NYC Comedy Picks for Week of December 5, 2011

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 12/5/11

The finest sketches from UCBT scripted comedy troupes Dweeb, Thunder Gulch...

...Onassis, and Gramp's for December's end-of-year Best of Maude Night

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: An open mic stand-up show running about 90 minutes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they've all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title's Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest & nuanced improvised shows you'll ever see. Tonight is the final show for this season at the elegant Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street, near the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop): Naked in a Fishbowl

7:00 pm ($5): A sketch comedy troupe that believes "theatricality, production values, and the form of sketch comedy are not mutually exclusive" performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: People's Sketch Association

7:00 pm ($5 for the entire evening): What I'm guessing is a one-woman show auditioning for a spot on The Magnet schedule: Sick Girl and Other Freaks of Nature

7:00 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4 minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2 hours—with an early show hosted by Sean Donnelly & Blaine Perry at 7:00 pm, and an entirely different group of stand-ups hosted by Dan Cartwright & Dave Greek at 9:00 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison's Motel Luca

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): In one of my favorite semi-annual events, for the next two Mondays UCB Chelsea hosts its house sketch troupes presenting their very best work to date for both your pleasure and posterity (each show will be videotaped). Performing for the 8:00 pm double-bill are Dweeb (which includes Stephen Soroka of BoF) and Thunder Gulch (which includes Leslie Meisel, Amber Nelson, and Ari Scott): The Best of Maude Night: Dweeb and Thunder Gulch

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Dave Hill, Todd Barry, and Bobby Tisdale celebrate the screening at UCB East of excerpts from Eugene Mirman's brand new TV comedy pilot: Comedy Central Corporate Retreat: Eugene's Pilot

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($9.47 online or $8 at the door): Utterly adorable comedic singers The Bandana Splits (for video samples, please click here and here), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), and Dave Thunder (Conan O'Brien, ESPN) 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 with Kurt & Kristen

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Nick Cobb (Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing), Jim Tews, and Gary Vider performing at the One and One Bar (1st Street & First Avenue) for this new weekly stand-up show hosted by Louis Katz, Tim Dimond, and J. F. Harris: Raw Guts

8:00 pm ($5): A cross-pollinating, anything goes improv show at The PIT upstairs theatre that welcomes performers from a variety of comedy schools and styles to make up stuff together—ending with an open jam session that lets audience members on stage: Honey Badger

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($18): The winning team that created Pope!: An Epic Musical (a big hit at last year's FringeNYC) and The Spidey Project (a media sensation) is now developing a pirate musical at The Magnet about "the dashing young hero Declan as he seeks out the vicious Martin La Foe, the second most famous pirate ever," with book and lyrics by Justin Moran & Jon Roufaeal, and music by Adam & Matt Podd: Nightfall on Mirango Island

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: PIT owner Ali Farahnakian and razor-sharp PIT instructors perform improv at The PIT downstairs lounge in The Faculty Part 2: Electric Boogaloo; plus improv troupe Technicolor

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): In one of my favorite semi-annual events, for the next two Mondays UCB Chelsea hosts its house sketch troupes presenting their very best work to date for both your pleasure and posterity (each show will be videotaped). Performing for the 9:30 pm double-bill are Onassis (which includes Lauren Conlin Adams of Pig: A Restaurant) and Gramp's (which until recently was one of the finest sketch troupes in the country in large part thanks to Kate McKinnon; I'm especially eager to see how the troupe is doing with Kate in LA): The Best of Maude Night: Onassis and Gramp's

9:30 pm ($5): Buoyant all-new sketch at The PIT upstairs theatre from troupe Boat

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales), Allison Castillo (HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, FOX), Mo Diggs, Kendra Cunningham, Justin Murray, Asi Monterez, Josh Carter, and J.F. Harris performing at Pat O'Shea's free biweekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm: Typically stellar comics in a show "where improv and stand-up bleeds in and out of each other. One comedian starts with stand-up. Soon he or she is joined by a second comedian—and the two improvise scenes inspired by the first comic's stand-up. Eventually the first comic leaves and the second comedian performs stand-up. When that set is over, her or she's joined by the first comedian and a third comedian. The three improvise scenes inspired by the second comedian's set. Then comedians one and two exit, and the third comedian performs his/her set until being joined by comedians one, two and a new fourth comedian...and so on. The process continues till we run out of comedians stashed backstage." It's all the brainchild of Nick Vatterott, who hosts this bold & messy new format at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Klusterphuk

10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner & Chelsea Clarke hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Keith Huang: Base Jam

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include Andy Blitz (comedy genius best known for being an Emmy-nominated and long-time writer/performer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; has also written for Comedy Central's Important Things, 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), Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, upcoming one-hour Comedy Central special), Robert Kelly (Comedy Central Presents, HBO's Tourgasm, FX's Louie, MTV, VH1), Sheng Wang—at UCB Chelsea hosted by the wonderful Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1): 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 at The PIT upstairs theatre 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 12/6/11

A holiday spectacular from drunk lesbian poet & agent of chaos Molly “Equality” Dykeman: A Molly Jolly Christmas...

...storytellers humiliate each other via their Facebook photos at Mimsy: The Facebook Edition, and
Arden Myrin slays audiences three times tonight, at Hot Dang, Sweet, and The Tony and Johnny Show

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

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

7:00 pm ($5): This audition for a spot on The Magnet schedule features "a damning sex scandal, during which the desperate but lovable Senator Jimmy Valentine hijacks a Senate filibuster to tell his side of the story—by way of a rock-n-roll musical:" Filibuster: The Musical

7:00 pm ($5): Shawn Wicken, the man behind syndicated newspaper cartoon Haiku Circus and the just-released book collection of five years of the strip, shares some favorite bits and answers audience questions at The PIT downstairs lounge: Haiku Circus Book Release

7:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Kristen Lucas about "a small town in Oklahoma and all its infamous stereotypes, Including but not limited to Pecos Bill, men with small genital syndrome, and a fat lady stuck on her toilet seat" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Oklahoma! A Tornado Tour Through a Tiny Town

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Robert Dean: The Dean's List

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($18, plus $15 food/drink min.; if you don't drink, either the burger or lasagna is a fine choice): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2011 was Andrea Alton playing Molly “Equality” Dykeman, a security guard at PS 339 who writes poetry while popping Cheetos and anti-depressants and chasing after every woman she sees. While in lesser hands Molly might be offensive, Alton walks the comedy tightrope Molly requires with skill and grace. Alton's spent years learning her craft as a razor-sharp New York sketch comic and stand-up, and as a superb comedic actress. So if you have an open mind, and love comedy and/or gay parody, you'll probably grow to love her hilariously over-the-top lesbian character. To get a feel for Molly, click here and here; and then go see her live at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (in the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42 Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). Helping Molly out tonight will be Adam Sank (gay stand-up), Drae Campbell (Miss Lez 2010), Jubilee Diamond (burlesque star), and The Mollettes (dancers Victoria Smalc & Meliza Fernandez). Just be aware that if you're a woman sitting near the front, you'll probably be propositioned. (Repeatedly...): A Molly Jolly Christmas

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($14.45 online using discount code LAUGHTRACK): One of my favorite theatre duos, Rachel Buethe & James Presson, have come out with a new play that updates Hedda Gabler to the world of network TV. It's a fresh, ambitious work that pushes at the borders between art and reality, entertainment and meaning. And while it's not a comedy—in some ways, it's actually an anti-comedy—at its core is a sitcom. For my full review, please click here. If you're open to something different, don't miss the too-brief run (ending December 18th) of this vibrant show at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, near the Canal Street stops of the A/E/C/N/R/1/2/3/6 subways): Friends Don't Let Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Storytellers David Crabb, Cammi Climaco, Ben Lillie, Caitlin Brodnick, Erin Barker, Hanuman Welch, Miguel de Leon, Olivia Henderson, and Sarah Jewell "humiliate each other by screening their most horrible Facebook photos and forcing everyone to explain the photos in story form" at Brooklyn's Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue) for this monthly show that's always trying to find new, innovative ways to tell tales: Mimsy: The Facebook Edition

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT downstairs lounge: Comic Book Club

8:00 pm-Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv at UCB Chelsea for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Very Good Kiss, Mr. Crime, Dance Break, Grandma's Ashes, and Sandino—and at 11:00 pm advanced improv students perform improv scenes that never end, but instead continually flow out of old locations and into new ones—all at Harold Night

8:00 pm ($8): Ben Lerman (nuanced raunchy comedic singer/songwriter; Logo TV's NewNowNext, Sirius Radio's Frank DeCaro Show), Sharon Spell (host of Shrink), Mona Mour, Garry Hannon, sketches, videos, and more at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by H. Alan Scott: A SRSLY Grumpy Holiday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, Chelsea Lately, host of The Party Machine; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Ben Kronberg, and musical guest Zach Williams performing at UCB East for a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran (who have reluctantly parted ways with Gene Hackman for his continual failure to appear): Hot Dang

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: Aquarius and Rosencrantz

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, Chelsea Lately, host of The Party Machine; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Nick Stevens (host of Discovery Channel's Money on the Menu, AMC, ESPN), Bill Dawes (Broadway, HBO, NBC, long-running role on All My Children), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Rachael Parenta (Gawker.com, contributor to book What Was I Thinking?: Bad Boyfriend Stories; for sample video, please click here), Andrew Tavin, Ramzi Bautista, Steve Lipman, and Ben Brofman performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by twins Adam & Todd Stone, who for this weekly show leave behind their trademark suits: Jackets Off

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Beowulf Jones is best known in the comedy community as a beloved sound tech guy at The PIT, but he's also a superb storyteller who stole the show at a Risk! appearance earlier this year. Tonight Jones performs an extended version of that winning monologue about his feelings of emotional distance, which is likely to be fascinating and memorable: Beowulf Jones: Disconnected

9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Stand-up, sketch, videos, and more at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre with Jeffrey Joseph and hosts Ron Krasnow & Joel Walkowski: The Short Bus

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Two of the most brilliant, fearless, and innovative comics in the biz, John Gemberling (Death by Roo Roo, Adult Swim, Comedy Central) and Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives), team up to create their special dark version of a comedy variety show at UCB East. Tonight's guests are Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, Chelsea Lately, host of The Party Machine; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Boris Khaykin (a.k.a. rapper Hardcore Boris), and John F. O'Donnell (co-creator of 50 First Jokes): The Tony and Johnny Show

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv troupe Rosencrantz 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 at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 12/7/11

Fearlessly anarchic Jawnee Conroy and improv legend Joe Bill team up at UCB Chelsea's School Night

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 to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT's Super Free Wednesday

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing four minutes per comic, with "15 people chosen randomly through e-mail, and five walk-ins; and a guaranteed spot to anyone who performs in character as a famous explorer" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Comedic Exploration Club of Long Island City, West

7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Grappler, The Surge, Leviathan, Horses, Brick, Featherweight, The Wrath, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with The Wrath at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are first up as the fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger; and then genius improvisors Gavin Speiller of Death By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers of The Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm) perform as Outlook of the Poet

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A stand-up who's a frequent performer on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Jay Leno, and starred in a Comedy Central one-hour special, performs tonight at UCB Chelsea with perhaps a guest or two: Tom Papa and Maybe a Friend

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: Becky Yamamoto (rave reviews from The New York Times and The New Yorker; former beard-wearing member of band Stickerbook), Sean Donnelly (XM Radio; host of Lil' Seany Boy and co-host of Ochi's Motel), Raquel D'Apice (The Check Spot, blog The Ugly Volvo; for touching video about lesbians who met in Eastern Europe, please click here), Peter Moses (FunnyorDie.com), and Fariaz Rabban performing at the East Village's Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad's & Amy Albert's free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City for this weekly show hosted by Nick Turner & Jason Sáenz: Too Cool for School

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film at UCB East as The Two-Man Movie

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Boris Khaykin (Comedy Central's Atom TV), #Klepper (improv troupe), Jenn Dodd (Identity Theft), Meghan O'Keefe, Subhah Agarwal, Katie Compa, and Sam Grittner 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): At UCB Chelsea, first up is a sketch play about the opening of a trendy restaurant that serves nothing but raw pig, written with wit and bite by Leila Cohan-Miccio (Stone Cold Fox), directed with style by Caitlin Tegart (MTV, PBS, ESPN), and performed superbly by hot comedic actress Lauren Conlin Adams: Pig: A Restaurant ...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, a meta-comedy in which a real estate agent tries to convince a couple that the actual theatre you're in would be a great home for them. He does this by putting on a series of sketches that are presented as a random sampling of what UCBT has to offer but that, directly or indirectly, each promote the stage as a wonderful residence. It's a way fun idea—for a 5-minute sketch. However, this entire show is handled like a single multi-jointed sketch, and 30 minutes is an awfully long time to essentially tell one joke. If the script was further developed to use the internal sketches as stepping stones to achieve a larger and emotionally compelling story, this could become something quite special. Even as is, though, it's great fun at the start; and if you find it wearing out its welcome after that, you'll still enjoy sporadic laughs from individual bits and performers—especially standout Brandon Gulya—in the a-bit-too-clever-for-its-own-good This is Not a Sketch Show—A Sketch Show

10:00 pm ($5): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv living legend Joe Bill paired with the fearlessly anarchic Jawnee Conroy, and the wonderful Leslie Meisel (30 Rock, ace sketch troupe Thunder Gulch) are among the dozen+ guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma's Ashes: The Improv Jam

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 12/8/11

Stellar bespectacled storytellers Adam Wade, Megan Neuringer, and more at John Flynn's Oh, Hey Guys...

...Wyatt Cenac & Donwill comment on a classic blaxploitation film at Shouting at the Screen,
and Sue Smith debuts her one-woman show Minimum Rage

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] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Tales of the Cosmos and The Adam Wade show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives, The Tony and Johnny Show), and Megan Neuringer (HBO's Flight Of The Conchords, Comedy Central's Strangers With Candy, FOX's Fringe, VH1's Best Week Ever, MTV; freelance writer for Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, Bravo, VH1, MTV, Spike) tell stories on this weekly show that's normally open mic but tonight is getting in these stellar guests for a special videotaped edition at UCB East hosted by John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives): Oh, Hey Guys!

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen one receiving three minutes at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Corby Haas

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Charmingly silly & very funny performer Brandon Gulya tries his hand at also being a charming & very funny writer with this audition for a one-man show he's hoping will make his career: Brandon Gulya Will Be Famous Soon; plus a parody of The Bachelor written by Leila Cohan-Miccio & Caitlin Bitzegaio and directed by Beth Appel: The Final Rose, all at this fun UCB Chelsea showcase: Spank

[FREE] 6:30 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Junior Varsity to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

7:00 pm ($5): Kelli Porterfield performs a one-woman show about five residents of Joplin, MO at The PIT upstairs theatre: Mirror Mirror On The Wall

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—tonight featuring guests Fran Gillespie (Stone Cold Fox, The Law Firm), Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers), and Ari Scott (Thunder Gulch), and improv pianist supreme Frank Spitznagel—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a troupe specializing in meta-comedy—that is, comedy about the process of making comedy—performs their most meta show yet, which is billed as a "best of" show but actually is a series of internal spats that delay any of the promised sketches from being performed. It's smart and clever, and all four members of the group are highly appealing. But it's such a purely "from the head, not the heart" show that it feels increasingly repetitive and one-note as it goes on. I wish the guys had been less concerned with the purity of their one-joke idea and more with creating an emotional rollercoaster experience for the audience. (The reason their best sketch ever is a spelling bee for fart jokes is because it's a perfect blend of their conceptual approach with laugh-out-loud funny. Sadly, no such sketch is in this show...) If you like concept comedy, though, these guys are great at it; and you're likely to enjoy at least the first 10 minutes before the novelty wears off from Pangea 3000: 12 Years of Hard Work...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, Sue Galloway debuts a one-woman sketch show directed by UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern about women's magazines and "how to live the perfect life:" Pose

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($15): This acclaimed 10-year-and-counting sketch troupe has "amassed a cultish following and a cast who blindly throw themselves into the most questionable of onstage situations, bless their black little hearts....join them for a hilariously unsettling look at growing older, having children, killing your dreams, and settling." For examples of the troupe's work, please click here and here, and then come to The PIT upstairs theatre to see Spurn

8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet co-owner helming The Armando Diaz Experience, plus house troupes Phooka, Junior Varsity, The Boss, and Hello Laser performing improv, followed at 11:00 pm by improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) with Level One Students pitted against The Owners—which I'm hoping means Magnet owners & improv geniuses Armando Diaz & Ed Herbstman: The Magnet's Night Out

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (for tonight's lineup, please click here) performing at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City accompanied by banjo music from Doug Goldstein and hosted by Andy Kleinman: Happy Sounds Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: The screening of a 32-minute new documentary about the challenges of modern local farming that isn't all all comedic, but I'm listing it here just in case you see it on the schedule for The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City and think it's a comedy show, because it's not; but it sounds cool and may be worth your time anyway: Working Landscapes

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): A sampling of some of UCBT's wonderful talent, both established and on the rise, performing at UCB East with hosts Nicole Byer & Stephen Soroka: UCBT 2011 Year-End Showcase

9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): 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), Romany Malco (Showtime's Weeds), Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon, MTV, Second City), Jermaine Fowler, and more performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for a weekly comedy show with hosts Dan Wllber & Sean Crespo and producer Carol Hartsell: Lasers in the Jungle

[FREE—plus FREE BROOKLYN BEER] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Emily Heller, Mara Herron, Annie Lederman, and John F. O'Donnell performing at this free weekly show at Brooklyn's Sandbox Underground (257 Grand Street, near the L subway's Bedford stop) hosted by Mike Denny, Michael Che, and Nimesh Patel, and featuring free beer: Broken Comedy

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Please note this weekly comedy show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge is not happening tonight due to electrical problems at Kabin Bar. Please come by next week to enjoy Chesley Calloway and/or comedy genius Sean Patton host NYC stand-ups at Comedy as a Second Language

9:30 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, Joanna Bradley performs a one-woman show in which she proves that she's neither dumb nor boring, but might need a bit more discipline in creating a consistently entertaining journey for the audience. Digressions include singing a song she warns us won't be funny, and then it really isn't—and so shouldn't have been included; and taking most of her clothes off and telling us there's no reason for her doing so, and this is once again true (aside from it being a signature move for her director, the wonderful Becky Drysdale; but Becky always uses this to make the performer vulnerable and open up, while Joanna defeats that by continuing to hide behind sarcasm...). Bradley is appealing as a performer, though, and that might be reason enough to experience Everybody's Dumb and Boring...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, a new one-woman show by Sue Smith about anger, directed by the always inventive and delightful Laura Grey: Minimum Rage

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($7; or FREE COVER if you show up 30-60 minutes early and buy $7 worth of snacks/drinks): Mystery Science Theater 3000 goes blaxploitation in this delightful new series by Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show) and Donwill (hip-hop group Tanya Morgan) in which the boys watch a black cinema cult classic and yell comments at it throughout. It all happens at Brooklyn's reRun (147 Front Street, between Pearl & Jay Streets), with tonight's film a happy surprise: Shouting at the Screen

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (lineup not announced) performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Justin Williams: Death Comedy Jam

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's prestigious weekend improv troupes, The Law Firm and The Curfew, compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea for the raucous Cage Match

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): About a dozen NYC stand-ups, including comedy genius Chris Gethard, and rising stars Dan St. Germain and Jon Friedman, performing performing at UCB East for a show being videotaped for UCBcomedy.com with hosts Amber Nelson & Rob Stern: UCBT Stand-Up Showcase

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 12/9/11

One of the hottest stand-ups & star actors in the biz tries out new material: Aziz Ansari: Workin' on Some Thangs...

...and super-fan Kevin Maher delivers an unforgettable collection of hilarious film clips at Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag

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] 6:00 pm ($5): One of the most red-hot stand-ups & comedic actors in the biz trying out new material at UCB East for one night only: Aziz Ansari: Workin' on Some Thangs

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups start at 5:30 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): This Magnet sketch show set in old-time Hollywood (based on a series of Listen, Kid! shows by Kevin Cobbs & Alessandro King) describes itself as follows: "It's the Holiday season again at Newberg Studios, and Irv and Charlie are set to release another classic Yuletide picture. But financial problems and a pesky Irish landlord may mean another lump of coal in Charlie's already-threadbare stocking. Will Irv have to shut down his reindeer gulag? Will Charlie have to take the next handcar back to Shacktown? It looks like it's going to take a Tim Allen-sized Christmas miracle to save our heroes. With special mystery guests:" A Very Listen, Kid! Christmas

7:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at The PIT upstairs theatre, award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with "a celebrity guest improvisor' at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

7:00 pm ($5): All-gal Improvisors who've previously created viral sketch videos performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Candy Slice Comedy

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): In one of the finest scripted shows to ever grace UCB Chelsea, troupe Stone Cold Fox performs hilarious parodies of off-off-Broadway theatre, as well as some of the very best sketches it's crafted over the years, in a tight hour-long production directed by comedy genius Neil Casey (who, after also recently directing stellar one-person shows by Kate McKinnon and Mike Still, apparently can do no wrong), featuring delightful performances by Fran Gillespie, Molly Lloyd, D'Arcy Carden (watch for these three gals playing existential Truth or Dare), John Murray, Nate Smith, Brandon Scott Jones, and Jonathan Fernandez, and the writing of Leila Cohan-Miccio, Evan Greenspoon, Brandon Gulya, Matt Hunziker, Owen Parsons, and Michael Trapp. Don't miss one of the sharpest and funniest comedy shows of the year from the first sketch troupe (vs. improv troupe) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCBT weekend schedule: Stone Cold Fox: This Is Not Art

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($18, plus $15 food/drink min.; if you don't drink, either the burger or lasagna is a fine choice): One of the highlights of FringeNYC 2011 was Andrea Alton playing Molly “Equality” Dykeman, a security guard at PS 339 who writes poetry while popping Cheetos and anti-depressants and chasing after every woman she sees. While in lesser hands Molly might be offensive, Alton walks the comedy tightrope Molly requires with skill and grace. Alton's spent years learning her craft as a razor-sharp New York sketch comic and stand-up, and as a superb comedic actress. So if you have an open mind, and love comedy and/or gay parody, you'll probably grow to love her hilariously over-the-top lesbian character. To get a feel for Molly, click here and here; and then go see her live at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (in the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42 Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). Helping Molly out tonight will be Athena Reich (award-winning singer/songwriter/actress), BOB (downtown icon), Inma Heredia (Latin ACE Award-winning actress), and The Mollettes (dancers Victoria Smalc & Meliza Fernandez). Just be aware that if you're a woman sitting near the front, you'll probably be propositioned. (Repeatedly...): A Molly Jolly Christmas

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Ryan Karels (Krompf, Radio Rogue) hosts a live podcast interview show at UCB East with guests "who put the ordinary in extraordinary" (I think that's supposed to be a compliment, somehow), with tonight's subjects the wonderful Melanie Hamlett (brilliant storyteller/writer; Moth Grandslam Champion, Marie Claire Magazine, amazing blog, roving adventurer) and Aaron Glaser (Jimmy Fallon, Funny or Die, host of Get Loose): Radio Rogue: The Roguing

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A glorious collection of hilarious genre film clips from super-fan Kevin Maher and friends at 92 Y Tribeca, which tonight is focused on holiday-themed movies, plus live segments including "Confessions of a 12-Time Macy's Santa,"
"How He-Man Spends the Holidays," and an exploration of one of the most depressing Christmas songs ever, as well as treats and triva prizes—and possibly a visit from Cookie Puss: Kevin Geeks Out: Holiday Grab Bag

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): This show begins with a delightful concept—Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare—and then executes it with the joyful craft only a sharp, tight theatrical ensemble can create. Everyone in the cast is terrific, but especially memorable are Kate Turnbull as the love interest, Dan Hartley as Maverick, and Vayu O'Donnell who steals every scene he appears in with his hilariously deadpan delivery as Iceman. While this is playing at The PIT upstairs theatre for a mere $10, it's really legit Fringe theatre, and I hope it eventually makes its way to FringeNYC or Edinburgh—or better yet, develops more songs and gets a commercial run as a musical. Meanwhile, don't miss this opportunity to see a way fun parody of a cult classic for about half of what you oughta be paying: Jester's Dead

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 plus 2-drink minimum): A former Saturday Night Live star, cast member of Showtime's Weeds, star of his own Comedy Central special, and actor in over two dozen comedy feature films—including Anger Management, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Daddy Day Care, Get Smart, and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan—headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kevin Nealon

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($20 [vs. $25] online or at the box office using discount code BOOK): Telly Savalas returns to life to entertain you and provide life guidance in this 50-minute show that was a hit at FringeNYC 2011 and is now enjoying an open-ended Friday night run at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club. The script is at times very smart, especially in its choices of hilarious video clips and music tracks from the real Savalas...who, in his more intense moments, apparently rivaled William Shatner at his silliest. But even when Hunter Nelson's writing isn't consistent, actor Tom DiMenna—who is a professional comic with great timing and skill at engaging an audience—will keep you entertained: Who Loves You, Baby?

8:00 pm ($5): Improvisors perform as duos at The PIT downstairs lounge: Couples' Retreat

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Long-form improv from troupe Casual Sex Offenders at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: CSO Improv Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

[$] 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 UCB Chelsea's all-star members of The Stepfathers

9:00 pm ($5): A charming monthly comedy variety show, tonight featuring Christopher Miles (storyteller), Dreadnought (improv troupe), and Naomi Ekperigin (stand-up) performing at ABC No Rio (156 Rivington Street, between Suffolk and Clinton) hosted by the wonderful Bridgid Ryan and her improv/sketch troupe Chester (Bridgid Ryan, Sunita Mani, Bryan Rucker, Zack Willis, Caitlin Steitzer, and Adam Jacobson): Don't You Find Us Charming?

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

9:00 pm ($10): A magic show for adults at UCB East from stand-up Harrison Greenbaum: Harrison Greenbaum: What Just Happened?

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): A beloved high-concept sketch troupe that delights in exploring silly ideas and wordplay (for example, demonstrating that a caveman and the Cookie Monster sound remarkably alike when saying such things as "Me have problem with subject/verb placement...") at The PIT upstairs theatre debuting an all-new show: Elephant Larry

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: An all-musical comedy night with Mindy Raf, the Reformed Whores, Uber Luber Death Metal, and Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon, MTV, Second City) performing at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ben Lerman and Tim Dimond: Now That's What I Call Musical Comedy

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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Jon Gabrus, Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors at UCB Chelsea making up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improvised science fiction at The PIT upstairs theatre from veteran improvisers Geoff Grimwood (Someday the Cake, iO Chicago) and Lee Eddy (Story Pirates, Whiskey Rebellion), who say “You tell us what type of planet to crash upon. We crash upon it. We go from there:" Desert Planet

11:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D'Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Before this Magnet event, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show

[FREE] Midnight: This show typically isn't much fun for audience members—which is why it hasn't been on the UCBT schedule for a long time—but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage. Hosted by Maude troupe Onassis: Liquid Courage

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 12/10/11

Katey Healy-Wurzburg probes the knowledge & wit of comedic contestants at her fun new quiz show The Fascinator;
improv legend Joe Bill and other phenom improvisors play with lights and your head at Screw Doggies...

...4 1/2 hours of all-female improv, including The Weird Sisters (above), at The Magnet's Ladies Night ;
and Mindy Raf celebrates the release of her character Leibya Rogers' vinyl album at LeibyaFair Live

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] 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm ($14.45 online using discount code LAUGHTRACK): One of my favorite theatre duos, Rachel Buethe & James Presson, have come out with a new play that updates Hedda Gabler to the world of network TV. It's a fresh, ambitious work that pushes at the borders between art and reality, entertainment and meaning. And while it's not a comedy—in some ways, it's actually an anti-comedy—at its core is a sitcom. For my full review, please click here. If you're open to something different, don't miss the too-brief run (ending December 18th) of this vibrant show at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, near the Canal Street stops of the A/E/C/N/R/1/2/3/6 subways): Friends Don't Let Friends

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by RG Daniels & Jared Fried: It Starts at 4

[FREE] 6:00 pm: A "sacrificial" improv team performs a quick set, then is split up among three other waiting improv troupes, each of which then performs a full set. This ritual letting go for the good of the whole takes place at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Sacrifice

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): One of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre), spearheads a breathtakingly brilliant group of improvisors from Chicago and New York who'll blow the roof off for this show at The PIT downstairs lounge where the lights might go off or on at any time. The other players are Jodi Lennon (Comedy Central's Exit 57), Ari Voukydis (UCB instructor, VH1's Best Week Ever), Doug Stoley (Conan O'Brien, UCB), Jordan Klepper (iO, UCB, Klepper & Grey), Rick Andrews (Magnet performer), Mark Grenier (Magnet instructor, Theory of Everything), Jen Sanders (Magnet performer, Mint Condition), and Chet Siegel (Magnet performer, The Boss): Screw Doggies

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10 at the door): Brilliant singer/songwriter Mindy Raf celebrates the release of the vinyl album of her ultra-feminist man-hating tofu-loving folk hero character Leibya Rogers along with white rapper Carolyn Castiglia (Comedy Central, VH1) and accordion player Matt Dallow (Amour Obscur, The Pendulum Swings) at Sullivan Hall (214 Sullivan Street, between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets): LeibyaFair Live

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:30 pm ($10): Four and a half hours of all-female improv at The Magnet, consisting of troupes Taco Supreme, Funkle Todd, The Storks, The Weird Sisters, The Human Pyramid, and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, plus three mix-em-ups: Ladies Night

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A comedy quiz show full of heavily researched quirky facts in which contestants Silvija Ozols, Johnny McNulty, Caitlin Bitzegio, and Jeremy Bent get points if their answers are correct but get more points if their answers are "quite interesting" at UCB East created & hosted by Katey Healy-Wurzburg: The Fascinator

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): The comics who train, teach, and perform at UCB-NY are among the finest improvisors in the world. The UCB Touring Company consists of the cream of the crop, with the mission of showing audiences beyond those visiting UCB's theatres in NYC and LA what improv is all about. For just this evening, however, the traveling troupe—which includes brilliant comics Neil Casey, Shannon O'Neill, John Murray, Brandon Gardner, Brandon Scott Jones, and Abra Tabak—will be strutting its stuff on the UCB Chelsea stage: UCB TourCo All-Stars

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This show normally invites NYC stand-ups to perform sets and then be interviewed about their personal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand (who says "all these guys were hand-picked because they're funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you're gonna be like "oh yeah, that guy is a mess"). But tonight, after an opening set by Dan Soder, Matt & Mark will interview each other. Expect an especially intense night of laughs at We're All Friends Here

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill—and occasionally with comedy giants Kristen Schaal and/or Kurt Braunohler participating: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Ann Carr (The Actress, Louie), Matt Koff (The Newlywed Game), and Jenn Dodd (Identity Theft) perform comedic characters at The PIT downstairs lounge along with host Delilah Dix: What a Bunch Of Dix!

[$] 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

8:30 pm ($10): Streeter Seidell (MTV, College Humor), Adam Lowitt (The Daily Show), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), Team Submarine (SketchFest NYC), and Phil Hanley performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

[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—UCB Chelsea's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

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 and now enjoying a long run at The PIT upstairs theatre: Political Subversities

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($8): NYC's heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and won the 2010 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing this monthly show at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist

[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 to the Soho Playhouse tonight to see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: 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

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm (sold out online, there might be some standby $5 tickets at the door): Stand-up and burlesque are weirdly blended together at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents): Pat Dixon's (Nearly) Naked Lady Hour: Now with Bacon Bar

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are considered to be among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that, if all goes well, will thrill you as powerfully as any scripted work. Tonight is the second of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Ben Rodgers, Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, and/or other stellar improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then create an entire show based on the mini-bio: The Curfew: Not From Around Here

10:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place

11:00 pm ($8): Sketch comedy from Taylor White & Dave Maulbeck performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Slamborghini GTX450

Midnight ($5): Caitlin Tegart directed this UCB Chelsea sketch show that's "a super-positive lifestyle program for teenage girls hosted by two guys with a huge passion for glossy pop music, Lisa Frank school supplies, and all that the world presents as 'hip' to young women during the melodramatic years of adolescence. With help from their outstanding panel of experts, Dan Chamberlain & Jason Flowers rap about entertainment, fashion, boys, and more in an effort to bring empowerment and enlightenment to the teen girl inside all of us:" Cool Show 4 Teen Girlz

Midnight ($5): Writers & performers at UCB East—tonight including such talents as Fran Gillespie, Tim Martin, and Beth Appel—attempt to combine the organic energy of improv with the consistency of scripted comedy by putting on a sketch show written & rehearsed in a single day: Sketch Cram

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups in a late-night talk show format at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Michael Che: Michael Che's Community Service

Midnight ($10): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches at The PIT downstairs lounge from troupe FUCT

[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, 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

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 12/11/11

Renowned Chicago improv duo TJ & Dave perform tonight and Monday at NYC's Barrow Theatre;
Kevin Nealon headlines one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club

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] 2:00 pm ($14.45 online using discount code LAUGHTRACK): One of my favorite theatre duos, Rachel Buethe & James Presson, have come out with a new play that updates Hedda Gabler to the world of network TV. It's a fresh, ambitious work that pushes at the borders between art and reality, entertainment and meaning. And while it's not a comedy—in some ways, it's actually an anti-comedy—at its core is a sitcom. For my full review, please click here. If you're open to something different, don't miss the too-brief run (ending December 18th) of this vibrant show at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, near the Canal Street stops of the A/E/C/N/R/1/2/3/6 subways): Friends Don't Let Friends

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Matt Koff (writer for The Onion), and Rob Stern (co-host of Gutbucket) participate in "a weekly podcast that assembles a new panel of comedians and weird characters to give funny advice, or at the very least relate to the people's problems with their own stories" at UCB East hosted by Andy Rocco: Here to Help

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea'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

7:30 pm ($5): Improv troupes not affiliated with any comedy school compete at UCB East for audience laughs and votes—and the privilege to go on to perform at the primary Cage Match show at UCB Chelsea—in this show hosted by the delightful Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (Krompf): Indie Cage Match

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($38.25 plus 2-drink minimum): A former Saturday Night Live star, cast member of Showtime's Weeds, star of his own Comedy Central special, and actor in over two dozen comedy feature films—including Anger Management, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Daddy Day Care, Get Smart, and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan—headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kevin Nealon

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Pete Lee (Comedy Central Presents), Matt McCarthy (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death, host of AMC's Action Pack, Comedy Central, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys, host of Marking Out), Alice Wetterlund (improv troupe Garamond), Nore Davis, and more performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($5): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge for a free weekly show typically hosted by Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

[$] 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 one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Pablo Francisco

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Pete Lee (Comedy Central Presents), Erin Lennox (co-host of Fresh and The I Like You Too Show; for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), and Michael Che (host of Michael Che's Community Service) performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, upcoming one-hour Comedy Central special): Comedy Night

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; former staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), David Cope (co-creator of this show), and Bryson Turner performing at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Sean Donnelly (XM Radio; host of Lil' Seany Boy and co-host of Ochi's Motel), Missy Baker, JF Harris, Jeff Wesselschmidt, and Ben Konstantin performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Brad Austin, Nate Fridson, and/or Adam Sokol: Comedy at the Beauty Bar

9:30 pm ($5): A monthly screening of new short filmed sketch and comedy produced by members of the Magnet community: Flick Video Showcase

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: A roast of Yannis Pappas, with roastmaser Nate Bargatze, and roasters Sean Patton, Pat Dixon, Mark Normand, Louis Katz, Mike Lawrence, Dan Soder, Annie Lederman, Jessimae Peluso, Micheal Che, Joe List, Ben Kissel, Thomas Dale, Rebecca Trent, Chris Laker, and Ed Larson, plus "special appearances" by James Adomian and Henry Zebrowski, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Roast of Yannis Pappas

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Helen Hong (Logo’s Setup Squad, Comedy Central, TLC) and Adam Lehman (Here TV’s Hot Gay Comics) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy guest-hosted tonight by the show's founder Adam Sank: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are considered to be among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that, if all goes well, will thrill you as powerfully as any scripted work. Tonight is the third of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

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