), John Mulaney (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, VH1's Best Week Ever, and stellar host at this Monday's Crash Test), and Josh Tyrangiel (Managing Editor of Time.com, and previously a music critic for Rolling Stone, Vibe, Entertainment Weekly, and MTV).
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Cage Match: Omlette Vision vs. Working Girls
Two improv teams are pitted against each other for audience approval.
Omlette Vision is Michael Delaney, Billy Merritt and Andy Secunda,
who are members of the legendary group The Swarm—and who last week
decisively crushed their opponent. (The contest was virtually over in the first 30 seconds,
when the audience suggestion to start off the other troupe was Ponderosa and
about half of the group's young members couldn't identify the reference to Bonanza...)
Tonight's challengers could be another story. The Working Girls—Susannah Becket, Marcy Jarreau, Pam Murphy, Silvija Ozols, Amber Petty, and Jamie Skinner—appeared on yesterday's School Night, and were hilarious as New Jersey secretaries who've recently learned
the art of improvisation. The result was a sharp parody of an improv troupe.
Everyone knows Delaney, Merritt and Secunda are comedy geniuses. But will they be able to clobber six adorable women operating as a meta-group? Come and judge for yourself.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/29/07
Jeremiah Smallchild and Gideon Lamb are on a mission from God
God's Pottery Saves The World!
Last summer, Christian folk rockers Gideon Lamb and Jeremiah Smallchild got lost on an NYC subway and ended up in Harlem, where they met a small boy named LaVert Washington who told them he had cancer. They responded with The Concert for LaVert to raise money for the lad. It later turned out LaVert wasn't actually sick; but the incident made Gideon and Jeremiah appreciate the impact they almost had on his life...and the impact they could have on literally millions of more lives if they saved the entire world.
Therefore, the duo have created this new show, in which they tackle global issues such as adoption, drug addiction, and Africa in an effort to rescue all mankind through the power of song, true belief, and a PowerPoint" presentation.
According to their Web site,"God's Pottery is a Christian acoustic duo formed to spread the Word (using) their unique blend of music, people-skills and Biblical know-how to inspire all who are willing to listen with open hearts." Some in the secular world have called them Wilson Hall and Krister Johnson; others have called them harsher things. But most have called them very funny.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
The Big Bang (Drawn, Third Wheel, and The Commercials) and MCC's 2nd Birthday Bash
Running June 28-July 1, The Big Bang is a set of three productions including Jessica Carr Phillips performing a one-woman show about Betty Boop. To learn more, please click here.
8:00 pm at Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);
tickets are $12 online or $15 at the door
Directly following The Big Bang will be a celebration of the Manhattan Comedy Collective's Second Anniversary as a funny yet gentler source of laughs in NYC, with terrific talent that includes Jeremiah Murphy, Carrie Sipple, Laura Dillman. and MCC's Artistic Director Stacy Mayer.
10:00 pm at Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);
free to those who attend The Big Bang; otherwise $10 both online or at the door
Jessica Allen, Bayne Gibby, Stephanie Kasen, Caitlin Miller,
and Tara Copeland of the award-winning Ms. Jackson
"They're all street, all the time." An improv comedy troupe of five women—Jessica Allen, Tara Copeland, Bayne Gibby, Stephanie Kasen, and Caitlin Miller—who have repeatedly been a Time Out New York Critic's Pick; and also 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
Some of the best improv comics in NYC—including Michael Delaney, Billy Merritt,
Bobby Moynihan, and Chris Gethard—make stuff up, and make you laugh.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Death by Roo Roo: Your F*cked Up Family
Comedic powerhouses Jackie Clarke, Curtis Gwinn, Brett Gelman, Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, and John Gemberling interview an audience member about family and then act out his or her life story via improv scenes. Scary and funny.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
I recently mentioned to a friend that I was looking forward to the one-woman show Drawn by Jessica Carr Phillips. She's the great-grandniece of legendary animation producer & director Max & Dave Fleischer; and her bits revolve around Fleischer Studio's most famous original character, Betty Boop. My friend was initially polite, but soon admitted he found this of zero interest because "Those Betty cartoons are just about some cutesy babe, right?" Lord, how quickly the greats are forgotten...
If you don't happen to know your Boop, please click the links below to play three 1930s cartoon gems. Each one starts out slowly, but please be patient and watch all the way through...and then observe what happens to your mind after experiencing these black & white dreams.
Phillips is appearing this weekend, June 28-July 1, courtesy of the Manhattan Comedy Collective run by the wonderful Stacy Mayer (who's quick as lightning, but much funnier). Drawn is part of three shows under the umbrella title The Big Bang. The other productions are an entertaining 10-minute play about dating by Monica Flory titled Third Wheel (with an especially fine performance from Devon Ragsdale as the stalker); and a sketch show from The Commercials (Dave T. Koenig, Ken Pond, and the delightful Laura Dillman). The Big Bang runs from 8:00 pm till around 9:30 pm at the Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets); tickets are $12 online or $15 at the door.
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Stacy Mayer |
Laura Dillman |
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/30/07
The Magnet's instructors, 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
The Harvard Sailing Team: On the Jitney
The highly inventive sketch troupe Harvard Sailing Team (which recently
appeared in SketchFest NYC) performs its newest show.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $8
Fiercely funny comedy duo Jason Mantzoukas and Jessica St. Clair (see my review of We Used to Go Out and info on their upcoming First Date) lead a vibrant team of improv comics 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
Reuben Williams: As Seen on TV
Anthony King demonstrates that in addition to running UCBT-NY brilliantly, he's a formidable improv performer. Joining him are stellar talents Lennon Parham (see my review of her Showgirls parody), Chris Kula, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Kate Spencer, Charlie Todd, and Joe Wengert.
10:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Graduates of Magnet's improv training program mix it up on stage...
along with willing audience members! Sign-up begins at 11:30 pm.
12:00 midnight at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
Five highly talented improvisers—Anthony King, Gil Ozeri, Ben Rodgers, Jim Santangeli, and Kate Spencer—pretend to be a movie's director, producer, stars, etc., providing insider commentary about scenes of the film being screened. The audience gets to select which of three absurd movies receives this improv treatment. Tonight's choices are 1993's Timecop, 1994's Demolition Man, and 2000's Addicted to Murder 3: Bloodlust Vampire Killers. (But really, is there any doubt which of those flicks is going to be picked...?)
Odd Coincidence Note: I happen to know one of the stars of the silly Bloodlust movie. She's the one sporting fangs on the right—and is actually a beautiful and talented actress who went on to develop an impressive set of NYC theatre credits. I asked if she'd like to come see this. She replied, "I can't say I want to be in a room full of people making fun of me in a really bad movie that I did, but I'm sure it will be a lot of fun for everyone else involved." So that's sort of an endorsement for the show...
12:00 midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 7/1/07
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 celebs 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; tonight's advance tickets are sold out, but a limited number of seats may be 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)
The Big Bang: Drawn, Third Wheel, and The Commercials
Running June 28-July 1, The Big Bang is a set of three productions including Jessica Carr Phillips performing a one-woman show about Betty Boop. To learn more, please click here.
8:00 pm at Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);
tickets are $12 online or $15 at the door
On the other hand, if you're in the mood for some comedic theatre,
consider the following shows whose runs will soon be ending
(please click the titles for info):
3:00 pm at 45th Street Theater, 354 West 45th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues);$18
Fitz and Walloughs Get It In the End!
8:00 pm at Ace of Clubs, 9 Great Jones Street (3rd St. between Lafayette and Broadway);$15
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Copyright © 2007 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
