NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 3/8/10
NYC comedy's biggest awards show of the year happens tonight: The 2010 ECNY Awards
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
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here) his monthly show at Under St. Marks that's likely to be a treat, with guest storyteller Andy Chrisie (The New York Times; host of The Liar Show): The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League
[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Adrienne Iapalucci, Christian Polanco, Dan Soder, Yamaneika Sanders, and Chaunte Wayans performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($7.44 online using code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item min.): One of the finest comedy events of the year, when virtually the entire downtown NYC comedy community comes together in one room—at the elegant Comix Comedy Club—to celebrate each other, New York, and the best comedy in the world: The 2010 ECNY Awards
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A blowout lineup, with TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (lovely, brilliant, breathtakingly talented writer/actress/comic; shining star correspondent on The Daily Show; co-star of HBO's Flight of the Conchords; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; AMC's Mad Men; feature film Cirque du Freak (with Salma Hayek); Todd Barry (one of the finest stand-up in the biz; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim, The Wrestler), Joe DeRosa (Comedy Central Presents, Carson Daly), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Totally J/K; author of Look at This F*cking Hipster), and Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon) performing in the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends
8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's finest house sketch comedy troupes, Stone Cold Fox and Gorilla Gorilla, trying out new bits at Maude Night
[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 Kate McKinnon, Sarah Claspell, Nicole Drespel, Jocelyn Guest, Veronica Osorio, and Aaron Glaser perform a sketch show written by Leila Cohan and Caitlin Tegart about Smith, our nation's largest women's college, in the double-bill Prison Freaks: A Talent Show and This is About Smith
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including LA stand-ups Kyle Kinane and Nick Thune—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 3/9/10
Star stand-ups Eugene Mirman (Sweet) and Amy Schumer (Punch Up Your Life)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Hilary Schwartz and Rachael Parenta hosting an intriguing show at Ochi's Lounge described as "emotionally inappropriate comedy:" Please, Someone Kill Me
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Zane Grant (IDW's We Will Bury You) and Grace Randolph (Marvel's HER-oes, Nation X) 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: NYC stand-ups Catie Lazarus, Brendan Fitzgibbons, Kwame Robertson, Ryan Hamilton, and Danny Lobell performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes DeCoster, Ragnaröck, Badman, The Law Firm, and powerhouse troupe The Stepfathers followed at 11:00 pm by a show revolving around improvised scenes taking place in the same location—all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Superb stand-ups Kumail Nanjiani, Amy Schumer, Dan St. Germain, Nick Thune, and Gabe Liedman performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show guest-hosted tonight by Roger Hailes: Punch Up Your Life
8:30 pm ($5): Dru Johnston, Noah Forman, and Alex Demers deliver sketches that are silly and energy-charged; especially keep an eye on Demers, who has a wild Sean Penn quality that makes you think he might explode into violence or insanity at any moment, adding to the edgy quality of The New Deal
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Comedy stars Eugene Mirman, Nick Thune, Johnny Roberts, and Joe Mande performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightful stand-ups Leah Dubie and Amy Beckerman performing and hosting other sharp comics in Ochi's Lounge at Dykes on Mics
9:30 pm ($5): The debut of a one-man autobiographical show about an addiction to phone sex and thrills: No Phone Sex
[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 3/10/10
Jordan Klepper and Steve Waltien perform ace sketch comedy in Steve and Jordan Are Standing In It
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): What's likely to be a world-class sketch show from critically acclaimed Chicago-based veteran comics Jordan Klepper and Steve Waltien in a rare NYC performance: Steve and Jordan Are Standing In It
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Top writers and comedians joining world-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganza The Adam Wade Show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here) in Ochi's Lounge to share their favorite real-life campus anecdotes at True Tales of College
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An all-white musical about fast food that claims to "give new life to the most popular songs of Tupac Shakur. Join us for a romp through all the themes held most dear to Tupac's heart: economic oppression, dreams deferred, and mall food courts;" and superb sketch troupe Pangea 3000 performs material better than its show's title indicates, in the double-bill 2Pac: The Musical and Pangea 3000 Sucks
[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups Eric Kirchberger, Kristeen Von Hagen, Mike Lawrence, Jay Sullivan, Hanna Cohen, and Joe Pontillo performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Superb comics Sean Patton, John Mulaney, Myq Kaplan, Micah Sherman, Jack Kudoka, and Gabe Delahaye performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman: Big Terrific
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Theatrical scenes made up on the spot with breathtaking skill by brilliant and passionate improvisors who are becoming one of the best comedy duos in the biz—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Christina Gausas (Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report), a.ka. Adsit & Gausas
[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 3/11/10
Top comics Kurt Braunohler and Claudia Cogan tell hilarious tales at the 2010 ECNY Award-Winning Risk!...
...and Jason Mantzoukas and Ed Herbstman demonstrate they're one of the finest improv duos alive as The Mantzoukas Brothers
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
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[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets), brilliant stand-up Claudia Cogan (MTV, Logo, Sirius Radio, Time Out New York's "Best Joke of the Year"), Sara Barron (acclaimed storyteller; one-woman show People are Unappealing), and Hedda Lettuce (acclaimed drag queen comic)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight's theme "Unique: I'm Not Like Most People" at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country...and which just won the 2010 ECNY Aware for Best Variety Show: Risk!
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): One of my all-time favorite stand-up comics, the 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) and superb stand-up Joe DeRosa (HBO, Comedy Central Presents, Carson Daly) headlining at the elegant Comix Club for one night only: Pete Holmes and Joe DeRosa
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Comedy giant Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, star of The King of Miami, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, The Dave Hill Explosion) performs an hour-long charming and hilarious series of tales about a musical tour overseas—including an unforgettable bit about Japanese toilets—in Dave Hill: Big in Japan
8:00 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason "take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces," and veteran improvisors play with "elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde," in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Brilliant rising star comedic singer/songwriter Adira Amram, plus stand-up comics Rob Cantrell, Sheng Wang, Craig Baldo, Lisa DeLarios, and "a surprise guest" performing at Comedy Below Canal
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm (only $2 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): A blowout show at a super-bargain price, featuring four of the sharpest and funniest stand-ups in the country performing for a podcast at the elegant Comix Club for one night only: Ted Alexandro, Sean Patton, Kumail Nanjiani, and Joe DeRosa
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Three top-notch NYC sketch troupes—BoF (the lovely Mamrie Hart and Stephen Soroka), Murderfist (winner of the 2010 ECNY Awards for Best Sketch Troupe), and Andrea Rosen (ace stand-up comic who apparently is going to offer some surprises tonight)—each performing one of their most popular bits and one of their personal favorites in what's likely to be a way fun sketch revue, hosted by James Eason & Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5; reservations recommended by calling 212.244.8824): Genius improvisors Jason Mantzoukas (We Used to Go Out, Mother; feature films Baby Mama, Splinterheads, I Hate Valentine's Day) and Ed Herbstman (HBO; co-founder of the Magnet Theater) demonstrating they're one of the finest improv duos ever with their extraordinary quick wit, artful grace, and breathtaking skill.Take advantage of this one-night-only opportunity to see these comedy stars shine in an intimate setting as The Mantzoukas Brothers
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupes The Brothers Hines (on a glorious streak with five wins in a row) and MADCAR compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 3/12/10
Amazing duos: Stellar improvisors Code Duello and star musical comics God's Pottery
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
7:00 pm ($5): "Jon Bander has always believed himself great at something. These are the moments where he found out what that something wasn't. A one-show about being comfortable in your own skin by a guy who, despite glaring flaws, has always loved himself:" Delusions of Bander
[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($6.50 online with code ENCORE): Razor-sharp, adorable, irresistible comedic storyteller Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, host of Sideshow Goshko) spins yarns about her childhood in her one-woman show that's earned this final encore performance: Vodka Shoes
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Wearing wigs and waistcoats, extraordinarily quick-witted improvisors Neil Reynolds and Matt Tucker portray "two of America's angriest founders: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr" and the events leading up to their historic duel—while crafting deliciously silly scenes. For example, when the duo performed during the magical Del Close Improv Marathon in 2007, Burr proposed a law declaring US land as "international waters" so he'd have more freedom to sleep with married women. When Hamilton thwarted him, the villain seceded and declared his body his own country, "the United State of Burr." These Boston-based improvisors are among the sharpest in the country, and it's thrilling that they're gracing NYC for this one night only with their unique themed improv. Expect something quite special at Code Duello: Hamilton & Burr
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): The host of G4's Web Soup, and a star duo pretending to be an acoustic Christian folk rock group, headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Chris Hardwick and God's Pottery
[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
9:30 pm ($10): Improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan following up winning the recent SketchProv Tournament with this PIT run, and veteran improv duo formerly known as Project:Projekt, in the double-bill Swords and The Nathan & Joe Show
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): Top UCBT talents—tonight featuring Nate Lang, Kate McKinnon, Ben Rodgers, Nick Ross, Mike Still, and Andrée Vermeulen as the performers, and Adam Conover, John Frusciante, Kevin Hines, Anthony King, Craig Rowin, Jim Santangeli, Nate Smith, Gavin Speiller, Erik Tanouye, Caitlin Tegart, and Greg Tuculescu as the writers—creating a one-night-only sketch comedy show directed by comedy genius Gavin Speiller, with musical guest Thin Skin Jonny: Beneath Gristedes
11:00 pm ($5): A fun improv show that makes up scenes based on the contents of an audience member's wallet: Gimme the Loot!
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 12:20ish am: My favorite open mic stand-up show, where odd things involving drunk audience members tend to happen at it heads towards 2:00 am, hosted by brilliant & lightning-quick Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, host of Punch Up Your Life): Gutbucket
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 3/13/10
Chris Hardwick (Headlining at Comix) and Chelsea White (performing at Lil' Seany Boy)
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 (no cover, 1-item min.): Superb stand-ups Leo Allen (SNL, Conan O'Brien, HBO, host of Whiplash), Chelsea White (wowed the entire comedy community with her wonderful videos at Monday's ECNY Awards), Abbi Crutchfield, Lee Camp, Louis Katz, Scott Moran, and Barry Rothbart performing in Ochi's Lounge at host Sean Donnelly's Lil' Seany Boy
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Charming comedy duo Christina Casa and Kassi Dougherty performing as a country music group from the 70s (for sample videos, please click here) along with comedy guests at The 'Drelles: Prime Time Variety Hour
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor Christina Gausas and friends she originally made in Chicago—which include writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors, all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): The host of G4's Web Soup, and a star duo pretending to be an acoustic Christian folk rock group, headlining tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Chris Hardwick and God's Pottery
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A "heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, love-making show," with sketches inspired by The Boss from Murderfist, The Upset Triangle, Free Love Forum, and The Fool Hardy Manor:" The Bruce Springsteen Show: Boss-Inspired Sketch Comedy
[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] 11:00 pm ($10): Hilarious sketch duo Chris O'Neill and Paul Valenti describe themselves as "vaudeville gold for a 2009 crowd." Whatever. They're funny. Especially the bit with the nose. Come catch their latest material tonight at The Chris and Paul Show Presents: Vaudevillian
[TOP PICK] 12:00 am ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy finally hosting his own extravaganza—which goes beyond a stage show to have the makings of a hit MTV series—with guests including Shannon O'Neill, Bethany Hall, Vincent Milosevich, Michael Kayne, Don Fanelli, the Kung Fu Monkeys...and maybe Sean "Diddy" Combs: The Chris Gethard Show
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 3/14/10
One of the finest stand-ups ever: Louis C.K. (Headlining at Carolines)
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 ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm ($38.25 or $43.75, and 2-drink min.): He's one of the most hilarious stand-ups and storytellers alive; creator of HBO's first family sitcom, Lucky Louie; regular on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien (in fact, he was one of Conan's original staff writers); performed three stand-up comedy specials for HBO (the most recent being Shameless) and a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; he won an Emmy Award for his work on HBO’s The Chris Rock Show, and he co-wrote the Chris Rock feature film I Think I Love My Wife; he both wrote and directed the cult feature film Pootie Tang; and he's headlining tonight at Carolines: Louis C.K.
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPMARCH, plus 2-item minimum): Hot female stand-ups including Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, and Elvira Kurt telling jokes topless to raise funds for combating breast cancer at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Generosi-titties!
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Brilliant singer/songwriter/stand-up Jessica Delfino, Roger Hailes, Sheng Wang, Louie Katz, Neal Stasny, and Jeff Wesselschmidt 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: Star stand-up John Mulaney (Conan O'Brien, staff writer for Saturday Night Live), Wil Sylvince, Mark Normand, Neil Charles, Dan Curry, and Fariaz Rabbani performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan), hosted by red-hot rising star Hannibal Buress (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson; winner of the 2010 ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up): Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Becky Yamamoto, Brent Sullivan, Billy Wayne Davis, and Jay Bois 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: Karith Foster, M. Dickson, and Scott Ryan 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
