NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 8/28/17
A Broadway, TV, and/or film star performs a classic theatre scene as scripted—except the other half of the scene has to be carried by an improvisor who's never experienced the play and must spontaneously react to whatever happens. Attracting some of the finest improvisors and actors in NYC (e.g., in a memorable moment above Scott Adsit surprised everyone, including himself, by abruptly kissing Julie Sharbutt), this is one of the best improv shows in the country. It always quickly sells out of seats in advance, but you can probably get in tonight if you arrive early and are okay with standing for actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water (8:00 pm, $7, UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)...
...or if you prefer stand-up, Jacqueline Novak (above; exceptionally smart, fresh comic; Comedy Central Half Hour; Inside Amy Schumer; comedy album Quality Notions; book How to Weep in Public), Kevin Barnett (MTV's Guy Code, #FAIL Comedy Central, TruTV's Friends of the People, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Half Hour), Jaboukie Young-White (Rough Night), and Paige Weldon (Reductress) perform in Brooklyn hosted by the wonderful Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; writer for South Park, Adult Swim; albums Comedy Person and Brooklyn): Night Train (8:00 pm; $8; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...or if you're a fan of Game of Thrones, come to this free show in which comics Erin Lynn O'Connor, Sam Haft, Leigh Ellen Mitchell, Mike Mercadal, Patrick J. Reilly, and David Picclomini discuss the final episode 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)...
...and while you're at QED, stick around to enjoy Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents; comedy albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot) host this monthly show that's a mix of stand-up and music, with tonight's guests Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (above left; amazing human beatbox; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of Battlicious), Chris Duffy (above right; staff writer for NatGeo Explorer; stellar host of You're the Expert), Marcia Belsky (Reductress; lead singer of band Free the Mind), Robby Hoffman (The Chris Gethard Show, Odd Squad), and Isaac Kozell (New Orleans-based stand-up): Myq Kaplan & Friends (8:30 pm, $6, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
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
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Emily Altman (writer for The President Show; previously writer for Inside Amy Schumer), Russ Armstrong (Netflix's Master of None and The Characters; Inside Amy Schumer, 30 Rock; Senior Writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper), and Keisha Zollar (HBO's Divorce, Orange Is the New Black, MTV; writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper; ace improv trio Doppelganger, sketch group Astronomy Club) chug two beers on stage and talk politics at the UCB East theatre hosted by Charlie Todd & Cody Lindquist: Two Beers In
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
[$] 8:00 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts Michelle Wolf, Adrienne Iapalucci, Ryan Reiss, and more trying out new stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
8:00 pm ($7): A two-man comedic play about star Redd Foxx, who had a legendary stand-up career and hit TV series; "yet toward the end of his infamous life the IRS took everything he had...so he decided to give a fuck" written by Laurence Maslon, and starring Kareem M. Lucas as Redd Foxx and Adam McNulty as an IRS agent at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Redd, Black, and Blue
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself; Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It; opens for Amy Schumer), Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Netflix's Master of None), Chris Distefano (David Letterman, Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code), Tim Dillon (Last Comic Standing), and more perform stand-up 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
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—push boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Andy Sandford: Permission to Fail
[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 hosted by someone who's probably terrific (while usual world-class host Aparna Nancherla tours in LA): Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 8/29/17
Politically conscious Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United) headlines an intimate stand-up show in the West Village: Judah Friedlander Live (8:30 pm, $10 plus 2-item food/drink min., The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)...
...or join Blair Socci (MTV, Fuse), who "wrote a letter to Owen Wilson in 2007 after his suicide attempt telling him how much she loved him and appreciated him and that she hoped he would feel better soon. (A breakup with Jennifer Aniston could truly shatter anyone...)" Tonight Blair interviews comics Dan Soder, Will Miles, Janelle James, Christi Chiello, Lo Bosworth, and Mehran Khaghani, each first sharing a 1-2 minute letter to a celebrity who's had an impact on his or her life: Dear Owen Wilson (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...or come to Astoria for Dave Hill (above left; one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; @midnight, Inside Amy Schumer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, This American Life; host for HBO and Cinemax; host of WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake; books Tasteful Nudes and Dave Hill Doesn't Live Here Anymore; comedy album Let Me Turn You On) hosting stand-ups Clare O'Kane (above right; Amazon's Budding Prospects, Viceland's Flophouse, webseries Semi-Famous; former writer for SpongeBob SquarePants), Chris Gersbeck (co-host of Everythign Is Dumbn, and Bunk Bed and Murray Povich open mics), and Danny Felts (The Moth, Risk!): A Reasonably Hot August Night with Dave Hill and Friends (9:00 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Other notable shows this Tuesday include:
[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
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): If, like me, you miss the characters of Stars Hollow, come experience a lost episode of the classic series, made up on the spot at The PIT Mainstage: Improvised Gilmore Girls
9:00 pm ($7): A one-man show by Alejandro Kolleeny in which "Professor Insano is a fearsome supervillain and evil Professor of English lit and Soc 102 at Baruch College. He has called a meeting of the Council Of Evil to discuss his latest plans to infiltrate reality," with an opening stand-up set by Griffin Newman (Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, HBO, MTV) at The PIT Underground: Professor Insano Destroys Reality
[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 and Rich Vos at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Luis J. Gomez: The RoastMasters
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 8/30/17
A star stand-up who's also a star writer/correspondent for The Daily Show, and was previously a staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers, headlines an intimate show in the West VIllage: Michelle Wolf Live (7:00 pm, $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)...
...or if you prefer Brooklyn, come see Sasheer Zamata (cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon’s Transparent, TBS’ People of Earth), Joe Pera (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Jaboukie Young-White (film Rough Night)—and Michelle Wolf, presumably rushing over from her West Village gig (see directly above)—performing stand-up, plus ace improvisors Sebastian Conelli, Natasha Vaynblat, and more, all hosted by Conner O'Malley (former staff writer/performer for Seth Meyers; Louie, Broad City) & Carmen Christopher: The Juice (8:00 pm ($5, at Brooklyn's Union Pool (484 Union Avenue)...
...and Ilana Glazer (co-star of Comedy Central red-hot hit Broad City) delivered superb stand-up shows for the past two weeks, in which she did a great long set and also had two sharp comedy friends do great long sets; and since those went so well, Ilana's doing it one more time tonight, with both an early and late show: 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 tickets via the Fan Exchange)
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
7:00 pm ($7): A dozen comics create an on-stage episode of Game of Thrones in which "women rise up and take back Westeros; it's All Men Must Die (with jokes)" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Dames of Thrones
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14, 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 Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Dynamite comics Aaron Jackson, Brandon Scott Jones, Jeff Hiller, Josh Sharp, and Brian Faas promise "You are going to turn Gay, and you are going to love it" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: We Will Turn You Gay
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15): Storytellers Blair Socci (MTV's Girl Code and Ladylike), Guitler Raphael, and more TBA tell tales revolving around a monthly theme at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street) hosted by Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, owner of The Story Studio): Risk!
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A stand-up with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Louie who's also an Emmy-nominated comedy writer and talk show host headlines at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Nick DiPaolo
9:00 pm ($5): Bonnie McFarlane (HBO, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Presents special; co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast), Kevin Barnett (NBC's The Carmichael Show, MTV's Guy Code, #FAIL Comedy Central, TruTV's Friends of the People, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Josh Johnson (writer for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central Half Hour, Kevin Hart's Hart of the City), Martin Urbano, and Mike Lebovitz perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Gutter Bar: Bowling and Fine Brews (200 North 14th Street) hosted by Jeff Steinbrunner: Comedians You Should Know
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): Shannon O'Neill (lighting-quick, fearless improvisor/sketch comic; co-star of TruTV's The Chris Gethard Show; landmark improv group The Stepfathers) performs a show based on nothing but interviews with the audience and sheer guts at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Strangers Wanted with Shannon O'Neill
11:00 pm ($7): Stand-ups tell jokes "about their personal mental health" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Let's Talk About Dying
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 8/31/17
If you've been shut out of Ilana Glazer's delightful stand-up shows at Brooklyn's Littlefield, you have another chance to experience them next Sunday September 10th at 7:30 pm or 9:30 pm. Nab tickets right away, as these quickly sell out.
Also, don't forget to set your recording device to a new episode of The President Show tonight at 11:30 on Comedy Central.
Kat Radley (staff writer for The Daily Show; stand-up album The Important Thing is that I'm Pretty), Matthew Broussard (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), Becky Yamamoto (Web series Uninspired), Wanjiko Eke, and Khalid Rahmaan perform stand-up in the East Village produced by Carol Hartsell and hosted by Sean Crespo & Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle (7:30 pm, $7, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)...
...and while at you're UCB East, stick around for Andy Blitz (above right; 7-time Emmy-nominated and long-time writer/performer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; has also written for Comedy Central's Review and Important Things with Demetri Martin, Netflix's Master of None—which Andy also co-exec produced, Adult Swim's Eagleheart, MTV's Human Giant, etc.; a thoroughly unique stand-up whose sets—ranging from talking peanut butter to jet-flying cats—tend to be unforgettable), Jena Friedman (above left; wry dark political stand-up; Stephen Colbert, @midnight, The New Yorker, Adult Swim, Netflix mockumentary Undecided; former staff writer for David Letterman, former producer for The Daily Show), Charlie Pickering (Australian comedy star; host of ABC's The Weekly), Chris Lamberth (AXS TV), and Ester Steinberg perform stand-up hosted by rising stars Jim Tews (Louie, Last Comic Standing, host of Homeschooled, New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York) and/or Ashley Brooke Roberts (energetic, enormously likeable rising stand-up; writer for Nat Geo and MTV's Guy Code blog): Fresh Out (9:00 pm, $7, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)...
...or go cross-town to UCB Chelsea for NYC's premium improv competition. Last week indie group Miles From Pete (above; Josh Tobin, Waylen Roche, Scott Vicari, and rising star Desi Domo) proved their first underdog victory against What I Did For Love was no fluke by once again crushing a UCB house team—this time Lloyd Night's Zaddy, by 92 votes to 50. Zaddy actually performed a clever and impressive improv set revolving around zoo animals, and on most other nights would've been hard to beat. But MFP rose to the challenge, creating a 25-minute monoscene set on a boat that started out with mild disquiet, and then progressively built into a fantasy-horror tale involving aggressively sensual mermaids and ritual human sacrifice. Tonight MFP aims for a third notch on its crown against indie improv duo 2 Puerto Ricans (Taylor Gonzalez & Will Martinez) competing for your laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match (11:00 pm, $5, UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)
Other notable shows this Thursday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 9:30 ($7): Gary DeNoia plays movie icon Nic Cage delivering a lecture about physical intimacy at The PIT Underground: Nic Cage Teaches Sex to Adults
9:30 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
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 9/1/17
A stand-up star who was the host of BET's Comic View; co-starred in Showtime's Queens of Comedy, and starred in specials including The Queen Stands Alone and Chandelier Status; co-starred in films including Friday After Next, Soul Plane, and Dirty Laundry, and has appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, The View, and many other TV shows headlines tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm tonight and Saturday, and 7:30 pm Sunday; $53-$57.25 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)...
Superb "overactor" Pat Swearingen and many more make up a ridiculous soap-operish TV movie on the spot based on a title supplied by the audience: Improvised Lifetime Movie (7:00 pm, $7, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)...
...and Emily Althaus (cast member of Orange is the New Black) and Chase Mitchell (former staff writer for Jimmy Fallon) are the guests of brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers), who transforms into "filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host!" He's joined by talk show sidekick Griffin Newman (co-star of Amazon's The Tick) "as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema:" The George Lucas Talk Show (Midnight, $7, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Other notable shows this Friday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
7:30 pm ($10): Casey James Salengo (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents), Harris Mayersohn (recurring character Stoney Von Dankington on Stephen Colbert; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Bang Bang), and five other New York comics tell stories of where they came from (one from Alabama, another from Minnesota) and the journey that led them to NYC performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Katie Boyle (who's from Ireland): Transplants
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which typically features the best improv piano player in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—springboards off an audience suggestion to create a complete story with song and dance at The Magnet theatre: Premiere: The Improvised Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): Superb improvisors James Dwyer, Craig Rowin, Connor O'Malley, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and Shaun Diston make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Comics perform stand-up sets and then go on dates with each other—on stage, as part of the show—at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Rob Harper & Rachel Coleman: We're Getting Laid
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 9/2/17
Delightful stellar improvisors Dana Shulman & Adrian Sexton play Clairee Belcher & Ouiser Boudreaux, the sassy supporting characters from 1989 film Steel Magnolias about charming but tough Southern women. In this show, they're "fresh graduates from the improv workshop at The Chinquapin Parish Senior Center and are ready to show you everything they've learned. You'll be enchanted by their improvisation skills, their witty banter, and their ability to make grown men cry. Why would you be anywhere else when you could come and sit by Ouiser and Clairee?" Why, indeed: Come and Sit By Me with Ouiser and Clairee (7:00 pm, $7, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)...
...and then consider racing to the West side PIT to see the always inventive Tracy Mull perform a solo sketch show...with cardboard boxes! Tracy was aided by director Geoff Grimwood, and hosts an opening sketch by Brad Stuart & Rich Templeton titled The Scientists. If you've been craving something different, this show is it: Boxed (8:00 pm, $7, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)...
...while back at the East side PIT, superb improvisors Adrian Sexton (Unauthorized: The Musical series; improv groups The Community Players, George/Martha, and Ouiser & Clairee (see above) & BJ Thorne (host of Gas Station Horror and Welcome to Hell with Vincent Welles; once chided a character in an improv scene by observing, a la Tom Hanks, "There's no crying in Hell!") host an opening set by Parker Denton (sketch group National Scandal), and then perform duo improv as "Brother and Sister Darkling, who were raised by ghosts in a haunted house. They create fantastical worlds and spooky situations to pass the time. Come and play with them...forever:" The Darklings (10:30 pm, $7, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)...
...or head over to Brooklyn for a rare NYC opportunity to see Australian-based comic Simon Taylor (former staff writer for Jay Leno) perform stand-up, with bits of song, dance, and magic thrown in: Simon Taylor is a Super Funny Boy (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Other notable shows this Saturday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($10 cover plus $10 drink min.; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319): Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true...but one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber—and everyone who chooses correctly gets a free t-shirt! This evening's yarn-spinners are Jim O'Grady (The New York Times, This American Life, WNYC Radio, Moth GrandSlam Champion), Chris Griggs (ace improv group Big Black Car), Trish Parry (The Beer Show), and Mark Pagan (multimedia performer). Come to the West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street) and let these storytellers and host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 ($12): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jeff Hiller, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, and John Timothy at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($57.25 plus 2-drink min.): A stand-up star who was the host of BET's Comic View; co-starred in Showtime's Queens of Comedy, and starred in specials including The Queen Stands Alone and Chandelier Status; co-starred in films including Friday After Next, Soul Plane, and Dirty Laundry, and has appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, The View, and many other TV shows headlines tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and The Baldwins (which includes brilliant comics Micah Sherman and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT Mainstage: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
[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
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Casey James Salengo (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents), Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code), May Wilkerson (writer for Someecards), and Simon Cadel perform stand-up featuring "the dirtiest, most unsafe for prime-time jokes, bits, and riffs" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central's South Beach, host of The Secret Loft Show) & Ben Conrad: The Dirty Show
10:00 pm ($5): A game-based comedy show in which "three comics choose three topics, and then you and the audience write questions on those subjects. If the comics can't answer a question correctly, the author of it wins a free shot of whiskey. And at the end of the night the audience chooses one of the comics to perform a 'Punishment Set' of improvised stand-up" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Chris Milner: Specific Ignorance
[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
[TOP PICK] 11:30 ($7): A fun freestyle rap contest at UCB East with NYC comics (not announced), plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by superstar human beatbox Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central): Battlicious
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): In this acclaimed monthly show, six NYC stand-ups each perform an 8-minute set while they "risk getting slapped by Satan himself. Actually, he hosts only bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne & Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man's shoes and put NYC's finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls? Come see for yourself" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: See You in Hell
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Pot stand-up from "highly talented comics who have been highly recommended from people who are thought of highly in the business. Oh, and they'll be high" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: High Five
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 9/3/17
You may remember Danny Tamberelli & Mike Maronna playing sharp-tongued brothers in Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Now grown up, they host a podcast—which they'll be taping live on stage tonight in Brooklyn with guests 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), Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code), and Sally Burtnick (The Special Without Brett Davis, co-host of The Macaulay Culkin Show): The Adventures of Danny & Mike Podcast (7:30 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...or enjoy a rare NYC performance by one of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (above left; Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre), as he joins sharp improv duo Louis Kornfeld & Rick Andrews to make up scenes at The Magnet theatre: Kornfeld & Andrews with Super Special Guest Joe Bill (7:30 pm; $10, The Magnet at 254 West 29th Street)
Other notable shows this Sunday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 1:30 pm, 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 ($14-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among nine Labor Day Weekend shows, with four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane); the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue); and the 8:00 & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Sunday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Patrick McCartney, Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott make up scenes "with guests from around the world" at The PIT Mainstage: Centralia: The International
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 ($57.25 plus 2-drink min.): A stand-up star who was the host of BET's Comic View; co-starred in Showtime's Queens of Comedy, and starred in specials including The Queen Stands Alone and Chandelier Status; co-starred in films including Friday After Next, Soul Plane, and Dirty Laundry, and has appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, The View, and many other TV shows headlines one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore
7:30 pm ($7): Christian Finnegan (co-star of A&E's Black and White; Conan O'Brien; three Comedy Central specials, Netflix special The Fun Part; TBS, VH1, MSNBC, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Nate Fridson (host of Dark Spots, comedy album Best Guy So Far), Carolyn Busa, Kendall Farrell, Eman El-Husseini, and Paul Oddo 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 Robert Dean: If You Build It
7:30 pm ($5): Kiri Oliver & Heidi Vanderlee (Early Riser) perform and are interviewed about "that one song you'll never forget" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Patrick Cartelli & Evan Forde Barden: Repeater: A Little Show About Big Songs
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): Improvisors (who are also experienced Shakespearian actors) David Brummer, George Hider, and Conor Mullen perform new plays from the Bard made up on the spot springboarding off an audience suggestion at The PIT Underground: As You Will: Shakespearean Improv
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Justin Hires, Mike Brown, Paul Hooper, Martin Morrow, Marie Fausin, and Aminah Imani perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Kenny DeForest, and/or Clark Jones with music from DJ Will Winner: Comedy Night at the Knit
9:00 pm ($10): Kinda dumb 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito comedy Junior (in which Arnold gets pregnant) is screened & savaged by comics Sally Brooks, Greg Stone, Jacob Williams, and FreddyG at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck: Junior Screening & Mocking
10:30 pm ($7): Improvisors make up scenes springboarding off randomly selected facts printed on Snapple bottle caps at The PIT Underground: Snapple Facts
Copyright © 2017 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
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