NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/8/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
a free show that typically features acclaimed stand-up comics, It Is It! (8:00 pm),
great stand-ups such as Matt Goldich and Leo Allen in It's Always Funny in Philadelphia (8:30 pm),
and one of the funniest shows in NYC, which just happens to be free, tonight featuring such stars
as Mike Birbiglia, Morgan Murphy, and Brett Gelman: Crash Test (11:00 pm).
Poster for a previous star-packed night of Adam Lowitt's free show
Adam Lowitt (staffer at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; for a video stand-up
sample, please click here) hosts this free comedy shindig. Tonight's lineup
hasn't been announced, but guests are often nationally acclaimed comics.
8:00 pm at Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street at Stanton; free
Sketch comedy from Karl Greenberg and friends covering such topics as "a burger chain that flash cooks its burgers with nuclear weapons; a TV exec battling stiff competition from The Meat Channel; a car dealer in Tallahassee who faces mutiny from his own swimming pool; and a hospital patient who will die if he doesn't watch TV."
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $5
Matt Goldich, Leo Allen, and Joe DeRosa
It's Always Funny in Philadelphia
An evening of comedians from Philly, hosted by Matt Goldich
(Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NY1's The Call, contributor to book
Bar Mitzvah Disco; for a stand-up sample, please click here). Scheduled guests are
Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night with
Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City),
Joe DeRosa (Carolines; for a video stand-up sample, please click here),
Luke Cunningham (The Colbert Report, Carolines),
and Rena Zager (VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NBC's Late Friday,
for a video stand-up sample, please click here).
8:30 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); tickets are $6
John Lutz and Peter Grosz
Superb comics Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials, co-writer & co-star of UCBT sketch show The Steve Miller Band and Other Annoying Monsters) and John Lutz (writer & occasional actor on SNL since 2004; recurring character on 30 Rock) perform a two-man improv show (a version of their previous long-running and acclaimed Chicago show 4 Square, which also included Dan Bakkedahl and Rob Janas).
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Morgan Murphy, Brett Gelman, and Mike Birbiglia
Usually hosted by Aziz Ansari (one of the best stand-up comics on the planet,
and co-star with fellow genius comics Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer
of MTV hit comedy series Human Giant).
Last week's show was helmed by all three performing members of Human Giant: Aziz, Rob, and Paul (who, possibly in response to an event earlier that night titled Six String Comedy, experimented with being funny while toting around a guitar). In addition, John Mulaney performed a fine set of new material; and Nick Kroll came by to share his experiences promoting his new ABC comedy series Cavemen on such shows as The View. Needless to say, it was a thoroughly wonderful evening.
The Human Giant guys will probably be tied up this week shooting segments for
their second season, but tonight's scheduled lineup includes such stellar talents as
Mike Birbiglia (Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, two Comedy Central Presents specials; for sample stand-up videos, please click here and here),
Morgan Murphy (Variety's 2007 "Top 10 Comics to Watch;" Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Crank Yankers, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly; for sample stand-up videos, please click here and here and here), and always inventive comedic chameleon
Brett Gelman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report, Death by Roo Roo;
for samples of Brett's unique work with partner Jon Daly, please click here and here,
and also check out their hip-hop parody album Fleetwood Cracked).
Guests are typically superb comedians trying out new material;
and this is often among the flat-out funniest shows in New York.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/9/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
star writer/singer/performer Kimmy Gatewood shaking things up at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
superb comics Mike Birbiglia, Dan Naturman, Jon Daly, and Biz & Livia from Meat at Sweet (8:30 pm),
and two of UCBT's finest improv troupes, C, C + C Improv Factory and Krompf (11:00 pm).
Kimmy Gatewood having fun out of her element
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's comedy/musical guest is the lovely and brilliantly talented
Kimmy Gatewood (Apple Sisters Variety Show, Nerdcore Rising).
On a previous visit, Kimmy spent the entire show acting like she knew nothing
about comic books—but at the end performed a witty, insightful song she'd written
that contained about 15,000 comics references. After the audience's
wild applause abated, the hosts gave Kimmy a "you colossal liar!" look.
Kimmy shrugged innocently and said, "Wikipedia."
And on her most recent visit, Kimmy appeared in a Superman t-shirt and impersonated Justin Tyler (who couldn't attend that evening). Kimmy then performed a number that startled everyone: a custom-tailored theme song for the Comic Book Club show! Kimmy's lyrics—which touched on subjects ranging from obsessive nerdiness, to effeminate superhero fans, to interspersing comics reading with Internet porn—were sharp, funny, and uncomfortably on target; and her energetic yet nuanced singing was a joy.
There's no telling what Ms. Gatewood might do tonight; but while you're pondering
possibilities, check out Kimmy's comedy & music videos on her MySpace page. Also, be sure to catch her wonderful The Apple Sisters show, which is running every Friday night at 7:00 pm at The PIT for the rest of this year.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Carolyn Castiglia hosts a lineup of talented female comics.
Tonight's scheduled guests are
Amanda Melson (Comedy Centrals Live at Gotham; for a stand-up sample, please click here)
Jenn Palumbo (Carolines; one of Backstage's "10 Standout Stand-Ups Worth Watching"),
Maria Shehata (Comedy Central Motherload's The Watch List),
Betsy Wise (VH1, ComedyNet),
Anne Neczypor (LOL Tour),
and Stephanie Sine (Laugh Lounge).
8:00 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); free
Pat O'Shea and Becky Yamamoto
Hosted by Kevin Murphy, his cousin Jodi, and Mr. Otokomae.
To get a quick feel for the show, please click here.
Tonight's guests include Pat O'Shea (BCAT TV: Brooklyn vs. Bush) and Becky Yamamoto (rave reviews from The New York Times, The New Yorker, etc. for her recent performance in the play Songs of the Dragon Flying to Heaven; member of all-female comedic rock band Stickerbook).
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
The Harold is longform improv, pioneered by Del Close.
Tonight, five improv troupes—Twelve Thousand Dollars,
Bastian, fwand, T.R.U.C.K.S., and DeCoster—
each give it a go for 30 minutes, with
short breaks in between, for a total of 3 hours.
Some of the groups are great; some are less so. And this show
is designed more for students of improv than the general public.
But if you're interested, and patient, a mere $5 will buy you
a full evening's education...and periodic solid laughs.
8:00-11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Mike Birbiglia, Dan Naturman, and Nick Stevens...
...and Jon Daly, Biz Ellis, and Livia Scott
Hosted by the sharp & witty Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).
Tonight's scheduled guests include Mike Birbiglia (Late Show with David Letterman,
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, two Comedy Central Presents specials;
for sample stand-up videos, please click here and here);
Dan Naturman (Last Comic Standing, Late Show with David Letterman,
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents);
Biz Ellis & Livia Scott, who are half of the world-class sketch group Meat and
have just spun off into their own sketch duo named Dirty Jeans and the Thunder Chief;
Jon Daly (member of superstar improv group Mother; just wrapped acting in feature comedy film College Road Trip; for samples of Jon's unique work with partner Brett Gelman, please click here and here, and also check out their hip-hop parody album Fleetwood Cracked); and
Nick Stevens (co-host of the NYC live comedy shindig The Shark Show).
8:30 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
Lisa Levy (Psychotherapy LIVE!, Naked New York) attempts to recreate the classic
Groucho Marx game show—complete with cash prizes for audience contestants
(with the amount of money based on how much comes in via the evening's ticket sales).
9:00 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); tickets are $7
and
C, C + C Improv Factory and Krompf
Improv group C, C + C Improv Factory—consisting of Chuck Dauble (Chuck D. & Jawnee Show), Charlie Sanders (Conan O'Brien, Reuben Williams), and Charlie Todd (Improv Everywhere, Reuben Williams)—was recently an unstoppable force at UCBT's Cage Match, winning four weekly matches in a row. They were also a standout—amidst over 150 troupes— at July's Del Close Improv Marathon, expertly demonstrating how to keep raising the stakes throughout a long-form improvisation by playing three guys revealing all the lies they've been suppressing while they've hung out together: e.g., one of them admits that despite his frequent television references, he actually never watches TV; then that he's Amish; and finally that he's blind. The exploration of the logical ramifications of each revelation led the audience into hysterical laughter.
Krompf is another of NYC's finest comedy troupes: Neil Casey (member of UCBT's weekly hit show Death by Roo Roo), Ryan Karels, Amey Goerlich, and Joe Wengert (member of UCBT's weekly hit show Reuben Williams). At their own recent appearance at Cage Match, these improvisors took the kickoff suggestion Christendom to heights of delicious absurdity, in which young children about to be initiated into Catholicism are made to wear suits of armor and engage in swordplay while a voracious winged monster (played memorably by Ryan Karels) perches ready to gobble up the head of any who show hints of wavering. And in another subplot, Neil Casey was hilarious as a perpetually grieving cab driver who tells every passenger about his bride dying on their wedding day. At the end, we learn that as he backed up the cab preparing to drive them both to the Church, he accidentally ran her over...
With two such brilliant teams performing, this show promises to be special and memorable.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/10/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
wonderful talents such as Sara Schaefer and Dan Allen relating their tales of rejection (8:00 pm),
Eugene Mirman & Bobby Tisdale hosting sharp stand-up comics at Invite Them Up (9:00 pm),
and a free comedic variety show where anything can happen, hosted by Justin Purnell (11:00 pm).
Comedic chameleon Livia Scott (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, world-class sketch group Meat, Livia's Castle of Enchantment) wrote and performs this one-woman show, described as follows:
"In 1994, while he was in prison and on trial for murder, O.J. Simpson received over 300,000 letters. To help pay for his defense and gain public support, he had them published in a book called I Want to Tell You by O.J. Simpson: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions. Alternately humorous, disturbing, and poignant, Goodnight, O.J. explores the minds of the people who wrote him." For a video sample, please click here.
Directed by Baron Vaughn (MTV's The Gamekillers, VH1's Best Week Ever, Shoot the Messenger).
7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Sara Schaefer, Dan Allen, and Ann Carr
Jon Friedman hosts a delightful parade of rejected material
by extraordinary writers and performers. Tonight's guests include
Sara Schaefer (VH1's Best Week Ever, E! Network's Rise of the Geeks, UCBT's Video Gaga)
and other staffers of AOL's The DL: they've just been cancelled and are coming to talk about it;
CollegeHumor.com staffers, who'll be sharing recent & favorite rejections from their Web site;
Dan Allen (Comedy Central's Premium Blend; claims to be writing Kevin Bacon's biography in the sixth person); and Ann Carr (Comedy Central Motherload's Honesty Wedding).
There'll also be music from fabulous comedic rockabilly band The Defibulators.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Hosted by comedy greats Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale (above).
Tonight's lineup includes Morgan Murphy (Variety's 2007 "Top 10 Comics to Watch;"
Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Crank Yankers, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call
with Carson Daly; for sample stand-up videos, please click here and here and here),
Liam McEneaney (VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's
Premium Blend, former writer for Standup Nation with Greg Giraldo),
Roger Hailes (VH1, Chappelle's Show; for sample videos, please click here and here),
and James Patterson (Comedy Central's Premium Blend).
9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Kurt Braunohler and Kimmy Gatewood
Some of the PIT's instructors—who include such talents as Ali Farahnakian,
Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Jen Nails, Pat Shay, Matt Donnelly, Kevin Scott,
Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood—perform improv for around 45 minutes.
Afterwards, house improv troupe The Baldwins takes the stage for another 45.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
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.
Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises,
that this free show makes possible.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 10/11/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
sketch comedy from the delightful Kate Hess & Shelly Stover (6:30 pm),
The Daily Show's Lauren Weedman performing from her new comedic book (8:00 pm),
a live recreation of R. Kelly's unintentionally hilarious hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet (9:30 pm),
star comedy troupe Derrick going for its ninth consecutive improv win on Cage Match (11:00 pm),
and such awesome comics as John Mulaney and Larry Murphy at Her Majesty's Stand-Up (11:00 pm).
Kate Hess & Shelly Stover, and a few of the performers in Sidework
We Kate Shelly is the wonderful comedic duo Kate Hess and Shelly Stover.
They'll be performing a delightful sketch show they've written
and that was directed by Andy Secunda (The Swarm). Recommended.
The other half of this double bill is Sidework, an improvised play about
working in a restaurant performed by comedy troupe Wilder—Jill Donnelly,
Amy Flanagan, Kabir Hamid, and Nick Ross—along with
Leslie Korein and Sammy Tunis, and directed by Graeme Hinde.
The characters and setting are pre-planned, but the scenes will be made up on the spot.
6:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Frowned Upon, a sketch troupe whose core is Devon Coleman & DArcy Erokan, have created a new show written by Coleman and performed by Erokan along with Jason Garden, John Murray, and Tracy Weller. For a video sample of Frowned Upon oddness, please click here;
and for a review of tonight's show, please click here.
7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body: Tales From a Life of Cringe
Lauren Weedman (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, VH1's Best Week Ever)
has written a book of comedic essays, and she'll be reading & performing excerpts
from it tonight. Chapters include "A Fatty Gay Christmas" and the salesmaker
"Undermedicated: My Secret Affair with Jon Stewart."
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
This one-man show by Paden Fallis tells the comedic story of a football coach "in the final three minutes of the defining game of his career...(when his) world comes crashing down around him. As the clock ticks away, the coach comes head-to-head with a backstabbing assistant, a gifted adversary, a God-like referee, and a mysterious stranger who repeatedly phones down to the bench—all the while trying to pull his team through to victory."
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10
Cathleen Carr & Daiva Deupree relax; while Rob Lathan (with the help of "Shammy") wants to help you Get Psyched!
Carr & Deupree: Two Girls for Five Bucks and Lathan & Amram: Get Psyched!
Two Girls For Five Bucks is talented sketch comedy duo Cathleen Carr & Daiva Deupree, who perform frequently in both NYC and Boston. For a few sample MP3 audio clips—most notably, the top one in which Daiva chats with Cathleen's vagina—please click here.
The other half of this double-bill is a parody of faddish life coaching seminars like The Secret. Hyperactive host Lanny Lathan (Rob Lathan) has his own book, Top Secret, which he explains is much better because it reveals what you really must do to succeed: "Get Psyched!"
Aiding him is his lovely assistant Shammy (the amazing Adira Amram), who adds even more energy to the show with her witty singing. And along for the ride is a hapless audience member who didn't even realize he needed Lanny's aid (Nate Shelkey). Lathan's script isn't perfect, but the dynamic performances make this worth catching; Lathan is a UCBT veteran, and Amram is a rising star who can stand toe to toe with any comic in NYC.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet has been called the most unintentionally hilarious music video ever made. The "hip-hopera" inspired a hit midnight show at UCBT; and also this extravaganza at The PIT, in which "the R&B opera is sung word-for-word by Brently Heilbron on ukulele." (To get a feel for Brently's unique style, please click here.) Slated to accompany him are actors Jenn Bass, Liz Feldman, Yang Miller, Katey Mushlin, Jessy Schwartz, and Alex Staggs.
Chapters 1-12 will be performed tonight; and new Chapters 13-22 will be staged at 11:00 pm on both Friday and Saturday night.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10
vs. 
Cage Match: Derrick vs. Loretta
This delightful show pits two improv teams against each other while creating the
the atmosphere of a professional wrestling arena (and providing such side-shows
as a bout to the death between guys costumed as an alcoholic wolf and TV's Alf...).
Last week was a bit odd, as DC Pierson is a member of both champion Derrick (whose other stellar performers are Dominic Dierkes and Donald Glover) and challenger DeCoster. I assumed DC would simply watch on the sidelines when DeCoster came on; but no, he opted to perform with both troupes. DC is one of the nicest guys in comedy, and I'm guessing it's his commitment to fairness that led him to make that decision; but it was a bit like watching Babe Ruth play with the Yankees and then, in the next inning, bat for the opposing team. Perhaps that's why the audience improv suggestion to DeCoster was an ironic loyalty.
In the end, though, it didn't really matter. Derrick wasn't quite at its best, but its energy and chemistry remained superb; and there were a number of delicious moments, such as Dominic spontaneously calling out Donald's inner thoughts as Donald looked in a mirror...which led to such unusual fashion choices as Donald dressing with a cane and sombrero.
In contrast, DeCoster never quite took off. At least part of the problem was that Eugene Cordero couldn't attend; his anarchic John Belushi vibe might have lit a spark. But instead, what could have been a close contest wasn't; and the audience voted 103-21 in favor of Derrick...giving DC, Donald, and Dominic 8 Cage Match wins in a row.
It's also worth mentioning that among the evening's sideshows was the beating of UCBW owner Chuck McMahon (Charlie Todd) by a giant gray rat using McMahon's own Women's Wrestling Championship belt. The rodent is unlikely to hold onto the belt for long, however, since it was repeatedly proclaimed as a sort of religious mantra "Rat don't care." Hopefully the ramifications of this unsettling event will be unveiled in subsequent Cage Matches.
Meanwhile, the daunting task of going up against Derrick tonight falls to Loretta: "She takes up two seats on the train, wears plaid, and loves to make you laugh!" The troupe's members are Brian Belcinski, Kevin R. Free, Corey Johnson, Chris Kelly, Cody Lindquist, and Katie Schorr.
The odds are clearly not on the side of these young performers. That said, this is the year a brand new troupe, Working Girls, toppled Omlette Vision (Michael Delaney, Billy Merritt and Andy Secunda, three of the most talented improvisors alive).
You can never be sure what'll happen...which is one of the great pleasures of this show.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
John Mulaney, Larry Murphy, Joe DeRosa...
...and Lou Perez & Greg Burke
Tonight's guests include wonderful & razor-sharp John Mulaney (VH1's Best Week Ever, Late Night with Conan O'Brien; for stand-up samples, please click here and here);
brilliant Larry Murphy (co-host of NYC weekly live comedy show Power Hour; voiceover actor who performs all the key characters on Adult Swim's Assy McGee; other TV series include Home Movies, O'Grady, Cheapseats, Computer Lab, Puppets N Such; for an animated VO reel, please click here); Joe DeRosa (Carolines; for a video stand-up sample, please click here);
and Greg & Lou: Greg Burke (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Law & Order, Guiding Light)
& Lou Perez (co-star with Greg in sketch comedy group The Wicked Wicked Hammerkatz);
for a video sample, please click here.
Hosted by Jon Bander, Dan Gregor, and Lucas Held.
11:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/12/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
a smart, lively, tuneful homage to 1940s girl groups by The Apple Sisters (7:00 pm),
extraordinary comics Reggie Watts, Leo Allen, and Larry Murphy at Power Hour (8:00 pm),
rising star comedic singer/songwriters Adira Amram and Mindy Raf at Chicks & Giggles (10:00 pm),
an improvisation show that makes up a new episode of Star Trek (10:00 pm),
and a live recreation of R. Kelly's unintentionally hilarious hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet (11:00 pm).
Photo on left: Rebekka Johnson, Kimmy Gatewood, and Sarah Lowe
The lovely Kimmy Gatewood, who is an exceptionally talented writer, director, and comedic performer, demonstrates that she's also great at singing and dancing—partnered beautifully with Rebekka Johnson and Sarah Lowe, and Tom Thomsen on keyboard—in this homage to 1940s girl groups like The Andrew Sisters. From the official description: "The Apple Sisters are Candy, Cora, and Seedy. Their mother, Ms. Reddy Apple, was a vaudeville star and she passed down the legacy to her three girls! The trio present their live show, broadcast on WXYZ AM Radio, straight to the troops in Germany, and present the show on stage at the Peoples Improv Theater in their first and favorite home, the Big Apple! Be a chum and always use Doramad Toothpaste, now with Thorium!" To get a feel for the show, please click here & here & here & here.
7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $10
Peter Gwinn on his way to tonight's show
The Steve Miller Band and Other Annoying Monsters, Or: Oceanquake!
A sketch comedy show that revolves around childhood, freaks,
snipers, bad taste in music..."and, as the title hints, the
Steve Miller Band is indirectly responsible for several deaths."
Written and performed by Second City comedy veterans
Deb Downing, Peter Gwinn, Peter Grosz, and Abby Sher.
Peter Grosz and Peter Gwinn are writers for The Colbert Report;
Abby Sher is a delight as the spacy, sexy airline stewardess; and
Deb Downing nearly steals the show as a lonely monster trying to destroy a wedding.
Directed by Jason Mantzoukas.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Reggie Watts and Leo Allen
Hosted by Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy (Cartoon Network's Assy McGee, Home Movies, etc.).
Tonight's guests include Reggie Watts (scary talented vocalist, beatboxer, musician, and expert improvisor who will likely amaze you; to learn more, please visit ReggieWatts.com) and
Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City).
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
"They're all street, all the time." Five women—pictured left to right, Jessica Allen, Bayne Gibby, Stephanie Kasen, Caitlin Miller, and Tara Copeland—who've won the 2004 ECNY award for Best Improv Group, and have repeatedly been a Time Out New York Critic's Pick.
8:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Some of the best improv comics in NYC—Michael Delaney, Christina Gausas, Chris Gethard, Bobby Moynihan, Silvija Ozols, and Zach Woods—make stuff up, and make you laugh.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Adira Amram and Leibya Rogers
Chicks & Giggles—Hell's Angels
This weekly all-female stand-up show from Chicks & Giggles
is hosted tonight by Carolyn Castiglia.
The scheduled lineup includes Adira Amram (brilliantly funny and sexy writer/singer,
currently co-starring in UCBT's Get Psyched!; for sample songs & videos, please click here),
Leibya Rogers (character played by Mindy Raf; "When I sing, your soul jumps out
of your body and nestles in between my legs;" for video sample, please click here),
Nicole Korkolis (Comedy Cellar), and Jessie Mae (Laugh Lounge).
10:00 pm at Time Out NY Lounge at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
Stacy Mayer, Laura Dillman, and Jeremiah Murphy
Manhattan Comedy Collective: Star Trek Improv
If you'd like to experience a gentler, more relaxed, but still quite smart type of improv, visit the Manhattan Comedy Collective run by the wonderful Stacy Mayer (who's quick as lightning, but much funnier). Every Friday features Character Dogville, in which performers dress up as odd characters and spontaneously interact with each other.
Also on tonight's show is a new monthly feature titled Start Trekkin',
in which improvisors make up a Star Trek episode on the spot.
10:00 pm at the Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);
tickets are $8 online (with no service charge) and $10 at the door
Veteran improvisors Scott Glover and John O'Donnell,
accompanied by a rotating cast that might include
such superb talents as Eliza Skinner or Tara Copeland or Jeff Hiller
—and with Frank Spitznagel on piano—
turn an interview with an audience member
into a musical they make up on the spot.
10:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet has been called the most unintentionally hilarious music video ever made. The "hip-hopera" inspired a hit midnight show at UCBT; and also this extravaganza at The PIT, in which "the R&B opera is sung word-for-word by Brently Heilbron on ukulele." (To get a feel for Brently's unique style, please click here.) Slated to accompany him are actors Jenn Bass, Liz Feldman, Yang Miller, Katey Mushlin, Jessy Schwartz, and Alex Staggs.
Chapters 1-12 were performed yesterday. Tonight, new Chapters 13-22 will be staged.
11:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10
Death by Roo Roo: Your F*cked Up Family
Comedic powerhouses Jackie Clarke, Curtis Gwinn, Brett Gelman, Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, and John Gemberling interview an audience member about family and then act out his or her life story via improv scenes. Scary and funny.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
The ultimate in audience participation: any group can submit a sketch and perform it!
If all you want is to be entertained, this show probably isn't a good choice.
But if you'd like to act on the UCBT stage, and/or have your sketch writing judged by an exceptionally savvy audience, this is a golden opportunity.
Sign-up begins at 10:30 pm and runs till 11:45 pm; sketches will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's wise to arrive early. For a complete list of the rules, please click here.
Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 10/13/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
improv comedy from 30 Rock duo Scott Adsit & Tami Sagher (7:30 pm),
a sketch show revolving around physical comedy from stellar troupe Drop Six (8:00 pm),
a live recreation of R. Kelly's unintentionally hilarious hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet (11:00 pm),
and a fun sketch show from the charismatic young stars of Derrick (Midnight).
Writer/producer/performer Tami Sagher and writer/director/performer Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit (cast member of the Emmy-winning 30 Rock, writer, co-director,
and cast member [voice of the dad] of Adult Swim's brilliant & Emmy-winning
Moral Orel; formerly acted on TV series Mr. Show and Tenacious D) and
Tami Sagher (writer for 30 Rock; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006;
also wrote for HBO's Lucky Louie and USA's Psych) revive their
popular long-form improv show, which they used to perform in LA.
7:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Magnet instructors & Second City veterans such as Rachel Hamilton, Ed Herbstman, Abby Sher, and Miriam Tolan, plus stars of Mother: The Soundtrack (see below) Jason Mantzoukas, Tara Copeland, James Eason, Christine Walters, plus occasional special guests (such as superstar Mike Meyers), turn a tiny suggestion into larger-than-life improvised scenes.
7:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Drop Six is a superb NYC-based sketch troupe that makes great use of physical comedy.
The troupe—consisting of Marcus Bonnée, Tim Girrbach, Alicia Levy, Rodney Umble, and director Larry Rosen—was awarded Best of the Fest by Second City at the 2006 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. And their Drop Six: Mr. Lucky show killed at August's FringeNYC, placing in my top 15 of the festival (out of 188 wildly diverse & competitive productions). Recommended.
Also providing laughs will be two-man sketch group Rue Brutalia!: Jason Kalter & Jon Pack.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8
Jason Mantzoukas leads a vibrant team of improv comics—Scot Armstrong, Tara Copeland, Jon Daly, James Eason, Jesse Falcon, Doug Moe, and Christine Walters—who make up scenes based on CD tracks contributed by the audience. One of UCBT's most beloved shows.
9:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Reuben Williams: As Seen on TV
Anthony King demonstrates that in addition to running UCBT-NY brilliantly, he's a formidable improv performer. Joining him are stellar talents Lennon Parham (see my review of her Showgirls parody), Chris Kula, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Kate Spencer, Charlie Todd, and Joe Wengert.
10:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet has been called the most unintentionally hilarious music video ever made. The "hip-hopera" inspired a hit midnight show at UCBT; and also this extravaganza at The PIT, in which "the R&B opera is sung word-for-word by Brently Heilbron on ukulele." (To get a feel for Brently's unique style, please click here.) Slated to accompany him are actors Jenn Bass, Liz Feldman, Yang Miller, Katey Mushlin, Jessy Schwartz, and Alex Staggs.
Chapters 1-12 were performed on Thursday. Tonight, new Chapters 13-22 will be staged.
11:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10
Derrick is three sharp and enormously appealing young performers,
Dominic Dierkes, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson, who have
proven themselves to be both stars and champions for the past
two months at Cage Match, winning 8 matches in a row
(and breaking several all-time records while at it).
The guys also make wildly popular YouTube videos—
for some samples, please click here and here and here—
and in this show will be performing sketch comedy live.
Highlights include DC pleading with the Godfather
to mete out justice for DC's daughter's brutal beating and rape...
by replacing the large-screen TV broken during the assault.
Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 10/14/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
UCBT's playground for celebrities and top improvisors, ASSSSCAT 3000 (7:30 & 9:30 pm),
fun in Brooklyn with stellar stand-ups Marc Maron, Mike Birbiglia, and host Eugene Mirman (7:45 pm),
and superb comics including Larry Murphy and Chelsea Peretti, hosted by Max Silvestri (8:00 pm).
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's signature show, which features a monologist telling stories based on audience suggestions and a group of top improvisers (sometimes including stars such as SNL's Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz) creating scenes based on the stories. There are two shows every Sunday which share the same format, but are otherwise entirely different because everything is improvised. The 7:30 pm show is $8; advance tickets might be sold out by the time you read this, but a limited number of seats are available at the door for those who arrive early enough to nab 'em. The 9:30 show is free, with tickets distributed outside the theatre at 8:15 pm; but again, you may need to come early and wait on line to ensure getting into this first come, first served performance.
7:30 pm & 9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
Eugene Mirman, Mike Birbiglia, and Marc Maron
If you live in Brooklyn, or simply don't mind going a few subway stops
beyond Manhattan, some of the best comedy minds in New York can be found
at this weekly show hosted by Eugene Mirman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's
Premium Blend and Jump Cuts, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, VH1,
The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman and En Garde, Society! comedy albums).
Tonight's stellar guests include Mike Birbiglia (Late Show with David Letterman,
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, two Comedy Central Presents specials;
for sample stand-up videos, please click here and here), and
Marc Maron (frequent guest on Late Show with David Letterman and
Late Night with Conan O'Brien; was regular on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn;
HBO Special, Comedy Central Presents, and off-Broadway one-man show
Jerusalem Syndrome that he then turned into a 2001 book).
7:45ish pm at Union Hall, 702 Union Street at 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn; tickets are $7
Take the R train to Union Street and walk 1 block east; or take
the F train to 4th Avenue, walk north on 4th Avenue and turn right on Union Street, and go 1 block up;
or take the 2/3/4/5/Q train to Atlantic Avenue, walk south on 5th Avenue, and make a left on Union Street.
Hosted by Max Silvestri (VH1's Best Week Ever) and Gabriel Delahaye (Gawker's Unethicist).
Scheduled guests include the brilliant Larry Murphy (co-host of NYC weekly live
comedy show Power Hour; voiceover actor who performs all the key characters on
Adult Swim's Assy McGee; other TV series include Home Movies, O'Grady, Cheapseats,
Computer Lab, Puppets N Such; for an animated VO reel, please click here),
Chelsea Peretti (member of superb comedy troupe Variety Shac; writer for Village Voice, Details, Playgirl, Jest, blackpeopleloveus.com, and Rejection Line: 212/479-7990),
Jack Kukoda (Onion News Network, maker of funny videos), and
Patrick Borelli (Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend).
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
A showcase for talented improvisation twosomes.
Tonight's duos are Chelsea Clarke & Marcy Jarreau,
Megan Gray & Barbara Singer,
Jane Borden & Charlie Whitcroft, and
Emily Bryant & Caroline Ficksman.
And this evening's host is Alex Marino.
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
If you're looking for a good time, this might not be it.
But if you're interested in getting on the Mo Pitkin's stage and
performing stand-up—or any other kind of act—a mere $4 will buy you
a chance at being selected via the show's lottery system. The rules are:
Sign-up is at 9:00 pm sharp.
You get eight minutes maximum for your act.
You can do anything you'd like on stage, with two exceptions:
1. Don't damage the stage or equipment (respect the space).
2. Don't pick out people in the audience, even just to say something nice (respect the audience).
No online reservations available; simply pay at the door.
Again, this show isn't for everyone.
But if you're a performer, you've probably risked
a lot more that $4 to nab an NYC stage credit...
9:00 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); tickets are $4
Alternatively, consider seeing a funny and/or musical
Broadway, off-Broadway, or off-off-Broadway show.
To learn how theatre tickets can be purchased for around 50% off—
or, in some cases, for as little as $3 each—
please read Hy on Theatre Discounts.
Return to Previous NYC Comedy Picks
Copyright © 2007 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
