NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 3/29/10
Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Julie Sharbutt act out classic theatre scenes in Gravid Water...
...and Jon Friedman and Shannon O'Neill perform one-person shows in Bear With Me and Prison Freaks: A Talent Show
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
6:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel
[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Jamie Lee, Kevin McCaffrey, Mike Lawrence, Nick Cobb, and Trevor Williams performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Broadway & off-Broadway stars Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Tony nominee for Avenue Q), Jennifer Grace (Theatre World Award Winner for Our Town), Kevin Kelly (Shakespeare In The Park: Twelfth Night, The Brother/Sister Plays), and Julie Sharbutt (Shakespeare In The Park: Twelfth Night) mixing it up with some of the best improvisors in the world—Scott Adsit, Tara Copeland, Michael Delaney, Becky Drysdale, and Anthony King—as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act and the 2007 Andy Kaufman Award; cast member of the new Electric Company; Jimmy Fallon), Patrick Borelli (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Joselyn Hughes (lovely writer for Tosh 2.0, visiting from LA), Jamie Lee (CollegeHumor.com), Tony Camin (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel), and Kara Klenk (performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Wonderful comics Sara Schaefer and Liam McEneaney performing in Brooklyn's Union Hall for a live version of Chatroulette
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Comedy dynamo Shannon O'Neill performing her extravaganza about an annual talent show in "Charlie Sheen Prison, the only talent show starring the criminally retarded and insane," directed by the wonderful Will Hines; and the also wonderful Jon Friedman performing a smart & silly one-man show, in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and Bear With Me
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including lightning-fast & thoroughly hilarious Pete Holmes (Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, host of hit shows Punch Up Your Life and Gutbucket), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Funny or Die, wonderful host of Whiplash), Moshe Kasher (Comedy Central, Chelsea Lately, IFC), and "a special guest"—guest-hosted by the wonderful Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 3/30/10
Colin Quinn (Sweet) and Joselyn Hughes (Punch Up Your Life and Sweet)...
...and genius improv troupe Outlook of the Poet (closing out Harold Night)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Dan Slott (Amazing Spider-Man, Mighty Avengers) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club
[FREE] 8:00 pm: It's awesome ladies night, with Eliza Skinner (genius member of improv musical troupes I Eat Pandas and Baby Eats Candy; host of The BEATdown), Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Slam Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko), Sue Funke (The Treehouse, The Ultimate Experts), and Mara Herron (one-woman show Fly Girl) performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes People People, Bastian, Badman, and The Law Firm; plus one of the finest troupes in the history of improv, Death By Roo Roo; and at 11:00 pm a show with two more incredible troupes, Outlook of the Poet (improv geniuses Gavin Speiller, Ben Rodgers, and Jon Gabrus) and Convoy (top LA improvisors Alex Berg, Todd Fasen, and Alex Fernie)—all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm ($5): Joselyn Hughes (much-missed lovely writer for Tosh 2.0, visiting from LA), Andrea Rosen (Stella, Michael and Michael Have Issues, Variety SHAC), Robin Ince (UK star comic; BBC's The Office, Robin Ince is as Dumb as You), Hari Kondabolu (John Oliver's New York Standup Show, Jimmy Kimmel), and Rob O'Reilly (Jay Leno, Comedy Central) performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show hosted by brilliant stand-up Pete Holmes (Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, John Oliver and Friends, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker) and razor-sharp Joe DeRosa (Comedy Central, Carson Daly, Insomniac Tour; for stand-up video about why Joe hates weddings, please click here): Punch Up Your Life
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Comedy star Colin Quinn (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central's much-missed Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn), Joselyn Hughes (lovely writer for Tosh 2.0, visiting from LA), Mike Bunin (regular on TBS' My Boys), and more performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): Two sharp NYC stand-ups headlining for one night only at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Greg Barris and Yannis Pappas
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open mic stand-up show that's seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 3/31/10
Joe Mande hosts a release party tonight for his first book Look At This F*cking Hipster at Totally J/K
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Joe Mande celebrates the release of his new book Look At This F*cking Hipster with Wyatt Cenac, Reggie Watts, BEEAAAANNSSS, and more at Totally J/K Presents The Book Release Show
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Emily Epstein, Vicki Ferentinos, Danny Leary, Matt Rohr, Roger Aylward, and Aww Shucks performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Sharp stand-ups Ali Wong, James Patterson, Greg Johnson, and Jarrod Harris performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Adam Wade, Chris Gethard and his brother Gregg, Andrea Rosen, Jon Gabrus, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight's theme "Siblings:" The Nights of Our Lives
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 4/1/10
Louis CK, who is one of the funniest men alive, is among the stand-ups performing for a good cause tonight at Karma III
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:
a
7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Terrific NYC stand-ups Carmen Lynch and Leighann Lord performing deliciously long sets, plus musical act Supersonic Death Monkey, in Ochi's Lounge at host Eric Vetter's No Name and A Bag O' Chips
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($7.44 online if you use code VIPAPRIL, plus 2-item minimum): Comedy giants Judah Friedlander, Sean Patton, Godfrey, and more perform in this very inexpensive showcase at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander, Sean Patton, Godfrey, and More
7:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason "take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces," and veteran improvisors play with "elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde," in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Amy Heidt's one-woman show was one of the very best productions at this past August's FringeNYC Festival (for my review, please click here); if you didn't catch it then, don't miss this wonderful opportunity to see Amy demonstrate her brilliance as both actress and writer. Plus the delightful Andrée Vermeulen performing a one-woman show in which she applies for "The Greatest French Person in the World Award" only to discover a terrible family secret involving waffles—and while performance trumps material here, Andrée is a fresh young talent worth discovering... (for a memorable show highlight, shot with Andrée's real-life boyfriend Thomas Middleditch, please click here), in the double-bill Amy Heidt: Dominate Yourself! and Andrée Vermeulen: French Toast
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($50 & 2-drink min.) Some of the funniest stand-ups in the business—Louis CK, Dave Attell, Wyatt Cenac, Gary Gulman, and Lizz Winstead—performing a benefit for the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary this one night only at the Gotham Comedy Club: Louis CK, Dave Attell, Wyatt Cenac, and More at Karma III
9:00 pm ($12): Sharp stand-ups Victor Varnado, Claudia Cogan, Lee Camp, Reese Waters, and H. Alan Scott performing at 92Y Tribeca: Comedy Below Canal
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPAPRIL, plus 2-item minimum): Beloved comedy duo Jenny Slate and Gabe Liedman host & perform their unique magic at the elegant Comix Comedy Club, with stand-up from friends Joe Mande, Max Silvestri, and "a special guest:" Gabe & Jenny and Friends
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The wonderful Leo Allen, Danny Cohen, and Mike Albo joining hosts Andrea Rosen & Shonali Bhomik at Variety SHAC
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupes Reuben Williams and Ragnaröck compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 4/2/10
Brilliant & hilarious singer/songwriter Mindy Raf tears up the stage tonight as her character Leibya Rogers at Thank Cock It's Friday
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): In this fun show, 16 musical performers turn an audience member's suggestion into two musical fairy tales that tell what happened from the viewpoint of first the hero and then the villain, with "all the music and magic of a Disney flick...plus the darkness of the Brothers Grimm:" Once Upon a Time
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Brilliantly funny singer/songwriter Mindy Raf as her unforgettable character Leibya Rogers, plus PTC, join raunchy comedic singer/songwriter Cock Lorge and his band performing at his monthly show at Pianos: Thank Cock It's Friday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10):Two of the funniest and most loveable sketch comics alive, Katherine Bryant and Chris O'Connor (half of sketch troupe Fearsome) team up with also hilarious sketch comics Mike Still (sketch troupe A Week of Kindness) and John Phillips (sketch troupe Trophy Dad) to perform a comedic play about a college buddy returning after 10 years to ruin his friend's life; and Deborah Gross recreates absurd and amusing conversations she's experienced through her sharp storyteller's perspective,in the double-bill Mace Bacon: The Worst Guy Ever and Conversations with Deb
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Superb stand-ups Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents), Christine Nangle (writer for Saturday Night Live), Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Sean Donnelly (host of Lil' Seany Boy), and Jessie Geller performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for hosts Nick Turner's & Jason Saenz's Too Cool for School
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe performing with new guests each Friday and making a valid complaint: Centralia: We Were Supposed To Have Flying Cars By Now
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups performing in Ochi's Lounge at a gay-themed show hosted by the lovely Jenny Rubin: The Back Room
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): A comedic freestyle rap contest featuring some of the funniest & sharpest comics in NYC...who tonight are all improvisors!—Peter Gwinn (The Colbert Report), Jessica Allen, Amber Petty, Craig Rowin, and comedic rapper Andrew Singer—plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by genius comedic musical performers Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (Freestyle Love Supreme) and Eliza Skinner (I Eat Pandas), all at The BEATdown
11:00 pm ($5): Pat Shepherd thought he was getting married. He was wrong. Learn the details in his one-man show Disengaged
[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 4/3/10
Sketch comedy master Sara Taylor performs tonight with her world-class troupe The Harvard Sailing Team
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15 including one drink; reservations via calling Cornelia Street Cafe at 212.989.9319 highly recommended): Four world-class writer/performers tell personal stories. Three of them are true...but one is a pack of lies. Then the audience asks questions to try to figure out who's fibbing. Tonight's yarn-spinners are Joanne Solomon (De La Guarda), Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, one-woman show Vodka Shoes, host of Sideshow Goshko), Emily Epstein (superb stand-up comic), and Robert Hurst (Moth Urban Storytelling) joining wonderful host Andy Christie (The New York Times, Moth GrandSlam Champion) at The Liar Show
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC stand-ups Ali Wong, Joe Devito, Mark Normand, Laura Prangley, Chesley Calloway, Jamie Roberts, and Chris Laker perform in Ochi's Lounge at Sean Donnelly's Lil' Seany Boy
8:00 pm ($10): In this unique monthly show, stand-up comics perform in the buff. A reviewer from The Boston Globe observed, "The dynamic of nude comedian and clothed audience added an extra dimension to self-deprecating material." For a New York Magazine review, please click here; or simply come see for yourself at The Naked Comedy Showcase
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and which recently won the Cage Match Championship for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
9:00 pm ($5): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, quick-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams
10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Andy Rocco's extravaganza of sketch comedy, music, dancing, free t-shirts, and special guests—who tonight include Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1) and musical guest The Stumblebums Brass Band: The Hipster Show
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 4/4/10
Stand-up giants John Mulaney & Hannibal Buress and sketch troupe Murderfist will slay Brooklyn tonight at Tearing the Veil of Maya
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Two of the finest stand-ups in the country, John Mulaney (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever; 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up) and Hannibal Buress (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy; 2010 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up), plus fearless sketch troupe Murderfist (2010 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Tearing the Veil of Maya
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Superb comics Ali Wong (comedy dynamo; The Onion; host of What's Crackin' NYC?), Claudia Cogan (TO/NY Best Joke of the Year winner), Barry Rothbart (Comedy Death Ray), Nick Turner (co-host of Too Cool for School), Ahmed Bharoocha, and Tim Warner performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Hip-hop improv genius Reggie Watts, plus stand-ups Liam McEneaney, Baratunde Thurston, Derek Gaines, and Chris Laker performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress: Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: The wonderful Sara Schaefer, plus stand-ups Sean Crespo, Matt Ruby, Amanda Melson, and more performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Robin Fox, Emily Epstein, and Edison Apple performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Copyright © 2010 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
