NYC Comedy Picks for Week of September 28, 2009

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 9/28/09

Chris Gethard Alert: Tickets for a Bus Tour of Haunted Areas in the Tri-State Area,

Given by One of the Most Brilliant Storytellers in the County, on October 23rd
at 11:00 Just Went on Sale! They Will Go Fast. To Order, Please Click Here.

Langhorne Slim (Whiplash), Freestyle Love Supreme, and Sandy Rustin (Gravid Water)

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

6:30 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Sharp stand-ups celebrating Phoebe Robinson's birthday at this new free weekly show at the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV stars Scott Adsit (30 Rock) and Arden Myrin (Mad TV, Reno 911), and luminous Broadway & off-Broadway actors Carla Briscoe (The Lie Down), Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Tony nominee for Avenue Q; Sesame Street), Jonathan Kaplan (Tony nominee for Falsettos), Sandy Rustin (I Love You-You're Perfect-Now Change), and Julie Sharbutt (Shakespeare In The Park: Twelfth Night) mixing it up with some of the best improvisors in the world—Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Michael Delaney, and Anthony King—as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A special "comedy reading" edition, with Aasif Mandvi (correspondent for The Daily Show), Todd Hanson (editor and writer for The Onion), Joe Garden (founding writer/editor of The Onion and co-author of New Vampire's Handbook: A Guide for the Recently Turned Creature of the Night), Bob Powers (author of the Just Make a Choice Adventure series and The Werewolf's Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten), and Carrie McLaren (former editor of Stay Free! magazine, co-editor of book Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture), performing in the Lolita Bar with producer Liam McEneaney at Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($25): World-class comedic freestyle hip-hop group, using audience suggestions as a springboard for creating improvised music inspired by jazz, rap, and comedy: Freestyle Love Supreme

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Several entirely improvised musicals from award-winning comedy duo Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner as I Eat Pandas

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest performers in the country—who tonight include lightning-fast & thoroughly hilarious Pete Holmes (Comedy Central, The Daily Show, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, co-host of hit show Punch Up Your Life), Craig Baldo (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion), Andrew Jeffrey Wright, and folk music star Langhorne Slim—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 9/29/09

Frank Whaley (Sweet) and Pekar Project (Comic Book Club)...

...and Ted Alexandro (Punch Up Your Life) and (Sweet)

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): Contributors to the Web series The Pekar Project: Editor Jeff Newelt, artists Rick Parker and Sean Pryor—and Harvey Pekar himself on the phone—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, Badman, Bastian, The Law Firm, and Penthouse Riot, 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 giant Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials), and more 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): 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), Maeve Higgins (star Irish comic visiting NYC), Nick Weber (member of rock band Girl Problems), Frank Whaley (acclaimed actor in scores of feature films including The Doors, JFK, Hoffa, Swimming with Sharks, Pulp Fiction], and Heather Whaley (author of new cookbook Eating Your Feelings) performing at the famed LES weekly stand-up show at The Slipper Room hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 9/30/09

Adam Wade (The Nights of Our Lives), John Oliver (Totally J/K & Daily Show & Friends), Janeane Garofalo (Daily Show & Friends)...

..and Wyatt Cenac, Hannibal Buress, Steve Hofstetter, Pete Holmes, and other stars at blowout stand-up event ComedyJuice

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] 8:00 pm ($5): John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show and genius stand-up comic), Ali Wong (human dynamo stand-up; The Onion), and Jesse Pop (Comedy Central, co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy) joining hilarious hosts Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel at Totally J/K

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15 online using code ABLAST, plus 2-item min.): Movie & TV comedy superstar Janeane Garofalo, brilliant Daily Show star John Oliver, Daily Show Executive Producer Rory Albanese, Daily Show Supervising Producer Adam Lowitt, and former Daily Show writer Scott Jacobson performing stand-up at this monthly event: The Daily Show & Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00: Uniformly wonderful stand-ups Baron Vaughn, Sarah Schaefer, Eric Andre, Ali Waller, and Claudia Cogan performing at a free weekly comedy show at Rodeo Bar hosted by Matt Maragno: Now We're Talking

[FREE] 8:00: Sharp NYC comics Ray Devito, Ilana Glazer, Bruce Cherry, Mo Diggs, Jacqueline Kabat, and Erik Bergstrom at a free weekly show hosted by Sharon "Mama" Spell: Shrink

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Superb stand-ups Baron Vaughn (red-hot rising star; Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Shoot the Messenger, Awkward Kings of Comedy), Hari Kondadbolu (Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel), Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central, The Onion), and Eliot Glazer (co-host of High School Talent Show and New York Shitty) at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman, Max Silvestri, and sometimes SNL's Jenny Slate: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, tonight featuring brilliant writer/performers 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), John Flynn, Cecilia Lederer, Tami Sagher, and wonderful host David Martin telling tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight's theme "Weddings:" The Nights of Our Lives

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 online using code ABLAST, plus 2-item min.): A blowout monthly gathering of top comedy talent from around the country—tonight featuring lightning-fast & thoroughly hilarious Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the biz; Comedy Central, The Daily Show, VH1's Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, co-host of hit show Punch Up Your Life); a superstar comedy guest I can't announce, but let's just say he's even whiter than Pete Holmes; Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), Hannibal Buress (writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson, concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy), Robert Kelly (HBO, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel, VH1, MTV), and Steve Hofstetter (Craig Ferguson, Showtime, VH1, ESPN)—all performing at ComedyJuice

[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 10/1/09

Faye Lane, Ophira Eisenberg, and other brilliant & hilarious storytellers gather to create a TV pilot for The Liar 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] 6:00 pm ($5): Stellar sketch troupe Trophy Dad, brilliant comic Jeff Hiller, and a sketch troupe I haven't yet seen called The Bilderbergers each perform a new show at the UCBT showcase Spank

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($13 online using discount code ACLIAR & 2-item min.): TV pilot taping of a superb comedy show in which people tell stories about themselves—two of the stories are true, but one of them is a pack of lies. Then the audience, and a panel of "inquisitors," ask questions to try to figure out who's fibbing. Tonight's host is Ophira Eisenberg; the storytellers are Faye Lane, Martin Dockery, and the show's creator Andy Christie; and the inquisitors are Kevin Allison (The State), Mark Katz (renowned political speechwriter), and George Dawes Green (founder of The Moth), all at The Liar Show

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): One of my very favorite funny couples, the brilliant Mary Theresa Archbold and Pat Shay, debut a new comedic play in which they explore love through history in an attempt to make the title of this show come true: Pat and Mary Save Their Marriage

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A hilarious comedic musical about young les love that you should see at least once (plus, on this double-bill, sketch from troupe New Excitement): Girl Camp

8:00 pm ($8): "Mandy Schmieder laughs for no apparent reason. An outburst can occur at any time: in utter silence, after seeing someone injure themselves, or simply if she's been looking at monkeys for too long at the zoo. What does Mandy think is so damn funny? Find out in this one-woman show directed by Pat Shay:" Shemandigans

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 comics Anthony Atamanuik, David Reese, Starlee Kine, and Brent Sullivan join the fresh, sexy, and razor-sharp gals of Variety SHAC

[$] 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): After the upset of the year—genius improv troupe Death by Roo Roo losing its 22-in-a-row winning streak last week to challenger Classic Masculinity—CM defends its new crown against improv troupe Daddy in a battle for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/2/09

Leo Allen (We're All Friends Here) and Cock Lorge (Thank Cock It's Friday)

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 ($5): Brilliant sketch/improv comic Gil Ozeri performing his one-man show about comedy gone bad: Buzzy Shore's Master Class in Comedy

7:30 pm ($10): Superb raunchy comedic singer/songwriter Ben Lerman joining even raunchier comedic singer/songwriter Cock Lorge in Thank Cock It's Friday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Magical character performer Kate McKinnon (co-star of Logo's Big Gay Sketch Show) plays five very different actresses waiting to hear which of them won an Oscar (keep an eye out for the old lady, who's one of the funniest characters you'll see this year, anywhere); and a sharp sketch troupe performing all new material, in the double-bill Best Actress and Pangea 3000 Sucks

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Wonderful NYC comics Leo Allen, Roger Hailes, and Giulia Rozzi Dan Soder, Jessie perform stand-up and are then interviewed about their personal lives at Matt Ruby's and Mark Normand's "comedy chat show with boundary issues" at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: We're All Friends Here

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific stand-ups Seth Herzog, Tom McCaffrey, Dustin D’Addato, Andy Haynes, Dan Carroll, and more performing at Brooklyn's Coco 66 for Nick Turner's Too Cool for School

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Superb raunchy comedic singer/songwriter Ben Lerman, and stand-ups Amy Beckerman, Chris Doucette, Alison Grillo, and more 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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code EASYST, otherwise $20): Acclaimed Chicago-based improv duo TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi visit NYC to perform tonight through Sunday at the Barrow Street Theatre: "Fans forever marvel at their technique, mental dexterity, and uncanny ability to create incredible, hour-long instant plays out of thin air (without audience suggestions):" TJ and Dave

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

[FREE] 12:20ish am: A free opportunity for you to perform sketch on the UCBT stage at Liquid Courage

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 10/3/09

Billy the Mime, Dave Pasquesi and T.J. Jagodowski (TJ & Dave), and Ed Lover (Headlining at Carolines)

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($10 plus $7 drink min.): Four superb storytellers—David Ellis Dickerson (NPR's This American Life, author of House of Cards), Ryan Britt (Nerve.com), DJ Hazard (Fuel TV's American Misfits), and host Andy Christie (The New York Times)—trying to mislead the audience at The Liar Show

7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Red-hot rising stand-up star Baron Vaughn (Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Shoot the Messenger, Awkward Kings of Comedy), hilarious sketch duo Pat Stango & Blaine Perry (Don’t Touch Me There), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman), Steve O'Brien (half of Team Submarine), Kara Klenk (Spike TV), and Jamie Roberts 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

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): Hugely popular radio host, co-host of Yo! MTV Raps, and actor in such movies as Who's the Man? and Undisputed headlining at Carolines through Sunday: Ed Lover

[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] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10 at the door if you mention The Aristocrats, otherwise $15): A spectacular and unforgettable demonstration of the artful power of mime when combined with a wickedly sharp modern sensibility, executed with great wit and style. Street performers have given mime a bad rep; but if you think about it, what mime does is boil a situation down to its essential elements, and then express those elements in a manner that's instantly and universally understood. That's really what art is all about; and that's also what Billy the Mime does, often brilliantly. (For my review of his FringeNYC show in 2006, please click here.) Don't miss this rare NYC performance of Billy the Mime

Midnight ($5): Spinning off a single audience suggestion, UCBT student improvisors (plus a few veterans) spend the first half of the show creating scenes that lead up to an Apocalypse. In the second half, they create the new world that rises up from those ruins. Likely characters include zombies, evil robots, dystopian governments, the Four Horsemen, and paste that may or may not be made of people—all at End of the World

[$] 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 10/4/09

Matt McCarthy (The Comedians), Dave Pasquesi & T.J. Jagodowski (TJ & Dave), and Kate McKinnon (Electro Shock Therapy)

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] 7:30 pm ($5): Superb stand-ups Matt McCarthy, Patrick Borelli, and Lamont Price (Boston comic visiting NYC) performing at a weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Greg Johnson: The Comedians

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Hannibal Buress and other star comics performing at this weekly event at Brooklyn's Union Hall, hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Tearing the Veil of Maya

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific NYC comics Ali Wong, Jared Logan, Kevin McCaffrey, Trey Galyon, and Tim Warner 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 (not yet announced this week) 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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code EASYST, otherwise $20): Acclaimed Chicago-based improv duo TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi visit NYC to perform tonight at the Barrow Street Theatre: "Fans forever marvel at their technique, mental dexterity, and uncanny ability to create incredible, hour-long instant plays out of thin air (without audience suggestions):" TJ and Dave

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Kate McKinnon (brilliant character actress, stand-up, and co-star of Logo's Big Gay Sketch Show), Jessimae, Steve Hofstetter, and Scout Durwood performing stand-up 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 through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

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