NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 4/14/14
Fresh, smart, hilarious sketch comedy at UCB Chelsea from Legs for Days
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] 6:30 pm: Stand-up from The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon, FOX's Lucas Bros Moving Company) and Emma Willmann, solo sketch from Ann Marie Grace, improv from the Riverdale Country School High School Improv Team, and and an audience improv jam at this free monthly variety show at UCB East hosted by Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger), Anna Suzuki, and/or Emily Schorr Lesnick: The Soul Glo Jam
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A monthly storytelling show from the wonderful Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here) featuring guest storyteller Athalie Paynting at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League
7:00 pm ($5): Improvisors take a single (but large) location and explore the many characters who might populate it. "What begins as a collection of disparate scenes across various sub-locations will slowly close in on itself as intersecting storylines converge, the boundaries of space and time are stretched, and we show you firsthand how small the world can be" at The Magnet theatre: Small World
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of young improvisors performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Free Improv Monday
[FREE] 7:30 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; host of WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; HBO, Comedy Central, NPR, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, author of Tasteful Nudes), Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Maeve Higgins (UK star visiting NYC), Chris Locke, and Lance Weiss performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim) & Jean Grae: Night Train
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): "With half their friends and family raptured and the Apocalypse in full swing, the St. Burlingame Yearbook Staff must chronicle student life, extracurriculars, and the rise of the Antichrist before the seventh trumpet sounds" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Yearbook of Revelation...
...and in the second half of this double-bill, sketch about our national pastime: Baseball is America
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Hannibal Buress (co-star of Comedy Central's Broad City and Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show; former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, one-hour Comedy Central specials Animal Furnace and Live From Chicago, host of Comedy Night), Kevin Meaney (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, HBO, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code and Wildn Out, Comedy Central, Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Hannibal Buress, Kevin Meaney, Big Jay Oakerson, and More
8:00 pm ($10): "Every family has a black sheep, but the Damn Family is all black sheep. When they get together, things get weird with not-so-wholesome, not-so-family-friendly sketch comedy fun" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Damn Family
8:00 pm ($5): Improv group Gadget makes up scenes, plus hosts musical guest Summer & Eve, at the UCB East theatre: The Gadget Hour
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Chemda Khalili (co-host of Keith and the Girl) hosts game show You Can't Say That with a mix of KATG guests and audience members competing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Keith and the Girl: You Can't Say That
8:30 pm ($5): Magnet improv groups The Theme From Jurassic Park and Cool Blanche
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch groups try out new material: the daring, out-of-the-box brilliant, and hysterical Legs for Days (which includes stellar performers Livia Scott, Ann Carr, Dan Chamberlain, Michael Hartney, and more, plus exceptionally superb writers) and Bellevue: Maude Night: Legs For Days and Bellevue
9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phillip Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Marina Franklin (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, VH1), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), and Chris DiStefano (David Letterman, Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Paul Mecurio, Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC's Are You There Chelsea?, film Savages), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Charla Lauriston (MTV, host of School Night and Free Cable), RG Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up), Neal Stastny, Mike Cannon, Mike Recine, Casey Balsham, and Chris Scopo performing for this free weekly stand-up show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Bill Dawes: Frantic Mondays: Ali Wong, Seaton Smith, Charla Lauriston, and More
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Twelve improv comics who are "friends of Dorothy" perform at The Magnet hosted by Andrew Fafoutakis: There's No Place Like Home: A GLBTQ Event
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen: Whiplash
Monday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Abigoliah Schamaun & Peggy O'Leary: Dicks Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: Open-mic storytelling, with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room"), hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling with Julia Wiedeman
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Monday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Tim Duffy: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 5 minutes for each comic who reserves a spot in advance (by emailing Dan Fox at danmaxfox@gmail.com) and 3 minutes for each comic who signs up on the spot (sign-up starts at 6:45 and ends at 8:30) at Brooklyn's Muchmore's (2 Havemeyer Street) hosted by Dan Fox: Muchmore's Stand-Up Open Mic
[FREE] 7:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at Brooklyn's Colony (274 4th Avenue) hosted by Emily Winter: Sparky the Dog Open Mic
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at One and One Bar's Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam
11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Kat Toledo and/or Alan Shain: Magic Mic Mondays
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 4/15/14
Tonight's Inside Amy Schumer features NYC storytelling treasure Adam Wade
at 10:30 pm and 2:00 am
on Comedy Central;
for highlights of Season 2 to date, please click here
A mash-up of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and HBO's Girls at The PIT's Women
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-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, seven of The Magnet's singing improv groups make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Improv troupe Punctual Drunks interviews an audience member about his or her favorite fairy tale, and then picks up the story where it left off so you can find out how it really ended, at The PIT downstairs lounge: Punctual Drunks & Friends
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($15; price includes free slices of homemade ice cream cakes!): Storytellers Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield, The Black Donnellys), Peter Aguero (Moth Host and Moth GrandSlam Winner), and Kimberly Rae Miller (author of Coming Clean) tell true tales at the Le Poisson Rouge's The Gallery (158 Bleecker Street) hosted by Robin Gelfenbien (storyteller and singer/songwriter; VH1, AMC, Sirius Radio, acclaimed one-woman show at FringeNYC) with free ice cream cakes made by Robin herself: Yum's the Word
7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups --Higgins, The Regulars, and Grammer at this first half of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($10 online using discount code BUSINESS; no min.): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim, host of Night Train), Jared Logan (rising star; Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever, The Pete Holmes Show CNN, TBS), Michelle Wolf (staff writer for Seth Meyers; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon; host of If You Bring It), Jono Zalay, and Chris Locke performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Janeane Garofalo, Wyatt Cenac, Jared Logan, Michelle Wolf, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Kevin Meaney (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, HBO, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC's Are You There Chelsea?, film Savages), Ralph Harris (Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, Comedy Central Half Hour, Dream Girls, Evan Almighty), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show): Kevin Meaney, Ali Wong, Ralph Harris, Lenny Marcus, and More
8:00 pm ($10): A house sketch troupe performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: National Scandal
8:00 pm ($5): Eliot Glazer (It Gets Betterish, author of My Parents Were Awesome), John Early, Jay Miller, and the Cocoon Central Dance Team performing at the UCB East theatre hosted by Casey Jost (Head Writer of truTV's Impractical Jokers, former writer for Jimmy Fallon): Comedy Central Corporate Retreat
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, MTV), Jenn Dodd (extreme character performer; host of Buttski & Glasscock's New Talent Blowout), Reg Ferguson, Alison Klemp, Graham Nolan, and Sam Grittner performing stand-up or sketch for this free weekly show at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Tim Ellis & Mo Fathelbab: Manifesto
[FREE] 8:00 pm: A monthly showcase of both stand-ups and improvisors at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by stand-up Zach Broussard and improv troupe Priest & the Beekeeper: Pig Pile
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura and hosted tonight by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Michelle Wolf (staff writer for Seth Meyers; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), NIck Stevens (host of AMC's Action Park and Discovery's Money on the Menu; VH1, ESPN), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) guest-hosted by Dion Flynn (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, improv group Big Black Car): Sweet
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at this weekly show at Brooklyn's The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Kevin McCaffrey, Robert Dean, and/or Steve O'Brien: Comedy at Alligator Lounge
9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Greg, Grammer, and Namaste at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, The Nights of Our Lives) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv, tonight playing "the great grandson of Adolph Hitler, Greg Hitler. Greg and his comedy partner Zachary Bergstein, a third generation Holocaust survivor, work through their tragic history through laughter and song" (with help from producer Andy Rocco and Jesse VandenBergh); plus songs from Camille Harris (irresistible rising star singer/sketch comic/cutie; featured player on The Moon Show, new music album Silly Jazz), stand-up from Will Miles, and sketch from Keith & Jesse, all performing at the UCB East theatre: The Tony Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($20): A mash-up of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and HBO's Girls in a critically acclaimed 50 minutes that's reportedly "brilliant" and "hysterical" at The PIT upstairs lounge: Women
9:30 pm ($8): Mike Brown delivers the rare form of one-man improv, basing a story on the life of one of the members of the audience at The PIT downstairs lounge: Mike Brown Solo Improv Extravaganza
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Strong lineup of Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Hannibal Buress (co-star of Comedy Central's Broad City and Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show; former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, one-hour Comedy Central specials Animal Furnace and Live From Chicago, host of Comedy Night), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), James Smith (Australian comic; HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Comedy Central; for stand-up video on what it's like to be Australian in New York, please click here), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show): Todd Barry, Hannibal Buress, Gary Gulman, Gregg Rogell, Greer Barnes, and More
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5; no min.): A super-affordable stand-up club show featuring Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC's Are You There Chelsea?, film Savages), Pete Lee (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), and Danny Palmer performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): $5 Funnies: Judah Friedlander, Ali Wong, Pete Lee, Sheng Wang, and More
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks
Tuesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open-mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT Green Room, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT "sketch-perts:" Pens & Pencils
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:15 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Jay Dean and Tynan DeLong: Two Nice Guys Open MIc
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Dustin Drury: This Is Happening Open MIc
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Tuesday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Jake Hart and guest co-host Ryan Sorensen: The Dump
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic
11:00 pm ($3): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): An improv jam for students at all levels to work on their skills at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Elke Reid and David Frasure: Study Hall
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 4/16/14
Tracy Morgan is interviewed by Hannibal Buress at the 92nd Street Y
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): Mike Birbiglia's Dream is both a reference to Mike's hit play & film Sleepwalk With Me, and to the group of improvisors he's gathered being a "dream team" for making up scenes springboarding off his stories. Tonight at UCB Chelsea Mike spins tales for brilliant improvisors Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher, Connor Ratliff, Christina Gausas, and/or more: Mike Birbiglia's Dream
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8): A one-woman show by Lyssa Mandel who "wrote a lot of stuff when she was 14: the purplest prose, the greatest expectations, the highest stakes, the desire to run screaming from suburbia. Sixteen years older, possibly wiser, certainly more shameless, she shares the genuine article. And nothing's as genuine as adolescent desires" at The PIT downstairs lounge: A View From the Bitch Seat
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday
7:00 pm to 12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Five and a half hours of improv from eight groups, plus a free improv jam at 11:30, at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features house groups Hotspur and Apollo: Lloyd Night
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($34-$44): Tracy Morgan is interviewed by Hannibal Buress. What else do you need to know? As I write this, there are still a few tickets left at the 92nd Street Y's Kaufmann Concert Hall (1395 Lexington Avenue, between 91st and 92nd Streets): Tracy Morgan Interviewed by Hannibal Buress
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm, 9:45 pm and 11:30 pm ($10-$14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, Gregg Rogell, Greer Barnes, and Keith Robinson at the 8:00 show; Hannibal Buress, Kevin Meaney, Ali Wong, Ralph Harris, and Phil Hanley at the 9:45 show; and Paul Mecurio, Kurt Metzger, James Smith, Big Jay Oakerson, and Sherrod Small at the 11:30 show, with all three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15; no min.): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Pete Lee (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), and Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, Comedy Central, MTV, TruTV) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Janeane Garofalo, Judah Friedlander, Joe List, and More
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): "It's the show where you represent your single friends onstage in a live dating game! Singles can cringe and remain as anonymous as they want in the crowd. Once a friend-proxy chooses someone for their match, the newly-matched singles get to go enjoy a free drink at the back bar. The New York Post calls it 'part roast, part game show, part social experiment.' Arrive early to register you and a friend. Open to all orientations. Out of 100 couples matched, 4 have become actual long-term relationships" at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Jo Firestone (rising star; Punderdome 3000, host of The Incredible Game Show Showcase): Friends of Single People
8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, writer/performers Dru Johnston & Don Fanelli demonstrate perfect comedic timing—coupled with sorta terrible singing, sketch comedy, and a PowerPoint presentation—for a very silly show aiming to prove "Billy Joel is the greatest recording artist of all time." I hope these guys aim for something meatier and more resonant to tackle next time, because they've got chops, which is especially evident at the dynamic start when they interact with the audience; but in the meantime you're likely to enjoy Sketches From an Italian Restaurant: A Billy Joel Sketch Show...
...and in the other half of this double-bill, “a comedic exploration of why we love to hate the women we do" written by & starring Abby Holland, Molly Gaebe, Jenn Roman, and Julie Rosing, and directed by the brilliant Ellena Chmielewski: Fuck Judy Towers
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupes Murderfist and The Prom, co-host of The Dream Show), Justin Tyler (co-host of Gentrify and Comic Book Club), and more performing stand-up or sketch at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Peggy O'Leary and/or Jonathan Yoni Lotan: Battle-Face
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Anna Drezen (talented character comic blending words and movement; one-woman show Spooky Jerks), Myka Fox, Seth Cockfield, and Ryan Bennett performing at this monthly show that "puts comics inside of a video game that plays itself" and offers prizes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Steven DeSiena & Stephen Whalen: You and the Screen
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, ABC), Stephanie Holmes, Marcia Belsky, Jesse West, JoAnna Ross, and Katherine Williams performing stand-up at the Producer's Club (358 West 44th Street) hosted by Latice: Train Wreck Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CDs Vegan Mind Meld and Meat Robot), Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Mike Vecchione (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern), Andy Sandford (Adult Swim), Marc Theobald (Comedy Central), Dan Levy, Alison Leiby, Jim Search, and Kase Raso performing stand-up at this free weekly show at Lucky Jack's Pub (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:30 ($5): Renowned comedy chameleon and sketch comic Livia Scott (Conan O'Brien, Law & Order, VH1, feature film National Lampoon's Dirty Movie) spearheads this multimedia sketch comedy show written by Livia, Carol Hartsell, Sean Crespo, Matt Hunziker, Lexie Kahanovitz, and Chris Wescott, and that stars Livia, Nick Vatterott, Katina Corrao, and more performing at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Livia Scott Sketch Program
9:30 pm ($8): A one-woman show by Jenn Welch about how "after losing her marriage, her grandparents, and custody of her pug over the course of a single year, she suddenly found herself crying. In public. All the time. Tonight she presents a collection of stories about acknowledging and honoring our stupid, stupid emotions" at The PIT downstairs lounge: Crying in Public
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Leslie Meisel & Kate Riley chose UCB comics to write sketches for the opposite sex, then cast and directed the scripts. Tonight's show is the result of this fun experiment at the UCB East theatre: He Said, She Said: A Sketch Show
[$] 10:00 pm ($15; no min.): Cringe stand-up from Kurt Metzger, James Smith, Mike Bocchetti, Mike Cannon, and Mike Recine performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg: The Creeps of Comedy
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Charla Lauriston (MTV; host of Free Cable) hosts 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. Tonight's lineup includes Matt Dennie, Nicole Pasquale, Douglas Widick, and Katie Compa; for the complete list, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
Wednesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 5:30 pm: A character-based open-mic happening weekly at UCB East hosted by Sean Hart: Don't Be Yourself: Character Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Kaity Neagle & Irene Hartmann: Ragtag Team Open Mic Stand-Up
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
6:30 pm (no cover, 1-drink min. for comics): Walk-in open mic providing 7 minutes per stand-up at the Phoenix Bar (447 East 13th Street) hosted by Lisa Harmon: Lisa's Clubhouse
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Wednesday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Lizzie Martinez: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house group Bucky and DJ Cipha Sounds: The Improv Jam
11:00 pm ($3): The debut of an "anything goes" biweekly comedy open mic for stand-up, sketch, improv, music, "and the occasional random nutjob" at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Evan Jones: Mosh PIT
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Bernard Maynore & Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:30: Sign up at 11:00 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with veteran improvisors: Magnet Improv Mixer
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 4/17/14
Alt comedy giants Jon Benjamin, Dave Hill, and Jo Firestone perform at Larry Murphy's
Myrtle Comedy
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 ($8 at the door or $9.27 online; cover price includes free drink; no min.) A "longform storytelling" show, providing a whopping 25 minutes per storyteller, with tonight's guests Sam Dingman (Moth GrandSlam Champion), Robert Singleton Hurst, and David Arroyo performing at The Tank (151 West 46th Street) hosted by Eli Reiter: Long Story Long
7:00 pm ($5): Chris Roberti and Dave Ahdoot play a bunch of comedic characters at The PIT downstairs lounge: Fun With Characters
7:00 pm ($10): All-gal improv group Gilda, plus guest group The Serling, make up scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gilda's Date Night
7:00 pm ($5): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central, HBO, The Apprentice, opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Allison Castillo (Comedy Central), Jared Freid, and Paul Oddo performing at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and/or Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:45 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Hannibal Buress, Greg Rogell, Marina Franklin, Lynne Koplitz, and Keith Robinson at the 7:45 show; Hannibal Buress, Greer Barnes, James Smith, and Lynne Koplitz at the 8:00 show; Hannibal Buress, Ali Wong, Greer Barnes, Lynne Koplitz, Jermaine Fowler, and Chris Distefano at the 9:30 show; and Paul Mecurio, Jon FIsch, and James Smith at the 11:30 show, with three of the shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and the 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($5): Jon Benjamin (unique off-the-wall comedy genius; FOX's Bob's Burgers, FX's Archer, Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has a Van, Adult Swim, MTV's Human Giant), Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes), and Jo Firestone (rising star; Punderdome 3000, host of The Incredible Game Show Showcase) performing at this show for stand-up plus sketch at Brooklyn's Splitty (415 Myrtle Avenue) hosted by Larry Murphy (brilliant voiceover actor for FOX's Bob's Burgers, Comedy Central's Ugly Americans, Adult Swim's Assy McGee and Home Movies, and numerous other shows) and/or Greg Johnson (Sirius XM): Myrtle Comedy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, Matt Dennie & Josh Sharp prove themselves among the finest writer/performers at UCB with a consistently charming and hilarious version of Forest Gump that covers the entire film in 30 minutes, and features a deliciously funny Jenny played by Brandon Gulya, who also directed, resulting in one of the best sketch shows currently playing on an NYC stage: GUMP...
...and in the second half of this double-bill, a full-blown musical about "three polygamist pop stars on the hunt for their brother husband," starring Caitlin Davis, Kaleigh Malloy, and Elizabeth May (with some help from Dave May): Missionary in Manhattan: A Mormon Musical
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Keith and the Girl are the guests at both Hang Out with Me taping hosted by Myq Kaplan and Myka Fox & Friends taping by Myka Fox at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jay Dean: Keith and the Girl Double-Bill
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-10:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house improv groups Junior Varsity and Hello Laser performing improv for an hour, followed at 9:00 pm by Welded (musical improv that takes two seemingly separate scenes and fuses them together), at 10:00 pm by veteran improvisors making up scenes based on improvised monologues from ace storyteller Adam Wade at The Armando Diaz Experience, and finally at 11:00 by improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component): The Magnet's Night Out
8:00 pm ($10): Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), and Will Miles performing stand-up at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Griffin Newman and/or Andrew Tavin: The Awooga Comedy Hour
8:00 pm ($5): Two musical improv groups make up song-and-dance based stories on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, one with a taste for oiled brains and the other for Conium: Slick Zombie and Hemlock
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Taylor Ketchum, Lucie Steiner, Matt Donaher, and Evan M. Williams performing at Poco Restaurant & Bar (33 Avenue B at 3rd Street) hosted by Sooyah Jun and/or Jawann Carmona: FTH Comedy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX's In Living Color, Comedy Central), Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupes Murderfist and The Prom, co-host of The Dream Show), Nimesh Patel (co-host of Broken Comedy), Halle Kiefer (host of Splitsider's Dog and Pony Show), Adam Mamawala, Corinne Fisher, and Taylor Ketchum performing stand-up at Tammany Hall (152 Orchard Street) hosted by Boris Khaykin & Ian Fidance: Gift Horse Comedy
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Simon Amstell (UK TV star writer/performer who spent 3 years hosting pop quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 6 years hosting Popworld, and is currently the creator, writer, and star of sitcom Grandma’s House), Michelle Buteau (FOX's Enlisted,, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, Alice Wetterlund (MTV's Girl Code), and more performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover (College Humor, Olde English): Fresh Out
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm: Potentially an animation fan's dream come true, in this new show comics make merciless fun of bad Japanese anime at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Benel Germosen & Jarrid Reed: Otakulypse
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on the UCB Chelsea stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show) talks about his love/hate affair with New York City in this blend of storytelling and stand-up at the PIT upstairs theatre: Christian Finnegan’s The Gorgeous Mosaic
9:30 pm ($8): Improv spinning off the mythic TV series The Golden Girls at The PIT downstairs lounge: Four Broads and Cheesecake: Golden Girls Improv
9:30 pm ($5): If you're a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it plus like-minded stand-ups (not announced) on the UCB Chelsea stage at CollegeHumor Live
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($5): Weekly stand-up show hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera (for a very special one-minute set at Carolines, please click here), Charles Gould, and Dan Licata at the UCB East theatre, with tonight's guest comics Jacqueline Novak, Michael Kramer, and Brad Austin: Dan + Joe + Charles' Show
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Last week improv group Fuck That Shit won its 11th victory in a row against Lloyd team Graceland in a relatively close contest of 73-64. Tonight FTS will try to cool down group Hotspur, competing for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea for the raucous Cage Match
[FREE] Midnight: A free screening at UCB East (which used to be an indie movie theatre) of a slasher flick that features such UCB comics as John Murray, Dan Hodapp, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Amber Nelson, Andy Rocco, Dan Chamberlain, Rob Lathan, Jim Santangeli, Will Hines, Eddie Dunn, Ari Scott, and Pat Baer: Fear Town USA
Thursday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 5:30 pm: All-gal open mic at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by the spectacular Anna Drezen & Sue Smith: Open Michelle: Ladies Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT musical improv veterans mix with musical improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Pitch
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Thursday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv group Hello Laser to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer
9:30 pm (free for audience members, $5 or 1 drink min. for stand-ups wanting to perform): Open mic stand-up providing 7 minutes per comic (and a free recording of your set!), with order determined raffle-style. Sign up by emailing info@oldmanhustle.com or calling (212) 253-7747, or just walk in and supply your name, to perform at the Old Man Hustle Bar (39 Essex Street) hosted by Solomon Chehebar: Peep Show Comedy Open Mic
[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3-5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Josh Alba: Mic and Cheese
[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open stage for indie improv groups—and if you're not in a group, that's also fine, you'll simply be added to one—at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Darcy Burke & Donna Lobello: New Team Lunacy
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 4/18/14
Check out the great set Jamie Lee delivered last night on The Pete Holmes Show
and the memorable guest appearance Tracy Morgan made on Conan O'Brien
The debut of an epic tale of vengeance, blood, and holy ghosts at LIC's The Creek: Jesus the Barbarian
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $12 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's superb lineups include Hannibal Buress, Ali Wong, Gregg Rogell, Greer Barnes, Lenny Marcus, and Keith Robinson at the 7:00 show; Hannibal Buress, Mark Normand, Ali Wong, Greer Barnes, and Lynne Koplitz at the 8:00 show; Hannibal Buress, Ali Wong, Greer Barnes, and Lynne Koplitz at the 8:45 show; Hannibal Buress, Ali Wong, Gary Gulman, James Smith, Ralph Harris, and Keith Robinson at the 10:30 show; and Dave Attell, Mark Normand, Ali Wong, Gary Gulman, James Smith, and Ralph Harris at the 12:15 show; with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) except for the 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Friday
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (possibly 9:00 pm only), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Marc Theobald, and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): A unique musical improv show in which scenes explode into popular songs with with tunes you know but entirely made up lyrics. Instead of an improv pianist, this show uses a DJ spinning karaoke tracks at The PIT upstairs theatre: Happy Karaoke Fun Time!
7:00 pm ($10): A sketch comedy double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hot Buffet and His Majesty the Baby
7:00 pm ($7): Long form improv that takes the suggestion of a genre and then improvises an entire show in that genre at The Magnet theatre: Genus
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Stone Cold Fox is the only sketch group (vs. improv group) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCB Chelsea weekend schedule. It’s earned this slot because its writers (who include stellar comics Brandon Gulya and Silvija Ozols) are terrific, and its cast is superb: Brandon Scott Jones, Molly Lloyd, John Murray, Leslie Meisel, Connor Ratliff, and Johnathan Fernandez. (If you're in the industry, hire them.) Enjoy this brand new collection of sketches that are debuting tonight and will hopefully enjoy a long run: Stone Cold Fox Bites the Big Apple
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Improv group Bucky makes up one long scene in the same location (a winning form that's helped such teams as Death by Roo Roo win a whole lot of Cage Match victories)—and, when SNL is on break, sometimes includes star Sasheer Zamata—at the UCB East theatre: Bucky: Here and Now
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: The debut of "the greatest story ever told as it has never been told before. This Jesus didn't come to die for our sins. He came here to kill for vengeance. Featuring goblin queens, evil wizards, three-headed wise men, and blood...lots of blood" starring Billy Prinsell as Jesus, Emily Fleming as Mary Magdalene, Nick Naney as Satanna Goblin Queen of Hades, Christi Chiello as The Virgin Mary, Matt Maragno as Pontius Pilate, David Agyekum as The Pharisee, and David Orshan as Boy Jesus performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Youth Pastor Brad Austin: Jesus the Barbarian
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Keith and the Girl are the guests at both a That's the Show taping hosted by Danny Hatch and a Bottoms Up with Hennessy taping hosted by Lauren Hennessy at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Keith and the Girl Double-Bill
8:00 pm ($10): Two PIT upstairs theatre improv groups making up a musical on the spot, one with sharpness and the other with a friendly greeting: Dagger and Hello
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($30 & 2-drink min.) A cast member for four seasons of Saturday Night Live who's also performed on Conan O'Brien, MTV, VH1, and feature films, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jim Breuer
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, improv troupe Salmon Diane, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Shannon O'Neill, Silvija Ozols, Jordan Klepper, Connor Ratliff, Don Fanelli, Will Hines, and/or Michael Delaney forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, Abra Tabak, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Taylor Clark, Dustin Wesley, Kevin Kataoka, Hugh Moore, Chris Locke, and Molly Austin performing at this free weekly show at Brooklyn's The Cobra Club (6 Wyckoff Avenue) hosted by Erik Bergstrom, Ben Kronberg, and/or John F. O'Donnell: Live From Outer Space
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show) talks about his love/hate affair with New York City in this blend of storytelling and stand-up at the PIT upstairs theatre: Christian Finnegan’s The Gorgeous Mosaic
9:30 pm ($10): Two PIT upstairs theatre improv groups making up a musical on the spot, one with sharpness and the other with a friendly greeting: Dagger and Hello
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Todd Seavey (host of Dionysium Events), Siobhan Beasley (United Nations), Robert A. George (New York Post), Lucas Zachary Hazlett (MTV), Geoff Grimwood (Fake Church), Whitney Meers (TruTV), Meg Griffiths Anderson (The Baldwins), David Kimball-Stanley (The Last Show), Tim Wainwright (Christianity Today), and host Nate Starkey (Big Black Car, Starkey & Grace) gather to make fun of politics at The PIT downstairs lounge: Electoral Dysfunction
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Superb improvisors Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Dan Klein, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and/or Conner O'Malley—who this year defeated The Stepfathers and thoroughly crushed another troupe at Cage Match before losing by a single vote—make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
10:30 pm ($10): Daniel Koren (Emmy nominated), Nat Towsen (host of The Moon Show), Boris Khaykin, and Brandon Scott Wolf performing stand-up, sketch, storytelling, or improv at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D'Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Kelly Hudson, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Remarkable comic/filmmaker/event-maker Mark Malkoff (Jay Leno, Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, NPR) and the Emily Danger Band are interviewed at a late night talk show hosted by Jamie LeeLo at The PIT upstairs theatre: Brunch Night
11:30 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from an old timey show biz perspective at The Magnet theatre: Listen, Kid!
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A hilarious collection of oddball sketch characters posing as "the worst families in America," plus over-the-top celebrity impersonations, from a small army of comics performing at UCB Chelsea hosted by wonderful comics Riley Soloner & Jason Saenz: Late Night Trash
Midnight ($5): "A live monthly comedy game show in which three contestants participate in a battle of wits and knowledge for the chance to win a grand prize of 20 American dollars" at UCB East hosted by Ryan Simmons: Everyone's Favorite Game Show
Friday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 1 hour. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with host Eli Sairs: The Orphanage
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Attend to perform improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge, with a weekly rotating selection of formats and hosts: Happy Hour
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Sarah Tollemache and/or Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Open Mic
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 4/19/14
Amy Schumer is among the stand-ups at Dave Attell’s
Comedy Underground at 1:00 am on Comedy Central
Ace storytellers Ophira Eisenberg (above), Kevin Allison, Myq Kaplan, and more talk about awkward sex at
What's My Name? Live;
it's the last night to catch Jim Breuer headline at the Gotham Comedy Club
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Chemda of Keith and the Girl hosts the What's My Name show with the following superb comics talking about awkward sex moments: Ophira Eisenberg, Myq Kaplan, Kevin Allison, Christian Finnegan, Katharine Heller, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: What's My Name? Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Ted Alexandro, Mark Normand, Gregg Rogell, Greer Barnes, Ralph Harris, and Lynne Koplitz at the 7:00 show; Kevin Meaney, Mark Normand, Ben Bailey, Greer Barnes, Lenny Marcus, Lynne Koplitz, and Keith Robinson at the 8:45 show; Kevin Meaney, Mark Normand, Ben Bailey, Greer Barnes, Lynne Koplitz, and Keith Robinson at the 10:30 show; and Dave Attell, Mark Normand, Greer Barnes, James Smith, Dan Soder, and Mike Vecchione at the 12:15 show, with four of the shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 7:15 and 9:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Saturday
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (possibly 9:00 pm only), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Marc Theobald (Comedy Central), and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
7:30 pm ($10): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, and more at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
7:30 pm ($10): Sharp Magnet improvisors "perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:" The Weave
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improvisors make up a religion based on an audience suggestion—e.g., The Church of the Carrot, The Church of Crime—and then make up hymns, readings, sermons, sacraments, and more on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Fake Church
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Big Black Car (which includes Chris Grace, Nate Starkey, and Ashley Ward) and The Baldwins (which includes Micah Sherman Brigid Boyle, and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: BBC and The Baldwins
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($30 & 2-drink min.) A cast member for four seasons of Saturday Night Live who's also performed on Conan O'Brien, MTV, VH1, and feature films, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jim Breuer
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and/or Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite
[FREE] 8:30 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) hosted by Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here): Comedy at Irish Exit
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
9:00 pm ($10): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show) talks about his love/hate affair with New York City in this blend of storytelling and stand-up at the PIT upstairs theatre: Christian Finnegan’s The Gorgeous Mosaic
9:30 pm ($8): An improv double-bill: Nick Carrillo, Langston Belton, and Devin James Heater perform a post-apocalyptic improvised comedy exploring the relationship of three men trapped in a Generic Underground Shelter, while David Rysdahl & Paul Gutkowski perform monoscenes, at The PIT downstairs lounge: G.U.S. and Albino Sunburned Girl
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern, Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Tracey Wigfield (writer for 30 Rock), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Aaron Jackson (Newsadoozies), and more form an improv troupe at UCB East that won this year's prestigious Cage Match championship by springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): 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 West Village's Soho Playhouse: The Complete Performer
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Gay and lesbian comedy at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Michelle Delgado: Queer in the Cave
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups take a comedic look at the world's problems at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Tom Dillon: Love, Poverty, and War
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv group Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—takes your written secrets and turns them into very funny improv scenes: Grandma's Ashes: We Won't Tell
[TOP PICK] [$] 11:00 pm ($15 at the door or $11.34 online): "Musical sketch comedy that skewers and dissects pop culture one roll of the dice at at time" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Pop Roulette
10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Sketch comedy that aims to have you "laughing until blood pours out of your throat and eyes and you die and you go to hell and you're like 'god damn that was worth it!' to Satan and he'll be like 'Yeah, I know, I was there, it was dope'" at the UCB East theatre: O.S.F.U.G. A Fast Fuckin' Sketch Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Women and gay men perform comedy as straight men for this unique show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Scott Talentt: Dudes Being Dudes Being Dudes
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Michelle Wolf (staff writer for Seth Meyers; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon, MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), Ashley Brooke Roberts (co-host of The Dream Show), Myka Fox, and more performing stand-up or sketch at UCB Chelsea with hosts Andy Rocco & Steven Slate: Underground Americana
Saturday Open Mics and Jams
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show ("starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one") at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Walk-in open mic comedy show—stand-up, character, or funny story—providing 5 minutes per comic at The Fifth Estate Bar (506 5th Avenue, off 12th Street) hosted by Meghan O'Keefe: Open Mic-hael Douglas
5:30 pm ($5): Walk-in open mic, with sign-up at 5:15 pm and each stand-up performing for 5 minutes, at the Comedy Village Comedy Club (107 MacDougal Street): Comedy Village
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 4/20/14
TV Alert: After Game of Thrones, tune into Comedy Central at 10:00 pm for
a new hour-long stand-up special from Tracy Morgan: Bona Fide
After a 5-year run, RG Daniels closes the curtains on his weekly show Sunday Night Stand-Up:
and 4/20,
the Christmas for stoners, is celebrated at
The 4/20 Easter Show
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Chris Gethard, and occasionally network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
7:30 pm ($7): "A sketch show that combines the delightful magic of 4/20 with the wonder of Easter. Mmmm...Cadbury Eggs" at The Magnet theatre: The 4/20 Easter Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE; plus FREE STUFF] 8:00 pm: After a weekly 5-year run, RG Daniels is closing the lights on this stand-up show that's been a staple of Sunday NYC comedy. Comics helping him close the curtains include the Reformed Whores, Jono Zalay, Harry Terjanian, and Miguel Dalmau; plus RG will be handing out "a ton of stuff during the show—drinks, books, comedy merch, and maybe some crap I have laying about my apartment" at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up: The Final Show
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's), Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Today Show, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book being made into movie Screw Everyone), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim), Alice Wetterlund, Andrew Sleighter, and Steve Forrest performing at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00, 9:45 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Kevin Meaney, Hannibal Buress, Nick Griffin, Ryan Hamilton, and Lynne Koplitz at the 8:00 show; Todd Barry, Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, Gregg Rogell, Marina Franklin, and Lynne Koplitz at the 9:45 show; and Nikki Glaser, Kurt Metzger, Joe List, and Chris Distefano at the 11:30 show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Sunday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Josh Gondelman (staff writer for HBO's Last Week With John Oliver), Starlee Kine (sharp storyteller; NPR's This American Life), and Dan Roth (blogger for the SyFy Channel) performing stand-up or storytelling at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Mara Wilson (former child star): What Are You Afraid Of?
[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($10 online using discount code GRIFT; no min.): Mark Normand (hilarious red-hot rising star; Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; opens for Amy Schumer; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!), Phil Hanley (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), Nimesh Patel (co-host of Broken Comedy), Subhah Agarwal, and Luis J. Gomez performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Mark Normand and More
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb guest improvisors Micah Sherman, Doug Stoley, and Philip Markie, guest improv groups G.U.S. and The Quitters, and host Skycopter (which includes the incredible David Carl), make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Live stage readings of popular Saved By The Bell episodes, with each cast member allowed an optional 3-minute Zack Morris style "time out" for episode-specific stand-up or a fan fiction bonus scene at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Bayside Myself
8:00 pm ($10, or FREE with student ID from any comedy school): All-female character & sketch comedy, featuring Sharon Spell, Shalyah Elizabeth, Katie Kester, and Dara Katz performing at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Carly Ann Filbin: Lady Parts
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically terrific stand-ups (not announced) performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) typically hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central specials Animal Furnace and Live From Chicago): Comedy Night
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Marc Theobald (Comedy Central), and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Joel Walkowski, Taylor Clark, Tynan DeLong, Seth Cockfield, and John F. O'Donnell performing at the East Village's Beauty Bar for this free weekly stand-up show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at Beauty Bar
Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer
6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic's 5-minute set at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop
[ALMOST FREE] 5:00 pm ($1): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam
9:30 pm ($3): Open-mic comedy, with 2 minutes per walk-in performer picked at random from a bucket of names, at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jonathan Morvay and/or Evan Williams: Child Support
[FREE] 10:00 pm: The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)
Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)
Copyright © 2014 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com