NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/9/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
the perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set
and around 30 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),
star stand-up comics at Liam McEneaney's free Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),
Jackie Monahan, Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, & Gloria Bigelow at Dykes on Mics (8:00 pm),
political sketch comedy, plus an interview with author Glenn Greenwald, about his new book
Great American Hypocrites, at Liz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger (8:00 pm),
and some of the best improvisors in NYC performing in pairs at Couples Skate (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 30+ 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.
Ochi's Motel is hosted & booked by Sean Donnelly and Joe Powers.
To be entered into the weekly random drawing for performers,
please send email to ochismotel[at]gmail.com.
There are two shows tonight, at 6:30 and 9:00 pm (with entirely different sets of comics).
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)
Writers, performers, and directors, most of whom are students at UCBT,
try out their sketch comedy routines.
Tonight features four groups in two double-bill shows:
at the 8:00-9:15 pm slot, mixtape '98 and 27 Kidneys;
and at the 9:30-10:45 pm slot, The Skuntz and Stone Cold Fox.
Some of the material will probably be very funny.
And a lot of it probably won't.
But if you enjoy the raw energy of young artists trying out bits,
come and support tonight's experiments, live on stage.
8:00 pm & 9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5 per show
Tom Shillue, John Oliver, and Liam McEneaney
This free 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 Chris Mata (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, mun2's Loco Comedy Jam,
SITV's Latino Laugh Festival; blogs for 236.com and The Huffington Post).
And tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests are
John Oliver (genius who's one of the very finest—and nicest—stand-up comics in the biz;
delightful & hilarious news correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;
recently aired a superb hour-long Comedy Central special, Terrifying Times; is co-writer/star
of The Department for BBC Radio 4, and host/star of BBC stand-up radio show Political Animal),
Tom Shillue (Comedy Central Presents, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart; storytelling podcasts; host of NYC monthly comedy show Moonwork;
comedy CD Overconfident!; for stand-up samples, please click here and here),
Bryan Tucker (writer for Saturday Night Live 2005-2008; also wrote for Mad TV, The Chris Rock Show, Chappelle's Show), and
Peggy O'Brien (to view the delightful way she announced getting engaged, please click here).
8:00ish pm at Lolita Bar, 226 Broome Street (between Allen and Orchard Streets); free
Nearest subway stops are Delancey Street via the F or Delancey-Essex via the J/M/Z.
Amy Beckerman, Gloria Bigelow, Jackie Monahan, and Leah Dubie
Free gay-themed stand-up comedy show featuring the gals above
as regulars/hosts, plus tonight's guests
Jessimae Peluso, H. Alan Scott, Allison Castillo, and Dave Rubin.
8:00 pm at RubyFruit Bar & Grill, 531 Hudson Street (between West 10th & Charles);
no cover, one item (food or drink) minimum
Glenn Greenwald and his new book Great American Hypocrites, and STM host Lizz Winstead
Lizz Winstead is co-creator and former head writer of the original The Daily Show; former Executive VP of Air America Radio; and a performer on such shows as Comedy Central Presents and HBO's Women of the Night. (She's also a character; e.g., for a memorable anti-apology after canceling her appearance on the NYC show Drink at Work, please click here.)
Tonight's guest is former civil rights attorney and current bestselling author Glenn Greenwald, whose latest book is Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics. (The title says it all...)
To get a feel for STM, please view a fun interview with cartoonist David Rees by clicking here
and read a March 2008 New York Times article about the show by clicking here.
8:00 pm at The Green Room, 45 Bleecker Street (off Lafayette); tickets are $12.50
Nearest subway stop is Bleecker Street on the #6 (which brings you virtually to the door of the theatre)
and Broadway-Lafayette on the F/V/D/B.
Jason Mantzoukas, Joe Wengert, and Charlie Todd
In this new show, some of the best improvisors in NYC are paired up
and perform, often for the first time, as duos.
Hosted by Sean Clements (30 Rock) & Brandon Gardner (for sample sketch, please click here).
Tonight's fine lineup consists of
Jason Mantzoukas & Joe Wengert,
Charlie Todd & Sue Galloway,
and Jonathan Gabrus & Fran Gillespie.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/10/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
stand-ups of diverse looks & voices at Helen Hong's & Maria Shehata's Little Ethnic Girls and Friends (7:30 pm),
the best sexy comedy show in NYC, tonight focusing on party tales, and featuring frank
confessions from comics Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) and Adam Sank
(Last Comic Standing) —plus music from brilliantly hilarious & sexy singer/songwriter
Adira Amram (VH1.com)—at red-hot Margot Leitman's & Giulia Rozzi's Stripped Stories (8:00),
fine comics Mike Dobbins (A Stand-Upish Set of Koo Koo), Jesse Pop (Comedy Central), Sean O'Connor (VH1),
and Julia Segal performing deliciously long sets at Ken Zimlinghaus' Fat Tuesday (8:00 pm),
young adult book and comics author Cecil Castellucci (a.k.a. Cecil Seaskull)
joining in on a lively & fun discussion about comic books at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
three full hours of improv for only five bucks at Harold Night (8:00 pm),
an improv troupe that uses an audience suggestion to create a comic book tale,
and another troupe that makes up scenes by riffing off of international shortwave radio broadcasts,
in The Incredible Comic Book and 30,000 kHz of Sound (8:00 pm),
sharp stand-ups Bob Powers (You Are a Miserable Excuse for a Hero), Todd Levin (Comedy Central,
The Onion), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central), Sean Donnelly (Ochi's Motel, Don't Touch Me There),
Dan Upham, and Dave Greek at John Morrison's The Morrison Motel (8:30 pm),
brilliant comedy TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (The Daily Show, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, MTV),
world-class storyteller Kambri Crews (Comix, The PIT, UCBT, LoveDaddy.org),
Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central, Sirius radio), and Craig Baldo (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing)
at one of the finest & funniest shows in NYC, the wonderful Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm),
and multi-talented actress Kimmy Gatewood in her one-woman show The Engagement (9:30 pm).
Maria Shehata and Helen Hong
Little Ethnic Girls and Friends
This biweekly comedy show is hosted by two petite women,
one Korean-American and the other Arab-American, who like to make you laugh:
Helen Hong (TLC's What Not to Wear; E!'s Exposed: 25 Most Notorious Fashion Week Moments; Helen says " I love it when people ask me 'Where are you from?' and I say 'New York' and they say 'No, where are you really from???' I know they want me to name some Asian country like Japan or Korea. Instead I just stab them in the eye with a chopstick and scream 'I'm from the Land of Deadly Chopsticks, you evil Round Eye!' And then I shuffle away like a dainty geisha...;"
for Helen's hilarious stand-up video about false assumptions
and verbal misunderstandings, please click here), and
Maria Shehata (Comedy Central's The Watch List, TLC, Women's Entertainment Network, numerous appearances on Sirius Satellite Radio; for a stand-up video about Maria's parents' arranged marriage, please click here).
Tonight's guests haven't been announced, but will probably be taller than their hosts.
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)
Margot & Giulia are two fun-lovin' gals...who are world-class storytellers
Sexual storytelling with a comedic slant.
Tonight's theme is Parties. And you can expect some wild tales.
Offering frank confessions will be comedy guests Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend) and Adam Sank (Last Comic Standing; host of weekly NYC live comedy show The Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour), plus music from brilliantly funny & sexy singer/songwriter—and rising star—Adira Amram (VH1.com; Jane Magazine Editor's Choice; co-star of UCBT's Get Psyched!; for sample songs & videos, please click here).
In addition, there'll be "audience interviews, sex games, and hookups...hopefully."
This is a wonderful show, and highly recommended.
8:00 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
$15 online with code HYREVIEWS, plus two-item food or drink minimum
Mike Dobbins and Sean O'Connor
This weekly show allows a few talented comics to perform long comedy sets, just as if they —and you—were in a swanky comedy club. It's hosted by Ken Zimlinghaus, who can be heard regularly on Sirius Satellite Radio's Wake Up With Cosmo; and the best bits from this evening will probably end up getting broadcast on Sirius as well.
Tonight's fine guests are
Mike Dobbins (2008 ECNY Award nominee for one-man show A Stand-Upish Set of Koo Koo,
about which Time Out New York's Jane Borden wrote, "His singular point of view, wholly
unique voice and completely disarming performance style hook fans and fellow comics
instantly. Rather than telling jokes, he turns his ideas into tiny one-act plays
where he is every character, the director and, at times, the orchestra,
while flying through nonsensical premises that somehow land on their feet."),
Jesse Popp (Comedy Central's Premium Blend; co-producer of the
weekly NYC live Beauty Bar Comedy Show for 6 years running),
Sean O'Connor (VH1; for fun stand-up videos, please click here and here), and
Julia Segal (sketch comedy performer/producer who often works with ace troupe Old English).
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's guest (aside from, as the hosts proudly declare
in their notice this week, "air conditioning") is
Cecil Castellucci—also known as Cecil Seaskull—who's the author
of books for young adults, an indie rocker, a director...and most
important within the context of this show,
the writer of the 2007 graphic novel The P.L.A.I.N. Janes
(the first book in DC Comics' new Minx imprint, which targets YA readers).
According to Wikipedia, "the story follows a girl named Jane who moves to suburbia after a terrorist attack in her hometown of Metro City. Once there, she rejects the popular girls and instead finds her "tribe" with three other girls named Jayne (Brain Jane), Jane (Theater Jane), and Polly Jane (Sporty Jane). They band together to form P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) and commit "art attacks" to try and brighten up the atmosphere of fear that follows the terrorist attack." A sequel, titled Janes in Love, is due out in September
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 current fave, a delightful show with Kevin "Batman" Conroy, please click 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—
RAGNARÖCK, The Scam, Bangs, Bastian, and DeCoster—
each give it a go for 30 minutes, with
short breaks in between, for a total of 3 hours.
Some of the 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.
8:00-11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
The Incredible Comic Book and 30,000 kHz of Sound
Two unique improv shows for just five bucks.
First, a gang of improvisors turn an audience suggestion into a complete comic book tale. I'd probably love this show if the Magnet had the sense to schedule it at any time other than directly opposite the only other live comedy show about comics in New York (see Comic Book Club above). What were they thinking...?
Anyway, don't blame the intrepid performers, who consist of Megan Gray, Corey Grimes, Steve Horak, Ethan Kaye, Alan Lidogoster, Michael Short, Chet Siegel, with direction from James Eason.
The double-bill then continues with 30,000 kHz of Sound, an innovative show that creates improvisations inspired by shortwave radio broadcasts from around the world. (To learn more, please click here.) The troupe is made up of Brigid Boyle, Kevin Cragg, Eden Gauteron, Ernie Privetera, Joe Randazzo, and Ashley Ward, with direction from Shawn Wickens.
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Todd Levin, Bob Powers' hilarious new book, and Matt McCarthy...
...and Sean Donnelly and John Morrison
John Morrison, a wise & razor-sharp comic who produces the NYC weekly
open mic show Ochi's Motel, welcomes fine stand-up talents in this monthly showcase:
Tonight's fine guests are
Bob Powers (reading from his just-released darkly comedic interactive adventure for adults You Are a Miserable Excuse for a Hero, which is a choose-your-own-ending book aimed at ambivalent 30-year-olds who are terrified of making choices: "The main character in this book is you, a 33-year-old actor/waiter with very little hope of ever being successful. With every day you are that much closer to giving up on your dreams and going to grad school, and every choice feels weighted with the possibility that it will send you down a path to failure. So you've been doing all you can to make no choices whatsoever. When the girl you went on a first date with last night has been kidnapped, it's up to you to save her. Each chapter ends with a pair of choices as to how the story should progress. Do you want to burst into the kidnappers' hideout and kill everyone in sight? Or do you want to just unplug your phone and get really drunk? It's your choices and your story, with over 30 different endings! This is the first book in the Just Make A Choice! Adventure Series, with Book 2, The Terrible, Horrible, Temp-to-Perm Debacle coming in June of 2009"),
Todd Levin (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, The Onion, popular blog Tremble,
host of NYC live comedy show Todd Levin's TV Book Club),
Matt McCarthy (razor-sharp comic; Comedy Central's Live at Gotham),
Sean Donnelly (co-host of weekly NYC open mic live comedy show Ochi's Motel; member of sketch comedy & funny short film troupe Don't Touch Me There;
for a stand-up video, please click here),
Dan Upham (for a stand-up video about hubcaps, please click here), and
Dave Greek ("While walking home once in second grade, a bunch of kids jumped out of the bushes and started throwing crabapples at me. Thankfully, my sister (who was waiting in a separate set of bushes to kick my ass) felt a pang of familial loyalty and saved me from a savage crabapple beating. I've heard that every comedian has similar stories from their youth. We can deal with these scarring childhood experiences in one of two ways: 1) Move to a town where there are fewer bushes for people to hide in, or 2) Use humor as a defense mechanism. I opted for both.").
Discount Note: Please mention HyReviews.com at the door for $5 off the $10 cover.
8:30 pm at Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (between West 4th Street and Bleecker);
$5 per ticket (vs. $10) if you mention HyReviews.com at door, plus $7 food or drink minimum
Kristen Schaal, Kambri Crews, and Rachel Feinstein...
...and Seth Herzog and Craig Baldo
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 are
Kristen Schaal (lovely, brilliant, breathtakingly talented writer/actress/comic;
thoroughly delightful new 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 video 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),
Kambri Crews (luminous performer, stellar publicist & producer, and one of the most sharp, charming, and heartfelt comedic storytellers working in NYC; for Kambri's correspondence with her deaf dad, who's in a Texas prison for trying to stab his wife to death, please visit Web site LoveDaddy.org; for a video of Kambri reading her jailed dad's wedding toast, please click here),
Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Samurai Love God, Court TV's
Parko PI, regular on Sirius Satellite Radio, written for The Onion and Heeb Magazine,
opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), and
Craig Baldo (performed over 30 sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Comic Remix; VH1, Bravo, The Onion;
for Craig's recent stand-up set on Conan O'Brien, please click here).
Plus, guaranteed air conditioning. How can you resist?
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
One of the finest talents in NYC is Kimmy Gatewood, who produces, directs, writes, acts, sings, dances, performs improv & sketch comedy—and tonight is doing this one-woman show.
The scenario: "Kim's getting married! It's the rehearsal dinner, and everyone is there—family, friends, co-workers...everyone, that is, except her husband-to-be. Kim runs into the coat room and refuses to come out. The whole family rallies: her best friend, her sister Val, her mother, her stepmother, her Youtubing younger cousin, and even Monkey the family dog. Things only get worse when the best man tries to hit on her..."
Frankly, the idea is better than the actual script, which needs a few rewrites.
But Kimmy's performance of the material is at times magical, and well worth catching.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 6/11/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
some of the finest comics in NYC, including Pete Holmes, Larry Murphy, Greg Johnson, Mindy Raf,
and Katina Corrao, telling very funny tales of being rejected—and sharing the failed TV pilot,
manuscript, etc. with the audience—at the wonderful Jon Friedman's The Rejection Show (8:00 pm),
a unique comedy show, co-hosted by This American Life's Starlee Kine, combining authors
reading stories with drawings made on office supplies: The Post-It Note Reading Series (8:00 pm)(,
top female comics Kate McKinnon (Logo TV), Claudia Cogan (Logo TV), Becky Donohue (Comedy Central),
Jessica Kirson (Last Comic Standing), Liz Feldman (former writer for Ellen), and more
at tonight's gay-themed show hosted by Logo TV's Julie Goldman: Offensive Women (8:00ish pm),
open mic stand-up in Queens' LIC, with guest headliner Jordan Carlos (The Colbert Report,
Comedy Central's Live at Gotham), at John F. O'Donnell's The Kingdom of Heaven (8:30 pm),
typically superb stand-up comics and hilarious sketch comedy that's mostly improvised, hosted
by comedic chameleon Brett Gelman (Conan O'Brien, Colbert Report), at Gelmania (9:00 pm),
delicious comics Margaret Champagne, Joselyn Hughes, and Brooke Van Poppelen inviting
a few of the coolest gals and guys they know for stand-up comedy fun at their Slumber Party (9:00 pm),
two ace improvisors, Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report) and John Lutz (writer/actor
for Saturday Night Live since 2004; 30 Rock) make up scenes as the duo 2 Square (9:30 pm),
and a laid-back free show—tonight featuring superb storyteller Kambri Crews—where
virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
For details, please click here.
TV Alert: South Park is one of the funniest shows in TV history, and this season
has been especially superb—which, considering the series is in its 11th year,
is little short of astonishing. On tonight's repeat, the gang visit a living museum
where the performers don't break character...no matter what. Meanwhile, Cartman escapes
to a nearby Super Fun Time amusement park, dragging Butters with him.
Loads of violence ensures...
Set your TiVo to 10:00 pm or midnight at Comedy Central.
Pete Holmes, Mindy Raf, and Larry Murphy...
...and Greg Johnson, Jon Friedman, and Jenny Slate
Jon Friedman hosts a delightful parade of rejected material
by exceptional writers and performers.
Tonight's wonderful guests include
Pete Holmes (razor-sharp & lightning-fast mind, and one of the finest stand-ups in the country;
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 extravaganza Gutbucket),
Larry Murphy (genius comedic chameleon & voiceover actor who performs all the
key characters on Adult Swim's Assy McGee; other animated TV series include
Home Movies, O'Grady, Computer Lab, Word Girl, and Sunday Pants;
sketch performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; announcer for
ESPN's Cheap Seats; co-host of the 2008 ECNY Award-winning The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show; for an animated VO reel, please click here),
Greg Johnson (sharp, quick-witted stand-up comic who co-hosts the weekly
NYC comedy extravaganza The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show,
which won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Variety Show),
Mindy Raf (brilliantly funny and sexy writer/singer;
VH1's Best Week Ever, relationship columnist for CollegeHumor.com,
comedy writer for WABC, actor on SuperDeluxe.com's The Post Show,
plays popular character Leibya Rogers: "When I sing, your soul jumps out
of your body and nestles in between my legs;" for video sample, please click here),
Jenny Slate (co-host of monthly Brooklyn live comedy show At Night with Gabe & Jenny; co-star of current UCBT comedic play Workdays with Maury; for hilarious video, please click here), and
Katina Corrao (HBO's Daddy, Comedy Central; co-host of biweekly LIC live comedy extravaganza The Matt and Katina Show; for video samples, please click here and here).
There'll also be music from fabulous comedic rockabilly band The Defibulators.
This is a wonderful show, and highly recommended.
Please note Comix's usual two-item minimum has been waived for this event.
8:00 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
only $12 online with code HYREVIEWS
Arthur Jones and Starlee Kine
CBS/NYC Presents: The Post-It Note Series
This American Life's Starlee Kine and illustrator Arthur Jones welcome writers to the stage to read original stories while corresponding illustrations, drawn entirely on Post-It Notes, are screened behind them.
Among tonight's scheduled guests is Brett Martin,
author of The Sopranos: The Book and Top Chef: The Cookbook.
To learn more about the unique Post-It Note Reading Series, please click here.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Claudia Cogan and Kate McKinnon
This monthly event hosted by Julie Goldman (cast member of Logo TV's
The Big Gay Sketch Show) spotlights top female comics.
Tonight's superb stand-up & sketch comedy guests are
Kate McKinnon (sharp, witty actress who "gets" both verbal and physical comedy down to her bones; cast member of Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show; one-woman UCBT show Disenchanted: "Watch the beloved fairy princesses of your childhood pop a few Klonopins and eat themselves into a coma"),
Claudia Cogan (ECNY Award nominee for Best Female Stand-Up; Logo TV, Sirius Radio's OutQ and Raw Dog Comedy; for stand-up video about Claudia's aspirations to be a stripper —which includes the Excel line that nabbed her Time Out New York's "Joke of the Year" award—please click here; for video about Claudia being unemployed, please click here),
Becky Donohue (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and
Shorties Watchin' Shorties; TLC's Trading Spaces; Fashion Police writer for US Weekly),
Jessica Kirson (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), VH1, Bravo),
Liz Feldman (former writer for Ellen and Blue Collar TV;
for fun video about a unique academy, please click here), and
Stace & Kell ("sorority sister singing duo").
8:00ish pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $10
John F. O'Donnell, and John Carlos as Stephen Colbert's pal "Alan"
Free open mic stand-up comedy show in Queens' Long Island City
(just one stop from Manhattan on the #7 train).
Hosted by John F. O'Donnell (Comedy Central's Fresh Faces; for stand-up video, please click here),
a wild man who will make you love him...and who genuinely loves comedy and fellow comics.
If you're looking for stage time, John makes this a very friendly place to perform.
Sign-up for the open mic is at 7:30.
Tonight's guest headliner is Jordan Carlos ("Alan" on The Colbert Report,
Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, VH1's Best Week Ever, co-host of Nickelodeon's Me TV,
upcoming comedy feature film Ghost Town).
8:30 pm at The Creek and The Cave, 10-93 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens; free
From Manhattan, take the #7 subway to the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop (one stop after Grand Central);
exit on Jackson Avenue and walk one block north to 49th Avenue.
Your hosts Margaret Champagne, Joselyn Hughes, and Brooke Van Poppelen at...
This twice-monthly event is "the sort of variety show that happens when three girls
are delirious from staying up all night boozing and slap-happy from crank-calling!"
How can you resist? The lovely & hilarious hosts are
Margaret Champagne (Carolines, UCBT; for acting reel, please click here),
Joselyn Hughes (for video questioning the effectiveness of rape whistles, please click here), and
Brooke Van Poppelen (Carolines, Laugh Factory; for a video sample, please click here).
Tonight's stand-up comedy guests haven't been announced, but these gals have lots of friends and admirers so expect some fine comics to participate in their party.
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)
Big Black Car and Fancy Dragon
This free weekly show features the two PIT improv teams above,
each of which performs for about 30 minutes. For a video sample of Big Black Car,
please click here; and for a video sample of Fancy Dragon, please click here.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
This magical weekly show is hosted by Brett Gelman, a comedic chameleon
who's currently ubiquitous as the Little Bit of Luck guy in New York Lottery ads.
Brett's numerous credits include Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report,
and ace improv troupe Death by Roo Roo. For a recent interview with Brett, please click here.
For samples of Brett's mind-blowing work with partner Jon Daly, please click here and here;
please also explore their hip-hop parody album Fleetwood Cracked...and keep an eye out
for their just-completed Cracked Out pilot for Comedy Central.
Tonight's guests haven't been announced yet; please stay tuned.
9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); $5
John Lutz and Peter Grosz
Superb comics Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials, co-writer & co-star of UCBT sketch show The Steve Miller Band and Other Annoying Monsters) and John Lutz (writer & occasional actor on SNL since 2004; recurring character on 30 Rock) perform a two-man improv show (a version of their previous long-running and acclaimed Chicago show 4 Square, which also included Dan Bakkedahl and Rob Janas).
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood
The Faculty and The Baldwins and Sid Viscous
Some of the PIT's instructors—who include such talents as Ali Farahnakian,
Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Jen Nails, Pat Shay, Matt Donnelly, Kevin Scott,
Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood—perform improv for around 30 minutes.
And opening for them will be house improv troupes The Baldwins and Sid Viscous.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Justin Purnell and Kambri Crews
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
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.
Tonight's lineup includes
Kambri Crews (luminous performer, stellar publicist & producer, and one of the most sharp, charming, and heartfelt comedic storytellers working in NYC; for Kambri's correspondence with her deaf dad, who's in a Texas prison for trying to stab his wife to death, please visit Web site LoveDaddy.org; for a video of Kambri reading her jailed dad's wedding toast, please click here).
Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises,
that this free show makes possible.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/12/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy are...
well, honestly, SketchFest NYC for the next two evenings.
This annual event is magical, and should not be missed.
To learn more, please click here.
But alternatively, if you're not into sketch comedy, the other recommendations are:
world-class storyteller Kambri Crews, and sharp stand-up comics—including Kumail Nanjiani,
Vince Averill, Eliot & Ilana Glazer, and more telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable
tales about dads at this Father's Day edition of Sara Benincasa's Family Hour (7:30 pm),
sharp stand-ups Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Letterman, Leno), Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central),
Julian McCullough (Comedy Central), and more at Joe Mande's & Noah Garfinkel's Totally J/K (8:30 pm),
and stand-up comedy at a gay-themed show hosted by Jenny Rubin: The Back Room (9:00 pm).
For details, please click here.
For 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, member of sketch group Elephant Larry)
at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre running tonight, Friday night, and most of Saturday.
Tonight's highlights include shows from world-class troupe Harvard Sailing Team (7:00 pm),
genius comedy duo Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler (8:00 pm),
and the delightful Biz Ellis & Livia Scott as Dirty Jeans & Thunderchief (10:00 pm).
To read my review of last year's SketchFest NYC, please click here.
For this year's schedule, please click here.
For descriptions of each of the performing troupes, please click here.
And to purchase tickets in advance (some shows are likely to sell out), please click here.
Pricing per individual show is $10.90 online, $10 at the door.
At the UCBT box office you can also purchase $40 tickets for an entire evening of shows,
and (best value) a $100 ticket for the entire three-day event.
This festival is magic. I recommend not missing a minute of it.
7:00 pm - 1:00 am at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
"Auntie" Sara Benincasa, and Ilana & Eliot Glazer...
...and Vince Averill, Kambri Crews, and Kumail Nanjiani
In this unique weekly comedy show, everyone tells jokes and/or stories related to
their family. It's hosted by comic/actress Sara Benincasa (MTV's Choose or Lose Campaign;
host of Tub Talk with Sara B. on Nerve.com; for video sample, please click here).
The sharp performers at tonight's Father's Day edition are
Kambri Crews (luminous performer, stellar publicist & producer, and one of the most sharp, charming, and heartfelt comedic storytellers working in NYC; for Kambri's correspondence with her deaf dad, who's in a Texas prison for trying to stab his wife to death, please visit Web site LoveDaddy.org; for a video of Kambri reading her jailed dad's wedding toast, please click here),
Kumail Nanjiani (rising stand-up comedy star; recently premiered terrific one-man show about
his experiences with Islam—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),
Vince Averill (co-host of weekly Sunday show Beauty Bar Comedy),
Eliot & Ilana Glazer (brother-sister duo whose credits include the popular
UCBT extravaganza High School Talent Show),
Dan Allen (Comedy Central's Premium Blend; FlockofMullets.com; host of monthly NYC live comedy show ¡Sacapuntas!),
Mike Lawrence (for stand-up video about chicken choices and aging heroes, please click here),
soce the elemental wizard (comedic gay rapper Andrew Singer; for some
unusual sample videos, please click here), and
Ryan Conner (for sketch about writing sketches, please click here).
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)
Hosted by quick-witted best buds Noah Garfinkel and
Joe Mande, the 2008 ECNY Award winner for Best Emerging Comic.
(For dueling birthday videos, please click here and here; and
for other videos, please click here and here.)
Tonight's terrific guests are
Gary Gulman (finalist on Seasons 2 and 3 of Last Comic Standing;
Late Show with David Letterman, Tonight Show with Jay Leno;
comedy CDs/DVDs Conversations with Inanimate Objects and Boyish Man),
Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Shorties Watchin' Shorties),
Julian McCullough (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham; Montreal Comedy Festival's New Faces),
and Johnny Pemberton (for stand-up video, please click here).
8:30 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
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).
Tonight's fine guests are
Robin Gelfenbein (writer for Rosie O'Donnell; sketch troupe Freedumb;
upcoming one-woman show My Salvation Has a First Name at FringeNYC 2008),
Adam Lehman (host of NYC live comedy show Thursday Brew HaHa;
for stand-up video about pole-dancing child, please kick here),
Michael Cannon (for stand-up video about poverty and sex tips, please click here),
Back Room co-producer Paul Case (MTV),
Back Room co-producer Shawn Hollenbach (here! TV's Busted), and
Back Room co-producer Dave Rubin (here! TV's Topical and Hot Gay Comics).
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)
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/13/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy are,
pure and simple, SketchFest NYC for the next two evenings.
This annual event is magical, and should not be missed.
For 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, member of sketch group Elephant Larry)
at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre running tonight and most of Saturday.
Tonight's highlights include shows from the deliciously entertaining Apple Sisters (7:00 pm),
this summer's stars on NBC's Last Comic Standing, God's Pottery (8:00 pm),
enormously smart, inventive, and funny troupe The 3rd Floor (11:00 pm),
a surreal and hilarious double-bill from A Week of Kindness and Trophy Dad (midnight),
and a free afterparty show from the rockin' band Shayna Ferm and the Upper Decks (1:00 am).
To read my review of last year's SketchFest NYC, please click here.
For this year's schedule, please click here.
For descriptions of each of the performing troupes, please click here.
And to purchase tickets in advance (some shows are likely to sell out), please click here.
Pricing per individual show is $10.90 online, $10 at the door.
At the UCBT box office you can also purchase $40 tickets for an entire evening of shows,
and (best value) a $100 ticket for the entire three-day event.
This festival is magic. I recommend not missing a minute of it.
7:00 pm - 1:00 am at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/14/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy are,
pure and simple, the shows at this final day of the magical SketchFest NYC,
which will run from 2:30 pm to well past 1:00 am.
To learn more, please click here.
For the finest sketch comedy troupes in the country, attend this
wonderful annual extravaganza co-produced by Alex Zalben (former PIT Artistic Director,
co-producer of the 2008 ECNY Awards, member of sketch group Elephant Larry)
at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. The three-day run ends today.
Shows will go nonstop from 2:30 pm until sometime past 1:00 am.
Highlights include a panel discussion with The Onion News Network (2:30 pm),
Michael Showalter (brilliant and seminal MTV sketch comic) and sketch troupe Pangea 3000 (which blew the roof off Thursday night via such bits as a spelling bee for fart noises) as guests at a live taping of popular public radio show The Sound of Young America (4:00 pm),
clever wordplay and conceptual comedy from Elephant Larry (9:00 pm),
muscular, vibrant sketch from Troop! (10:00 pm),
star-caliber performers and perfect timing from sharp & adorable troupe Fearsome (11:00 pm),
and what's likely to be an unforgettable celebration of the festival, including sketches that couldn't "fit" into the scheduled slots due to time or content, hosted by the brilliant Adira Amram and her Get Psyched! partner Rob Lathan, at the SketchFest NYC Craptacular (midnight).
To read my review of last year's SketchFest NYC, please click here.
For this year's schedule, please click here.
For descriptions of each of the performing troupes, please click here.
And to purchase tickets in advance (some shows are likely to sell out), please click here.
Pricing per individual show is $10.90 online, $10 at the door.
You can also purchase $40 tickets for the entire day's worth of shows—a clear best value.
This festival is magic. I recommend not missing a minute of it.
2:30 pm till well past 1:00 am at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 6/15/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
UCBT's playground for celebrities and ace improvisors, ASSSSCAT 3000 (7:30 & 9:30 pm),
sharp stand-up comics Adam Newman (VH1, Street Meat), Shawn Pearlman (Faux Show), Melinda Hill
(Comedy Central, VH1, FOX), Taylor Williamson (CBS' Late Late Show), and Ryan Reiss (MTV) at
Whitest Kids U' Know Timmy Williams' and Sam Brown's free show Scum and Villainy (8:00 pm),
superb stand-ups including Patrick Borelli (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, ESPN) and
Chris Jurek (Comedy Central) at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free show Beauty Bar Comedy (9:00 pm),
and five women performing an improvised, and possibly tipsy, parody of The View at Focus (9:30 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 $8; 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 & 9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
Adam Newman, Timmy Williams & Sam Brown, and Shawn Pearlman
This free weekly show is hosted by Timmy Williams and Sam Brown, members of
popular comedy group The Whitest Kids U' Know (currently starring in a TV show on IFC).
Tonight's fine guests are
Adam Newman (CMT's Prankville'd, VH1's Best Week Ever blog; co-host of
monthly NYC live comedy show Street Meat, biweekly Faux Show, and weekly open mic show
Blowtorch Slaughter; half of musical comedy duo Uber Luber Death Metal),
Shawn Pearlman ("If you're in a bad neighborhood, blowing a rape whistle
is like ringing a dinner bell;" co-host of biweekly NYC live comedy Faux Show;
for stand-up videos, please click here and here),
Melinda Hill (Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program; UK's World Stands Up;
CBS' Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson; FOX, VH1, E!; The Groundlings;
for Melinda as adorable and thoroughly hilarious tooth fairy, please click here;
for Melinda doing comedy riffs on her mom, please click here),
Taylor Williamson (Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Fuel TV's The Daily Habit,
for a stand-up video, please click here), and
Ryan Reiss (MTV, Spike TV, Nickelodeon).
8:00 pm at Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street at Stanton; free
A showcase for talented improvisation twosomes.
Tonight's duos haven't been announced,
but some fine scenes usually arise from this show.
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Patrick Borelli, Vince Averill & Jesse Popp, and Chris Jurek
Vince Averill and Jesse Popp host this free stand-up comedy show.
Tonight's razor-sharp scheduled guests includes
Patrick Borelli (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend,
ESPN's Cheap Seats, Video Power Hour), and
Chris Jurek (Comedy Central; for video samples, please click here and here).
9:00 pm at Beauty Bar, 231 East 14th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues); free
This weekly comedy show is a parody of The View that's mostly improvised by performers
Brigid Boyle, Emily Bryan, Nicole Cascio, Caroline Ficksman, and Alexis Saarela.
The official description:
"Hey, Darlings! Come sit down with a cup of coffee (or perhaps a martini) and join the panel
of five of New York's most talkative and opinionated women as they discuss the week's events,
and interview alluring guests from the worlds of literature, politics, comedy, and more.
This show will keep you in Focus. Let's talk about issues, over drinks!"
9:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
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.
Return to Previous NYC Comedy Picks
Copyright © 2008 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
