NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 11/16/09
Comedy giants John Oliver, Colin Quinn, Rich Vos, Robert Klein, and more perform tonight at the charity event Laugh for Sight
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 & 9:00 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] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Sean Donnelly, Josh Homer, Adam Luicidi, Steve Bossus, and Harry Tuman performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
8:00 pm ($5): The talented young writer/performers of UCBT scripted comedy house troupes Slow Burn and High Treason try out their newest sketch material at Maude Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Razor-sharp Saturday Night Live writers Hannibal Buress, Bryan Tucker, and Colin Jost, and musical guest Supercute (Rachel Trachtenburg of the wonderful Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players), all performing in the Lolita Bar with producer Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($35 & two-drink minimum): An annual charity event for eye research held at the Gotham Comedy Club, with the lineup for this year's benefit including comedy titans John Oliver, Colin Quinn, Rich Vos, Robert Klein, Bonnie McFarlane, Eddie Brill, and John Morrison: Laugh For Sight
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): An hour-long play made up on the spot by razor-sharp, passionate improvisors Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Christina Gausas (Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report) at Adsit & Gausas
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the country hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 11/17/09
Todd Barry, Care Bears on Fire, and Jonathan Ames are among the luminous talents who tonight will provide More Than You Expected
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 ($10): Comedy from brilliant stand-ups Todd Barry and Eugene Mirman; readings from razor-sharp storytellers Jonathan Ames, Starlee Kine, and Rick Moody; and music from Care Bears on Fire will provide entertainment at The Highline adding up to More Than You Expected
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comic book creator Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir), comics journalist Brian Heater (The Daily Cross Hatch), and sketch comedy star & comics fan Timmy Williams (The Whitest Kids U Know) joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club
8:00 pm to midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes The Bishop, Robber Baron, Badman, Bastian, and People People, followed by UCBT advanced students improvising a movie—all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Glenn Wool (superb UK comedy star), Patrick Borelli (fun surreal alt comic), Adam Lowitt (producer for The Daily Show), and Gabe Liedman and (co-host of Big Terrific) performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for a free weekly show hosted by brilliant stand-ups Jessi Klein (Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Pete Holmes (Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever, ComedyJuice, The New Yorker): Punch Up Your Life
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show, former host on Air America Radio, Shoot the Messenger), Cock Lorge (raunchy comedic singer/songwriter), Myq Kaplan (Comedy Central Presents half-hour special), and more performing at The Slipper Room for the LES weekly show hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
9:30 pm ($5): An adorable musical comedy duo debuts their new show: Pembroke and Lu
[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 11/18/09
Stellar comedic storytelling tonight from such talents as Jeff Hiller (The Nights of Our Lives) and Leslie Goshko (Sideshow Goshko)...
...and an all-star lineup of wonderful comics, including Brett Gelman and Glenn Wool, gather tonight at Big Terrific
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
6:30 pm ($5): Superb comic Patrick Borelli auditioning a one-man show, plus a sketch show debut, in the double-bill You Should Judge a Book by Its Cover and Last Show Ever
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Delightfully quirky monthly storytelling show in which comics and comedic yarn-spinners are asked to reveal aspects of themselves that are odd and unusual—and that includes such carnival elements as an accordion player, and a challenging trivia contest for someone in the audience to win a bottle of wine. Tonight's performers are Martin Dockery (Moth Slam Champion), Jenna Brister (Moth Slam Champion), Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez (1001 Nights), Selena Coppock (Boston Comedy Festival), and thoroughly charming and razor-sharp host Leslie Goshko (Manhattan Monologue Champion, UCBT): Sideshow Goshko
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Superb writer/comics Andrew WK, Matt McCarthy, Michelle Collins, and more share their tales of material being turned down at Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show
[FREE] 8:00: NYC comedic musicians and stand-ups the Manson Family Singers, Leah Dubie, H. Alan Scott, M. Dickson, and Calvin Cato performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: A blow-out gathering of top stand-ups—Brett Gelman, Leo Allen, Glenn Wool, Ali Wong, and Nikki Glaster—performing at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by 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, Curtis Gwinn, Jeff Hiller, Mark Normand, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight's theme "Teachers:" 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 11/19/09
Brilliant comics Nick Kroll and Hannibal Buress perform tonight at CollegeHumor Live!...
...in the bargain of the night, a $5 triple-bill of sketch show auditions that includes The Sex Lives of Disney Princesses...
...and yet more sketch comedy from troupe Sidecar and musical comedy duo Ellis and Park
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 ($5): A spectacular triple bill of shows auditioning to receive a slot on UCBT's prime time schedule—all for a mere five bucks: Andree Vermeulen's one-woman show, Orson Welles' Basement of Terror, and Sex Lives of Disney Princesses
7:00 pm ($10): Chuck Armstrong and Charlie Stockman, a sketch comedy duo from Seattle, debuting their show at The PIT: Charles
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb sketch troupe Pangea 3000 being ironically self-deprecating, and sketch troupe Sidecar performing bits about the end of the world, in the double-bill Pangea 3000 Sucks and Sidecarmageddon
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Your last chance to enjoy delightful sketch comedy & musical duo Tim Ellis and Matthew Park performing their new comedy show for its current run at The PIT: An Evening with Ellis & Park
8:00 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason "take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces" in The Deconstruction
9:00 pm ($10): Red-hot rising star Baron Vaughn hosts a stand-up show with superb comics Leo Allen, Jamie Lee, Julian McCullough, and "a surprise guest" at Comedy Below Canal
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Superb stand-ups Nick Kroll, Hannibal Buress, Dan Levy, and more at the stage version of a popular comedy Web site: CollegeHumor Live!
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Round 3 of a beloved annual tradition—Pat Baer's 3-on-3 Improv Tournament
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 11/20/09
The midnight premiere of Twihards Anonymous, and hundreds of hilarious movies clips at Kevin Geeks Out About Dummy Deaths...
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...and High School Talent Show, Liz Miele (Don't Touch Me There), and Ralphie May (Headlining at Gotham Comedy)
6:30 pm ($5): An all-gal sketch troupe that was a hit at this year's Edinburgh Festival, and a one-man show, at this double-bill of auditions for a UCBT prime-time performance slot: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting and Ray Munoz
7:00 pm ($10): A new sketch show from Chris & Rebecca Smith, two members of world-class sketch troupe The Harvard Sailing Team who are married to each other: The New York Smiths
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: One of the finest stand-ups ever, Anthony Jeselnik (staff writer & performer on Jimmy Fallon; HBO, Comedy Central Presents) headlines a show that also includes Liz Miele (Comedy Central), Charlie Kasov (new film Sensitive Guido), and more on a show delivering occasionally uncomfortable comedy in Karma Lounge hosted by beloved sketch & stand-up comedy duo Blaine Perry & Pat Stango: Don't Touch Me There
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hundreds of hilarious horror movie clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on a very odd and uniquely cinematic moment: Kevin Geeks Out About Dummy Deaths
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A delightful comedic cast—Kurt Braunohler, Andrea Rosen, Matt McCarthy & Katina Corrao, Rob Lathan, sketch troupe Pangea 3000, Jill Donnelly, Gabe Liedman, and Nick Ross—performing very silly stage acts in this 2-year anniversary celebration of Eliot & Ilana Glazer's High School Talent Show
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A new sketch show from highly talented husband & wife comedy team Tim Girrbach & Alicia Levy about "The journey of two unlikely hip-hop stars to the top of the charts told through the people who made them—managers, stylists, choreographers, optometrists. Written and preformed by Alicia & Tim, and directed and choreographed by Wendy Seyb: Paired Up and Pumpin'
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: A blowout gathering of comedic talent, including Livia Scott (magical comedic chameleon; Conan O'Brien), Donald Glover (writer for 30 Rock; NBC's Community, co-writer/co-star of film Mystery Team), Timmy Williams (IFC's Whitest Kids U Know), Dave Rosinski (Animal Planet's The Dave Rosinski Show), Travis Irvine (Jay Leno), and Neal "The Real Deal" Stastny (original host of E's Talk Soup) performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for Nick Turner's Too Cool for School
[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) One of the most popular contestants on Last Comic Standing, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ralphie May
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-up comics performing stand-up 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
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): A groundbreaking and surreal improv/sketch troupe focusing on our favorite city: Centralia: The New York Show
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
11:00 pm ($10): Chuck Armstrong and Charlie Stockman, a sketch comedy duo from Seattle, performing a short run at The PIT while visiting NYC: Charles
11:00 pm ($5): Ace sketch troupe Olde English, plus comedy guests who are asked to perform entirely new material, at Very Fresh
[TOP PICK] ($5) 12:20ish am: UCBT female comics take over the stage for "a safe, supportive environment where fans of the Twilight saga can celebrate their love for these dazzling, perfect, beautiful works of film and literature:" Twihards Anonymous: A Meeting of Twilight Addicts
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 11/21/09
Stellar musical improv from Baby Wants Candy, and the debut of a flat-out musical comedy: Pope—The Musical
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 ($10): Sketch duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman performing sketch comedy following an acclaimed run at this August's Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting
7:00 pm ($10): The debut of a musical about "a pious Pope framed for a crime he didn't commit...betrayal, Holy War, foot-stompin' musical numbers" and everything else it takes "to entertain the Hell right out of you" in Pope: The Musical
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-ups presumably doing comic book related material at the debut of a comedy show set one of NYC's best comic book stores, Jim Hanley's Universe, with terrific guests & comics fans Matt McCarthy, Timmy Williams, Jared Logan, Team Submarine, and more: Comics Love Comics
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Star improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, Conan O'Brien, and more joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10 suggested donation): Superb stand-ups & comedic storytellers Sara Benincasa, Brooke Van Poppelen, H. Alan Scott, Mike Lawrence, Julia Segal, and more performing at Karma Lounge for a show produced by Jamie Lee benefiting an animal shelter: Diamonds in the Fluff
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) One of the most popular contestants on Last Comic Standing, headlining tonight and Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ralphie May
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC comics Erik Bergstrom, Robert Dean, and Blaine Perry perform stand-up and are then interviewed about their personal lives at Matt Ruby's and Mark Normand's "comedy chat show with boundary issues" at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: We're All Friends Here
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($20): Superb stand-up comics Tom Shillue, Kumail Nanjiani, Baron Vaughn, Wyatt Cenac, and Jiwon Lee, plus singer/songwriter PT Walkley—and free beer!—at acclaimed monthly comedy showcase Moonwork
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] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:30 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code BECKYD, otherwise $20): A Chicago-based troupe that's wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award this August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy
10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein, who've formed the new troupe Trike
12:00 am ($5): The debut of a show that "challenges what audiences find taboo or offensive:" FUCT
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 11/22/09
Stand-up Ralphie May completes his run tonight headlining at the Gotham Comedy Club
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
[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Sharp stand-ups DC Benny, Noah Garfinkel, Tom McCaffrey, and more performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Typically star comics performing stand-up at this weekly event at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman (who recently released a new comedy album, God Is a Twelve Year Old Boy With Asperger's; for a fun recent Village Voice write-up, please click here): Tearing the Veil of Maya
[$] 8:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) One of the most popular contestants on Last Comic Standing headlining for the final night of his run at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ralphie May
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC comics Jamie Kilstein, Yannis Pappas, Rory Scovel, Dan Hirshon, and John Szeluga performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Stand-ups Michael Kosta, Luke Thayer, and Brent Sullivan 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: Stand-ups Karith Foster, Mehran X, Chantal Carrere, and Dana Lovecchio performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Copyright © 2009 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
