NYC Comedy Picks for Week of April 18, 2011

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 4/18/11

Morgan Murphy in one of her last NYC appearances (Whiplash), NYC treasure Chris Gethard (Hot Tub Variety)...

...and Janeane Garofalo, Maureen Langan, Jordan Klepper & Laura Grey, and much more at Morrison Motel

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Comedy veterans Miriam Tolan (The Daily Show), Jodi Lennon (Exit 57), and Ari Voukydis perform an improvised play in What a Year!

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Phoebe Robinson (The Daily News, The New York Times), Liz Miele (Comedy Central), Jay Nog (AMC), Justin Murray, Emma Willman, and Frank Liotti performing stand-up at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub guest-hosted by Ray Marshall (because Phoebe can stick around for only part of her show tonight): Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake and UCBT's The Chris Gethard Show; Magic Box of Stories, The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of book Weird New York; winner of 2011 ECNY Award for Best Tweeter), Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, VH1), Serious Lunch (winner of 2011 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group), and Hallie Haglund (writer for The Daily Show) performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from a duo who between them won four 2011 ECNY Awards—including Best Variety Show and Best Hosts—Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two of the finest improvisors on the planet, Christina Gausas (Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report, Let's Have a Ball, Adsit & Gausas) and Becky Drysdale (Baby Wants Candy, Let's Have a Ball), are new improv duo Drysdale & Gausas

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($15, which includes 1 drink, if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $20]; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Movie & TV star Janeane Garofalo, Maureen Langan (HBO, Joy Behar Show, ABC News, FOX, MSNBC, WE, The Onion; 2009 MAC Award for Best Female Comic), Jamie Kilstein (Huffington Post; co-host of Citizen Radio), Jordan Klepper & Laura Grey (Second City, Baggage at UCBT), Liam McEneaney (Comedy Central, VH1's Best Week Ever, host of Tell Your Friends), and Raquel D'Apice (writes blog titled The Ugly Volvo; for touching video about lesbians who met in Eastern Europe, please click here) performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison's Morrison Motel

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Alessandro King & Kevin Cobbs parody show biz in the sketch show Listen, Kid! ; plus in the second half of this double-bill, improv from Dustin Drury & Andrew Yurman-Glaser that captures the laid-back feel of Upstate New York

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's finest house sketch comedy troupes, Arbuckle and Stone Cold Fox, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Alternately raunchy & touching singer/songwriter Ben Lerman, and stand-ups Hilary Schwartz, Evon Cambell, Selena Coppock, Andy Klieman, Miguel Dalmau, Joe Fury, and Zack and Zack, performing at Pat O'Shea's free weekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid

9:30 pm ($5): This showcase for the wonderful Jen Nails' Do It Yourself class tonight features "the story of a starstruck, motherless girl being raised in the South by a father born before women had the right to vote and a grandmother born before the invention of the automobile; part memoir, part escapist fantasy, this is the story of how she sets herself free:" Untied

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the world—who tonight include Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show) and Morgan Murphy (fresh, original, and fearlessly dark; The Comedians of Comedy; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; ore of the last chances to catch Morgan before she moves back to LA)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you're an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). If you're a comic who couldn't get booked on UCBT's all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this stand-up open mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 4/19/11

Stellar stand-ups Leo Allen and Hannibal Buress (above), plus hilarious storyteller Adam Wade, at Brooklyn's The Moon Show...

...while Colin Quinn is at Sweet and Todd Barry is at Tell Your Friends

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in New York—Kate McKinnon, Neil Casey, Leslie Meisel, and more—preview shows they'll be performing on the prestigiious UCBT schedule over the coming weeks at UCBT'S Spring Showcase

7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors play themselves on stage (similar to Naked in a Fishbowl) in Self Image; and in the second half of this double-bill, Jenny Dunne and Rick Andrews improvise a single moment in two characters' lives again and again, exploring three parallel realities, and the difference that a look or tone can make, in The Cascade

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Todd Barry (HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), and more performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creator Chris Hastings (Dr. McNinjas) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BIRBIG): One of the finest comics in the country, Mike Birbiglia's credits include the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live; the book Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories; and his hit off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me. Mike's now returned to the stage, once again creating his unique blend of stand-up and storytelling, for an all-new one-man show at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop) slated to run through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes CAPTCHA, Badman, Sandino, Ragnaröck, and Standard Oil, and at 11:00 pm UCBT improv students performing with Harold Night veterans at The Lottery—all at Harold Night

8:00 pm ($10): The worlds of "magic, mind-reading, and mutilation" are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Thoroughly wonderful guests Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here), musical guest Kenny Pickett, and more performing at Brooklyn's The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

8:30 pm ($5): In this double-bill, each of two of The Magnet's singing improv troupes will make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Rebound and The Sound & the Fury

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Colin Quinn (too many credits to name; Colin's recent Broadway show Long Story Short is now playing on HBO), Will Miles (stand-up visiting from Chicago), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:30 pm ($5): An improv troupe I haven't yet seen but has received acclaim: The Chainsaw Boys

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free show, audience members can join in with veteran musical improv talents to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 4/20/11

4/20, the Christmas for stoners, is celebrated tonight at shows including Gracie's Afternoon Playhouse,
The Law Firm & Death by Roo Roo Go to White Castle 3D, and The Rejection 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:

[FREE] 2:00 pm: "Something worth watching. Could be a movie, or a TV show. Might be populist and unapologetically entertaining, or hard to find and harder to understand. But you will always leave saying, 'I am glad that I saw that.'" Hosted by The PIT's Chris Grace, today's free comedy film at Gracie's Afternoon Playhouse honors the stoner theme of 4/20: Dazed and Confused

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT's Super Free Wednesday

7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two of the finest improv troupes in NYC make stuff up while honoring today's stoner holiday. Is their tribute simulated or real? Come and decide for yourself at The Law Firm & Death By Roo Roo Go to White Castle 3D

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Scientists, writers, and/or nerds Ryan Britt (author and science fiction blogger for Tor.com), David Morgan (Professor of Physics), Aaron Wolfe (film Editor, writer, and musician), April Salazar (writer), Colin Dempsey (singer/songwriter), Michele Carlo (storyteller), and host Ben Lillie tell funny tales at this monthly show that tonight focuses on Science Fiction at Brooklyn's Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue): The Story Collider

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm doors ($5—which includes a free drink!): A special invitation-only party that seats at 8:30 and rocks on at 9:00 behind locked doors, with "secret special guests," at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): This show features top comics sharing material that was turned down and the stories behind them. At tonight's special 4/20 edition, "some of NYC's finest stand-up tell jokes that were written under the influence, jokes they thought were funnier when they were high, 420-related humor, and/or general absurdity appealing to the pothead in all of us"—at Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Ben Lerman (wonderful raunchy singer/songwriter), Jessimae Peluso (TruTV's All Worked Up), and Selena Coppock performing at the Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge (542 Tenth Avenue, between 45th & 46th Streets) for a gay-themed show hosted by Adam Sank: That Sank Show

[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 4/21/11

Leslie Meisel masterfully walks a fine line between sexy and funny in Love Can Suck a Dick...and So Can I

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

...and in the other half of this double-bill, Seth Kirschner (30 Rock, Lipstick Jungle) plays every character in a half-hour one-man TV episode parodying 90s sitcoms titled Sertainly Seth

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Terrific sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (Leah Rudick and Katie Hartman) host a comedy variety show, with tonight's wonderful guests Adira Amram (fresh, sexy, hilarious 2011 ECNY Award winner for Best Musical Act), Jared Logan (rising star stand-up; Comedy Central), Carolyn Castiglia (VH1's White Rapper, and superb stand-up), and John Murdock performing at The PIT's basement lounge: Daddy's Basement: A Comedy Variety Freakshow

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Some of NYC's top comedic singer/songwriters—Corn Mo, Kimmy Gatewood, Ben Lerman, and Amy Miles—plus ace sketch/improv comic Matt Higgins performing haiku and Joe Schiappa doing poetry—will rock the house in a show hosted by Nathan Phillips: Dealing With My Feelings

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An hour of improv directed by Magnet Theatre co-owner Armando Diaz: Evente

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BIRBIG): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comicss in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live.

But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he's developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous hit off-Broadway show Sleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he's raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted) price is less than the cost of a comedy club, and it'll buy you one of the richest experiences you're ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what's truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

[$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A veteran comedic actor in both TV and feature films headlining through Sunday at Carolines: John Witherspoon

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, terrific raunchy singer/songwriter Ben Lerman, Sharon Spell (host of Shrink), and Rob O'Reilly performing at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for a show hosted by Sean Crespo & Dan Wilbur, and produced by Carol Hartsell: Lasers in the Jungle

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Kurt Metzger (Comedy Central's Ugly Americans), Lynn Koplitz (WETV's Joan Knows Best), and more performing at Comedy Below Canal

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and guest-host Ben Kissel (while Sean Patton shares his gifts with other cities): Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard

9:30 pm ($5): "Using an ad on Craigslist, best friends Dave Ahdoot & Ethan Fixell challenged pairs of women to double-date them, and documented the comical results for YouTubers everywhere. Two hundred dates later, their experiences have been translated into comedic reenactments, songs, and valuable lessons in everything from dancing to kissing. Tonight the dating experts return after a 50-date national college tour just in time for Dave's birthday at Dave and Ethan, Dating Coaches: Birthday Party!

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Top improvisors, including Jordan Klepper & Laura Grey, Swords, and Doppelganger make up one-act plays on the spot in The Scene

[$] 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): Mountains will tremble and the oceans will boil as reining improv champion The Law Firm goes up against one of the greatest improv troupes of all time, the mighty Death by Roo Roo, competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 4/22/11

Breathtaking improv genius Joe Bill will likely put on one of the finest shows you'll ever see at Lights Out, Shirley!,
while the unsinkable Mamrie Hart will use silliness to let her star potential shine at BoF: It's Pronounced 'Boaf'!

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 ($8): Award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with "a celebrity guest improvisor' at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

7:00 pm ($10): An NYC improv troupe, headed by Duncan Murdoch, making up scenes following not only an audience suggestion but the riffs of an instrumental jazz quartet: FACE

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Mamrie Hart is a rising star who somehow manages to be razor-sharp and immensely warm & accessible at the same time—and is always worth catching. Her show tonight with sketch partner Stephen Soroka is more sweet & silly than hilarious, but come to have luminous Mamrie make you smile at BoF: It's Pronounced 'Boaf'!; and in the other half of this double-bill, a sketch show from duo Two Fun Men

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($49.50): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live.

But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he's developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hit Sleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he's raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $49.50 price is about what you'd pay at a comedy club...and it'll buy you one of the richest experiences you're ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what's truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

[$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A veteran comedic actor in both TV and feature films headlining through Sunday at Carolines: John Witherspoon

8:00 pm ($7): "In March of 2009 a gaggle of performers were born. Some died, some wandered off into the woods, others went to work in the private sector. Those that remained grew strong by feeding on the nectar of specific choices and the gruel of strong character work. The 2-year-old terror that exists today is akin to watching a Tsunami of hair and teeth attack a baby Blue Whale and destroy it with the will of a thousand hungry Burnese Mountain Dogs. What does it all mean? We don't know." In other words, improv from Chet Watkins

8:00 pm ($8): An improv troupe that spins its scenes out of music and dance: Borealis

[FREE] 8:00 pm: "Where there is a stage and a piano, she will be there. Where there are strangers with embarrassing stories, she will be there. Where there is a group of people willing to sit and watch someone make up songs, she will be there. A one-woman musical improv journey through the lives of the audience. You tell the story, Rebecca Vigil sings the soundtrack:" The Vigilante

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Stand-ups Emma Willmann, Josh Guarino, Dan Russell, Meghan Hanley, Carrie Gravenson, and more performing at Brooklyn's The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) with hosts Calvin S. Cato, Justin Murray, and Chad Plaines: The Pregame Comedy Show

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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Ace improvisors who are married—some to each other—including such world-class talents as Ed Herbstman and Doug Moe: The Mamas and the Papas

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches: The Harvard Sailing Team

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Comedy genius Thomas Middleditch (when he's not in LA), Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

11:00 pm ($5): Improvised scenes based on the "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist at Missed Connections Two-Prov

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): One of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre) spearheads a breathtakingly brilliant group of improvisors from Chicago and New York who'll blow the roof off at this spectacular monthly show that offers lightning-quick dark comedy unlike anything else in NYC. The other players are Jodi Lennon (Comedy Central's Exit 57), Ari Voukydis (UCB instructor, VH!'s Best Week Ever), Doug Stoley (Conan O'Brien, UCB), Rick Andrews (Magnet performer), Mark Grenier (Magnet instructor), Jen Sanders (Magnet performer), and Chet Siegel (Magnet performer). The show I caught last month was one of the finest comedy hours I've ever been lucky enough to experience (but no pressure, Joe; am just sayin'....). You don't want to miss Lights Out, Shirley!

Midnight ($5): Three NYC sketch troupes—Patrick & Adam of College Humor, Free Love Forum, and duo Rue Brutalia—each performing one of their most popular bits and one of their personal favorites in a sketch revue hosted by Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 4/23/11

A legendary midnight show returns to UCBT, complete with original co-host Gil Ozeri: The Dirtiest Sketch in NYC Contest;
and Sara Benincasa hosts her monthly less-than-wholesome storytelling event Family Hour

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 4:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($49.50): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he's developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hit Sleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he's raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $49.50 price is about what you'd pay at a comedy club...and it'll buy you one of the richest experiences you're ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what's truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8; includes free cookies): NYC stand-ups & storytellers Dan St. Germain, Emily Epstein, Beth Hoyt, H. Alan Scott, and Griffin Newman telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives for a show hosted by Sara Benincasa (CBS, CNN, MTV, The Sarah Palin Vlogs): Family Hour with Auntie Sara

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Anthony King, Christina Gausas, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, and more—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors who've included writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball

[$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A veteran comedic actor in both TV and feature films headlining through Sunday at Carolines: John Witherspoon

[FREE—plus FREE BEER!] 8:30 pm: A variety show of stand-up, storytelling, and sketch that's not only free, but promises to give each of the first 25 audience members who arrive a free beer! Unfortunately, the lineup hasn't been announced; but if you'd care to take a chance, join hosts Ray Combs Jr., Evan Jacobs, and Aalap Patel as they provide you a drink On the House

[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—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

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

9:30 pm ($10): "A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics," following sold out shows at Joe's Pub: Political Subversities

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code SBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event by catching tonight's edition of Baby Wants Candy

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Comedic storytelling from Allison Downey, Nisse Greenberg, Ariel Karlin , and Bodger Millerdace at The PIT's basement lounge on the topic of The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to be Cool

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King interviews an audience member about where he or she grew up and then creates an entire show based on the mini-bio: The Curfew: Not From Around Here

10:30 pm ($7): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike

[FREE] 11:45 pm : A weekly chance for you to shine, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form "rare and wonderful one-night-only teams," with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): An open contest to see who can create the most shockingly funny & filthy sketch running three minutes or less. If you're easily offended, don't even consider attending; but if you appreciate comedy that pushes the envelope without hurting anyone (with the possible exception of prudes), you'll applaud this wild, uninhibited breaking of taboos to get laughs. If a routine is dreadful (many will be), the festivities will be maintained by witty hosts Gil Ozeri, John Flynn, and John Frusciante at The Dirtiest Sketch in NYC Contest

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 4/17/11

Catch hilarious & transcendent comedic theatre today from Faye Lane or Mike Birbiglia

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 4:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; and the comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he's developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hit Sleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he's raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted via code BOX) price is about what you'd pay at a comedy club...and it'll buy you one of the richest experiences you're ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what's truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 5:00 pm ($18.50 online using discount code ADVANCE ): One of the very best shows at FringeNYC 2010 was an award-winning comedy from NYC's own Faye Lane, a luminous storyteller and singer who will charm your socks off—and possibly give you a moon pie to boot—at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club. This marvelous event recently received a 2011 Bistro Award for Musical Comedy and a nomination for the 2011 MAC Award for Special Production. Please read my review by clicking here, watch Faye make a pecan pie by clicking here, and then take advantage of this revival running Sundays through May to experience the hilarious and unforgettable Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys), Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Totally J/K; author of new book Look at This F*cking Hipster), and Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Ben Lerman (sweetly raunchy singer/songwriter), and NYC stand-ups Liz Miele (Comedy Central), Rob O'Reilly (Jay Leno), and Charlie Kasov, performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A veteran comedic actor in both TV and feature films headlining through Sunday at Carolines: John Witherspoon

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Alycia Cooper, Harrison Greenbaum, and Trevor Williams performing at The PIT's downstairs lounge for a free weekly show hosted by Chris Grace and Sean Donnelly: Cold Soda Comedy

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Comedy Central), and stand-ups Gabe Pacheco, Kevin Barnett, and Corey Manning performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) guest-hosted by Jeffrey Joseph: Comedy Night

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Brian Barry (Star Search), Harriet Halloway (Logo's Laughing Matters), and Allison Castillo performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy guest-hosted by this show's founder, Adam Sank: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 4 minutes per comic, at The PIT's downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

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