NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/5/09
Larry Wilmore (Whiplash), sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox (Maude Night), and Barber Shark Quartet (Jessica Stickles)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
6:00 pm ($5): Three fine comedic shows trying out for a run at UCBT (at a cost of $1.67 per 30-minute production!), with such talents as veteran improvisors James Eason & Jessica Allen; sketch comic Jessica Stickles; and Michael Hartney & Rachel Korowitz of sketch troupe Secret Hospital in Eason & Allen; All My Friends Are Getting Married; and Hartney & Korowitz Hit It Off
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] 7:30 pm: Sharp NYC stand-ups Team Submarine, Luke Cunningham, Charlie Kasov, and more performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's best house sketch comedy troupes, Stone Cold Fox and Gorilla Gorilla, trying out new bits at Maude Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A special "rap battle" edition with Victor Varnado, Rob Cantrell, Tom McCaffrey, Liam McEneaney, Rob Paravonian, Diane O'Debra, and Shappy Seasholtz duking it out via comedic hip-hop rhymes; plus stand-up from Sean Donnelly, ventriloquist Carla Rhodes, Australian comic Marcus Ryan, and Moe & Mary, all in the Lolita Bar with producer Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the country—who tonight include Larry Wilmore (Senior Black Correspondent for The Daily Show; The Office; author of I'd Rather We Got Casinos), Moshe Kasher (visiting from Oakland; Comedy Central), and folks whose names I'm not allowed to mention—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/6/09
Todd Barry and Dave Hill (Sweet)...
...and Ted Alexandro and Adam Wade (Punch Up Your Life)...
...and Christian Finnegan and Kambri Crews (SNC: The Virgin Chronicles)
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): Comics artist Fred Chao (Johnny Hiro) and stand-up comic Myq Kaplan (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 Robber Baron, Penthouse Riot, Bastian, Scootch, and DeCoster, followed by UCBT students improvising a Cops & Robbers story on the spot based on an interview with a randomly selected audience member—all at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Comedy giants Ted Alexandro (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), Baron Vaughn (red-hot rising star; Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Shoot the Messenger, Awkward Kings of Comedy), and Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College) 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, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker): Punch Up Your Life
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, HBO, VH1, MOJO TV's King of Miami, The Dave Hill Explosion), Todd Barry (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim, The Wrestler), Ali Waller (writer for Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Nick Stevens (co-host of AMC's Action Pack, VH1, ESPN), and more performing at the famed LES weekly stand-up show at The Slipper Room hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): World-class stand-up Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), luminous storyteller Kambri Crews (Comix, UCBT, The PIT, The Moth, The Bitter End), Mike Drucker, Danny Lobell, Pat O'Shea, and more telling tales about their first time—with anything they choose—performing in Ochi's Lounge at SNC: The Virgin Chronicles
9:30 pm ($5): Christina Casa, who memorably played Angelina Jolie at UCBT's Jen & Angie (a production which was reprised at FringeNYC 2009) demonstrates she's got other hilarious characters in her at this one-woman show: Don't Cry Out Loud
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/7/09
Pete Holmes (Now We're Talking), the year 1969 (Adult Education), and birthday gal Sharon Spell (Shrink)...
...and John Oliver, Claudia Cogan, Kevin Allison, and Pat Dixon (ˇSacapuntas!), and Anthony Jeselnik (Now We're Talking)
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] [FREE + FREE COOKIES] 8:00: An all-star lineup of brilliant stand-ups—Anthony Jeselnik, Pete Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, Matt McCarthy, Amy Schumer, and Liam McEneaney—celebrating this free weekly show's move to new venue O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue), hosted by Matt Maragno: Now We're Talking
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Genius stand-up John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show), brilliant sketch comic & storyteller Kevin Allison (The State, Risk!), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents half-hour special), and Claudia Cogan (VH1's Best Week Ever) at Dan Allen's & Ray Devito's stand-up showcase ˇSacapuntas!
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Witty writers offering delightfully silly lectures about the year 1969 (e.g., "1969: Maybe Not Such a Big Deal") in the Brooklyn comedic show Adult Education
[FREE + FREE FOOD + FREE CUPCAKES] 8:00: Celebrating host Sharon "Mama" Spell's birthday, sharp stand-ups Emmy Rivera, Rob Gorden, Vicki Ferentinos, Sue Funke, Pat O'Shea, plus music from Colin Dempsey, and food by Emmy Rivera, and cupcakes by Vicki Ferentinos, all at Shrink
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Fine stand-ups Michelle Collins, Julian McCullough, Brent Sullivan, and Abe Smith at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sharp NYC comics Adam Newman, Kevin McCaffrey, Luke Cunningham, Pat Cassels, Ryan Reiss, and more telling their funniest one-liners at host Matt Goldich's 25 Words or Less
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Several musicals made up entirely on the spot by award-winning improv comedy duo Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner as I Eat Pandas
[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 10/8/09
An Evening with Ellis and Park, Pat and Mary Save Their Marriage, and Cyndi Freeman (Stripped Stories)
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 ($5): One of my very favorite comedic couples, the brilliant Mary Theresa Archbold and Pat Shay, performing a new sketch-based play in which they explore love through history to make the title of this show come true: Pat and Mary Save Their Marriage
[$] 7:30 pm ($20 & 2-item min.): A delightful comedic musical duo headlining for one night only at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Mel & El
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Delightful sketch comedy & musical duo Tim Ellis and Matthew Park debuting what's likely to be a very fun two-person show: An Evening with Ellis & Park
[$] 8:00 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.) A unique comedy star headlining at Carolines for one night only: Gilbert Gottfried
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): Stellar storyteller & burlesque star Cyndi Freeman (HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, The Moth, The Liar Show, award-winning one-woman show Greetings From Hollywood) and Mark Sam Rosenthal (Playgirl TV, Comedy Central) tell sexual tales revolving around tonight's theme "Porn, Porn, and More Porn" accompanied by musical guest Cock Lorge at the best sexy storytelling comedy show in NYC: Margot Leitman's & Giulia Rozzi's Stripped Stories
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Classic Masculinity, which two weeks ago did the near-impossible by defeating Death by Roo Roo, tonight faces another formidable challenger, The Brothers Hines (Will Hines and Kevin Hines, who really are brothers) in a battle for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/9/09
Ophira Eisenberg, Melanie Hamlett (in her unique cross-country truck), and more tell incredible tales tonight at The Hobo 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] 7:00 pm ($10): Sketch duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman perform an acclaimed show that played at this August's Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): From a comic Time Out New York says delivers "categorically pitch- perfect one-man comedy" comes this one-man show: "When Ryan Paulson moved to New York City he was a husky boy. And he’d never had sex. Even with himself. How did this happen? Well, he grew up speaking in tongues in an ultra-conservative, fundamentalist church. But now he’s taking a crash course in sex, alcohol and self-pleasure. And it’s going pretty well...other than regularly being condemned to hell on MySpace:" Ryan Paulson: I'm Uncomfortable
[FREE] 8:00 pm: "This is the theme show that says FU! to all other theme shows: Straight white American male non-skinny non-religious non-musical comics." Terrific stand-ups Sean Patton (Comedy Central, VH1) Jared Logan ((Comedy Central), Pat Stango (Don't Touch Me There), Sean O’Connor (This American Life), and Zack Sims are the lineup at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for Nick Turner's one-night-only closed tent event Too Cool for School
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups performing in Ochi's Lounge at gay-themed show 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] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Unique, hilarious, and endearing Melanie Hamlett (Moth GrandSlam Champion) spent this summer traveling cross-country in her barely functioning truck to have adventures only she could have. Come tonight to experience some of the best of the tales (complete with photos), as well as the stories behind the stories reported on Melanie's amazing blog. Plus joining Melanie will be four of the finest storytellers in NYC: Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of—crossed fingers—TV version of The Liar Show), Kevin Allison (brilliant sketch comic of The State, host of Risk!), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College), and John Flynn (co-star of UCBT genius storytelling show The Nights of Our Lives) at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: The Hobo Show—A Narcoleptic's Return
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): Comedy superstar Janeane Garofalo, plus red-hot stand-up Kumail Nanjiani (writer/performer for Comedy Central's Michael & Michael Have Issues; Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel; winner of the 2009 ECNY Awards for Best Male Stand-Up) and Trevor Williams (CollegeHumor) joining sketch troupe Olde English for a monthly show that promises to deliver all-new material: Very Fresh
[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 10/10/09
World-class sketch comedy troupe Harvard Sailing Team and world-class musical improv troupe Baby Wants Candy
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.): Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of—crossed fingers—TV version of The Liar Show), Vince Averill (Comedy Central, co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy), Morgan Venticinque, Jessie Geller, David Angelo, and Calise Hawkins performing in Ochi's Lounge at Lil' Seany Boy
[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
7:30 pm ($5): Superb improvisors Tara Copeland, James Eason, Jesse Falcon, Rachel Hamilton, Jessica Allen, and Paul W. Downs perform "a mono-character form with elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde:" Sleepover
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10 suggested donation): TV and movie comedy superstar Janene Garofalo, lightning-fast & thoroughly hilarious Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; Comedy Central, The Daily Show, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, co-host of hit show Punch Up Your Life), Katina Corrao (HBO, VH1), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), 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): Dave Ahdoot and Ethan Fixell relating their YouTube-documented romantic adventures live on stage—possibly accompanied by visits from some of the gals—on Double Date Us
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The gutsiest comedy troupe in NYC, genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 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
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 acclaimed trio Statues of Liberty
12:00 am ($5): Andy Rocco's extravaganza of sketch comedy, music, dancing, free t-shirts, and special guests—who tonight include the fabulous Wau Wau sisters: The Hipster Show
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 10/11/09
Comedy giants Dave Hill, Eugene Mirman, and John Mulaney perform 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):Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Salon, HBO, VH1, MOJO TV's King of Miami, The Dave Hill Explosion), John Mulaney (staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, VH1's Best Week Ever; 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up Comedian), and other star comics performing at this weekly event at Brooklyn's Union Hall, hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman (who just released a new comedy album, God Is a Twelve Year Old Boy With Asperger's): Tearing the Veil of Maya
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Typically superb stand-ups at an annual free celebration of this weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Fine NYC comics Jordan Carlos, Myq Kaplan, Louis Katz, Sara Jo Allocco, Charlie Kasov, and John F. O'Donnell performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly stand-up show Beauty Bar Comedy
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: An all-gal line-up of Ophira Eisenberg (sharp stand-up and brilliant storyteller; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Karith Foster, Lori Sommer, and more performing stand-up 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
