NYC Comedy Picks for Week of December 29, 2014

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 12/29/14

TV Alert: Ben Stiller is on David Letterman (repeated from 12/9)
Tracey Ullman is on Jimmy Kimmel (repeated from 12/16)
T.J. Miller is on Craig Ferguson (repeated from 10/15)

Comedy genius Chris Gethard tries out exceptionally honest, dark storytelling & stand-up material in Career Suicide;
Cady Huffman, Tony winner for Broadway's The Producers, is among the many stars performing at Gravid Water

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm-9:00 pm: All NYC-based gal comics—stand-ups, storytellers, sketch performers, improvisers, character actresses, bookers, producers, podcasters, etc.—are invited to hang out and network at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Selena Coppock & Rebecca Trent: Lady Gathering at The Creek

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Chris Gethard (comedy genius; Broad City, Conan O'Brien, The Office, IFC; star of The Chris Gethard Show; author of A Bad Idea I'm About to Do and Weird New York, plus My Comedy Album) seamlessly blends stand-up and storytelling in a way that creates a deep, poignant, and hilarious experience. Tonight Chris tries out some shockingly honest new material at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Chris Gethard: Career Suicide

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Ace gal improvisors Megan Gray, Rosie Whalen, and more springboard an audience suggestion to create a terrible Lifetime TV movie ("come prepared to watch a live film filled with heartbreak, disease, violence, despair, hope, courage, sassy neighbors, murders, heroes, whores, assholes, dumb babies who take up all your time, revenge, love, sex, hate, and chocolate") at The Magnet theatre: Lifetime Unoriginal Movies

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:15 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's stand-ups include Judah Friedlander, Hannibal Buress, Mark Normand, and Zainab Johnson at the 7:00 show; Judah Friedlander, Jeff Ross, Hannibal Buress, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 8:00 show; Mark Normand, Gary Gulman, Greer Barnes, and Carmen Lynch at the 8:45 show; Jeff Ross, Joe Machi, Greer Barnes, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 10:30 show; and Ari Shaffir, Nikki Glaser, Big Jay Oakerson, Sam Morril, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 12:15 show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) except for the 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Monday

7:00 pm ($5): Improv improv groups The Shady Bunch and The Brown Football Helmets make up musicals about the year gone by at The PIT upstairs theatre: A Musically Improvised Reflection on 2014

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation—which include group Holiday at 9:00 pm featuring the spectacular David Carl and Becky Krause—at The PIT downstairs lounge: Super Free Monday

7:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): NYC stand-ups and others "take the stage one at a time and attempt to chill everyone out using whichever techniques they feel are most effective. Audience members interact freely with the speakers and each other in an open group conversation where anyone may speak at anytime" at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Will Thilly: The Chill Circle

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5; sold out of seats, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and don't mind standing): Top improvisors Scott Adsit, Zach Woods, Michael O'Brien, and Tami Sagher and Broadway & TV stars Cady Huffman (Broadway's The Producers (Tony Award), The Will Rogers Follies (Tony nominee)), Jonathan Kaplan (Broadway's Diary of Anne Frank, Falsettos (Tony nominee)), Cristin Milioti (A to Z, How I Met Your Mother, Broadway's Once (Tony nominee)), and Julie Sharbutt (The Good Wife, The Colbert Report, Shakespeare in the Park) crash improv into classic theatre scenes at UCB Chelsea for actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 8:00 ($5): Comedic musicians Matt Radlow & Betsy Kenney perform and host other funny musicians (not announced) at what's likely to be a way fun show at the UCB East theatre: Matt and Betsy Do Music: New Year's Edition

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Jen Kirkman (HBO, VH1, Chelsea Lately, After Lately, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central's Drunk History, staff writer for NBC's Perfect Couples, author or I Can Barely Take Care of Myself), Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman), Barry Rothbart (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, MTV's Punk'd, IFC's Do Whatever), Seaton Smith (FOX's Mulaney, Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim), and Doogie Horner performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; albums Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person and Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn): Night Train: Jen Kirkman, Jena Friedman, Barry Rothbart, and More

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sketch comedy from five-person group Bleak at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Bleak Comedy: Huge Me

8:00 pm ($5): Host Jonathan Braylock (Amazing Spider-Man 2, one-man show The Black Experience, host of The Lockdown) and friends perform stand-up and more celebrating the birthday of Steve Way, "who has successfully defeated muscular dystrophy for yet another year," at The PIT upstairs theatre: Steve Way's Birthday Bash

8:30 pm ($7): "It's important to stay informed. That's why we bring you all the news that happened this month, at the end of this month. Just your average news show, keeping you up to date with your world one month at a time" at The Magnet written & performed by Jarret Berenstein: Current Events

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, delightful dynamo Christine Bullen proves herself a fresh rising star in a one-woman show about her the various odd jobs one can find in NYC by answering Craigslist ads: My Melonbasket...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, AJ Patton and Timmy Wood perform duo sketch comedy as Hype Squad

9:30 ($5): Improvisors (not announced) pair up to create on-the-spot duo scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: It Takes Two-Prov

9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phillip Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Nikki Glaser (former co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Sanding, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Joe List (HBO, David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Seaton Smith (FOX's Mulaney, Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Mike Recine (Conan O'Brien), and Casey Balsham performing stand-up for this free weekly show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays: Dan St. Germain, Nikki Glaser, Joe List, and More

10:00 pm ($7): 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 at The Magnet theatre: We Might Just Kiss

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 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 Aparna Nancherla, Leo Allen, or someone else wonderful: Whiplash

Monday Open Mics & Jams

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 5 minutes on stage—and also allows everyone play Bingo!—at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Julia Lundy & Veronica Elizabeth: Bingo Open Mic

6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 4 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Joseph Robert: PBR & Scrap Paper Open Mic Stand-Up

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam

11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Kat Toledo and/or Alan Shain: The Power Exchange

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$20)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

This Theater
(154 West 29th Street; new venue that, at its best, features shows comparable to UCB & PIT; free-$12)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil/The Standing Room/The Standing Room
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club; free cover Fri-Sat with code LICVIP; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 12/30/14

TV Alert: Chris Rock is on David Letterman (repeated from 12/11)
Nathan Lane, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and Garry Marshall are on Seth Meyers (repeated from 9/30)

Gary Gulman & Adam Newman each perform 30 minutes of ace stand-up at UCB East's Big Long Sets

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm, and 12:15 pm ($12 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's star-studded shows include Judah Friedlander, Tom Papa, Dave Attell, Gary Gulman, Mark Normand, Todd Barry, Jeff Ross, Joe Machi, Nikki Glaser, Artie Lange, Russ Meneve, Pete Correale, and more, with four of the shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and the 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Tuesday

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, six of The Magnet's singing improv groups make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion, followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with a musical improv group to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt

7:00 pm ($5): Comics with "weird talents" display them at The PIT upstairs theatre: The PIT Factor: New Year’s Eve Eve Edition

7:00 pm ($5): Nine-member musical improv group Bee Hammer makes up story, song, and dance on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Bee Hammer

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Apollo, Side Piece, and The Enemy at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5; no min.): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Jen Kirkman (HBO, VH1, Chelsea Lately, After Lately, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central's Drunk History, staff writer for NBC's Perfect Couples, author or I Can Barely Take Care of Myself), Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Nikki Glaser (former co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Sanding, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Seaton Smith (FOX's Mulaney, Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), and Danny Palmer performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): $5 Funnies: Janeane Garofalo, Jen Kirkman, Dan St. Germain, Nikki Glaser, Christian Finnegan, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Two 3-man Improv groups—Connor Ratliff, Don Fanelli, and Michael Kayne, and Dru Johnston, Josh Patton, and Ben Rameaka—perform at the UCB East theatre: Thrice Twice Once

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Taylor Ketchum, Nick Maritato, Evan Williams, Joon Chung, and Kristin Manna performing stand-up at Bunga's Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) produced by Lukas Kaiser, John Szeluga, Sue Smith, and JF Harris: Amazingtown

8:00 pm ($5): Musical improv group Bankrukt makes up a theatrical tale with singing and dancing on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Bankrukt: Alive!

8:00 pm ($5): Vivian Delano, Christi Chiello, Paul Lombardo, and group Flying Vat perform improv at The PIT upstairs theatre: Resolutions

[FREE] 8:00 pm: All-gal improv group Saint Nancy hosts stand-up, sketch, and improv at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Saint Nancy Presents Mostly Handsome

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically superb stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing stand-up 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): Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman), Jon Rineman (head monologue writer for Jimmy Fallon), John Roberts (sketch performer on Jimmy Fallon, Linda on FOX's Bob's Burgers, Archer, Gravity Falls), and more performing stand-up at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon long-time staff comic, Comedy Central, VH1, host of Nat Geo's Science of Stupid): Sweet

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Julia Johns, Katie Hannigan, and Kyle Ayers performing at this free weekly show at Brooklyn's The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Robert Dean, Sachi Ezura, Clark Jones, and/or Steve O'Brien: Comedy at Alligator Lounge

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Women & Men, Grammer, and Higgins at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 ($5): Star stand-up Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special) and Adam Newman (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, host of Big Long Sets) each perform a 30-mnute set at the UCB East theatre hosted by Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon, MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever): Big Long Sets

9:30 pm ($5): Colin O'Brien & Michael Wolf perform comedic songs at The PIT downstairs lounge: Nancy: Love Songs in the Key of Life

9:30 pm ($5): A feature film is made up on the spot by a Wednesday night house improv group at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gypsy Danger

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Bridey Elliott (razor-sharp rising star; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Witstream, Fambly), Edy Modica & Brian Fiddyment, Marcia Belsky, Chris Calogero, Marc Philippe Eskenazifor, and group Take Care, Brush Your Hair perform at this free weekly show at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Bret Davis (playing a new character at every show): The Tuesday Special

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): "The Rainbow Dancers are a handful of amateur dancers whose faces are painted different colors of the rainbow. Watch as they create improvised and completely synchronized dances to your favorite holiday and pop songs. Guaranteed to be the weirdest holiday comedy show you see this season" spearheaded by the wonderful Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, and live-on-stage host of Punderdome 3000 and The Incredible Game Show Showcase) at the UCB Chelsea theatre: New Year's Eve with Rainbow Dancers

[FREE] 11:00 pm: A mix of superb and up-and-coming stand-ups (not announced) performing at this free weekly show at UCB East hosted by Phil Hanley: Chemistry

Tuesday Open Mics & Jams

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3-5 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT Green Room, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT "sketch-perts:" Pens & Pencils

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic, with walk-ins tossing names into a hat and set length determined by the number of comics who show up, at Bunga's Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) hosted by Jimmy LeChase and/or Justin Perez: Townies Open Mic

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Dustin Drury: This Is Happening Open MIc

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Jake Hart and a guest co-host (TBD): The Dump

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Open mic stand-up that's first come, first serve (signup starts at 8:30) and provides each performer 5 minutes—or 4 minutes plus 2 minutes of feedback!—at the Producer's Club (358 West 44th Street): Train Wreck Open Mic Stand-Up

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

11:00 pm ($3): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for students at all levels to work on their skills at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Elke Reid and David Frasure: Study H all