NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/8/09
John Mulaney (Whiplash), Morgan Murphy (Whiplash), and Marina Franklin (Tell Your Friends)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
the perfect show for short attention spans, open mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set
and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—tonight including Joe DeVito, RG Daniels, Emily Epstein, Chelsea White, Mark Normand, Sean Donnelly, Blaine Perry, Aalap Patel, Matteson Perry, and John Morrison—at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),
improv comedy, plus stellar sketch comedy duo The Chris and Paul Show, at MacGuffin (7:00 pm),
[$] [DISCOUNTED] professional stand-up comics and comedy writers trying to teach businesspeople how to be funny—live on stage, with much potential embarrassment for everyone—at Gotham Jokewriters (7:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] legendary comedy star Marc Maron (a comic's comic; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central, and numerous other impressive credits), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, The Awkward Kings of Comedy), Marina Franklin (Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, The Awkward Kings of Comedy), Kumail Nanjiani (staff writer of upcoming Michael Black & Michael Showalter Comedy Central series; Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report; co-host of Game Bros. Live!; winner of the 2009 ECNY Awards for Best Male Stand-Up), Tony Camin (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central), Myq Kaplan (Comedy Central), and more at Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),
fresh sketch comedy from UCBT house groups Gorilla Gorilla and Stone Cold Fox at Maude Night (8:00 pm),
Mo Rocca (former correspondent for The Daily Show), Sam Brown (cast member of IFC's sketch troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know), DJ Ayres, and more at Andy Rocco's The Hipster Show (9:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [FREE] and a free weekly show featuring some of the best stand-up comics in the country—who tonight include John Mulaney (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, VH1's Best Week Ever; 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up Comedian), Morgan Murphy (staff writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, former staff writer for Jimmy Kimmel and Crank Yankers), Tony Camin (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central), and Claudia Cogan (MTV, Logo Network, here! TV, Sirius OutQ)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central, HBO) at Whiplash (11:00 pm).
Lottery-style open mic for stand-up comics trying out material,
with 4½ 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.)
A breathtaking 25 comics perform in this 2½ hour show; producer
John Morrison (above) has described it as "comedy on crack."
If you're seeking consistent laughs, this might not be the best way to spend
your evening. But if you're patient and adventurous, it's a potentially wild ride.
And if you're a performer looking for some stage time, it's a nice opportunity.
Plus if you stick around till the show's end to support your fellow comics,
you have a chance at winning the cash from the kitty, along with smaller prizes.
There are two shows, at 6:30 and 9:00 pm, with entirely different groups of stand-ups.
Tonight's 6:30 lineup includes Joe DeVito, RG Daniels, Emily Epstein, Chelsea White, Raquel D'Apice, Mark Normand, Chris Doucette, Matt Ruby, Danny Solomon, Sean Donnelly, Blaine Perry, and John Morrison.
And the 9:00 pm lineup includes Beth McGregor, Marianne Schaberg, J-L Cauvin, Jay Welch, Don Stahl, Tim Ryan, Tony Paladino, Alexander Barnett, Aalap Patel, and Matteson Perry.
Ochi's Motel is hosted at 6:30 by Sean Donnelly and Blaine Perry:
...and at 9:00 pm by Aalap Patel and Matteson Perry:
To be entered into the weekly random drawing for performers,
please send email to ochismotel@gmail.com.
6:30 pm & 9:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
MacGuffin Improv & Chris And Paul Show Sketch Comedy
Improv troupe MacGuffin performs tonight, and is joined by stellar sketch comedy duo The Chris and Paul Show. The latter consists of superb comedic partners Chris O'Neill and Paul Valenti, who have performed at the 2008 SkitSkat Comedy Festival and 2009 Sacramento All Sketch Festival, and won the Audience Choice Award and Best Sketch Group Award at the 2008 Chicago Snubfest.
7:00 pm at Broadway Comedy Club, 318 West 53rd Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
$5 cover plus one-item food or drink minimum
Gotham Jokewriters is a brand new group consisting of professional comics who offer custom-tailored comedy writing and coaching for executives, politicians, and other public speakers.
If comics working with businesspeople sounds like an odd marriage...it is. For example, this morning the Gotham Jokewriters Web site provided no phone number or email address, so any potential clients had no way of contacting it. (The problem has since been fixed, which you can see by clicking here.)
Still, if you're interested in watching such talents as stand-up star Laurie Kilmartin and Saturday Night Live writer Hugh Fink instruct two businessmen in how to become funny—live on stage—this is a show worth catching.
This comedy club show has a ticket price of $20. However, if you use discount code CCMN, you can pay $15 instead.
In addition, there's a two-item food or drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure about $13 or up).
For more info and/or to order tickets, please click here.
7:30 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
$15 online with discount code CCMN, plus 2-item food or drink minimum
Marina Franklin, Marc Maron, and Victor Varnado
This popular weekly comedy show is produced by Liam McEneaney
(VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Premium Blend,
former writer for Standup Nation with Greg Giraldo).
Tonight's host is Myq Kaplan (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham; for superb stand-up video about religion, gay marriage, and dumplings, please click here).
And tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests are
Marc Maron (exceptionally passionate and personally revealing star who's a comic's comic highly respected for his observations; frequent guest on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (43 appearances on Conan!); performed solo comedy special for HBO Comedy Half-Hour 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, and hosted The Marc Maron Show on LA's KTLK-AM; recently performed a killer off-Broadway one-man show about his divorce titled Scorching the Earth),
Victor Varnado (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim's Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, Chicago City Limits; wrote and directed the movie Twist the Cap, starring Charlie Murphy; acted in such films as Pluto Nash, End of Days, and A Guy Thing; producer & co-star of concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy that was recently picked up by Comedy Central; for a stand-up sample, please click here),
Marina Franklin (Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn); thoroughly winning host & co-star of aforementioned concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy),
Kumail Nanjiani (red-hot rising stand-up star; staff writer of upcoming Michael Black & Michael Showalter Comedy Central series Michael and Michael Have Issues; appeared on Saturday Night Live, and repeatedly on The Colbert Report; Comedy Central's The Hot List and Open Mic Fight; co-host of monthly NYC live comedy show Game Bros. Live!; winner of the 2009 ECNY Awards for both Best Male Stand-Up and Best One-Person Show (Unpronounceable; for my review, please click here); to get a feel for Kumail's style, please check out his very funny stand-up about the dark side of video games, odd memories, and the many ways cell phones are eliminated in horror films by clicking here),
Tony Camin (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend,
Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Marijuana-logues), and
Eytan Mirsky (singer who wrote the title songs for the films American Splendor, Happiness,
and The Tao of Steve; for sample tracks, please click here).
8:00ish pm at Lolita Bar, 226 Broome Street (between Allen and Orchard Streets); tickets are $5
Nearest subway stops are Delancey Street via the F or Delancey-Essex via the J/M/Z
UCBT's house sketch comedy groups try out their latest material at this monthly extravaganza. Tonight features two troupes, Gorilla Gorilla and Stone Cold Fox. (For cast bios, please click here and then click the photo of whoever interests you.)
I haven't seen enough of UCBT's in-house sketch troupes to judge; but for what it's worth, I've been told Stone Cold Fox is the best of them. So if you've been interested in checking out Maude Night, this is probably the right evening to go for it.
Not every routine will hit the mark; but these are talented young comics and, if you're patient, worth catching for the bits that score, and for their charismatic comedy performances.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
The Hipster Show with Andy Rocco
Andy Rocco hosts this new show, which features some superb guests:
Mo Rocca (former correspondent for The Daily Show),
Sam Brown (co-star of IFC's sketch troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know), and
DJ Ayres (Awesome DJ).
Plus DJ Snob El Sloganero, The Hipster Dancers, and Jimmy Foxworthy.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Leo Allen and John Mulaney...
....and Morgan Murphy and Claudia Cogan
Whiplash with Leo Allen: The Finest in Stand-Up Comedy, Free
Leo Allen is one of the most sharp, honest, and likeable stand-ups working in NYC. Leo was a writer for Saturday Night Live from 2002 through 2005. He's also performed two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; done stand-up on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.; acted on Ed and Sex and the City; and is in an upcoming HBO miniseries. Plus Leo's the host of this show—for which he crafts inventive, hilarious material week after week, and always generously demonstrates his warm appreciation of his fellow comedians. For all these reasons and more, Whiplash is one of the finest showcases of top comedy talent in the country...and this stellar show is entirely free.
Tonight's wonderful guests are
John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-up comics in the country; since August 2008 has been staff writer for Saturday Night Live; frequently appears on VH1's Best Week Ever; performed stand-up twice on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; just aired his first Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up Comedian; selected by Variety as among the 10 Comics to Watch for 2008; just released his first comedy CD, The Top Part; to check out videos of John's two Conan sets, please click here and here).
Morgan Murphy (acclaimed LA comic now moved to NYC to be staff writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; Comedians of Comedy; Variety's 2007 "Top 10 Comics to Watch;" Comedy Central's Premium Blend; Last Call with Carson Daly; former long-time writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live, and for Crank Yankers; for sample stand-up videos, please click here and here and here),
Tony Camin (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend,
Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Marijuana-logues), and
Claudia Cogan (MTV, Logo Network, here! TV, Sirius OutQ; for stand-up video about Claudia's aspirations to be a stripper, please click here; for video about her being unemployed, please click here).
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/9/09
Kristen Schaal (Punch Up Your Life), Jesse Blaze Snider (Comic Book Club), and Marc Maron (Sweet)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
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 Broadway Motel (6:00 pm),
Hilary Schwartz and Rachael Parenta hosting an intriguing new show described as "emotionally inappropriate comedy:" Please, Someone Kill Me (7:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] on an extra-special show, Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show) and Jesse Blaze Snider (rock star & writer of the new DC Comics miniseries Dead Romeo) joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Robber Baron, Badman, The Law Firm, Bastian, and Penthouse Riot—followed by high-level UCBT students improvising the end of the world, all at Harold Night (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] [FREE] rising superstar Kristen Schaal (lovely, brilliant, breathtakingly talented writer/actress/comic; shining star correspondent of The Daily Show; co-star of HBO's Flight of the Conchords; writer for South Park and Human Giant; AMC's Mad Men; co-writer & co-star of upcoming UK TV series; upcoming feature film Cirque du Freak with Salma Hayek), Joe DeRosa (Comedy Central Presents special, HBO's Down & Dirty), and Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion) performing at this free show hosted by brilliant stand-ups Jessi Klein (Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Pete Holmes (Comedy Central, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker): Punch Up Your Life (8:30 pm),
[DISCOUNTED] superb NYC stand-ups Frank Vignola, Maureen Langan, Lee Camp, Thomas Middleditch, Charlie Kasov, Sean Donnelly, and Ray Higgs at John Morrison's Morrison Motel (8:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] legendary comedy star Marc Maron (a comic's comic; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central, and numerous other impressive credits), Kumail Nanjiani (staff writer of upcoming Michael Black & Michael Showalter Comedy Central series; Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel; winner of the 2009 ECNY Awards for Best Male Stand-Up), Bobby Tisdale (HBO, Comedy Central; legendary co-host of the seminal and much-beloved former NYC comedy show Invite Them Up), and more performing at the wonderful Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm).
and delightful stand-up comics Jackie Monahan, Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, and Gloria Bigelow performing and hosting guest comics at Dykes on Mics (9:00 pm).
Lottery-style open mic for stand-up comics trying out material,
with 4½ minutes per performer...in return for a $5 contribution to the weekly prize kitty.
(In addition, Broadway's one-item food or drink minimum applies to everyone.)
A breathtaking 25 comics perform in this 2½ hour show; producer
John Morrison (above) has described it as "comedy on crack."
If you're seeking consistent laughs, this might not be the best way to spend
your evening. But if you're patient and adventurous, it's a potentially wild ride.
And if you're a performer looking for some stage time, it's a nice opportunity.
Plus if you stick around till the show's end to support your fellow comics,
you have a chance at winning the cash from the kitty, along with smaller prizes.
Broadway Motel is hosted by Cory Jarvis and Doug Adler.
To be entered into the weekly random drawing for performers,
please send email to motelme@gmail.com.
6:00 pm at Broadway Comedy Club, 318 West 53rd Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
$5 cover plus one-item food or drink minimum
Rachael Parenta and Hilary Schwartz host this brand new comedy show with the intriguing title Please, Someone Kill Me. According to Schwartz, "This show captures their style of emotionally inappropriate comedy—humor that is honest, gutsy, vulnerable, and not afraid of the dark side of life. It’s hilarity that hits you on a deep level. It is a show perfect for people who are not drawn to the typical comedy show and are looking for something fresh, funny, and smart, with a defined point of view. Please, Someone Kill Me delivers all that, and silliness too."
7:30 pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Jesse Blaze Snider, Jesse's comic book Dead Romeo, and Wyatt Cenac
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's extra-special industry guest is
Jesse Blaze Snider (rock star; son of Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider; and writer of the new DC Comics miniseries Dead Romeo).
And tonight's extra-special comedy guest is
Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; cast member on upcoming HBO Kanye West show; star of indie feature film Medicine for Melancholy; former staff writer/editor for three years on King of the Hill; for a blacks vs. gays competition, please click here).
To get a feel for the smart, playful vibe of Comic Book Club, please check out its podcasts—
that is, audio recordings of previous shows in their entirety—by clicking here.
(And for my two current faves, a delightful visit from Kevin "Batman" Conroy and a hilarious evening with Daily Show writer Eliot Kalan, please click here and here.) Please also check out the YouTube version of the show by clicking here.
Also be sure to watch a tale about Wolverine's powers from sketch duo Greg & Lou by clicking here; and a Penguin vs. Batman debate that uncannily predicted John McCain's campaign strategy by clicking here.
And if by some fluke you don't already know: See Star Trek, which is wonderful; avoid X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which is nightmarishly dreadful; and catch a Green Lantern sneak peak by clicking here.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
The Harold is longform improv, pioneered by Del Close.
Tonight, five improv troupes—
Robber Baron, Badman, The Law Firm, Bastian, and Penthouse Riot—
each give it a go for 30 minutes, with
short breaks in between, for a total of 3 hours.
And at 11:00 pm, there'll be a performance from advanced UCBT students
improvising a global cataclysm, and then what life will be like afterwards.
Some of these 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.
This show is perennially sold out of seats; but if you're okay
with standing,
come
and laugh with a boisterous packed house.
8:00-midnight pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kristen Schaal and Joe DeRosa...
...and brilliantly funny hosts Pete Holmes and Jessi Klein
This free weekly stand-up show is a spectacular addition to NYC Tuesday night comedy. Its hosts are two of the finest comics in the country:
Jessi Klein (deliciously honest, brilliant, hilarious stand-up star—and now also proving to be, along with Pete, among the finest comedy hosts in NYC; Rolling Stones' comedy "Hot List;" Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever; NBC's The Today Show; CNN; 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
Pete Holmes (one of the quickest & sharpest minds in comedy; 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;
host of UCBT's monthly open mic stand-up show Gutbucket;
for a hilarious range of videos, please click here).
Tonight's wonderful guests include
Kristen Schaal (lovely, brilliant, breathtakingly talented writer/actress/comic;
thoroughly delightful correspondent and shining star on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;
co-star of HBO's Flight of the Conchords; writer for MTV's Human Giant;
AMC's Mad Men; upcoming feature film Cirque du Freak (with Salma Hayek);
co-star of Web & upcoming UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; winner of numerous comedy awards, including the prestigious 2nd Annual Andy Kaufman Award and the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Female Stand-Up; to read about Kristen's killer set headlining at Comix, please click here),
Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, HBO's Down & Dirty, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, Insomniac Tour with Dave Attell, Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival; for stand-up video about why Joe hates weddings, please click here), and
Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Shorties Watchin' Shorties, and Secret Stash Movie; VH1's All Access; The Onion; just released his first comedy CD, Lou Diamond Phillips?).
8:30 pm at Housing Works’ Bookstore Café, 126 Crosby Street (bet. Prince & Houston); free
Nearest subway stops are Bleecker Street on the #6 and Broadway-Lafayette on the B/D/F/V
Frank Vignola and John Morrison
John Morrison, a wise & razor-sharp comic who produces the NYC weekly
open mic show Ochi's Motel, welcomes a mix of veteran & rising stand-up talents in this monthly showcase.
Here's a description of tonight's show, in John's own words:
"We are pleased as punch to welcome back our headliner for June, good friend and comic’s comic, Frank Vignola. Known for his acclaimed one-man show, God and Science, he has also appeared on Comedy Central, NBC, the BBC and, Just for Laughs at the Montreal Comedy Festival with Bill Maher. Frank’s also toured with Armed Forces Entertainment, performing for our troops in Afghanistan. Join us on Tuesday at the lovely Cornelia Street Café, and you'll be able to see him in action up close and personal.
"Joining Frank is the woman that Jerry Stiller credits for making him wet his pants, Maureen Langan. This feisty female was named one of the “Ten Standout Stand-ups Worth Watching” by Backstage Magazine. You may also recognize her from her appearances on HBO, WE Television and Comics Unleashed. Come see her for yourself and wet your pants along with Jerry.
"Also adding to this fun mix is the man behind Sometimes Funny Hurts, political guru Lee Camp. This 2008 Democratic National Convention featured performer has also made appearances on Comedy Central's Fresh Debate '08, MTV's Most Valuable Players, and the PBS special Make 'Em Laugh.
Old friends and Motel favorites will be back in force as usual. The man behind Drunken Focus Group, Charlie Kasov, along with the star of the South by Southwest feature Splinterheads Thomas Middleditch.
If that’s not enough we have Sean Donnelly of Lil' Seany Show returning, and our very good friend, Ray Higgs.
All we need now is you. Please, join us. We'll leave the light on... and as always, thanks so very much for your support."
8:30 pm at Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (between West 4th Street and Bleecker);
No cover if you mention HyReviews.com! (otherwise $5), plus $7 drink minimum
Marc Maron and Kumail Nanjiani...
...and Seth Herzog and Bobby Tisdale
Hosted by the razor-sharp, dynamic, and hilarious Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).
Seth is one of the finest hosts around—and this is one of the best comedy shows in NYC.
Tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests include
Marc Maron (exceptionally passionate and personally revealing star who's a comic's comic highly respected for his observations; frequent guest on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (43 appearances on Conan!); performed solo comedy special for HBO Comedy Half-Hour 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, and hosted The Marc Maron Show on LA's KTLK-AM; recently performed a killer off-Broadway one-man show about his divorce titled Scorching the Earth),
Kumail Nanjiani (red-hot rising stand-up star; staff writer of upcoming Michael Black & Michael Showalter Comedy Central series Michael and Michael Have Issues; appeared on Saturday Night Live,The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel Live; Comedy Central's The Hot List and Open Mic Fight; co-host of monthly NYC live comedy show Game Bros. Live!; winner of the 2009 ECNY Awards for both Best Male Stand-Up and Best One-Person Show (Unpronounceable; for my review, please click here); to get a feel for Kumail's style, please check out his very funny stand-up about the dark side of video games, odd memories, and the many ways cell phones are eliminated in horror films by clicking here),
Bobby Tisdale (comedy giant who for five years co-hosted the seminal
NYC weekly live comedy show Invite Them Up with Eugene; Comedy Central album;
acted in films Junebug, The Baxter, Don't Mess with the Zohan; performed in HBO's Hysterical Blindness, and Comedy Central's Important Things with Demetri Martin and Stella),
and "a very special sidekick."
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
Gloria Bigelow, Amy Beckerman, Leah Dubie, and Jackie Monahan
Free gay-themed stand-up comedy show featuring the superb gals above
as regulars/hosts, plus other NYC comics as guests.
Tonight's lineup hasn't been announced.
9:00 pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 6/10/09
Jenny Slate & Gabe Liedman (Big Terrific), Ophira Eisenberg (Shrink), and Glennis McMurray & Eliza Skinner (I Eat Pandas)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] six free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday (6:00 pm-midnight),
[TOP PICK] top writers and comedians—who tonight are Kevin Allison (The State), Ben Hill, Erik Bowie, and Ryan Paulson—share their favorite true campus anecdotes at Real Tales of College (7:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [FREE] the one-year anniversary celebration of a superb comedy show, with NYC comedy royalty Kurt & Kristen (genius talents Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal), Hannibal Buress (Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson, concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy), Sean Patton (VH1), and special surprise guests at the free weekly Brooklyn extravaganza hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific (8:00ish pm),
[FREE] Kevin McCaffrey (writer for Late Show with David Letterman), Ken Zimlinghaus (Sirius Satellite Radio's Wake Up With Cosmo), Calvin S. Cato (host of Nouveau Poor), and Brent Sullivan (Funny.com) at a free weekly stand-up comedy show hosted by Matt Maragno and the luminous Margie Kment: Now We're Talking (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] [FREE] stellar storytellers Ophira Eisenberg and Leslie Goshko, stand-ups John Morrison, Christine Nangle, and Michael Lawrence, and sketch group Slap! Kiss! Slap! at a free weekly show hosted by Sharon "Mama" Spell: Shrink (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] an entirely improvised musical from a genius comedy duo, and an improvised soap opera,
in the double-bill I Eat Pandas and Hot Lather: As the Diamond Burns (9:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [FREE] and a free, laid-back, and occasionally magical variety show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
Kurt Braunohler and Pat Shay
The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
For five hours every Wednesday, The PIT provides free shows featuring its improv house troupes. Halfbear and Ali Farahnakian kick things off at 6:00 pm; The Wilhelm and Tomahawk perform at 7:00 pm; Big Black Car and Mrs. Esterhouse go on at 8:00 pm; The Baldwins and Punch show their stuff at 9:00; and Party Lights and The Faculty (consisting of The PIT's superb improv instructors, including such talents as Ali Farahnakian, Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Pat Shay, Kevin Scott, Chris Grace, and Rebekka Johnson) round out the evening at 10:00.
If you then feel sufficiently inspired, you can participate in the free show Improdome at 11:00 pm, which allows audience members to get on stage and improvise with each other in trios for 5-7 minute sets.
6:00 pm-midnight at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Adam Wade and friend
Adam Wade: Real Tales of College
This new show invites comics to tell their true tales of college.
It's hosted by comic Jake Goldman, and world-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; fiction story in The New York Times Magazine; columnist for ReallySmallTalk.com; for his Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here).
Tonight's guests are
Kevin Allison (former cast member of legendary MTV sketch comedy show The State, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Reno 911), and
Ben Hill, Erik Bowie, and Ryan Paulson.
7:30 pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Steve and Jordan, Respectively
The official description:
"Jordan Klepper and Steve Waltien are thrilled to bring their critically acclaimed two-person sketch show to New York City. Named one of the funniest moments of 2008 by Time Out Chicago, Steve and Jordan, Respectively is an introspective, empathetic look into what it means to be on the verge of something, looking back on past mistakes, and wondering what’s next....through sketch comedy. Funny and honest, biography blends with fiction as Steve and Jordan attempt to address the issues that they encounter looking down the barrel of 30. These issues come to life in scenes, monologues, and inner monologues with characters ranging from a pair of astronauts to a bestiality-inclined Sudanese farmer, to two struggling actors."
The show's been called "a practically flawless sketch revue" by the Chicago Reader; "Simple but exceedingly smart, it is among the best sketch shows in Chicago right now" by the Chicago Tribune; and "a crafty, theatrical hybrid of neurotic first-person confessions and top-shelf sketch that borders on performance art…it feels just as dramatically sound, culturally relevant ,and honest in performance as any contemporary theater piece." by Time Out Chicago.
The duo are founding members of the hit shows Whirled News Tonight and The Late Night Late Show at the iO Theatre, where they're both faculty members. They've toured all over the world for The Second City, and just finished the second season their college sports show Friday Night Tailgate on the Big Ten Network.
They'll be performing an abbreviated version of this show at SketchFest NYC on Saturday at 8:00 pm; but if you want to see the whole thing, come tonight.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler...
...and Hannibal Buress and Sean Patton...
...and hosts Gabe Liedman, Jenny Slate, and Max Silvestri
Big Terrific, hosted by Gabe Liedman, Jenny Slate, and Max Silvestri
Gabe Liedman & Jenny Slate (adorable and foul-mouthed comedy duo Gabe & Jenny; for Jenny's dating tips, please click here and here) and Max Silvestri (VH1's Best Week Ever, weekly podcast Best Night Ever, videos for 236.com) host this free weekly Brooklyn show.
Tonight is the one year anniversary show! And coming to celebrate are these wonderful guests:
Kristen Schaal (lovely, brilliant, breathtakingly talented writer/actress/comic;
thoroughly delightful correspondent and shining star on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;
co-star of HBO's Flight of the Conchords; writer for MTV's Human Giant;
AMC's Mad Men; upcoming feature film Cirque du Freak (with Salma Hayek);
co-star of Web & upcoming UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; winner of numerous comedy awards, including the prestigious 2nd Annual Andy Kaufman Award and the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Female Stand-Up; to read about Kristen's killer set headlining at Comix, please click here),
Kurt Braunohler (frequent comedy partner of Kristen Schaal, performing sketches that are hilariously indescribable; Comedy Central; co-star of Web & upcoming UK TV series Penelope, Princess of Pets, for which Kurt won the 2008 ECNY Award as Best Director),
Hannibal Buress (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson; concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy) and
Sean Patton (VH1, 2008 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, LES' The Tommy Danger Show, founder of the New Orleans Comedy Festival; for stand-up audio clip about vitamin-coated condoms, please click here; for stand-up videos about drugs & weapons and Sean's crackhead aunt, please click here and here).
8:00ish pm at Cameo, 93 North 6th Street (behind Lovin' Cup) in Williamsburg Brooklyn; free
Take the L subway to Bedford Avenue and walk two blocks; between Berry & Wythe
Ken Zimlinghaus, Margie Kment, and Kevin McCaffrey
This fun weekly stand-up comedy show is hosted by luminous, enormously likeable, and razor-sharp Margie Kment (also host of the monthly comedy/theatre networking extravaganza Hold for the Laughs), and character-based comic Matt Maragno.
Tonight's guests are
Kevin McCaffrey (writer for Late Show with David Letterman; for stand-up video about credit cards and addictions, please click here),
Ken Zimlinghaus (can be heard regularly on Sirius Satellite Radio's Wake Up With Cosmo),
Calvin S. Cato (Game Show Network; host of NYC monthly live comedy show Nouveau Poor), and
Brent Sullivan (Funny.com; for video about crying while reading The Giving Tree, please click here).
8:00 pm at Rodeo Bar, 375 Third Avenue (corner of 27th Street); free
This free weekly show features a mix of comedic storytelling, stand-up, and sketch.
Tonight's superb guests are
Ophira Eisenberg (sharp stand-up and brilliant storyteller; Comedy Central's Premium Blend, VH1's Best Week Ever, Showtime's Queer as Folk; The Guardian),
Leslie Goshko (immensely talented comedic actress/storyteller/stand-up; 2008 Manhattan Monologue Slam Champion; host of superb monthly NYC live comedy show Sideshow Goshko; for award-winning comedy bit about Internet dating, please click here; for bit on "the End Times Awareness Carnival," please click here)
John Morrison (beloved host of weekly NYC open mic stand-up show Ochi's Motel and monthly NYC live comedy showcase Morrison Motel),
Christine Nangle, Michael Lawrence, and Slap! Kiss! Slap!.
Hosted by Sharon "Mama" Spell.
8:00 pm at Otto's Shrunken Head, 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A and B); free
Glennis & Eliza: I Eat Pandas and Hot Lather: As the Diamond Burns
Two unique improvisation shows for a mere five bucks.
Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner are simply geniuses
at taking a suggestion from the audience and creating
an entire musical based around it, using only their imaginations,
immense talent, and the aid of their wonderful improv pianist
Frank Spitznagel. Each of these gals is a powerhouse performer;
what they manage to create together tends to be sheer magic.
You don't have to take my word for it, either:
the duo won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group; and they
recently starred in the Fringe festival hit Gem! A Truly Outrageous Parody,
which won two FringeNYC 2008 Awards.
Eliza will soon be moving to LA. Don't miss one of your final chances
to enjoy these comedic wizards at play on an NYC stage.
The double-bill then continues with Hot Lather, an improv group that specializes
in the soap opera format. Its members include some powerhouse performers:
Mike Cavanaugh, Matt Fisher, Jon Gutierrez, Molly Lloyd, Anna Rubanova, Achilles Stamatelaky, Mike Still, Abra Tabak, Andree Vermeulen, and Paul Welsh,
with direction by Rob Webber.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Justin Purnell
Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) provides a mix of guests who perform 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.
Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises,
that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible.
Please note that while it costs nothing to get in, if you have a good time (which is likely), you should drop a dollar or two into the contribution bucket on your way out. It's the only way this beloved show—which has been running for over five years—can stay alive as a vibrant showcase.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/11/09
Kristen Schaal, The Apple Sisters, and A Week of Kindness kicking off one of my favorite comedy festivals: SketchFest NYC
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] one of the finest sketch comedy festivals in the country, which will be running through Saturday—and tonight features such thoroughly wonderful comics as movie/TV star & comedy genius Kristen Schaal, the musical & irresistible Apple Sisters, hilarious trio A Week of Kindness, always-inventive troupe Olde English, and much more—at the first evening of the not-to-be-missed SketchFest NYC 09 (7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, 10:00 pm, 11:00 pm, and midnight),
[TOP PICK] brilliant improvisors Tara Copeland and James Eason leading a semi-revival of legendary troupe Mother in this new Magnet show: Sleepover (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] Adira Amram (brilliantly funny, sexy, rising star writer/singer) tonight guest-hosts Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Jessica Delfino (immensely talented comic and raunchy singer/songwriter), Mike Drucker (freelance writer for Saturday Night Live), and other razor-sharp comics at a weekly variety show in the East Village: Entertaining the Bartender (8:30ish pm),
[TOP PICK] stellar stand-ups Patrick Borelli (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, ESPN, Adult Swim, co-author of book Holy Headshot!), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Sean Patton (VH1), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and more at the 92YTribeca comedy showcase Comedy Below Canal (9:00 pm),
[$] and 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, tonight headlining at Carolines: Paul Mooney (10:00 pm).
For many of the finest sketch comedy troupes in the country, plan to attend this
wonderful annual extravaganza co-produced by Alex Zalben (former PIT Artistic Director,
co-producer of the 2008 ECNY Awards and 2009 ECNY Awards, co-host of the superb weekly comedy show Comic Book Club, and member of sketch group Elephant Larry).
The festival is playing tonight through Saturday, and will include over two dozen sketch troupes and run for a total of over 24 hours.
It's all happening at the world-renowned Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue). Each show runs an hour and costs $10.
Alternatively, you can purchase an all-day pass for $40, or an all-shows-in-Festival pass for $100. To learn more and/or to order tickets, please click here.
Tonight's shows are as follows:
<
Trio troupes Blitzkrieg and Sidecar (7:00 pm)
Vaudeville-style comedy duo Team Submarine, and genius movie & TV star Kristen Schaal (8:00 pm)
Wonderful musical parody of 1940s girl groups, the delicious Apple Sisters (9:00 pm),
Comedy duo Rue Brutalia (10:00 pm)
Hilarious sketch trio A Week of Kindness, and fearless & disturbing troupe Murderfist (11:00 pm)
Ace sketch troupe Olde English (Midnight)
To read my review of SketchFest NYC 07, please click here.
For this year's schedule, please click here.
For descriptions of each of the performing troupes, please click here.
And again, to purchase tickets in advance (some shows are likely to sell out), please click here.
This festival is magic. I recommend seeing as much of it as you can.
7:00 pm - 1:00 am at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
James Eason and Tara Copeland
A group of stellar improvisors, some of whom are former members of legendary improv troupe Mother, perform long-form improv based on an audience suggestion. This new group's members are Tara Copeland, James Eason, Jessica Allen, Paul W. Downs, Jesse Falcon, and Rachel Hamilton.
Please note: Paying $5 actually entitles you to see shows at The Magnet for the entire evening, which includes several improv shows following this one. For details, please click here and then scroll down to Thursday's listings.
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Wyatt Cenac, Adira Amram, and Jessica Delfino
Entertaining the Bartender, Guest-Hosted by Adira Amram
Razor-sharp and delightfully dark stand-up comic Jena Friedman is taking tonight off.
Guest-hosting in her place is Adira Amram, a brilliantly funny and sexy writer/singer who's just released her new album, Hot Jams for Teens. (Please buy multiple copies.) Adira's other credits include being a Jane Magazine Editor's Choice; the co-star of Get Psyched!; and performing the one-woman show Adira Amram is an American Idol at Ars Nova. For sample songs & videos, please click here.
Adira's wonderful guests are
Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; cast member on upcoming HBO Kanye West show; star of indie feature film Medicine for Melancholy; former staff writer/editor for three years on King of the Hill; for a blacks vs. gays competition, please click here).
Jessica Delfino (brilliantly funny and stunning writer/singer; enjoys singing songs
about her vagina, as demonstrated by her acclaimed CDs Dirty Folk Rock and I Wanna Be Famous; created the hilarious and wildly popular YouTube animated short film I Wanna Be Famous; toured the country with the wonderful Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players;
was a big hit at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival; has a cool MySpace page),
Mike Drucker (freelance writer for Saturday Night Live, The Onion, McSweeney's, 23/6, Black20; winner of Disney's 2007 So You Think You're Funny competition and performer on Comedy Central's The Watchlist; for Drucker's explanation of how life is like video games and comic books, please click here; and to learn why Drucker's girlfriend wouldn't give him a gold star, please click here),
and Scott Jacobson (The Daily Show), Hari Kondabolu (Jimmy Kimmel), Leah Bonnema (Rosie the Irreverent), and Dan Chakrin (Comedy Corner).
8:30 pm at The Pyramid Club, 101 Avenue A (between 6th & 7th Streets); tickers are $5
Take the F subway to 2nd Avenue & Houston stop or the L subway to 1st Avenue & 14th Street stop
Patrick Borelli and DC Benny...
...and Michelle Buteau and Sean Patton
Comedy Below Canal: Patrick Borelli, DC Benny, Sean Patton, Michelle Buteau, and More
This weekly comedy show is hosted tonight by Patrick Borelli (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, ESPN's Cheap Seats, writer for Adult Swim's Assy McGee, SuperDeluxe's Thunderpoint, Video Power Hour, co-author of book Holy Headshot!).
And the other superb comics include
DC Benny (Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special
and Comedy Central's Premium Blend, The Chris Rock Show, Showtime at the Apollo, Friday Night Videos; TV and movie actor for Law & Order, The Cosby Show, Spider-Man 3, and Five Nights in Brooklyn),
Sean Patton (VH1, 2008 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, LES' The Tommy Danger Show, founder of the New Orleans Comedy Festival; for stand-up audio clip about vitamin-coated condoms, please click here; for stand-up videos about drugs & weapons and Sean's crackhead aunt, please click here and here), and
Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend;
for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here).
For more info and/or to order tickets, please click here.
9:00 pm at 92YTribeca Mainstage, 200 Hudson Street (intersection of Canal & Hudson Streets); $12
Take the 1/6/E subway to Canal Street stop
Paul Mooney: Headlining at Carolines
Fire-tongued comedy star Paul Mooney's numerous credits include writing for Richard Pryor, Saturday Night Live, and In Living Color, and performing on Late Show with David Letterman and Chappelle's Show. For video samples, please click here and here.
This New York comedy club show has a $31 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please click here and then click the Buy Now button for the evening you want. (Mooney is headlining at Carolines tonight and late Friday night.)
10:00 pm at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$31 ticket plus two-drink minimum
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/12/09
Kevin McDonald, Pangea 3000, and The 3rd Floor perform on Night #2 of the spectacular comedy festival SketchFest NYC
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] one of the finest sketch comedy festivals in the country, which began on Thursday and will be running through Saturday—and tonight features such wonderful comedy groups as The Harvard Sailing Team, The 3rd Floor, and Pangea 3000; plus a one-man show from The Kids in the Hall star Kevin McDonald, and a collection of failed sketches for a special edition of The Rejection Show—at the second evening of the not-to-be-missed SketchFest NYC 09 (7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, 10:00 pm, 11:00 pm, and midnight),
[TOP PICK] [$] a
stand-up comedy superstar, performing in NYC tonight through Sunday:
Dave
Attell: Headlining at Carolines (8:00
pm & 10:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [$] a TV and movie comedy star who frequently appears on HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime,
and is a hilarious comedy club veteran: Patrice Oneal: Headlining at Comix (8:00 pm & 10:30 pm),
NYC stand-up comics at a gay-themed comedy show hosted by Jenny Rubin: The Back Room (9:00 pm),
singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical (10:00 pm),
[$] and 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 at Carolines: Paul Mooney (12:30 am).
For many of the finest sketch comedy troupes in the country, plan to attend this
wonderful annual extravaganza co-produced by Alex Zalben (former PIT Artistic Director,
co-producer of the 2008 ECNY Awards and 2009 ECNY Awards, co-host of the superb weekly comedy show Comic Book Club, and member of sketch group Elephant Larry).
The festival began yesterday, and was a blast. Highlights included Kristen Schaal in a blazing red outfit, accompanied by partner Kurt as a small stuffed llama, playing such characters as a 1920s dancer and a sultry librarian; the always-wonderful Apple Sisters braving an adventure on the high seas that involved wearing watermelons as fashion accessories; a ventriloquist having an audience member fall apart because the dummy "looks just like my recently deceased son" in a memorable sketch from Rue Brutalia; an 8-minute sketch during which one of the heavy-set performers is entirely naked except for white socks and a hand covering his balls, from fearless troupe Murderfist; and a delightful imagining of the Pixar pitch session for the movie Up from ace troupe Olde English.
The Festival continues tonight and Saturday. In total, it will include over two dozen top sketch troupes and run for over 24 hours.
It's all happening at the world-renowned Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue). Each show runs an hour and costs $10.
Alternatively, you can purchase an all-day pass for $40, or an all-shows-in-Festival pass for $100. To learn more and/or to order tickets, please click here.
Tonight's shows are as follows:
<
Sketch duo BriTANick (7:00 pm)
Jubilant gal duo The Money Kids, and creator of the classic "Fart Spelling Bee" sketch Pangea 3000 (8:00 pm)
World-class inventive & organic troupe Harvard Sailing Team, and hybrid troupe The Riot Act (9:00 pm),
creator of the immortal sketch about Gaybie, "The Magazine for Gay Babies and Gay Baby Enthusiasts," The 3rd Floor (10:00 pm)
The Kids in the Hall master sketch comic Kevin McDonald (11:00 pm)
(Official description: "A one man exploration of working with The Kids in the Hall, and coping with an alcoholic father. Warning: There is singing in this show and Kevin cannot sing. We repeat, Kevin cannot sing.")
Jon Friedman hosts sketch material that failed to make the cut on this SketchFest edition of The Rejection Show (Midnight)
To read my review of SketchFest NYC 07, please click here.
For this year's schedule, please click here.
For descriptions of each of the performing troupes, please click here.
And again, to purchase tickets in advance (some shows are likely to sell out), please click here.
This festival is magic. I recommend seeing as much of it as you can.
7:00 pm - 1:00 am at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
Dave Attell: Headlining at Carolines
Dave Attell is performing tonight through Sunday at Carolines.
This New York comedy club show has a $41.75 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please click here and then click the Buy Now button.
8:00 pm & 10:30 pm at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$41.75 ticket plus two-drink minimum
Patrice Oneal got his start at a place called Estelle's in Boston. He was heckling a comic, and the comic suggested maybe Patrice thought he could do better. Patrice did; and the following week he went on stage at Estelle's and brought down the house. From there he went on to work at the Comedy Connection, then moved to working at most of the clubs in and around Boston, New England, and New York.
Patrice has a wide range of comic tools. In one bit, Patrice, at 6'5'' and 300+ lbs., makes the audience hear and almost see the story of the eastern European gymnast quietly speaking of her difficult upbringing and training. The Boston Globe wrote, "It is a hilarious piece made all the more so by the contradiction between Oneal's very visible presence and that of the young white girl he is playing."
Patrice has done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; and was a cast member on FOX's The Jury. He's also performed repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and at the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs and HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen; and has guest starred on such TV shows as NBC's The Office and FOX's Arrested Development.
Further, Patrice has acted in such hit movies as The 25th Hour, In the Cut, and Head of State.
Asked to whom he aspires, Patrice Oneal mentions only two names: George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Carlin for his distinct point of view and universal appeal; Pryor for his honesty, vulnerability and personal revelation.
This show is highly recommended.
This comedy club show costs $35 tonight or $30 if you buy online today for Saturday's show.
Please also note there's also a two-item minimum;
with tax & tip, figure on spending an additional $13 or up.
To learn more and/or to order tickets, please click here.
Tonight & Saturday at 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between
8th & 9th Avenues); $35 per ticket tonight, or $30 for Saturday if you order online today;
plus two-item food or drink minimum
Jenny Rubin, Dave Rubin, Paul Case, and Shawn Hollenbach
Gay-themed comedy (with both gay & straight comics)
hosted by the charming Jenny Rubin (WE TV’s Cinematherapy and The Gutter).
Tonight's comics include
Back Room co-producer Paul Case (MTV, D-Listed Radio, here! TV's Bent) and
Back Room co-producer Shawn Hollenbach (here! TV's Busted).
9:00 pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
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 Frank Spitznagel on piano—
turn an interview with an audience member
into a musical they make up on the spot.
10:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $7
Paul Mooney: Headlining at Carolines
Fire-tongued comedy star Paul Mooney's numerous credits include writing for Richard Pryor, Saturday Night Live, and In Living Color, and performing on Late Show with David Letterman and Chappelle's Show. For video samples, please click here and here.
This New York comedy club show has a $31 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please click here and then click the Buy Now button for the evening you want. (Mooney is headlining at Carolines tonight through Sunday.)
12:30 am at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$31 ticket plus two-drink minimum
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/13/09
The Story Pirates, Kevin McDonald, and Fearsome perform on this final day of the spectacular comedy festival SketchFest NYC
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] one of the finest sketch comedy festivals in the country, which began on Thursday and concludes today with over 10 hours of shows, featuring such wonderful world-class comedy groups as The Story Pirates, Steve and Jordan, Summer of Tears, Elephant Larry, and Fearsome, plus an in-depth interview with The Kids in the Hall star Kevin McDonald, and a beloved party-like show titled the Closing Night Craptacular—at the final day of the not-to-be-missed SketchFest NYC 09 (shows running from noon till around 2:00 am),
[TOP PICK] Lauren Olson performing a one-woman show about the death of her mom that's reportedly funny and superb in Our Condolences (7:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [$] a
stand-up comedy superstar, performing in NYC tonight through Sunday:
Dave
Attell: Headlining at Carolines (8:00
pm & 10:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [$] a TV and movie comedy star who frequently appears on HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime,
and is a hilarious comedy club veteran: Patrice Oneal: Headlining at Comix (8:00 pm & 10:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] a one-woman show from stellar comedic storyteller & actress Sara Benincasa: AGORAFABULOUS (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] [$] Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, quick-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer (9:00 pm),
organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track! (9:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] inventive & hilarious sketch comedy from The Harvard Sailing Team (9:30 pm),
[$] and 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 at Carolines: Paul Mooney (12:30 am).
For many of the finest sketch comedy troupes in the country, plan to attend this
wonderful annual extravaganza co-produced by Alex Zalben (former PIT Artistic Director,
co-producer of the 2008 ECNY Awards and 2009 ECNY Awards, co-host of the superb weekly comedy show Comic Book Club, and member of sketch group Elephant Larry).
The festival began Thursday, and was a blast. Highlights included Kristen Schaal in a blazing red outfit (accompanied by partner Kurt as a small stuffed llama) playing such characters as a 1920s dancer and a sultry librarian; the always-wonderful Apple Sisters braving an adventure on the high seas that involved wearing watermelons as fashion accessories; a ventriloquist having an audience member fall apart because the dummy "looks just like my recently deceased son" in a memorable sketch from Rue Brutalia; an 8-minute sketch during which one of the heavy-set performers is entirely naked except for white socks and a hand covering his balls, from fearless troupe Murderfist; and a delightful imagining of the Pixar pitch session for the movie Up from ace troupe Olde English.
Highlights on Friday included the Harvard Sailing Team as a group of musical theatre actors who can't resist performing "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" while stranded on an unstable lifeboat; Kevin McDonald performing a 90-minute one-man show about his alcoholic dad, and his pursuit of a comedy career at Second City, and his days with The Kids in the Hall (which will be shooting a new TV series later this year!); and Fearsome reprising its failed entry for The Dirtiest Sketch in New York contest—which culminated in Shayna Ferm and Katherine Bryant giving simulated blowjobs to Chris O'Connor and Alex Goldberg and then spitting out the white viscous results—at Jon Friedman's The Rejection Show.
The Festival concludes today. In total, it will include over two dozen top sketch troupes and run for over 24 hours.
It's all happening at the world-renowned Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue). Each show runs an hour and costs $10.
Alternatively, you can purchase an all-day pass for $40...which is a thorough bargain today because shows are running from noon till around 2:00 am. To learn more and/or to order tickets, please click here.
Tonight's shows are as follows:
magical troupe The Story Pirates creates shows based on plays written by NYC schoolchildren (noon)
the cast & crew of new MTV series The College Humor Show discuss going from Web site to TV show (2:00 pm)
Carl Arnheiter interviews The Kids in the Hall star Kevin McDonald (4:00 pm)
a double-bill with Wisconsin troupe Free Love Forum and NYC duo B.O.F. (6:00 pm),
a double-bill with troupes The Story Pirates and New Excitement (7:00 pm)
acclaimed Chicago comedy duo Steve and Jordan, Respectively (8:00 pm)
LA-based Summer of Tears, which at SketchFest NYC 07 performed bits about a baby picking fights in a bar; a showdown in the old West featuring such characters as Scabby Gabby ("She was as deadly as she was full of venereal disease") and a villain who says things like, "I'm gonna kill everybody you know until they die;" and a woman cheering on her man by promising if he bowls a strike "I'll let you put your fingers in all my holes and bowl me all night long. And even roll me in the gutter (9:00 pm)
Alex Zalben's witty, energetic troupe Elephant Larry performing a show based on the film Con Air (10:00 pm)
One of my my favorite sketch troupes in the world—Fearsome, consisting of four hilarious performers who are each star-caliber and could carry a show on his/her own: Katherine Bryant (sexy, wry, and razor-sharp, with impeccable timing and a personality that's irresistible), Shayna Ferm (sexy, sly, one of the best poker-faces in the business, and a phenomenal comedic singer/songwriter), Alex Goldberg (brilliant comedic mind, stellar timing, perfect straight man, and award-winning playwright), and Chris O'Connor (thoroughly loveable chaotic force of nature who makes anything he appears in special)—closing out the Festival proper (11:00 pm)
The decidedly improper party-like Festival finale, featuring multiple troupes performing sketches too dumb, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate to have performed in their shows this weekend: the always-fun Closing Night Craptacular (midnight)
To read my review of SketchFest NYC 07, please click here.
For this year's schedule, please click here.
For descriptions of each of the performing troupes, please click here.
And again, to purchase tickets in advance (some shows are likely to sell out), please click here.
This festival is magic. I recommend seeing as much of it as you can.
Noon - 2:00ish am at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
Lauren Olson performs a one-woman show about "the awkward, uncomfortable crap we all unavoidably experience when someone dies." In fact, it's about the death of Lauren's mom. And, somehow, it's funny.
I haven't seen this yet, but have heard good things.
7:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Dave Attell: Headlining at Carolines
Dave Attell is performing tonight through Sunday at Carolines.
This New York comedy club show has a $41.75 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please click here and then click the Buy Now button.
8:00 pm & 10:30 pm at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$41.75 ticket plus two-drink minimum
Patrice Oneal got his start at a place called Estelle's in Boston. He was heckling a comic, and the comic suggested maybe Patrice thought he could do better. Patrice did; and the following week he went on stage at Estelle's and brought down the house. From there he went on to work at the Comedy Connection, then moved to working at most of the clubs in and around Boston, New England, and New York.
Patrice has a wide range of comic tools. In one bit, Patrice, at 6'5'' and 300+ lbs., makes the audience hear and almost see the story of the eastern European gymnast quietly speaking of her difficult upbringing and training. The Boston Globe wrote, "It is a hilarious piece made all the more so by the contradiction between Oneal's very visible presence and that of the young white girl he is playing."
Patrice has done half-hour comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime; was a regular on Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; and was a cast member on FOX's The Jury. He's also performed repeatedly on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and at the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs and HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen; and has guest starred on such TV shows as NBC's The Office and FOX's Arrested Development.
Further, Patrice has acted in such hit movies as The 25th Hour, In the Cut, and Head of State.
Asked to whom he aspires, Patrice Oneal mentions only two names: George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Carlin for his distinct point of view and universal appeal; Pryor for his honesty, vulnerability and personal revelation.
This show is highly recommended.
This comedy club show costs $35.
Please also note there's also a two-item minimum;
with tax & tip, figure on spending an additional $13 or up.
To learn more and/or to order tickets, please click here.
8:00 pm & 10:30 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
$35 for tickets, plus two-item food or drink minimum
Sara Benincasa's AGORAFABULOUS
The official description:
"After successful workshops in North Carolina and Austin, TX, Sara Benincasa workshops her one-woman show at the PIT. AGORAFABULOUS combines the sharp hilarity that's made Sara a hit on the web with the nutty magnetism that's made her a rising star in the alternative comedy scene. A surprisingly poignant celebration of weirdness and quirks."
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10
Ted Greenberg: The Complete Performer
It would be hard to go wrong with a show from Ted Greenberg, the Emmy Award winning writer for seven seasons of Late Night with David Letterman. So it's not surprising this 30-minute act was a hit at this year's FringeNYC, often selling out performances.
The Complete Performer is a parody of typical NYC acts in small venues—improv, mind reading, card tricks, playing with the audience. It's essentially a comedy club act, but with gags in place of standard jokes. (If you're okay with having surprises spoiled, you can get a feel for Ted's approach by clicking here.)
Come enjoy quirky laughs from this seasoned pro; and hang out afterwards to chat with Ted, who's one of the friendliest Emmy winners you're ever likely to meet...and even promises to drive some audience members home!
Tickets are $15 at the door, or $15.50 online using discount code STIX (otherwise $18).
9:00 pm at Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street (between 6th Avenue & Varick); tickets are $15
Springboarding from a word suggested by the audience,
George Basil, Frank Campanella, Christian Capozzoli, and Matt Evans
perform organic & energetic long-form improv for about 40 minutes.
Basil is a stand-out, but they're all sharp, committed improvisors.
There's also a warm chemistry between the men, which is especially evident
if you arrive early to watch them getting ready on stage: They toss a ball
back and forth, and then toss each other back and forth...sending
a body message of "If you throw an improv concept at me, you can trust me
to not let it drop..." One of the Magnet's most popular shows.
9:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
The Harvard Sailing Team, which won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Comedy Group,
performs their special brand of fresh, imaginative 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 $10
Paul Mooney: Headlining at Carolines
Fire-tongued comedy star Paul Mooney's numerous credits include writing for Richard Pryor, Saturday Night Live, and In Living Color, and performing on Late Show with David Letterman and Chappelle's Show. For video samples, please click here and here.
This New York comedy club show has a $31 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please click here and then click the Buy Now button for the evening you want. (Mooney is headlining at Carolines tonight through Sunday.)
12:30 am at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$31 ticket plus two-drink minimum
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 6/14/09
Mike Birbiglia (Tearing the Veil of Maya)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [FREE] UCBT's playground for celebrities and ace improvisors,
ASSSSCAT 3000 (paid show at 7:30 pm, free show at 9:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] comedy giants Mike Birbiglia (three Comedy Central specials, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, hit off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me), Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, host of top comedy show Whiplash), and Hannibal Buress (Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson, The Awkward Kings of Comedy) joining fellow comedy giant Eugene Mirman (winner of the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Host) for his weekly shindig at Brooklyn's Union Hall: Tearing the Veil of Maya (7:30ish pm),
Roger Hailes, Jesse Pop, and other superb stand-ups at a free weekly LES show hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians (7:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] [$] a
stand-up comedy superstar concluding his NYC run tonight:
Dave
Attell: Headlining at Carolines (8:00
pm),
[$] 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 at Carolines: Paul Mooney (8:30 pm & 10:00 pm),
[FREE] Jamie Kilstein, Hari Kondabolu, Zach Sims, Jermaine Fowler, Azmar Usman, and more at RG Daniels' free Sunday Night Stand-Up (8:00 pm),
[FREE] sharp NYC stand-ups at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free show Beauty Bar Comedy (9:00 pm),
[FREE] and an all-gal lineup of terrific stand-ups—Claudia Cogan, Robin Fox, and Chantal Carrere—at a free gay-themed show hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour (10:00 pm).
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 $10; 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...and even more tickets are available for those willing to watch the show standing. 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 ($10) & 9:30 pm (free) at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
Comedy giants Leo Allen and Mike Birbiglia
If you live in Brooklyn, or simply don't mind going a few subway stops beyond Manhattan,
some of the best funny minds in New York can be found at this weekly show
run by comedy giant, and winner of the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Host,
Eugene Mirman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special,
Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Jump Cuts, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, VH1, and Adult Swim;
The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman and En Garde, Society! comedy albums; new book The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life).
Tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests are
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;
upcoming comedy series on CBS; for info on Mike's current
superb off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me, please click here),
Leo Allen (one of the most sharp, honest, and likeable stand-ups working in NYC; upcoming HBO mini-series; writer for Saturday Night Live from 2002 through 2005; performed two Comedy Central Presents 1/2-hour specials (one by himself and one with his writing partner Eric Slovin); done stand-up on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; acted on NBC's Ed and HBO's Sex and the City; host of stellar NYC weekly live comedy show Whiplash), and
Hannibal Buress (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson; concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy).
7:30ish 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.
Greg Johnson and Roger Hailes
This is often one of the best comedy shows in New York—and is entirely free.
It's hosted by sharp, quick-witted Greg Johnson (check out his hilarious blog by clicking here) and Jacqueline Novak (Comedy Central Live Tour, XM Radio, CollegeHumor.com; for "response to heckler" video, please click here).
Tonight's guests include Roger Hailes and Jesse Pop.
7:30 pm at Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street at Stanton; tickets are $5
Dave Attell: Headlining at Carolines
Dave Attell is concluding his current run at Carolines tonight.
This New York comedy club show has a $41.75 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please call (212) 757-4100.
8:00 pm at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$41.75 ticket plus two-drink minimum
Paul Mooney: Headlining at Carolines
Fire-tongued comedy star Paul Mooney's numerous credits include writing for Richard Pryor, Saturday Night Live, and In Living Color, and performing on Late Show with David Letterman and Chappelle's Show. For video samples, please click here and here.
This New York comedy club show has a $31 cover plus two-drink minimum (with tax & tip, figure another $13 or up).
To order tickets, please click here and then click the Buy Now button for the time you want.
8:30 pm & 10:00 pm at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$31 ticket plus two-drink minimum
Jamie Kilstein amd RG Daniels
Sunday Night Stand-Up with RG Daniels
This free weekly stand-up comedy show features both established talents and up-and-comers. It's hosted by RG Daniels (sweetly quirky experimental comic; influences include Woody Allen and french fries; occasionally refers to himself as "Hanukah-face").
Tonight's guests include Jamie Kilstein, Hari Kondabolu, Zach Sims,
Jermaine Fowler, and Azmar Usman.
8:00 pm at Three of Cups downstairs lounge, 83 1st Avenue (off 5th Street); free
Vince Averill and Jesse Popp
This long-running free weekly comedy show is hosted by Vince Averill (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, DC Comedy Festival) and Jesse Popp (Comedy Central's Premium Blend).
Tonight's guests haven't been announced, but this is usually a fun show.
9:00 pm at Beauty Bar, 231 East 14th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues); free
Claudia Cogan and Brad Loekle
The Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Brad Loekle (cast member of TruTV’s weekly The Smoking Gun Presents, co-host of Sirius Radio’s weekly OUT Q, columnist for monthly magazine Key West Gay Rag) hosts this gay-themed weekly stand-up comedy show. It's entirely free if you're okay with standing; otherwise plan on ordering food or a drink if you prefer sitting at a table.
Tonight's superb (and all-female) stand-ups are
Claudia Cogan (MTV, Logo Network, here! TV, Sirius OutQ; for stand-up video about Claudia's aspirations to be a stripper, please click here; for video about her being unemployed, please click here).
Robin Fox (Last Comic Standing),
and Chantal Carrere.
10:00 pm at Therapy, 348 West 52nd Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues); free
Alternatively, consider seeing a funny and/or musical
Broadway, off-Broadway, or off-off-Broadway show.
To learn how theatre tickets can be purchased for around 50% off—
or, in some cases, for as little as $3.50 each—
please read Hy on Theatre Discounts.
Copyright © 2009 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
