NYC Comedy Picks for Week of April 25, 2011

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 4/25/11

Maggie Lacey and Julie Sharbutt are among the luminous stars performing at Gravid Water...

...and stellar comics Moshe Kasher, Jessi Klein, and Myq Kaplan will gesture wildly tonight at Whiplash

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: Comics perform their best character bits in auditions for selection to the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival: Just for Laughs Character Showcase

[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: NYC stand-ups Alexis Guerreros (Long Story Short podcast), Billy Keenly (member of Serious Lunch, winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group), Harriet Halloway, Benji Aflao, and Jay Nog (AMC's Date Night) performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Broadway & off-Broadway stars Carson Elrod (Broadway's Noises Off and Reckless, hit movie Wedding Crashers), Dana Eskelson (Definitely Maybe, The Brave One), Jennifer Grace (award-winning Our Town), Maggie Lacey (Broadway's Dividing the Estate, Inherit The Wind, Our Town), Michael Patrick O'Brien (Misled; NBC's Saturday Night Live), and Julie Sharbutt (Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night) mixing it up with some of the best improvisors in the world—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel, John & Scott), Tara Copeland (Baby Wants Candy, Mother, The Other Guys), Michael Delaney (Conan O'Brien, The Other Guys, The Stepfathers), and John Lutz (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, John & Scott)—as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Jenny Slate (cast member of SNL, HBO's Bored to Death), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), and John Elliott (musical guest visiting from LA) 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

8:00 pm ($5): Robert King performing a one-man show about growing up biracial: Halfrican American

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): World-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-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) hosts a show that's "like watching the characters of The Wonder Years and Freaks & Geeks all grown up and telling coming-of-age tales of love, lost, regret, and redemption," with tonight's yarn-spinners Peter Aguero, Andy Ross, Tommy Pryor, Maya Genis, and Jake Goldman: Adam Wade's Whatever Happened to the Nerds?

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

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Brooklyn's Freddy's Bar (627 Fifth Avenue; take R subway to Prospect Avenue) for this free weekly show hosted by Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; TLC, blogger for trutV; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy

9:30 pm ($5): This showcase for the wonderful Jen Nails' Do It Yourself class tonight features "Marla's life, her relationship to her doppelganger Sherman The Portuguese Water Dog, and how a prescription drug helped them survive their family:" A Little Bit of Ativan

10:00 pm ($5): Improv is dominated by guys, so this is a rare treat—a dozen female improvisors "for an evening of comedy that will delight men, women, babies, and kittens," hosted by Megan Gray: We Might Just Kiss

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the world—who tonight include Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Moshe Kasher (Comedy Central, Chelsea Lately, IFC), and Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner)—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 4/26/11

Storyteller Cyndi Freeman (The Standard Issues) and stand-up Joe DeRosa (Sweet)

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 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] 8:00 pm ($5): Host Cyndi Freeman and fellow storytellers Becky Flaum, Erin Barker, Steven Berkowitz, Joanne Solomon, and Brad Lawrence tell tales about this month's topic, television, at Brooklyn's Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue): The Standard Issues: TV

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): "Jonathan Blank and Samara Doucette say what everyone else thinks on dates, but never says... so join them and guest comedians as they divulge all of their wildest and most embarrassing dating stories! This monthly storytelling show contains the truth and nothing but the truth. However, most of the stories are more surreal than if David Lynch directed romantic comedies. Everything from wild hookups to emotional breakups are on the table at This is Awkward

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

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

8:00 pm ($5): Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), stand-up Jen Perney, musical guest Eden & John's East River Street Band, and more performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

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: BEEES! and Tambourine

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, co-host of Righteous Kill, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Jared Logan (hilarious rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches: The Harvard Sailing Team; plus in the other half of this double-bill, Brigham Young University's premiere G-rated sketch troupe Divine Comedy

[FREE] 9:30 pm: D&D-style epic fantasy improv led by a Dungeon Master

[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 4/27/11

Christian Finnegan (John and Molly Get Along and That Sank Show) and Julian McCullough (Totally J/K)

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 film is a seminal and fascinating 1994 documentary (though not actually funny...): Hoop Dreams

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): Brilliantly talented cartoonists for The New Yorker and national comic strips compete for audience applause as they employ their quick wits and drawing skills to meet various comedic challenges in this wonderful show featuring David Borchart, Matt Diffee, Zach Kanin, and David Sipress—plus a musical guest—hosted by cartoonist David Rees—all at Fisticuffs!

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] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Molly Knefel (member of superb improv troupe Naked in a Fishbowl) and her brother John Knefel (veteran stand-up) host this monthly comedy show, with tonight's guests 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), Ben Lerman (endearingly raunchy singer/songwriter), John Flynn (superb storyteller; The Nights of Our Lives), and Katina Corrao (Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): John and Molly Get Along

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), and Kevin Barnett (College Humor) joining best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): Moshe Kasher (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, Chelsea Lately), Thomas Dale (NBC's Stand Up For Diversity), and sketch duo Rue Brittalia performing at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Paul Mecurio (The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Will Hines (UCBT superstar), Joe Garden (The Onion Features Editor, co-author of The Dangerous Book For Dogs and The Devious Book For Cats), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Carrie Gravenson (Disruptive Influence), and Michele Carlo (The Moth) performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn, Jon Gabrus, Dan St. Germain, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight's theme Luck: The Nights of Our Lives

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: 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), Joanna Ross (Broadway's Footloose, 2011 Women in Comedy Festival), and Shawn Hollenbach (Here-TV's Hot Gay Comics) 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] 11:00 pm ($5): Former & current Saturday Night Live writers and performers trained in Chicago do long-form improv at Comiskey

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 4/28/11

A genius comedic actress who may make you scream with laughter debuts her latest one-woman show Kate McKinnon on Ice

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] 6:30 pm ($5): One of the most talented and hilarious sketch comics in the biz debuts her newest one-woman show, which I'm enormously looking forward to catching: Kate McKinnon on ice; and in case that wasn't more than enough for your $5, a fun musical trio will audition for a UCBT run: Thin Skin Johnny

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and pitch-perfect impressionist who's also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): This revival of one of my all-time favorite UCBT shows involves a group of stellar comics taking an audience suggestion and, while sipping beers, telling personal tales related to it—with an emphasis on the ribald and ridiculous, just like what you'd want to hear from your friends while hanging out at a bar. The yarn spinning is great fun; but on top of that, when the performers hear a story that especially tickles them, they'll jump up and instantly create scenes revolving around it. And because these talents are razor-sharp improvisors, the results are hilarious. My one concern is that this show used to include world-class storyteller Chris Gethard—whenever Chris opened his mouth, everyone else went dead silent as if God was about to speak. (Yes, Chris is that respected by his peers.) I don't see Chris on the lineup tonight, so the show might be a little light on the storytelling side; but on the other hand, it includes improv geniuses such as Anthony King, Gavin Speiller, and Pam Murphy, so it's definitely worth checking out Happy Hour

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Alicia Levy performing a one-woman rock concert, complete with a talented band. Alicia's energy is admirable, but she needs to learn to balance that with organic nuance rather than make everything unremittingly over the top. Still, this is worth catching for Alicia's very entertaining parodies of Tori Amos, Macy Gray, and Cyndi Lauper, and some memorable costumes: Chickapalooza

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

[$] 8:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who's done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Superb NYC stand-ups Julian McCullough, Kurt Braunohler, Mindy Raf, Helen Hong, and Jess Wood 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

9:30 pm ($5): If you're a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can get a behind-the-scenes peak—plus comics Streeter Seidell, Jeff Rubin, Adam Lowitt, Hallie Cantor, and more—at CollegeHumor Live

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), 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), Marc Sam Rosenthal (stellar one-man show Blanche Survives Katrina in a Fema Trailer Named Desire), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), and Bodger Millerd—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight's theme Trust at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Top improvisors, including Jordan Klepper & Laura Grey, Swords, and Doppelganger make up one-act plays on the spot in The Scene

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): One of the greatest improv troupes of all time, the mighty Death by Roo Roo, competing with troupe CAPTCHA for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 4/29/11

Please see Pam Murphy's show tonight. Click Sadie's photo (above right), and then reserve your tickets for The C Word.
Please.

...and also catch tonight's 10:30 Carolines show from movie star & brilliant impressionist Kevin Pollak

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

7:00 pm ($5): Buoyant all-new sketch from troupe Boat

7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy about how "sometimes life turns into a storm. A storm of shit. Try not to lose your cool when it happens:" Der Storm

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($35.50 & 2-item min.): A razor-sharp comic and pitch-perfect impressionist who's also a movie star in such classics as The Usual Suspects headlining tonight and Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kevin Pollak

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Pamela Murphy's autobiographical show is written & performed with wit, grace, and pitch-perfect comedic timing. For video samples of Pam's work, please click here; and for a plea for your patronage from Pam's pooch Sadie, please click here. Don't miss Jane Borden of Time Out New York's pick for Best Solo Show of 2010: Pamela Murphy: The C Word

...and for the other half of this double-bill, Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) do a show about history's most infamous rivalries that includes putting God on stage and hitting on Her for a date: They Hated Each Other

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott performing with a three-piece rock ensemble: Centralia

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Improv duo Nathan Phillips & Joe Schiappa, plus guests, make stuff up using unusual improv structures for this free event at The PIT's downstairs lounge: The Nathan & Joe Show

8:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy interwoven with a live band: Citizen Models

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Scott Moran, Jason Good, Nick Turner, Selena Coppock, and Joe Zimmerman performing at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Tim Warner, Christie Walsh, Adam Chisnall, Gabe Pacheco, and Miguel Dalmau performing at Brooklyn's The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) with hosts Calvin S. Cato, Justin Murray, and Chad Plaines: The Pregame Comedy Show

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who's done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

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

9:00 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

[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 a n audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Improv based on an adult party game "that mixes charades and Pictionary, but with sexy terms. This show turns sections of the audience into teams so everyone can play, as their team leaders race to draw or act hilarious terms" at The PIT's downstairs lounge: Sexy Slang Live

[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

11:30 pm ($5): Five women performing an improvised, and possibly tipsy, parody of The View at Focus

Midnight ($5): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches from troupe FUCT

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Hammerkatz NYU and Casual Sex Offenders compete for audience laughs and votes, with troupe Sidecar hosting, in Backyard Brawl

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 4/30/11

This is the last night to catch movie star & hilarious impressionist Kevin Pollak headlining at Carolines;
and the second of four nights to see acclaimed Chicago improv duo TJ & Dave

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

7:00 pm ($8): Sketches about unresolved issues from troupe The Foolhardy Manor

[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

7:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Mark Grenier, Louis Kornfeld, and Charlie Whitcroft making up a play on the spot in Theory of Everything

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up and impressionist who's done a one-hour Comedy Central special, and performed on Jay Leno and Mad TV, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[FREE—plus FREE BEER!] 8:00 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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 [vs. $20] online or at the box office with discount code TJD15): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are a widely acclaimed improv duo. This is the second evening of a four-night run at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

[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: All-gal improv from Jennifer Bild, Christine DeNoon, Julianne Dunn, and Brandy Mitchell: Goldie and the Hawns

[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

Midnight ($5): "A fundraiser inspired by the 1990s VH1 concert series to help today's youth turn into powerful, narcissistic divas." Hosted by Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, and Tori Amos, and featuring numerous other music stars...played by such comedic talents as Ari Scott, Kate Riley, and Giula Rozzi, and directed by Caitlin Tegart. Expect some acts to fall flat, others to rise to the occasion, and memorable costumes and wigs: Divas Live: A Benefit for the Baby Diva

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 5/1/11

Stand-up giants Anthony Jeselnik and Todd Barry perform tonight at Pretty Good 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] [$] [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): Tonight's show features two of the finest stand-ups in the country: Anthony Jeselnik (one of my all-time favorite stand-ups; writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents; debut comedy CD Shakespeare) and 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). Come see them, plus Blaine Kneece and Damien Lemon, performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool for School), MC Mr. Napkins, and Harry Terjanian performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Sasheer Zamata (Doppelganger), and Nick Markovich performing at The PIT's downstairs lounge for a free weekly show hosted by Chris Grace and Sean Donnelly: Cold Soda Comedy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Brett Gelman (much-missed NYC comic who's moved to LA; don't miss seeing Brett while he's visiting back home), Baratunde Thurston, Leah Bonnema, Alycia Cooper, Nimesh Patel, and MC Mr. Napkins performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central): Comedy Night

[$] 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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, The Liar Show), Adam Lehman (HereTV’s Hot Gay Comics), and Susan Alexander performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: 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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