NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 11/9/09
Hip-hop parody rules tonight at 2Pac: 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:
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
8:00 pm ($5): The talented young writer/performers of UCBT scripted comedy house troupes Thunder Gulch and Gramps' try out their newest sketch material at Maude Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Razor-sharp
stand-ups Victor Varnado, Matt Goldich,
Hari Kondabolu, Jennifer Grant, and Julien Dionne, plus musical guest Pete
Fitzpatrick
(Falcatross and Clem Snide), all performing in
the Lolita
Bar with producer Liam McEneaney at Tell
Your Friends
9:30 pm ($5): "A parody jukebox musical that gives 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 " Characters! Impressions! Breaking News! Audience Interactions (the classy kind)! Stephen Soroka and Mamrie Hart are Best of Friends, and they are taking their hit Web series to the stage" in 2Pac: The Musical and BoF in This Old Thing
[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 11/10/09
Award-winning UK comic Laura Solon tonight performs her acclaimed one-woman show Rabbit Faced Story Soup
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Hilary Schwartz and Rachael Parenta hosting an intriguing show at Ochi's Lounge described as "emotionally inappropriate comedy:" Please, Someone Kill Me
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($15): Acclaimed UK comic Laura Solon performs a new one-woman show that's likely to be superb at 45 Bleecker Street: Rabbit Faced Story Soup
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comic book creators John McCrea (The Boys: Herogasm, The 99), David Steinberger (Comixology), and superb stand-up & comics fan Jared Logan (Comedy Central) 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, Penthouse Riot, Ragnaröck, The Law Firm, and People People, followed by UCBT advanced students improvising a movie—all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Andrea Rosen (national TV ad star, Variety SHAC), Scott Jacobson (former writer for The Daily Show), Tim Key (visiting comic with sold out show at this August's Edinburgh Festival), and Max Silvestri (VH1, 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): Jeffery Ross (Comedy Central Roastmaster, Dancing with the Stars), Jordan Rubin (head writer for MTV movie awards, Comedy Central Presents), and Matt Higgins (conceptual/character performer), and more 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, Amy Beckerman, and Jackie Monahan in Ochi's Lounge hosting guest comics Robin Cloud, Brad Loekle, Harrison Greenbaum, and Sabrina Jalees at Dykes on Mics
[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 11/11/09
Jonathan Ames, the creator of HBO's superb series Bored to Death, is interviewed tonight on Carl Arnheiter's Inside Joke
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
7:00 pm ($5): A superb improvisor & comedic performer tries out material for a one-man show: Will Hines
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Top writers and comedians—who tonight are the powerhouse line-up Jessi Klein, Leslie Goshko, Robin Gelfenbien, and Jim O'Grady—join world-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; 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 true campus anecdotes at True Tales From College
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Carl Arnheiter interviewing a novelist and the creator of HBO's superb series Bored to Death: Inside Joke with Jonathan Ames
[FREE] 8:00: NYC stand-ups John Morrison, Karith Foster, Moody McCarthy, Mick Diflo, Eric Vetter, and Dave Greek performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Kurt Braunohler, Patrick Borelli, Noah Garfinkel, and Rory Scovel 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): Brilliantly funny Dave Hill tells of his adventures overseas, and a one-man show about extreme gay-phobia, in the double-bill Dave Hill: Big in Japan and Brent Sullivan: Fag Life
[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 11/12/09
Jessica Delfino will demonstrate she's one of NYC's most charismatic performers at her one-night-only show Dirty Folk Rock
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 ($10): Brilliant, sexy, raunchy, and hilarious singer/songwriter Jessica Delfino performing the show that garnered sold-out audiences at the world-famous Edinburgh Festival for one night only at Ars Nova: Jessica Delfino's Dirty Folk Rock
[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 ($10):The increasingly gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen demands attention in a new one-woman show that's the best work she's ever done: Smart, honest, fresh, charismatic, hilarious—and not to be missed. (To get a feel for Brooke's previous work, please click here and here.) Then Mara Herron combines personal storytelling with hip-hop dancing (for Mara's views on drugs, please click here) in this final performance of the double-bill Brooke Van Poppelen: So-Low Show and Mara Herron: Fly Girl
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Delightful sketch comedy & musical duo Tim Ellis and Matthew Park performing what's sure to be a very fun show: 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
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Superb stand-ups Hannibal Buress, Kurt Braunohler, Rob Cantrell, and Hari Kondabolu joining hilarious hosts Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel at Totally J/K
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Round 2 of a beloved annual tradition—Pat Baer's 3-on-3 Improv Tournament
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 11/13/09
Star stand-ups Larry Miller (Headlining at Comix) and Colin Quinn (Headlining at Carolines)
Brilliant comedic performer Amy Heidt in her one-woman show Dominate Yourself!, and brilliant improvisors Code Duello
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): One of the very best productions at this August's spectacular FringeNYC Festival, Amy Heidt's one-woman show (for my review, please click here), debuts tonight at UCBT for a mere five bucks—and is paired with a new one-woman show from UCBT star Shannon O'Neill!—in the double-bill bargain of the evening: Amy Heidt: Dominate Yourself! and Shannon O'Neil: Prison Freaks—A Talent Show
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Wearing wigs and waistcoats, extraordinarily quick-witted improvisors Neil Reynolds and Matt Tucker portray "two of America's angriest founders: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr" and the events leading up to their historic duel—while crafting deliciously silly scenes. For example, when the duo performed during the magical Del Close Improv Marathon in 2007, Burr proposed a law declaring US land as "international waters" so he'd have more freedom to sleep with married women. When Hamilton thwarted him, the villain seceded and declared his body his own country, "the United State of Burr." These Boston-based improvisors are among the sharpest in the country, and it's thrilling that they're gracing NYC for this one night only with their unique themed improv. Expect something quite special at Code Duello: Hamilton &. Burr
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) The former star of Comedy Central's much-missed Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Colin Quinn
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A star actor who's performed in over 50 films and TV shows, and an exceptionally sharp stand-up, headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Larry Miller
[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'
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Superb stand-ups Baron Vaughn, Rob Cantrell, Aparna Nancherla, Neal Stastny, Seaton Smith, and Michael Lawrence performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for Nick Turner's Too Cool for School
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
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Top UCBT talents—tonight featuring Jeff Hiller, Fran Gillespie, Nate Lang, Jim Santangeli, Mike Still, and Andree Vermeulen as the performers, and Neil Casey, John Frusciante, Dan Gregor, Dan Gurewitch, Anthony King, Craig Rowin, Eric Scott, Nate Smith, Caitlin Tegart, and Greg Tuculescu as the writers—creating a one-night-only sketch comedy show directed by Will Hines, and hosted by rising star stand-up Hannibal Buress (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central): Beneath Gristedes
[FREE] 12:20ish am: Your opportunity to perform on the UCBT stage with improv veterans, hosted by stellar troupe The Law Firm: Jammin' with Ralph
[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 11/14/09
Star stand-ups Larry Miller (Headlining at Comix) and Colin Quinn (Headlining at Carolines)...
...and a brilliant improvisor/storyteller debuting his monthly comedy extravaganza: The Chris Gethard 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:
[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 & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) The former star of Comedy Central's much-missed Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn headlining tonight and Sunday at Carolines: Colin Quinn
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($37 & 2-item min.): A star actor who's performed in over 50 films and TV shows, and an exceptionally sharp stand-up, headlining tonight at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Larry Miller
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Gay comics Jackie Monahan, Michael Brill, William Mullin, and Brandy Rowell, and host Shawn Hollenbach telling personal & funny "coming out" tales at Closet Cases
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, 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] 10:30 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 ($5): One of the most fascinating performers in comedy debuting his own comedy extravaganza, with guests Shannon O'Neill, Zach Woods, Neil Casey, Will Hines, and musical group The Kung Fu Monkeys: The Chris Gethard Show
[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 11/15/09
Star stand-ups Colin Quinn (Headlining at Carolines) and Amy Schumer (Sunday Night Stand-Up)
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 ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Sharp stand-ups Roger Hailes, Dan Hirshon, Mike O'Gorman, and more performing at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) The former star of Comedy Central's much-missed Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn headlining this one final night at Carolines: Colin Quinn
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Wyatt Cenac, Kevin Barnett, and more performing stand-up at this weekly event at Brooklyn's Union Hall, hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman (who recently released a new comedy album, God Is a Twelve Year Old Boy With Asperger's; for a fun recent Village Voice write-up, please click here): Tearing the Veil of Maya
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Superb comics Baron Vaughn, Amy Schumer, Brooke Van Poppelen, DC Benny, Matt Mccarthy, and Vince Averill celebrating the one-year anniversary of RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Star stand-up Christian Finnegan, plus fine comics Ann Carr, John Knefel, Jay Welch, and John F. O'Donnell, performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[FREE] 10:00 pm: An all-gal lineup of fine stand-ups Jamie Lee, Leah Dubie, Robin Fox, and Allison Castillo performing at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining at Carolines: Paul Mooney
Copyright © 2009 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
