NYC Comedy Picks for Week of October 4, 2010

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/4/10

Hannibal Buress (Tell Your Friends and Whiplash) and Reggie Watts (Tell Your Friends)

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: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($21 at the door or $25.50 online with discount code FISHFAN): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they've all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title's Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you'll ever see. Two memorable moments from last week were Brenna suddenly kissing Molly, which no one expected, and which clearly shook new troupe member Molly. This was contrasted later in the show when Brenna illustrated a point about breasts by exposing hers to long-time member Lynne, who calmly responded with interested clinical appreciation. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight's installment at the Soho Playhouse of Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stands-up Danny Lobell, Annie Lederman, Alec Sobel, and John Moses performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:30 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 the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison's Motel Luca

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; Comedy Central special; Jimmy Fallon; Electric Company; Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited tour; for video samples, please click here), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), and UK comic Aidan Bishop, and "a possible surprise guest" performing stand-up in the Lolita Bar for Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5 online or $8 at the door): The Found Footage Festival (hilarious amateur video clips), Stuckey & Murray (superb comedic music duo), Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central), and Claudia O'Doherty (oddball UK comic who kinda grows on you...but Kristen, for god sakes don't let her do the smoke routine) performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), Steven Benaquist (Spike TV), Phil Hanley, George Gorden, and Alex Grubard performing at Aces & Eights (34 Avenue A, off 3rd Street) for John Szeluga's Not Friday

8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's fine house sketch comedy troupes, Gorilla Gorilla and Stone Cold Fox, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Thomas Middleditch, Eliza Skinner, Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Mike Still, and tonight's guest Erik Tanouye (Bastian)—making up a musical on the spot at Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—who tonight include Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, movie star; host of Sweet), Louis Katz (HBO's Down & Dirty, Comedy Central), and Sheng Wang (Comedy Central)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you're an audience member, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). If you're a comic who couldn't get booked on Leo's show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills on this new stand-up open mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and Erin Lennox: Fresh

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/5/10

Breathtaking comics Brooke Van Poppelen and Arden Myrin perform tonight at Get Off Your Knees

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] 6:30 pm ($5): Stellar talents including Kate McKinnon, Shannon O'Neill, Leslie Meisel, and writer Caitlin Tegart are reason enough to attend this early show that asks you to "join hipsterific ladies as they teach you how to be a better woman through poetry, sketches, character monologues, song, and the premiere of their show which follows our heroines as they attempt to smash the patriarchy and launch a magazine:" Vag Magazine Live

7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy that proclaims "The articles in smut mags don't edit themselves. Kilos of dope don't just up and move themselves across the border. And Plato's Retreat was nothing more than a hotel basement until some brave pioneer dropped his car keys into a bowl. Character-driven sketch that throws a light onto the seedier and sadder," featuring Margo Brooke Pellmar, Elihu Dietz, Tim Eberle, and Ian Murphy, directed by Danny Williams: The Tiniest Kids in Europe

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Witty writers offering delightfully wry lectures about this month's topic, "The Future of the Book," at Brooklyn's Union Hall for Charles Star's comedic show Adult Education

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central), Nikki Glaser (Last Comic Standing), and Dan Curry (Last Comic Standing) performing at Brooklyn's Southpaw Downstairs Lounge DownSouth (125 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope), guest-hosted by the gorgeous Brooke Van Poppelen: Get Off Your Knees

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Sharon Spell (host of Shrink), Molly Dykeman, Randy Epley, and Brian Mcguinness performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in 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 Monstro, DeCoster, Badman, Ragnaröck, and Sandino; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students studying under improv genius Neil Casey using an audience suggestion to make up an entire move (a la Neil's and Anthony Atamanuik's hilarious Two Man Movie)—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Greg Barris (host of Heart of Darkness), Jesse Popp (Comedy Central, co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy), musical guest Toys and Tiny Instruments, and more performing at Brooklyn's The Royal Oak along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

8:30 pm ($3): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on this past summer's Last Comic Standing), Liam McEneaney (host of Tell Your Friends), Nick Turner (co-host of Too Cool for School), and Dustin Chafin performing at the Housingworks Bookstore Cafe for an almost-free weekly show hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, new comedy CD The Depression Auction) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Punch Up Your Life

8:30 pm ($5): The worlds of "magic, mind-reading, and mutilation" are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

8:30 pm ($5): Abby Sher and Ed Illades employ sketch, song, improv, and puppets to comment on the impending end of the world: Podunkity

[FREE] 11:00 pm: A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open mic stand-up show hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/6/10

Adam Wade joins a slew of superb storytellers at You Went to College for That?,
while Sharon Spell celebrates her birthday at Shrink

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

[TOP PICK] 7:30ish pm ($10 at the door or $12.75 online): A monthly comedy show in which top storytellers tell a personal tale that in some way incorporates a lesson learned at college (for a write-up of last month's amazing debut, please click here)—with tonight's lineup consisting of host Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Liar Show), 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 extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here), Mark Katz (The Moth, author of Clinton & Me), Cyndi Freeman (co-host of Hotsy Totsy Burlesque and Standard Issues Storytelling), and Brian Wecht—performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall for producer Adam Magazine's You Went to College For That?

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A delightful tale of heartbreak by Leslie Meisel—who manages the impressive feat of being adorable, sexy, and hilarious all at the same time, and is a sharp comedic talent very much worth keeping an eye on—quite ably abetted by co-writer Megan Neuringer in one of the smartest theatrical shows to grace UCBT this year: Love Can Suck a Dick...and So Can I

Plus actor Matt McConkey debuting his one-man show about journeying to find his biological family: Matt Becomes A Man

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door, $5 online with discount code Supermango): Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, VH1), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Totally J/K; author of new book Look at This F*cking Hipster), and Mike Lawrence (for stand-up video about chicken choices and aging heroes, please click here) performing at Dan Allen's & Ray Devito's monthly comedy event ¡Sacapuntas!

[TOP PICK] [FREE—plus FREE CUPCAKES!] 8:00 pm: Storytellers Leslie Goshko and Rob Gorden, and stand-ups Paul Mecurio, Colin Dempsey, and Vicki Ferentinos, celebrate Sharon's birthday at this special edition of a free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Rob Cantrell (Comedy Central), and more performing at Arlene's Grocery (95 Stanton Street) hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): "Seven family members, friends, coworkers and a neighbor of seven weeks accidentally ruin their final goodbyes," performed by such stellar talents as Lennon Parham and Leslie Meisel; and Peter Blomquist and Jeff Wiens performing an all-new multimedia sketch show, in the double-bill Oh My God, I Heard You're Dying! and Franco & Billy: Diamonds of Fire

[FREE] 10:00 pm: The debut of a show that gives each stand-up 15 minutes to perform, with tonight's guests Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Hugh Moore (Comedy Central), Thomas Dale, and Damien Lemon doing sets at the Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston, between Avenues B and C) along with hosts Phoebe Robinson and Ray Marshall: Everyone's Got 15 Minutes

[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 10/7/10

Hilarious & beloved sketch comics including Katherine Bryant Flaherty, 7 months gloriously pregnant Shayna Ferm,
Chris O'Connor, Alex Goldberg, Livia Scott, and Amy Heidt star in the long-awaited sequel Grease 3: Threase

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

7:00 pm ($5): Desiree Nash wrote and co-stars in a sketch show revolving around the comedic travails of dating: Check Please!

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 ($8): The thoroughly wonderful comics of sketch troupe Fearsome—Shayna Ferm, Katherine Bryant Flaherty, Alex Goldberg, and Chris O'Connor—are joined by such other immense talents as Livia Scott and Amy Heidt to perform a new comedic musical that's very, very loosely based on a classic Travolta/Newton John vehicle: Grease 3: Threase

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Stand-up star Caroline Rhea and Big Terrific's Max Silvestri join hosts Shonali Bhowmik and Andrea Rosen, who are the S and A of the fresh, sexy, and razor-sharp gals of Variety SHAC

[$] 8:00 pm ($26.75 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Nick Prueher and Mark Breese (Found Footage Festival) host a screening of a very, very bad film from 1985 "shot entirely in Galveston Texas featuring poorly-dubbed dialogue, a naive understanding of how computers work, and two musical performances by heavy metal band Panther:" Computer Beach Party

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: NYC stand-ups (no lineup is announced, so you takes your chances) performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1): Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): At this month's edition of NYC's best show of comedic sexual tales, the theme is Paranoia; and the storytellers are Kambri Crews (Love, Daddy), Ryan Paulson (Pentecostal Wisconsin), genius musical guest Reggie Watts (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, The Electric Company), and sensual hosts Margot Leitman & Giulia Rozzi's, all performing at Stripped Stories

[$] 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 through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two vibrant improv troupes, Dog Court and Tickles, compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/8/10

Sketch/improv troupe Centralia performs its weekly show We Were Supposed to Have Flying Cars by Now

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 ($7): Chicago-trained improv veterans Ed Illades, Jordan Klepper, and Pat Tracy make up scenes on the spot at The Edens

7:00 pm ($8): Award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with "a celebrity guest improvisor' at Swords

[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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Rachel Hamilton shares "tales from the frontlines of Internet dating" in the debut of her one-woman show Love.com

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Julian McCullough (Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1, IFC), Found Footage Festival, Sean Crespo, and Eric i performing at Brooklyn's Red Star (37 Greenpoint Avenue) for hosts Nick Turner's & Neal Stasny's Too Cool for School

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, co-host of Punch Up Your Life, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Nikki Glaser (Last Comic Standing), and Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central) performing stand-up at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Andy Haynes: Hot Soup

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($29 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who's done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers

[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) delivering a brand new collection of sketches titled Ms. Larsen's Class: The Harvard Sailing Team

10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

10:30 pm ($10): Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other fine improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Cool musical guests (not yet announced) joining "opinionated audiophile John Frusciante hosting a revolving panel of music-loving comedians, writers, and musicians for a live monthly discussion about the state of music past and present, what you should and shouldn't be listening to, and why KISS sucks so much. It is a guarantee that your favorite band will at some point be brought up, dissected, and either praised to the rafters or dismissed with the wave of a hand that knows how to properly handle vinyl:" Break Up Your Band

[$] 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 10/9/10

Sara Benincasa revives her autobiographical show for one night only at Brooklyn's The Brick Theatre: AGORAFABULOUS

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

[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

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code PLAYBILL, plus 2-item minimum): A co-star of FX's The League headlining tonight and Saturday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Stephen Rannazzisi

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10—includes free cookies!): Sara Benincasa revives her hit autobiographical one-woman show—in the process of becoming a book from HarperCollins/William Morrow—at Brooklyn's The Brick Theatre (575 Metropolitan Avenue; take the G train to Metropolitan, or the L train's substitute shuttle bus to Lorimer) for one night only: AGORAFABULOUS

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who's done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining tonight and Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($29 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

9:00 pm ($7): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12): This acclaimed 10-year-and-counting sketch troupe has "amassed a cultish following and a cast who blindly throw themselves into the most questionable of onstage situations, bless their black little hearts....join them for a hilariously unsettling look at growing older, having children, killing your dreams, and settling." For examples of the troupe's work, please click here and here, and then come see Spurn

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer

10:00 pm ($10): Jena Friedman revives her dark musical comedic parody of the American Girl Dolls, which includes such brilliant talents from the NYC comedy community as Jessica Delfino, Ben Lerman, and Jena herself at Theatre 80 (80 St. Marks Place off 1st Avenue): The Refugee Girls Revue

[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): An improv troupe that includes treasured Time Out New York Comedy Editor Jane Borden: Junior Varsity

[TOP PICK] 11:00 ($8): NYC's heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which doesn't always ht the mark but provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and won this year's ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group: Murderfist: Late and Dirty

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): "The most fabulous show on Earth," hosted by Tim Gunn (John Flynn) and Tim Gunn (Michael Hartney), featuring superb comedic performers (both straight and gay)—tonight including John Gemberling, Andrea Rosen, Megan Neuringer, and Eliot Glazer—plus two audience members who'll be selected to compete in a design challenge, at The Same Sex-Tacular

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 10/10/10

Deliciously organic & hilarious stand-up Jessi Klein performs tonight at Sunday Night Stand-Up, Comedy Night, and Adam Buxton

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): Mike Birbiglia (one of the finest stand-up comedians in the country; hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live; off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me), Adam Buxton (UK & YouTube comedy star), and Max Silvestri (co-host of Big Terrific) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall guest-hosted by the wonderful Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets): Tearing the Veil of Maya

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Murderfist (NYC's fearless heavy metal version of a sketch troupe; winner of the 2010 ECNY Award), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Nick Cobb (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Mike Recine performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[$] 8:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who's done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining one final night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson), Andy Haynes, Monroe Martin, and John F. O'Donnell performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan) guest-hosted by Damien Lemon: Comedy Night

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Visiting UK and YouTube comedy star Adam Buxton headlines in this special showcase that also features Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Sean Crespo at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street): Adam Buxton is Pleased to Meet You

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Sara Schaefer (brilliant, inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever; host of Get Off Your Knees), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool for School), Chris Jurek, Jay Welch, and Danny Solomon performing stand-up in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Yamaneika! (BET, TruTV), and Brian Barry (Broadway actor on Pal Joey; Star Search finalist) performing stand-up at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

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