>NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 8/14/17
Each of us endures a lot more, and is far tougher, than is apparent from surface appearances. And that refers to not only emotional and spiritual hardships, but permanent bodily mementos. In this show, Ophira Eisenberg (one of the very finest storytellers in the country; NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here) reveals "I have a lot of scars. And I don’t mean metaphorical ones, I'm talking actual physical scars. I'm actually covered in them. This show is about my scars, filled with both comedic and tragic stories, and how to accept these patterns etched in my skin day after day after day." Opening for Ophira are storyteller Ed Gavagan (TED Talks, Moth Grandslam champion, WNYC's Moth Radio Hour) and magician Matthew Holtzclaw, with direction by Maggie Cino: Ophira Eisenberg: Scars (8:00 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...or come see Joe Mande (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, Ben on Modern Family; former writer for Parks & Recreation, Kroll Show, The Good Place, Master of None; author of book Look at This F*cking Hipster, comedy album Bitchface; Netflix's Joe Mande's Award-Winning Comedy Special) perform solo stand-up in the East Village at an early or late show tonight, or a late show tomorrow night: Joe Mande at Joe's Pub (7:30 pm & 9:30 pm tonight, 9:30 pm Tuesday; $16; Joe's Pub at 425 Lafayette Street, between East 4th Street & Astor Place)...
...or if you're a fan of Game of Thrones, check out this free weekly show in which comics Sam Halt, Sally Ann Hall, Patrick J. Reilly, and David Piccolomini discuss the final episodes of this spectacular season of GoT hosted by Nicki Wright: Panel of Thrones (7:30 pm, Free!, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)...
...or come hear tales of East Brooklyn by sharp storyteller Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages): Gastor Almonte: Raised by the East (9:30 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)
Other notable shows this Monday include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation—including at 8:00 pm the groups Thunderbuster (with ace comics Chris Booth and Jen Clark) and The Department (with the superb Dana Shulman)—all at The PIT Underground: Super Free Monday
[FREE] 6:30 pm (reserve tickets here): Female comics (not announced) "use humor and pop culture to expose the haters fighting against reproductive rights" at this free show that's part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival at The Connelly Theater (220 East 4th Street, between Avenues A & B); Lady Parts Justice League
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Erik Bergstrom (Comedy Central Half Hour, cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker), Leah Bonnema (VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Joyelle Nicole, Raghav Mehta, and Mookie Thompson perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street) guest-hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1; host of Sweet): Night Train
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5 in advance online, $10 at the door): Host Kevin Bartini (The Daily Show, Colbert Report) and friends Jay Schmidt, Jessica Bailey, and Adam Lash review movies merely by watching their previews for this recorded live podcast at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): The Movie Preview Review Podcast
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Mark Normand, Ari Shaffir, Pete Lee, and other terrific stand-ups perform for this free weekly show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($7): A gay-themed variety show featuring "special guests from the Gay Illuminati, Broadway, television, and the Drag-O-Sphere" at the UCB East theatre hosted by Timothy Dunn: Queerball
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE; reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea typically hosted by Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There): Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 8/15/17
Marina Franklin (Trainwreck, Louie, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show) tries out a solo stand-up show she plans to film later this year: Marina Franklin: Single Black Female (8:30 pm, $8 plus 2-item food/drink min., The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)...
...or come see Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit; TruTV, The Chris Gethard Show; Steve Martin's Comedy MasterClass; comedy album Good Year) host Ilana Glazer (co-star of Comedy Central red-hot hit Broad City), Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code), Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, TruTV, Playgirl Magazine, host of First Set, comedy album True Love), and Clark Jones (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit) performing stand-up or other shenanigans at Get Lit and Have Fun (9:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; PLEASE NOTE: As of Monday night, this show has SOLD OUT. If you'd like to see Ilana Glazer on Wednesday, though, please click here)...
...or experience the tale of a therapist for 20 years who gets burned out and seeks to heal herself...by going to therapy. Except it's tougher to find a shrink who can actually do her some good than she expects. This one-woman storytelling show by Jude Treder-Wolff (host of Mostly True Things) also features an opening yarn by David Crabb (author of memoir Bad Kid; two-time Moth StorySlam winner; co-host of Ask Me Stories): Jude Treder-Wolff: This Isn't Helping (9:30 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...or see Hasan Minhaj (correspondent for The Daily Show; breakthrough star performance at this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner; Netflix special Homecoming King) try out a new solo stand-up show, via late-night performances tonight and Thursday: Hasan Minhaj: Experiment Time (10:30 pm & Midnight tonight, 11:00 pm & Midnight on Thursday, $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street; PLEASE NOTE: All performances have sold out in advance; but you might still get in if you arrive early to nab a spot on the waiting list)...
...and one of our greatest stand-ups, superstar Dave Chappelle, continues to perform in NYC through August at Radio City Music Hall. Making each show unique are diverse guests, as follows:8/15: "Very Special Guest;" 8/17: Chance the Rapper; 8/18: Trevor Noah; 8/19: Childish Gambino; 8/20: Lauryn Hill; 8/23: Yasiin Bey; 8/24: Ali Wong, John Mayer, and Lil Jon (as DJ). It's all happening this month at Dave Chappelle Live (8:00 pm; ticket prices vary by seat location; Radio City Music Hall at 1260 Sixth Avenue & 50th Street)
Other notable shows this Tuesday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups—all typically led by the best improv pianist in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Tuesday
[FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) 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: Hot Soup
[FREE] 10:30 pm (Free! using online code COMP; no min.): Stand-ups pair up to brutally insult each other and then be judged for the effectiveness of their viciousness by veteran comics such as Big Jay Oakerson, Rich Vos, and Robert Kelly at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Luis J. Gomez: The RoastMasters
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 8/16/17
Ilana Glazer (co-star of Comedy Central red-hot hit Broad City) puts on both an early and late show with some comedy pals TBD in Brooklyn: Ilana Glazer and Friends (7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street;—take R subway to Union Street; PLEASE NOTE: Both performances have SOLD OUT. However, you might be able to nab a 9:30 pm ticket via the Fan Exchange)...
...Vanessa Valerio (Moth StorySlam winner) hosts this monthly stage show & podcast focused on stories of love and dating from folks around the world, as well as advice from dating experts. Tonight's episode features NYC storytellers David Crabb, Sandi Marx, Anita Flores, and Tarik Daniels, plus professional dating coach Erika Ettin (owner of A Little Nudge): Singleling with Vanessa Valerio (9:30 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...or if you prefer theatre, see Maggie Seymour & Olivia Atwood revive their acclaimed FringeNYC 2016 two-woman production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, tackling 15 characters in a wacky condensed version running just an hour that reportedly includes puppets, nerf guns, rap, song & dance, breaking the fourth wall, and lots of energy and comedic timing. If you can't catch it tonight, subsequent performances are at 8:00 pm this Friday and Saturday: 15 Villainous Fools (8:00 pm, $20, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Other notable shows this Wednesday include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm-midnight: Six hours of free improvisation—including dynamite comics Adrian Sexton and Jay Malsky in The Community Players at 7:00 pm, musical improv from group Vern (which includes superb singer & comic Julie A. Feltman) at 7:30 pm, such stellar improvisors as Pat Swearingen and Langston Belton in Hero Complex at 8:30 pm, and star instructors such as Dana Shulman, Adrian Sexton, Chris Booth, and sometimes even PIT owner Ali Reza Farahnakian at The Faculty at 10:30 pm, all at The PIT Mainstage: Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): UCB comics perform solo character bits at the UCB Chelsea theatre: UCBT Character Showcase
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 8/17/17
The star of seven seasons of 30 Rock and cast member for eight seasons of Saturday Night Live headlines tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Tracy Morgan (7:30 pm tonight, 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday and Saturday, and 7:30 pm Sunday; $65.50 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)...
...Superb comedic storyteller Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, TruTV, Playgirl Magazine, host of First Set, comedy album True Love) performs "a new collection of tales about self-help, self-esteem, and how we are all fucked up," plus opening stories from Sydnee Washington and Marie Faustin: Giulia Rozzi: Great Bloomer (9:30 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...or check out this new UCB show that asks, "Who exactly is Kellyanne Conway? More importantly, how did she get that way? Take a trip back through time to witness some of the most pivotal moments of the White House Senior Advisor's life, including her days as a high school cheerleader, a blueberry speed-packing contest winner, and her brief stint as a teen beauty pageant competitor. Based on true events (warning: this show may contain alternative facts)," written & directed by Ari Scott, and starring terrific character comics Ann Carr, Jay Malsky, Cody Lindquist, Tessa Hersh, and Jason Selvig: The Kellyanne Show (9:30 pm, $7—which also includes We Will Turn You Gay on this double-bill; UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)...
...and from the other side of the political spectrum, Hasan Minhaj (correspondent for The Daily Show; breakthrough star performance at this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner; Netflix special Homecoming King) tries out a new solo stand-up show via two late-night performances: Hasan Minhaj: Experiment Time (11:00 pm & Midnight tonight, Midnight this Friday and Saturday night; $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street; PLEASE NOTE: Tonight's performances have sold out in advance, but you might still get in if you arrive early to nab a spot on the waiting list; plus the Friday and Saturday midnight shows are still open)...
...and one of our greatest stand-ups, superstar Dave Chappelle, continues to perform in NYC through August at Radio City Music Hall. Making each show unique are diverse guests, as follows: 8/17: Chance the Rapper; 8/18: Trevor Noah; 8/19: Childish Gambino; 8/20: Lauryn Hill; 8/23: Yasiin Bey; 8/24: Ali Wong, John Mayer, and Lil Jon (as DJ). It's all happening this month at Dave Chappelle Live (8:00 pm; ticket prices vary by seat location; Radio City Music Hall at 1260 Sixth Avenue & 50th Street)
Other notable shows this Thursday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
8:00 pm ($10): A raunchy musical about high school seniors and aliens from outer space plotting to harvest our genitals begins a 10-show run tonight through September 18th at The PIT Mainstage from writer Joe Kelly, musical director Jonathan Evans, and director Griffin Osborne: Aliens Coming: The Musical
8:00 pm ($7): Clowning and Commedia Dell'Arte at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): A Good and Funny Clown and Commedia Show
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7): UCB Saturday night improv group What I Did For Love (on a 6-0 winning streak) and indie improv group MIles From Pete (Desi Domo, Waylen Roche, Josh Tobin, and Scott Vicari) compete for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 8/18/17
The star of seven seasons of 30 Rock and cast member for eight seasons of Saturday Night Live headlines tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Tracy Morgan (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm tonight and Saturday, 7:30 pm Sunday; $65.50 early show, $65.50 late show, plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)...
...or check out this monthly show that tonight features Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for The Daily Show; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, HBO's Def Comedy Jam, TBS' Sullivan & Son; Comedy Central one-hour special Father Figure), Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and The Incredible Game Show Showcase, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Janelle James (@midnight, SeeSo's Night Train with Wyatt Cenac), Jenny Zigrino (Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; movie Bad Santa 2), Calvin Evans (Showtime's Shameless), and Alex English hosted by Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central's South Beach, host of The Secret Loft Show): Camouflage: A Comedy Show (9:00 pm; $5-$10, depending on how early you arrive—includes Free Pizza!; Brooklyn's Big Irv's at 381 Hooper Street)...
...famously silly 1989 Patrick Swayze movie Road House about "a tough bouncer hired to tame a dirty bar" is screened and made fun of by comics Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on MST3K), Jenn Wehrung (host of Laugh it Up, Astoria), Freddy G (NPR), and Bob Hansen hosted by Chris Gersbeck: Road House Screening & Mocking by Frank Conniff and More (11:00 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)...
...and one of our greatest stand-ups, superstar Dave Chappelle, continues to perform in NYC through August at Radio City Music Hall. Making each show unique are diverse guests, as follows: 8/18: Trevor Noah; 8/19: Childish Gambino; 8/20: Lauryn Hill; 8/23: Yasiin Bey; 8/24: Ali Wong, John Mayer, and Lil Jon (as DJ). It's all happening this month at Dave Chappelle Live (8:00 pm; ticket prices vary by seat location; Radio City Music Hall at 1260 Sixth Avenue & 50th Street)
Other notable shows this Friday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($15 cover for FBPL shows, $24 cover for CC & VU shows, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Friday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Top improvisors Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Brandon Scott Jones, and Molly Thomas "talk to one person for less than 10 minutes and let them know how they die 45 minutes later" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: We Know How You Die
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Patrick McCartney, Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott make up scenes at The PIT Underground: Centralia
7:30 pm ($7): A live version of the popular podcast Tinder Tales that provides stories of Tinder dates, dating advice, and fun games, with guests Calvin Cato, Ayanna Dookie, and John Fields at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by David Piccolomini: Tinder Tales Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): Maggie Seymour & Olivia Atwood revive their acclaimed FringeNYC 2016 two-woman production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, tackling 15 characters in a wacky condensed version running just an hour that reportedly includes puppets, nerf guns, rap, song & dance, breaking the fourth wall, and lots of energy and comedic timing at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): 15 Villainous Fools
8:00 pm ($17 online or $20 at the door): Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show and podcast Risk!, owner of The Story Studio) hosts a diverse group of storytellers—Carl Yard, Marc Abbott, Melissa Slaughter, Ames Beckerman, and Abbas Mousa—sharing tales about "how they value their unique identity and, through it, find the power to affect change in their own lives, the lives of others, and the larger world" at The Connelly Theater (220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B) as part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival: In It Together: Stories of Strength in Diversity
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Alexandra Dickson, Michael Delaney, and/or Silvija Ozols forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
9:30 pm ($17 online or $20 at the door): Seena Jon (co-host of Pivot TV's TakePart Live, host of self-help podcast The Brighter Side) performs an autobiographical show about moments "that range from joyful childhood ignorance to sex, drugs, and anger filled adolescence to self-reflective empathy-addicted adulthood; by the end, you may even feel okay with being other too" at The Connelly Theater (220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B), with an opening tale from immigration reform activist group Fwd.Us, all as part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival: Seena Jon: I Am Other
9:30 pm ($10): A raunchy musical about high school seniors and aliens from outer space plotting to harvest our genitals continues its run through September 18th at The PIT Mainstage from writer Joe Kelly, musical director Jonathan Evans, and director Griffin Osborne: Aliens Coming: The Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] Midnight ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Hasan Minhaj (correspondent for The Daily Show; breakthrough star performance at this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner; Netflix special Homecoming King) tries out a new solo stand-up show via midnight performances tonight and Saturday night at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Hasan Minhaj: Experiment Time
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): Superstar pro wrestler Dolph Ziggler (former WWE World Heavyweight Champion...and also stand-up comic) will be an extra special guest at this oddball blend of sketch comedy and comedic wrestling that describes itself as follows: "It's revenge. It's vengeance. It's hot comedy wrestling action as only the UCBW can bring you. Don't miss a night of hilarious characters beating the shit out of each other. Get your tickets NOW! Only 14,000 seats available!" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: UCBW: Revengeance
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 8/19/17
A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (bottom; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions during the adventure are tonight's guests, Emmy Blotnick (top left; brilliant rising star stand-up; staff writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever) and Christine Nangle (top right; Head Writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Inside Amy Schumer and Kroll Show). This show usually sells out, so I recommend nabbing tickets ASAP for Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...or if you like storytelling shows, take in a bunch on this next-to-last day of the Speak Up, Rise Up Festival. They start at 1:30 pm with Cait Elliott performing an autobiographical one-woman show about "joining a cult in 2014, falling in love with its leader, and life on the other side; a meditation on spirituality, sexuality, abuse of power, and the basic human drive to seek something more:" Good at Cults (1:30 pm; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...and experience stories about being somewhat animalistic by Leslie Goshko (above; delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic/pianist; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, Internet Action Force, star of Sideshow Goshko and The Real Housewives of Columbo), Aasif Mandvi (former correspondent for The Daily Show; appearances in numerous movies & TV shows), Andrew Bancroft (ace hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme), and Catie Lazarus (host of Employee of the Month): Slightly Feral (6:00 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...and enjoy storytelling by Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), who "has always been unsure of herself. In fact, she has spent a good deal of her life trying to figure out why exactly other people aren't. Spend an evening with her, aided by some extraordinary cohorts, as she bumbles her way through a show that offers no answers, but does raise more questions. The only guarantee is no guarantee, no warranty, no problem. Sound intriguing? If so, please lower your expectations and come on down:" A Night of Subjective Comedy with Aparna 'N Friends (9:00 pm; part of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival; $17 online, $20 at the door, or $45-$150 for discount tickets to multiple festival shows; The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...and one of our greatest stand-ups, superstar Dave Chappelle, continues to perform in NYC through August at Radio City Music Hall. Making each show unique are diverse guests, as follows: 8/19: Childish Gambino; 8/20: Lauryn Hill; 8/23: Yasiin Bey; 8/24: Ali Wong, John Mayer, and Lil Jon (as DJ). It's all happening this month at Dave Chappelle Live (8:00 pm; ticket prices vary by seat location; Radio City Music Hall at 1260 Sixth Avenue & 50th Street)
Other notable shows this Saturday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Saturday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($65.50 plus 2-drink min.): The star of seven seasons of 30 Rock and cast member for eight seasons of Saturday Night Live headlines tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club (1626 Broadway): Tracy Morgan
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jeff Hiller, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, and John Timothy 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
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Killy Dwyer (wild singing comic), Ray DeVito (Comedy Central), and Tracy Carnazzo (host of Hashtag Comedy) perform at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1; to watch his hit video Pachelbel Rant, which has been viewed by over 13 million people on YouTube, please click here): Don't Feed the Musicians
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): What may be your last chance to see Maggie Seymour & Olivia Atwood revive their acclaimed FringeNYC 2016 two-woman production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, tackling 15 characters in a wacky condensed version running just an hour that reportedly includes puppets, nerf guns, rap, song & dance, breaking the fourth wall, and lots of energy and comedic timing at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): 15 Villainous Fools
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($12): Improv group Airwolf—with big talents Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, Eddie Dunn, Ben Rameaka, and Adam Fruccie—make up scenes about terrible audience experiences related to a home at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour at The PIT Underground: North Coast
9:30 pm ($10): A raunchy musical about high school seniors and aliens from outer space plotting to harvest our genitals continues its run through September 18th at The PIT Mainstage from writer Joe Kelly, musical director Jonathan Evans, and director Griffin Osborne: Aliens Coming: The Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12): A powerhouse group of improvisors—Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Natasha Vaynblat (one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), Casey Jost (former writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and TruTV's Impractical Jokers), and Lui Vega—springboard scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life at the UCB East theatre: What I Did For Love
10:00 ($5): Comics compete in freestyle rap games and battles, with the prize being stage time, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Noah Savage with DJ Will Winner: So You Think You Can Rap
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Long form improv about the behavior of a theatrical troupe both on-stage and off-stage, revolving around a different show biz theme each week at The Magnet theatre: The Cast
11:00 pm ($7): "A feminist exploration of Tentacle Erotica, this show delves into the world of female sexuality through the lens of one slimy genre of pornography at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tentacles
11:30 pm ($7): Comics playing characters answer obscure quiz questions in this comedic game show at UCB East hosted by Vincent Moore: Best Answer
[TOP PICK] [$] Midnight ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Hasan Minhaj (correspondent for The Daily Show; breakthrough star performance at this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner; Netflix special Homecoming King) tries out a new solo stand-up show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Hasan Minhaj: Experiment Time
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: A monthly lip synch contest judged by you and your audience, taking into account costume, choreography, and lip synching perfection, with this month's theme 90s hip-hop and R&B, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Christina Galston: What That Mouth Do
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 8/20/17
The issues of the day are addressed by six female storytellers—Robin Bady (host of BADYHouse Storytelling Concerts), Nicole Ferraro (The New York Times), Valentina Ortiz (author/musician), Angel Yau, Megan Hicks, and Michele Carlo—in this final show of this week's Speak Up, Rise Up Festival: "No, We Won't Shut Up" (3:00 pm; $17 online or $20 at the door, The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A & B)...
...and In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of guest stand-ups to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Tonight's superb comedy lineup consists of T.J. Miller (red-hot comedy star; David Letterman, Stephen Colbert; co-star of HBO's Silicon Valley, HBO's Crashing, and former ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-star of numerous movies including Deadpool, Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Big Hero 6, Cloverfield, and Get Him to the Greek; for vintage videos, please click here), Casey James Salengo (Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents half-hour special), Josh Johnson (Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents half-hour special; Comedy Central's Hart of the City and @midnight; former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon), Greg Fitzsimmons (host of The Greg Fitzsimmons Show on Howard 101 radio; former writer for Lucky Louie, Politically Incorrect, Chelsea Handler, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show—for which he won four Daytime Emmy Awards), Jamie Lee (writer for HBO's Crashing; TruTV, Conan O'Brien, MTV's Girl Code, The Pete Holmes Show), and Chloe Hilliard (The Nightly Show, Last Comic Standing, MTV, TruTV), produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance: Picture This! (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; PLEASE NOTE: As of this morning, this show has SOLD OUT)...
...and one of our greatest stand-ups, superstar Dave Chappelle, continues to perform in NYC through August at Radio City Music Hall. Making each show unique are diverse guests, as follows: 8/20: Lauryn Hill; 8/23: Yasiin Bey; 8/24: Ali Wong, John Mayer, and Lil Jon (as DJ). It's all happening this month at Dave Chappelle Live (8:00 pm; ticket prices vary by seat location; Radio City Music Hall at 1260 Sixth Avenue & 50th Street)
Other notable shows this Sunday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 1:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among five shows, with four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Sunday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Melissa Villaseñor (force-of-nature rising star cast member on Saturday Night Live), Lisa Curry, Matty Ryan, Alex Kumin, Brian Mitchell, and Eman El-Husseini perform stand-up at UCB East produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City) and hosted by Alison Leiby (sharp, fresh, likeable stand-up; staff writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; VICE; host of It's a Long Story): If You Build It
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Shannon O'Neill and Anthony Atamanuik, and sometimes network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($60 plus 2-drink min.): The star of seven seasons of 30 Rock and cast member for eight seasons of Saturday Night Live headlines one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club (1626 Broadway): Tracy Morgan
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Artie Lange, VH1) and more perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Kenny DeForest, and Clark Jones: Comedy Night at the Knit
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Stand-ups challenge each other's and the audience's dumbest assumptions at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Kat Burdick (Moth Grandslam champion; webseries KCK): Let's Say You're Right
Copyright © 2017 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
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