NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 1/10/11
Tonight is your last chance to buy tickets for the smartest
& funniest improv comedy troupe in the world during this
rare NYC appearance (the other nights of the run have all sold out):
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
...
...while Patrick Cassels & Jeff Rubin explore the worst game-based films of all time in Bad Videogame Movies: The Definitive History
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: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam
6:30 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—with an early show hosted by Sean Donnelly & Blaine Perry at 6:30 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
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A monthly storytelling show from the wonderful Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here), along with guest storyteller Jim O'Grady, with improv illustrator Sharon Spell drawing scenes as they're described and the rockin' BTK Band following up at 9:00 pm, all at Under St. Marks: The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League
7:00 pm ($5): Jenny Dunne and Rick Andrews improvise a single moment in two characters' lives again and again, exploring three parallel realities, and the difference that a look or tone can make; and duo improv by Ruby Marez & Binu Paulose, who'll play multiple characters within a single event, in the double-bill The Cascade and Rubin
[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Ilana Glazer, Damien Lemon, Rob Crean, Miguel Dalmau, and Ray Marshall performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Patrick Cassels and Jeff Rubin, who write for College Humor and co-host the online video game talk show Bleep Bloop, explore the worst game-based movies of all time, with clips from Super Mario Bros, Mortal Kombat, and many more, for an unforgettably hilarious journey into the deliciously awful that's non-stop laughs—and one of my favorite comedy shows of all time: Bad Videogame Movies: The Definitive History
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($17 online or at the door with discount code T80ISC): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the third of a four-night NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Don't miss this rare opportunity to enjoy the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Rory Scovel (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central; killed at his previous Whiplash appearance...where he's performing again tonight), Giulia Rozzi (MTV, VH1, co-host of Stripped Stories and Dive Comedy), Stone & Stone (Last Comic Standing), and band The Last Car performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety
8:00 pm ($5): Improv based on headlines from the amazing New York Post: Headless Body in Topless Bar
9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's fine house sketch comedy troupes, Thunder Gulch and Dweeb, trying out new bits at Maude Night
10:00 pm ($5): Hip hop musical improv from Nick Brown, Don Romaniello, and Michael Short pretending to be NYC police officers: Rap Crimes Division
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show, co-star of NBC's Community, star of Comedy Central's New York Stand-Up Show, screenwriter, and genius stand-up comic), Rory Scovel (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central; killed at his previous Whiplash appearance), and Mike Lawrence (up-and-coming sharp stand-up)—guest-hosted by the wonderful Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1) at 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 on this new stand-up open mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and Erin Lennox: Fresh
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 1/11/11
Joe Mande headlines at Carolines, and Rory Scovel tears up the stage at both Righteous Kill and Sweet
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Comedy dynamo Shannon O'Neill performing her extravaganza about an annual talent show in "Charlie Sheen Prison, the only talent show starring the criminally retarded and insane," directed by the wonderful Will Hines: Prison Freaks: A Talent Show
7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors play themselves on stage (similar to Naked in a Fishbowl) in Self Image; and in the second half of this double-bill, eight improvisors trace the storylines of characters at a single event suggested by an audience member in Hell Buffalo
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($16.50 & 2-drink min.): An exceptionally smart comic who's performed on Comedy Central and VH1, co-hosts Totally J/K, and is the author of Look at This F*cking Hipster headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Joe Mande
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected comics alive. I'll be catching his life-affirming show about suicide and more on 1/12, but sight unseen am reasonably sure it's amazing. It's running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Tom Shillue (star storyteller; Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Kambri Crews (storyteller & author of upcoming memoir Love, Daddy), and more performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb veteran improvisors—Tara Copeland, Matt Higgins, and Matt Oberg—performing as new troupe HugeTown
8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes CAPTCHA, Grandma's Ashes, Sandino, Badman, and Standard Oil; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students chosen by chance perform with veteran improvisors—all at Harold Night
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman), Rae Sanni, Jeff Wesselschmidt, and more performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Rob Delaney, Josh Weinstein, and Ben Boult performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Robert Kelly, Kara Klenk, Jason Good, and more performing stand-up at the Ace of Clubs (9 Great Jones Street, underneath Acme Bar & Grill) hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill
[FREE] 11:00 pm: A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open mic stand-up show hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 1/12/11
Stellar one-man shows tonight from Rob Delaney (Naked and Bloody) and Daniel Kitson (Interminable Suicide)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
6:00 pm ($5): Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake; Magic Box of Stories, The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of book Weird New York) will probably talk about his upcoming show with P. Diddy; while Frank M. Ahearn explains how to disappear in a digital world, and Genghis Barbie plays music, at Ken Freedman's & Andy Breckman's live-on-stage taping of their radio show WFMU's 7 Second Delay
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A one-man show from a problem drinker turned popular comedy writer & stand-up: Rob Delaney: Naked and Bloody
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected comics alive. I'll be catching his life-affirming show about suicide and more today (1/12), but sight unseen am reasonably sure it's amazing. It's running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
8:00 pm ($5; includes copious homemade treats): Myq Kaplan (finalist on the most recent Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, hot new comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Sara Benincasa (NBC, MTV, Sirius Radio, upcoming book), Andy Haynes (Jimmy Fallon), Meg Cupernall, Doug Smith, and Matt Maragno performing stand-up at Karma Lounge (51 First Avenue, off 3rd Street) with hosts Aalap Patel and the delightful Chelsea White (MTV, College Humor): It's Not That Serious
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Ray Devito, Emily Epstein, H. Alan Scott, Garry Hannon, Jeff Kreisler, and Katrin Heir performing at this free weekly show hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
8:00 pm ($5): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories) hosting this free weekly NYC stand-up comedy show, with tonight's guests Nick Vatterott, Selena Coppock, Lee Rubenstein, Trevor Williams, and John F. O'Donnell performing at Brooklyn's Hank's Rootin' Tootin' Saloon (46 Third Avenue at Atlantic): Dive Comedy
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Giulia Rozzi (VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories and Dive Comedy), Hilary Schwartz (Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad) and Calvin Cato performing at the Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge (542 Tenth Avenue, between 40th & 41st Streets) for a free weekly NYC stand-up comedy show hosted by Adam Sank: That Sank Show
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A double-bill of vibrant improv troupes: Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik make up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar form a surprise breakout hit as all-gal troupe Doppelganger
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing 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. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 1/13/11
Outlook of the Poet (Cage Match) and Gilbert Gottfried (headlining at Carolines)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
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[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($24.50 & 2-drink min.) A one-of-a-kind comedy star headlining at the Carolines Comedy Club: Gilbert Gottfried
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out the review from The New York Times, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Wonderful comic Kurt Braunohler "relates how he destroyed a 13-year relationship in the dumbest, most complicated way possible, with bar fights, naked men, walruses, and an audition for Sasha Baron Cohen" in the one-man show The Amish Guide to Fucking
8:00 pm ($5): A two-man sketch show from very smart and somewhat nerdy comics Dan St. Germain (MTV; quick-witted rising star) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill) about history's most infamous rivalries; and an interesting idea that doesn't really get pulled off from adorable comics Geoff Garlock and Emily Strachan, in the double-bill They Hated Each Other and Gettin' Quaid
8:00 pm ($5): Veteran improvisors play with "elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde" in Sleepover
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Chuck Nice (VH1's Best Week Ever), Michael Somerville (Wingman), and Caroline Rhea (The Caroline Rhea Show, The Biggest Loser) performing stand-up at Comedy Below Canal
[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1): Comedy as a Second Language
9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Adrienne Iapalucci, Todd Womack, and David Smithyman performing stand-up at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for a show hosted & produced by recently engaged couple Sean Crespo & Carol Hartsell: Lasers in the Jungle
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Aasif Mandvi (correspondent for The Daily Show), and Negrin Farsad (MTV, FringeNYC) joining delightful hosts Andrea Rosen and Shonali Bhowmik for Variety SHAC
9:30 pm ($8): "An improvised spoof on the process of rehearsing and performing a play takes the audience through the table read, bits of one of the rehearsals, and the opening night performance of a production that's never been performed before and never will be again:" The Play Format
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Superb improv troupes Outlook of the Poet (Gavin Speiller, Ben Rodgers, and Jon Gabrus) and The Brothers Hines (Will and Kevin) competing for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 1/14/11
P. Diddy meets Chris Gethard in this show that will be watched by the gods themselves: Diddy. Gethard.
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] 7:00 pm: Stellar storyteller and stand-up Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Liar Show), Reese Waters, Alec Sobel, Bruce cherry, Miguel Dalmau, and more performing at Otto's Shrunken Head (538 East 14th Street, between Avenues A and B) hosted by Eric Vetter: No Name and A Bag O' Chips
7:00 pm ($5): "Don Draper is what every man should be and what every all-male improv group wants to be." And so each of them will be in the themed improv show The Don Drapers
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever), Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, co-host of Righteous Kill, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Brent Sullivan, and Yannis Pappas performing at Brooklyn's Happy Ending for wonderful stand-up/comedic rapper host Carolyn Castiglia's Splurge!
7:30 pm ($10): Sketch shows from Two Fun Men and from Bleak, in the double-bill Two Men Having Fun and Stomachtown
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out the write-up in The New York Times, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): An acerbic stand-up star who's appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, The View, and many other TV shows—and several films, to boot—headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-item min.): As Sean Patton points out (frequently), it's problematic to name yourself "The Pitbull of Comedy." And as Jane Borden of Time Out New York observes, "his comedy, aimed at women and anyone who’s not white, is about as delicate as a dog bite." If you'd care to see whether the title is deserved—or simply to watch a once-great comedy club spiral into self-destruction—this is your chance, as the Vegas icon is headlining tonight and Saturday at Comix: Bobby Slayton
[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A former cast member of Saturday Night Live, and who's appeared on VH1, Showtime, and CNN, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Dean Edwards
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents), Nick Maritato, and Jeff Maurer performing at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue): Hot Soup
8:00 pm ($8): Improvised scenes based on the "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist at Missed Connections Two-Prov
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches titled Ms. Larsen's Class: The Harvard Sailing Team
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
10:30 pm ($10): Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other fine improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[MEGA-TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): About a year ago—after failing to get Al Roker as a guest—Chris Gethard, in typical fashion, responded by raising his sights higher and going for P. Diddy (for details, please click here and here). Thousands of Twitter messages later, P. Diddy has finally agreed. This show for the ages sold out almost instantly, but there'll be limited standing room for those showing up early on the standby line. The big question (aside from "Can I get in"?) is will this show live up to the hype created by the year-long campaign to make it happen? Given what i know of Chris, my guess is yes: The Chris Gethard Show: Diddy. Gethard.
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 1/15/11
Stand-up star Sommore headlines at Carolines, while improv genius Ed Herbstman guest-stars tonight at Trike
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 ($8): Ben Masten and Sam Dingman perform all-new sketches and songs via an act The Onion says, via back-handed compliment, "manages to sell even flimsy premises with smarts and winning chemistry:" Audience of Two: We Hardly Know What's Up
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Anthony King, Becky Drysdale, and more—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors who've included writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
7:30 pm ($7): Improvisers taking the stage in full Federation uniform and, based on audience suggestions, creating an entirely original 'episode' set in the Star Trek universe: Start Trekkin'
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out the write-up in The New York Times, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): An acerbic stand-up star who's appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, The View, and many other TV shows—and several films, to boot—headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-item min.): As Sean Patton points out (frequently), it's problematic to name yourself "The Pitbull of Comedy." And as Jane Borden of Time Out New York observes, "his comedy, aimed at women and anyone who’s not white, is about as delicate as a dog bite." If you'd care to see whether the title is deserved—or simply to watch a once-great comedy club spiral into self-destruction—this is your chance, as the Vegas icon is headlining tonight at Comix: Bobby Slayton
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A former cast member of Saturday Night Live, and who's appeared on VH1, Showtime, and CNN, headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Dean Edwards
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion for two years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
9:00 pm ($7): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!
9:30 pm ($10): "A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics," following sold out shows at Joe's Pub: Political Subversities
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code SBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last year for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event by catching tonight's edition of Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] [$] 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] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($5): For just tonight, genius improvisor Ed Herbstman joins vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike—With Special Guest Ed Herbstman
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Sketch duo Chris O'Neill and Paul Valenti describe themselves as "vaudeville gold for a 2011 crowd." Whatever. They're funny. Especially the bit with the nose. Come catch their latest material tonight at The Chris and Paul Show
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Having triumphed against all odds in getting P. Diddy to appear at his show last night, Chris Gethard follows up tonight via a daring 10-day drive across America with some of his best friends. There will be many farewells; his pals explicitly agreeing that Chris is not personally responsible if they die on the road; and much more. It'll all happen at The Chris Gethard Show: America Gethard
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 1/16/11
Treasured New York stand-ups John Mulaney (Comedy Night) and Sean Patton (Sunday Night Stand-Up)
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] 4:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out the write-up in The New York Times, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
6:30 pm ($5): Two new shows—with no descriptions but cool titles—auditioning at The Magnet: Stand Up & Sing and Lizards & Snakes
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT'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
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1), Dan St. Germain (MTV; quick-witted rising star), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central), and Scott Moran performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
8:00 pm ($5): Dan St. Germain (MTV; quick-witted rising star), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Rob Stern (Comedy Central), and Andy Haynes performing stand-up at The PIT for a free weekly show hosted by Sean Donnelly and Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy
[$] 8:00 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.): An acerbic stand-up star who's appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, The View, and many other TV shows—and several films, to boot—headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Sommore
8:00 pm ($5): An improvised date, and a sketch show about the weird, audition at The Magnet: Double Date and Top Gunzz
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Rory Scovel (rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central), Ben Lerman (delightful raunchy comedic singer/songwriter), Rob Shapiro (at his best, fast-talking hilarious stand-up who comes off as one step away from being homeless), and Jermaine Fowler performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central): Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Nothing announced this week, but check Vince Averill's Facebook page later today in case there really is stand-up tonight (as there usually is) in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy tonight hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
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