NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 2/11/13
T.J. Miller (above), Myq Kaplan, Eugene Mirman, and more perform
stand-up in Brooklyn at Night
Train;
stellar comedic actor Brandon Scott Jones is among the cast of UCB Chelsea's
The Unbreakable Gun
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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Cammi Climaco (co-host of Ask Me Stories) hosts this weekly hour-long open mic storytelling show, with typically six audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 6-7 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge: Cammi Climaco's Storytelling Open Mic
6:00 pm ($5 cover for comics, no cover for audience with code HyReviews, plus 1-drink min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4 1/2 minutes per set and 20 comics crammed into 2 hours—at the Greenwich Village Comedy Club (99 MacDougal Street) for John Morrison's Village Motel
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
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Abigoliah Schamaun & Peggy O'Leary: Dicks Open Mic
7:00 pm ($5): A variety show mixing sketch, stand-up, music, and improv (sadly, guests not announced) at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by all-gal improv troupe Gypsy: The Mélange
[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
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 One and One Bar's Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): T.J. Miller (red-hot comedic actor & hilarious sketch comic; David Letterman, Opie & Anthony; co-star of ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-star of numerous movies including Cloverfield and Get Him to the Greek; for video samples, please click here), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Eugene Mirman (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, FOX's Bob's Burgers, Adult Swim's Delocated, VH1; pioneer of NYC downtown comedy), James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet), and Zach Sherman performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) guest-hosted by Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Night Train
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): "All of the badass-ness of a baddass action film brought to you live on stage" by some of UCB Chelsea's finest talent: Brandon Gulya (writer/co-star), Brandon Scott Jones, Leslie Meisel, Kristen Acimovic, Eddie Dunn, Tim Martin, and Evan Greenspoon (co-writer) in a sketch comedy that proclaims "First they broke his town. Then they broke his heart. But there's one thing they'll never break—his gun!:" The Unbreakable Gun...
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Kicking off this film-based double-bill at UCB East is ace director Todd Bieber (razor-sharp Director of Content & Production for UCBComedy.com) "cutting down a film to 25 minutes, removing its audio, and adding our own music and audio cues live, and dialogue live via improvisors," with this month's theme Valentine's Day: Rewrite Movie Night; and then a cast of talented improvisors springboard off an audience suggestion to create The Improvised Documentary
...and in the other half of this double-bill, a one-woman show by Kate Hess "set in a grand Downton Abbey-like estate in the roaring 20s, gleefully deconstructing Masterpiece Theatre conventions while solving an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery," with costumes by Bridgid Ryan and direction by Andy Secunda: Murder Abbey
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: A jaw-dropping dark comedy musical group, which includes members of ace sketch troupe Murderfist, will terrify Queens' Long Island City for an hour at the LIC Bar (45-58 Vernon Boulevard): The Cowmen
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Character bits from sketch comics and improvisors—including Micah Sherman (Baby Wants Candy, Myq & Micah, Second City, co-producer of The Scene and Act One) and Natasha Rothwell (The Curfew, Hodapp & Rothwell)—performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Loose Diamonds
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (amazing human boombox; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of The BEATdown), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, MTV, ABC), Phoebe Robinson (TV Guide’s 100 TV Shows To See Before You Die and 25 Biggest Reality Star Blunders, Huffington Post), Scott Moran (producer of weekly documentary Web series Modern Comedian), and Greg Johnson (Sirius Radio host) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Freddy's Bar (627 Fifth Avenue; take R subway to Prospect Avenue) for this free biweekly show hosted by Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; TLC, trutV; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Zach Sherman, and Dave Rosinsky performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Bar Matchless back room (557 Manhattan Avenue, near the G subway's Nassau Avenue stop) hosted by Nimesh Patel, Mike Denny, and/or Michael Che: Broken Comedy
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out new material: Fambly (which includes wonderful rising stars Bridey Elliott, Mamrie Hart, Dan Chamberlain, Veronica Osorio, and a sharp crew of writers) and Bellevue (which I haven't yet seen): Maude Night: Fambly & Bellevue
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Acclaimed Chicago-based improv duo Colleen Doyle & Jason Shottstroupe make up scenes about couples at The PIT upstairs theatre: Dummy
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set, and then a seasoned headliner closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: On the Road
9:30 pm ($5): The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues, Sharon Spell, Anna Callegari, and Sue Smith: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Twelve improv comics who are "friends of Dorothy" perform at The Magnet hosted by Andrew Fafoutakis—celebrating this monthly show's One Year Anniversary: There's No Place Like Home: A GLBTQ Event—One Year Anniversary!
[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 & Langston Belton: Base Jam
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who are no longer being announced in advance, but it's virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by someone wonderful: Whiplash
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): 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 exceptionally supportive stand-up open mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jarrid Reed: Fresh
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 2/12/13
Todd Barry performs at ComedyJuice; Dave Attell performs at Comedy Cellar
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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and 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 downstairs lounge, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT "sketch-perts:" Pens & Pencils
[FREE] 6:30 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 Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, four of The Magnet's singing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Fisticuffs and MInt Condition (at 7:00) and BEEES! and Legend (at 8:30); followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with musical improv troupe Legend to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs bits from a show he's developing for an off-Broadway run that looks at US history "from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Comic book creators (not yet announced) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
7:00 pm ($5): The show title pretty much says it all—improvisors make up an action movie on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Boom! An Improvised Action Movie
7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes A Sparrow, Salmon Diane, and The Regulars at this first half of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson: Nick DiPaolo, Hannibal Buress, and More
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Adam Cayton-Holland (Conan O'Brien, co-host of Grawlix), Janine Brito (FX's Totally Biased), Brendan Eyre (The NOC), and Nate Fridson performing stand-up on this week's theme Final Countdown at Sidewalk NYC (94 Avenue A) produced by Chenoa Estrada, Emily Heller, and George Gordon, and hosted tonight by Emily Heller (Comedy Central; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here) and George Gordon: The Afterlife: Final Countdown
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera, plus Charles Gould and Dan Licata: Dan + Joe + Charles' Show
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Shannon O'Neill (comedy genius), Morgan Grace Jarrett (wonderful comedic actress), Lydia Hensler (member of red-hot improv troupe Grandma's Ashes), and/or Brandon Scott Jones (top sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox, red-hot improv troupe Grandma's Ashes) host a showcase of female comics (lineup not yet announced, so this month's "Top Pick" is based on faith of Shannon's taste...) at the UCB East theatre: Ladies Night: Men Welcome
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A preview of a play written & co-starring Scott Rogowsky about to run in the Midwinter Madness Short Play Festival: "An unorthodox meditation on Orthodox Judaism, as explored by three old friends who reunite in Israel for the wedding of an estranged classmate" at The PIT downstairs lounge: What the Hell Happened to Henry?
8:00 pm ($5): The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central's The Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Neal Stasny (Meatsteak), and Matt Maragno performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall for this show hosted by Calvin Cole & Sharron Paul that calls attention to its inexpensive price: Cheap Date
8:00 pm ($8): A house sketch troupe performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: National Scandal
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim, host of Night Train), Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central's John Oliver's NY Stand-Up), Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV's Pranked), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Brian Frange (Great American Sketch Show), Charlie Kasov (host of Anecdotal Evidence), and Sachi Ezura (real cool chick) performing stand-up at this weekly show at Brooklyn's The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Kevin McCaffrey, Robert Dean, 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 troupes GoodGirl, Rocks, and Guthrie—plus advanced improv students get theatrical and make up on the spot a fully Improvised Play—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A weekly wild experiment in dark comedy, blending sketch and improv, from brilliant, fearless, and innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives). Tonight "Tony is off with his lady in anticipation of Valentines's Day. In his place will be his fat loser uncle Professor Tony CumClump, who will teach you about the science of love." Plus there'll be stand-up from guests Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX's In Living Color, Comedy Central), and Nat Towsen (co-host of The Moon Show), all at UCB East produced by Andy Rocco: The Tony Show: The Shitty Unloved Professor
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): "Improvised one-acts in the style of prominent playwrights and genres, spontaneously generating an original and hilarious work of instantly important theater right before your eyes" at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Improvised Play
9:30 pm ($5): A holiday-themed comedy show from sketch troupe Dr. Doctor at The PIT downstairs lounge: A Very Very Dr. Doctor Valentine's Day Valentine's Day
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson: Dave Attell, Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code), Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, TruTV, Tyra Banks), and more performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, CNN, TBS): ComedyJuice: Todd Barry, Myq Kaplan, and More
[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 upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): 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: 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 2/13/13
Ellena Chmielewski co-writes & directs a fresh, witty mini-play
about relationships: Standards & Practices;
Kurt Metzger practices for his one-hour Comedy Central special—free with
code METZ—at
The Stand
Then again, if you're not going out, watch Kroll
Show at 10:30
pm on Comedy Central.
Nick Kroll has
created the finest sketch comedy series to grace television
in years—a pop culture-driven smorgasbord
of brilliantly detailed and razor-sharp
parodies.
(For example, the above is the show's representation
of its male 18-35 target audience...)
More
on KS here.
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: Open-mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing 3 minutes per comic at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Max Corbel & Benel Germosen: Cracking It
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday
7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Dr. Champagne, Bloomer, Featherweight, Chet Watkins, The Wrath, Brick, Flower Girl, and Horses performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Flower Girl at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt
7:00 pm ($5): Valentine's Day tales from storytellers Pay Shay (beloved improv/sketch comic; ImprovOlympic, longtime improv instructor at The PIT) and Anita Flores, plus heartbreak-related improv from troupes The Moscow River Sharks and Vacation, all performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: True Story with The Moscow River Sharks
[FREE] 7:00 pm: This weekly 2-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer a full 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Jake Hart and guest-hosted tonight by Shawtane Bowen (Just Let It Happen, Jeesus Freaks), For this Valentine's Day edition, Jake says "Come for knowing heartbreak only makes us stronger. Stay because people will be drunk and vulnerable:" Jake Hart's Open-Mic Storytelling Show
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes Graceland and Spooky Ghost: Lloyd Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Brilliant improvisor Ellena Chmielewski proves herself to also be a brilliant comedic writer, and a young, fresh voice about relationships, in this mini-play about modern romance at UCB Chelsea she co-wrote with John Zachary Townsend, and that holds the seeds for a longer commercial stage production and/or a series on a network like MTV. Come enjoy watching the foundation of a promising career at one of the best-scripted shows to grace UCBT in a while: Standards & Practices...
...and in the other half of this double-bill, sketch troupe Boat performs 30 minutes of bits at Boat: Comedic Sketches
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15 at the door, $18.88 in advance online): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Carla Rhodes ("rock'n'roll ventriloquist;" for shout-out from David Letterman, please click here; for act with "Keith Richards," please click here), and musical guest Eden & John’s East River String Band performing at Brooklyn's The Bell House hosted by Liam McEneaney: Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Nick DiPaolo, Gary Gulman, Gregg Rogell, and More
8:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): NYC stand-ups & storytellers Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupe The Prom, co-host of The Dream Show), Josh Homer (Comedy Central), George Gordon, Craig Mahoney, Troy Byrnum, and Barbara Gray performing at McSwiggan's (393 Second Avenue off 23rd Street) hosted by Selena Coppock: Connotation
[FREE] 8:00 pm: 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
8:00 pm ($5): A romantic comedy about dating in New York City by Shawn Shafner & Amanda Miller, who perform 30 characters in this 50-minute dark farce at The PIT downstairs lounge: Please Don't Let Me Die Alone
[TOP PICK] [FREE] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm (normally $15, but FREE if you use code METZ online): Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), who recently sparked controversy in the NYC comedy community by asking a really obvious question (which has a really complicated and nuanced answer...), practices his upcoming one-hour stand-up special for Comedy Central, with the lovely Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1) and Yannis Pappas as openers, at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): One Hour with Kurt Metzger
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): A double-bill of all-gal sketch comedy duos kicks off with award-winning Canadians The Templeton Philharmonic "whose surreal sketch features hideous Edwardian dresses and deadpan interpretive dance" and then concludes with NYC-based Tamsi & Samsi at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Templeton Philharmonic and Tamsi & Samsi
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors—and actual brothers—Will Hines and Kevin Hines make use of their intimate knowledge of each other to gracefully invent scenes (hopefully without any squabbling) at UCB East performing as duo The Brothers Hines
[FREE] 9:00 pm: JR Havlan (7-time Emmy winning writer for The Daily Show; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, ABC), Adam Lowitt (Co-Executive Producer of The Daily Show), Kendra Cunningham (Saturday Night Live), Luke Cunningham (Jimmy Fallon), Damien Lemon (MTV2's Guy Code, Comedy Central), and Meghan Hanley (Curtis and Kubby Show) performing stand-up at this free weekly comedy show at Lucky Jack's Bar (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer created Broad City as a Web series, which was then picked up for development as a TV series for FX...and is also a monthly stage show at UCB Chelsea. Tonight's theme is Adventure for this "delicately crafted hour of fun:" Broad City Live
[$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Modi (HBO's The Sopranos, Comedy Central), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Keith Alberstadt, Greer Barnes, Dan Soder, and More
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Rising stand-up stars—Jared Logan, Mike Lawrence, Mark Normand, Dan. St. Germain, Pat Dixon, Emily Heller, Michael Che, Joe List, and/or Nick Turner—at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: The Regulars
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: "A panel of comedians give their hilarious takes on the more grim/sensational crime stories taken from NYC's daily newspapers. It's live comedy with a streak of yellow journalism and dark New York flavor"—not to mention a monthly podcast—at Queens LIC's The Creek hosted by Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents), and featuring Marcus Parks, Mark DeMayo, Jim Polk, Jimmy Failla, and Chris Laker: The New York City Crime Report
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: The wonderful Sasheer Zamata (Doppelganger, Bucky, The Prom) hosts as many as a 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. (Tonight's scheduled guests include brilliant improvisor Silvija Ozols, delightful singer Mindy Raf, and ace stand-ups Mike Lawrence and Emily Heller; for the complete list, please click here.) 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 $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma's Ashes: The Improv Jam
[TOP PICK] [$] 11:30 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A killer lineup of uncensored stand-up from Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), and Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): The Nasty Show: Dave Attell, Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Kurt Metzger, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 2/14/13
An army of top stand-ups & storytellers relate tales
of heartbreak at Jon Friedman's The
Rejection Show; and
an annual tradition that's resulted in two couples getting
married and having babies: The
PIT Dating Game
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] [FREE] 6:00 pm: For Valentine's Day, John's boyfriend Bryan Rucker co-hosts this weekly open mic storytelling show at UCB East, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, hosted by the wonderful John Flynn: Oh, Hey Guys!
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT musical improv troupe Adorable mixes with musical improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Pitch
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving two minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Punchbowl and THEM
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe The Boss to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): The winners of this year's Cage Match, UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern, Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Tracey Wigfield (writer for 30 Rock), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Aaron Jackson (dynamite improvisor/actor), and more perform improv at UCB East springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12 at the door or $14.83 in advance online): A small army of superb comedic writers, storytellers, and stand-ups—including Dave Hill, Sara Schaefer, Elna Baker, Adam Wade, Tom Shillue, Ted Travelstead, Arden Myrin, Lizz Winstead, Scott Moran, Ilana & Eliot Glazer, Giulia Rozzi, Abbi Crutchfield, Katina Corrao, Matt Koff, and more—sharing their tales of being turned down at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) for this very special Valentine's Day edition of Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show: Heartbreak Haven
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): At this terrific annual tradition at The PIT upstairs theatre, "Three hot New York singles will ask outrageous questions to determine which of our hilarious PITizens will be their Valentine. The winners get a date and the losers get prizes that are way too inappropriate to mention here. Two winning couples from past shows have gone on to get married and have babies!" Really, how many shows can say that?: The PIT Dating Game
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): This show that interviews luminaries about what it's like to have a dreamy job at UCB Chelsea tonight features Alex Karpovsky (cast member of HBO's Girls), Michael Gottwald (Producer and Oscar nominee for Beasts of the Southern Wild), Neal Medlyn (performance artist), and "a special surprise guest" hosted by Catie Lazarus, plus music from Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan & Eric Biondo, and hard-to-describe stuff from Rob Lathan: Employee of the Month
8:00 pm ($5): Improv veteran Charlie Todd and a mob of young performers take a cynical approach to today's holiday at the UCB Chelsea theatre: UCBT's Anti-Valentine's Day Spectacular
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A former roommate & drinking buddy of such comedy giants as David Cross and Marc Maron performs a one-man show that was such a hit at August's FringeNYC it's been extended indefinitely. Please read my review by clicking here, and Jason Zinoman's New York Times review by clicking here; and then come share an intimate hour with Matt Graham at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club so he can explain life and meaning and why This Too Shall Suck
8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hemlock and Dagger
8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house troupes Nintendo, Junior Varsity, The Boss, and Hello Laser performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by Round Trip (long form improv that tells the story of a group of characters over the course of three separate monoscenes, directed by legendary improvisor Armando Diaz), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component), tonight featuring last week's winner vs. Megalou: The Magnet's Night Out
[FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly show features "a swarthy selection of fine stand-up comics and mildly entertaining recurring segments" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre, hosted by Jim Tews & Brendan Eyre: Chest Hair
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language
9:00 pm ($5): Janine Brito (FX's Totally Biased), Kevin Avery (FX's Totally Biased), Michelle Wolf (IFC), Jared Freid (Huffington Post), and Alison Leiby performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover and/or Emily Heller: Fresh Out
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Hannah Geller (Scott’s 6th grade crush), Karley Sciortino (sex columnist and/or blogger for Slutever, Jezebel, Vice), Abby Robinson (author of Secrets of Shiksa Appeal), and Bob Powers (author of Girls Are Pretty) performing and sharing insider stories at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Scott R.: Running Late with Scott Rogowsky
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (lineup not announced) performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Justin Williams: Death Comedy Jam
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($5 & 2-item food/drink min.) Comics heckle a genre feature film—with tonight's victim the 1956 Tarzan ripoff Liane, Jungle Goddess (for a trailer featuring "pounding fury" and "untamed passions of tempestuous people," please click here) at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Devil Science Theater 3000
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Grandma's Ashes grinded its competitor to dust last week with a vote of 98-35. Tonigth the champ faces group Rocky Vee at UCB Chelsea competing for your laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Emily Heller (Comedy Central, FX's Totally Biased; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Michelle Wolf (IFC), and Patrick Salt Ryan performing stand-up and who knows what else at UCB East hosted by Jason Saenz: Undefined—A Variety Show
11:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show that proclaims "Donna Lobello is going to kill herself at the end of this show. This will be a fun-filled hour of Donna experiencing her life in its final minutes, and her making the best of it. So join her for a her last performance. It’s her dying wish" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Donna Lobello is Going to Kill Herself
[TOP PICK] [$] Midnight ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Great lineup of uncensored stand-up from Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), and Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV): The Nasty Show: Dave Attell, Jena Friedman, Nikki Glaser, Big Jay Oakerson, Paul Mecurio, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 2/15/13
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 2/16/13
Keisha Zollar & Sasheer Zamata fix centuries
of oppression in
Black History Month: A Comedy Bit Show;
Ali Wong visits from LA to briefly supercharge our town again at the 11:00
pm Comedy Cellar
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] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show ("starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one") at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour
6:00 pm ($8): All-gal improv troupes are rare, but this show showcases two of them: Deer Babies and Wicked City, performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Womanhattan
6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes The Two Als, Brawlers, and Big Fat Liars at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Sasheer Zamata (highly charming, innovative rising star; Comedy Central's Amy Schumer Show, FX's Totally Biased; host of UCBT's School Night, member of red-hot improv troupe Doppelganger, sketch troupe The Prom, and Harold Night troupe Bucky) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger, host of The Soul Glo Jam, Andy Kaufman Award finalist) host this character bit & sketch show inspired by February, with guests Naomi Ekperigin, Charla Lauriston, Paul Higbie, John Zachary Townsend, Alan Starzinski, and more! "Come make up for years of oppression by coming to this show" at the UCB East theatre: Black History Month: A Comedy Bit Show
7:00 pm ($5): Layer by layer, improvisers build a town based on an audience member’s suggestion for the town’s name, while artist Asher Rogers paints a large map of the town based on the improvisers’ descriptions. This cool-sounding new show is at The PIT downstairs lounge: Our Town
7:30 pm ($7): Sharp Magnet improvisors "perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:" The Weave
7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: The debut of this live show based on "a bold comedic Web series by Stefanie Grassley & Julia Tokarz based on 100% real (and really scary) online dating messages. Join us for a fun night of highlights, deleted scenes, bloopers, and the screening of two new episodes" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: It's Not Okay, Cupid—Live
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($49 & 2-drink min.) A TV and movie comic who first earned fame on Chappelle's Show, and has gone on to star in the hour-long Comedy Central special I WIll Not Apologize and appear in TBS' Are We There Yet?, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Charlie Murphy
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who starred in his own Comedy Central Presents 1/2-hour special, and performed on David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, and The Howard Stern Show (for Letterman stand-up video, please click here), headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Joe Matarese
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Danny Lobell (Comical Radio), Selena Coppock (Connotation), Adam Chisnall (Killer Comedy), Trevor Williams (College Humor), Jesse Jones (Comedy BrewHaha), and Amanda Baramki (Arab Comedy Festival) performing stand-up at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and/or Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite
8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill: Big Black Car and The Baldwins
8:30 pm ($10): Seaton Smith (Opie and Anthony), Luke Cunningham (Jimmy Fallon, The Colbert Report), Nore Davis (MTV, Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus), Erin Lennox (host of DTF, co-host of The Orphanage; for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here), Jeff Wesselschmidt (Rooftop Comedy), and Neal Stastny performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Mike Britt (Comedy Central), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club:Judah Friedlander, Ted Alexandro, and More
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), Mike Britt (Comedy Central), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
9:00 pm ($8): An improvised musical made up on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge by The Shady Bunch
9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem
[$] 9:15 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Marina Franklin, Greer Barnes, Michael Che, and More
9:30 pm ($10): This popular all-guy comedy troupe performs both sketch and improv at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($11.34 online; or $10 at the door—but this show usually sells out in advance): J.R. Havlan (The Daily Show), Tom Ryan (David Letterman), Reid Faylor (host of Underbelly), Adam Conover (VH1's Best Week Ever), Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon), Michelle Wolf (IFC), Eli Sairs,Taylor Clark, Ron Krasnow, and Joel Walkowski performing stand-up, plus Abigoliah Schumann hammers a nail into her skull, "Ant Man" Moffett (your guess as good as mine), beatbox genius Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan, and Vikki Badd (pole dance) for this show in which stand-up and burlesque are weirdly blended together based on the reasoning "The nude female form is truly a work of art. That's why people the world over like to jerk off to it. Who are we to disagree with the world?"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] 10:00 pm ($8): A small army of comics—Silvija Ozols (The Stepfathers), Amber Nelson (Comedy Central), Micah Sherman (Second City), Ashley Ward (Baby Wants Candy), Arthur Meyer (Jimmy Fallon), Steve Soroka (Sundance Channel), Lucas Hazlett (MTV), Joe Schiappa (MTV), Billy Keenly (Serious Lunch), and Sarah Nowak (The Baldwins)—performing as characters at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Overload the Machine
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Marina Franklin, Joe DeRosa, Nikki Glaser, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 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] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to "take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:" Grandma's Ashes Gets Dark
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and has so far crushed 10 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
[TOP PICK] [$] 11:00 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Ali Wong (visiting from LA!; fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, FOX, NBC's Are You There Chelsea?, film Savages), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Dave Attell, Ali Wong, Gary Gulman, and More
11:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy from a troupe born in a Boston college and tonight performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Astronaut Theatre
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Improv is dominated by guys...and for no good reason. A way to help remedy this situation are shows like this one at UCB Chelsea, which is a monthly open improv jam for any female wanting to participate, at any experience level—and which has a very special and communal "gal energy" you're unlikely to find anywhere else. The show's creator, the wonderful Shannon O'Neill, is out of town this weekend, but it's still likely to be good thanks to the participation of other top UCBT gal improv stars: The Lady Jam
Midnight ($5): Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger, host of The Soul Glo Jam, Andy Kaufman Award finalist) hosts a variety show at UCB East that's a mix of forms, with tonight's performers Keisha Zollar (stand-up and music), and jams with improv teams led by Aisha Carter, Alexis Lambright, and Ray Cordoba: The Soul Glo Jam
[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups (not announced) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Midnight Run
Midnight ($5): Six improvisors make up scenes about the Apocalypse at The Magnet theatre: A Show at the End of the World
Midnight ($5—or free if you show up in a costume): "A scandalous night of down-right-sexy improv at The PIT downstairs lounge. Incorrigible performers team up to turn down the lights, slip into something a little more comfortable, and spend the good part of an hour tickling your funny boners. Beware of partial nudity, strong sexual themes, and the possibility to be dragged on stage for a not-so-wholesome game of Truth or Dare:" Yes, Yes, Yes...And
[TOP PICK] [$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Erik Rivera: Dave Attell, Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Gary Gulman, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 2/17/13
A comedy legend is celebrated at Queen's MoMA PS1 by T.J. Miller and more: The Andy Kaufman Effect...
...Brent Weinbach is in Queens for The
Andy Kaufman Effect, then in Brooklyn to perform at
Comedy Night;
Top
Gun goes Shakespearean at The PIT in the cleverly executed
Jester's Dead
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[MEGA-TOP PICK] Noon-6:00 pm ($10): The Queens branch of the Museum of Modern Art celebrates Andy Kaufman starting at 1:00 pm with an interview with his former girlfriend, Lynne Margulies, who recently published a collection of letters Andy received from women during his wrestling career: Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!; at 2:00 pm with a panel discussion from superb Kaufman-influenced surreal comics T.J. Miller and Brent Weinbach; and at 3:30 pm with the East Coast premiere of Tony Clifton: The Movie, all at MoMA PS1 (22-25 Jackson Avenue): The Andy Kaufman Effect
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open mic stand-up show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase
[FREE] 5:00 pm: A smorgasbord of of stand-up, comedic music, comedic dance, sketch, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Chris O'Neil: Mishmash Variety Hour (and a Half)
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer
6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic's 5-minute set at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), and Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Marina Franklin, Gary Gulman, NIck Griffin, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs bits from a show he's developing for an off-Broadway run that looks at US history "from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn
7:00 pm ($8): "Becky Flaum thinks she’s Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But her high cinematic hopes for her love life get in the way of reality on her quest to find the perfect co-star." This one-woman show is at The PIT upstairs theatre: Hopeless Romantic Comedy
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world such as Chris Gethard, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($49 & 2-drink min.) A TV and movie comic who first earned fame on Chappelle's Show, and has gone on to star in the hour-long Comedy Central special I WIll Not Apologize and appear in TBS' Are We There Yet?, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Charlie Murphy
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
[FREE] 7:30 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Jon Benjamin (unique off-the-wall comedy genius; FOX's Bob's Burgers, FX's Archer, Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has a Van, Adult Swim, MTV's Human Giant), Selena Coppock (author of upcoming book The New Rules for Blondes), Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), George Gordon, and Josh Gondelman performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15): Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV, Logo), and Mo Diggs (MTV's Choose or Lose) performing stand-up that rips something or someone deserving to shreds at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Nathan Rand: An Invitation to a Beheading
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Shacottha Fields performs a one-woman improv show, and then Christina Gausas & Ruby Marez perform duo improv, for this Magnet theatre double-bill: One Deep and Gausas & Marez
8:00 pm ($8): A one-woman show by Berry Basile about "a Jersey girl in big city acting classes with Scarlet Johannson and Rosario Dawson. and a dating pool with a bunch of trust fund kids, searching for the Meatiest Role" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Meaty Role
[FREE] 8:00 pm: James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Hari Kondabolu (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, , FX's Totally Biased), Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, comedy CD Not for Horses), Naomi Ekperigin (College Humor, Huffington Post), and more performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Todd Barry, Gary Gulman, NIck Griffin, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Brent Weinbach (Conan O'Brien, Comedians of Comedy; 2007 Andy Kaufman Award winner; co-host of The Legacy Music Hour podcast), Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's), Calise Hawkins (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, writer for Playboy.com), and Mike O'Rourke performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) guest-hosted by Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC, Adult Swim): Comedy Night
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Harris Stanton (Saturday Night LIve, Comedy Central, BET), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander and More
[FREE] 9:00 pm: James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Michelle Wolf (IFC), Jon Savoy, Jeff Wesselschmidt, Kelly Fastuca, and Scott Chaplain performing stand-up in the East Village's Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at the Beauty Bar
9:00 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] 9:30 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 among the most memorable are 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 Gun Shakesparody
9:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The Magnet, tonight from troupes Jacktown and Cookie Mountain: Magnet Sketch Teams
[ALMOST FREE] 9:30 pm ($1): Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Molly Austin & Mike Brown: Vicious Cycle
10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam
[$] 10:30 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Jena Friedman, Gary Gulman, Greer Barnes, and More
[FREE] 10:45 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet. Everyone who signs up—at 10:30 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress
11:00 pm ($8): Kathryn Dunn enjoys performing improv, characters, and puppetry, and she'll probably do all of that in this open-ended one-woman show at The PIT upstairs theatre: Kathryn Dunn's Experimental Hour
Copyright © 2013 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
