Please note that these listings are updated frequently. The best way to be instantly notified about new show postings is to subscribe to my BestNewYorkComedy.com blog and allow for email notifications, and/or to follow me on Twitter (@hybender) or Instagram (@hybenderny).
In addition, you can use the links below to explore the schedules of all the major comedy venues in NYC; and you can find excellent live comedy recommendations weekly via The New York Times.
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for January 2018 include:
Wishing you a 2018 filled with joy, love, wonder, and laughter
Tuesday 1/2: Matt Dennie (MTV, IFC, co-host of ool Shit/Weird Shit) & Vincent Moore (Comedy Central; popular improv groups Take It Personal and Higgins) perform a show based on Joseph Campbell's epic work: A Hero's Journey (7:30 pm; $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 1/2: Seth Herzog is out of town, but guest host Michelle Buteau (above left; VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, comedy album Shut Up) welcomes comics Tone Bell (above right; co-star of Netflix's Disjointed and CBS' 9JKL; Comedy Central Half Hour), Dan Soder (cast member on Showtime's Billions; film Trainwreck; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Presents and Comedy Central Half Hour specials, HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, FX's Louie, AMC's Better Call Saul, E!'s Chelsea Lately, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Michael Kosta (correspondent for The Daily Show), Jackie Fabulous (ABC;s The Mayor, NBC's Southland), and more: Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Tuesday 1/2: Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (star of Comedy Central hit The President Show; Trump vs. Bernie, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv, helped by cast members and guests TBA, in the resurrection of this show that used to run weekly at UCB East: The Tony Show (11:00 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 1/3: Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, @midnight; former writer & correspondent for FX's Totally Biased), Bowen Yang & Matt Rogers (hosts of podcast Las Culturistas), Harris Mayersohn (recurring character Stoney Von Dankington on Stephen Colbert; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Bang Bang), Rachel Pegram (MTV; co-host of That Shit Ray), Andrew Barbato, and Gabe Gonzalez perform stand-up hosted by Jenny Gorelick (Improv Anywhere; perpetual birthday gal): Jenny's Birthday Variety Show (8:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/3: Myq Kaplan (above left; one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents; comedy albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Jim Tews (above right; rising star; Louie, Last Comic Standing; host of Homeschooled and co-host of Fresh Out; New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York; comedy album I Was in Band), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, ABC's The Unusuals), Yedoye Travis, Amy Shanker, and Kath Barbadoro perform stand-up for this free weekly LES show produced by Luisa Díez, and hosted by Samantha Ruddy, Luke Touma, JP McDade, Jordan Temple, and/or Dina Hashem: Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, Lucky Jack's Pub at 129 Orchard Street between Rivington & Delancey Streets)
Friday 1/5: For the 12th year of this annual tradition, 50+ NYC comics will come together to each tell the first joke he or she has written in the new year. The scheduled lineup includes Jo Firestone, Emmy Blotnick, Ashley Brooke Roberts, Ana Fabrega, Will Miles, Matteo Lane, Casey James Salengo, Janelle James, Sean Donnelly, Alison Leiby, Noah Gardenswartz...and many, many more. This lovely coming together of NYC's stand-up comedy community is happening at Brooklyn's Bell House (149 7th Street) co-produced by Sachi Ezura and hosted by John F. O’Donnell: 50 First Jokes, 2018 Edition (8:00 pm, $15, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 1/6: Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true...but one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber—and everyone who chooses correctly gets a free t-shirt! This evening's yarn-spinners are Cyndi Freeman (The Colbert Report, Moth StorySlam champion, two-time FringeNYC award winner, star burlesque performer), Gary Levitt (co-host of I Don't Get It Stand-Up), Andy Ross (Mad Magazine, The Onion, host of Real Characters), and Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life, Moth GrandSlam Champion, comedy album & show And I Am Not Lying). Come let these storytellers and host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show (6:00 pm; $20, which includes one drink; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319; West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe at 29 Cornelia Street)
Sunday 1/7: Jena Friedman (wry dark political stand-up; Stephen Colbert, @midnight, The New Yorker, Adult Swim, Netflix mockumentary Undecided; former staff writer for David Letterman, former producer for The Daily Show), Harris Mayersohn (recurring character Stoney Von Dankington on Stephen Colbert; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Bang Bang), Kenice Mobley (FOX's Laughs), Katie Hannigan (MTV’s Inside Joke), Geoffrey Asmus, and Liz Magee perform stand-up produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City) and hosted by Alison Leiby (writer for The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story): If You Build It (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Monday 1/8: Star Judah Friedlander (above left; one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly; Netflix stand-up special America is the Greatest Country in the United States; bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United), brilliant rising star Lane Moore (above right; HBO's Girls; host of Tinder Live; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's), Samantha Ruddy (College Humor, Reductress, Someecards), and Mamoudou N'Diyae perform stand-up hosted by the charming Ruby Karp: We Hope You Have Fun (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Tuesday 1/9: Tone Bell (co-star of Netflix's Disjointed and CBS' 9JKL; Comedy Central Half Hour), iconic star Jerry O'Connell (Sliders, My Secret Identify, Crossing Jordan, Jerry MaGuire, Stand by Me), Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and The Incredible Game Show Showcase, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Pete Lee (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Julian Velard (singer/songwriter; pianist for NPR's Ask Me Another), and more perform for host Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1): Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Wednesday 1/10: Genius comics John Lutz (staff writer for Seth Meyers; cast member of 30 Rock, six years as staff writer for Saturday Night Live) teams with fellow 30 Rock cast member Scott Adsit (HBO's Veep; voice of robot Baymax in Disney's Big Hero 6; co-writer/director/producer & cast member of Adult Swim's awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) to form a super-smart and hilarious star duo crafting in the moment one of the very finest improv shows you'll ever see: John & Scott (8:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 1/10: Because there isn't enough division in America, this monthly show strives to create more discord by asking the musical question "Whose side are you on: Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation) or Jennifer Lopez (This is Me...Then)?" Comic Sydnee Washington argues for JJ and Rob Haze makes the case for J.Lo, with illustrative diva drag performances by Elizabeth James and Shuga Cain, plus music from DJ Molly Austin, with fabulous hosts Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, stellar Ars Nova show It's Christi, B*tch!) & Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code): Battle of the Divas: Janet Jackson vs. Jennifer Lopez (8:00 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 1/11: A hour of sketches from 3-guy group Matt Barats (The Onion), Carmen Christopher (MTV), and Anthony Oberbeck (IFC), plus guest stand-up Rob Haze (Adam Devine's House Party, Viceland's Flophouse, Dish Network's Cabbage Town): Postmen (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 1/13: Phil Rosenthal created and was the executive producer of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, Everybody Loves Raymond (for which he also wrote or co-write 21 episodes). Rosenthal's other numerous credits include writing and producing episodes of the network sitcoms Coach and Baby Talk; performing on such shows as HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and NBC's 30 Rock, and such films as Spanglish: The Simpsons Movie and The TV Set; and writing the 2006 book You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom.
Most recently, Rosenthal created, produced, and stars in the new Netflix six-part documentary series Somebody Feed Phil, which follows him on "a goodwill eating tour of the world (Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Saigon, Mexico City, New Orleans, and Bangkok) with Phil's friends, family, and his trademark sense of humor." Rosenthal describes the series as "I'm exactly like Anthony Bourdain if he was afraid of everything." He'll discuss this and more in a live-on-stage interview with Mark Malkoff (The Carson Podcast) and an audience Q&A session: A Conversation with Phil Rosenthal (2:00 pm; $20, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) Theatre at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 1/13: A search for romance in New York via the app that redefined online dating is led by the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above right; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's), who goes on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions during the adventure are tonight's guests Pia Glenn (above left; cast member of Comedy Central's The Opposition), Darcie Wilder (bestselling author of Literally Show Me a Healthy Person), and Patrick Tobin (co-host of We're All Gonna Die). This show usually sells out, so I highly recommend nabbing tickets ASAP for Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 1/14: Unique, spectacular rising star Dana Shulman (half of wonderful improv duo Ouiser and Clairee, improv groups Poor Melissa and Student Driver; winner of the 2017 PIT Teacher of the Year Award) celebrates the Seventh Year Anniversary of her indie improv group weekly show, which she describes as follows: "It’s supportive and welcoming, with a great community vibe, where you can really learn, laugh, and try new things. It’s a show that celebrates teams built out of nothing but love and the joy of improvising. We'll be running 6:00 pm every Sunday in The PIT Underground starting 1/21, but for today only we'll be at The Striker from 7:00 to 9:00 pm for our 336th show!" Among the groups will be duo Adrian Sexton & Steve Tardio making up scenes as Paul McCartney & John Lennon. Come share in the playfulness, fearlessness, fun discoveries, and laughter: Student Driver—Indie Road: 7th Year Anniversary Celebration (7:00 pm-9:00 pm; $8, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) Theatre at 123 East 24th Street)
Monday 1/15: Comics each perform an argument for why he or she should receive a Pulitzer Prize—with tonight's candidates Blythe Roberson (The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's; co-host of The Scientists and Book Club), Lorelei Ramirez (VICE; host of Not Dead Yet), and Joe Pera (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, Adult Swim)—hosted by Caroline Schaper (writer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, former writer for David Letterman) & Eliza Cossio (Senior Latina Correspondent for The Daily Show): Pulitzer Surprises (8:00 pm, $8,:Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 1/15: Jena Friedman (wry dark political stand-up; Stephen Colbert, @midnight, The New Yorker, Adult Swim, Netflix mockumentary Undecided; former staff writer for David Letterman, former producer for The Daily Show), Brooke Van Poppelen (co-host of TruTV's Hack My Life; The View, @midnight, HBO, CBS, VH1), Brett Davis (HBO's Animals; TruTv's Jon Glaser Loves Gear; creator/host of weekly Manhattan cable TV show The Special Without Brett Davis; co-host of The Macaulay Culkin Show; winner of the 2015 Andy Kaufman Award), Samantha Ruddy (College Humor, Reductress, Someecards), Tanael Joachim, and Mike Abrusi perform stand-up for this weekly Brooklyn show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None), and Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 1/16: Sean Patton (above left; one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Jena Friedman (wry dark political stand-up; Stephen Colbert, @midnight, The New Yorker, Adult Swim, Netflix mockumentary Undecided; former staff writer for David Letterman, former producer for The Daily Show), and Brooke Van Poppelen (co-host of TruTV's Hack My Life; The View, @midnight, HBO, CBS, VH1) do stand-up, plus Alex Brightman (Tony nominee; Broadway's School of Rock, upcoming Broadway musical Beetlejuice, Showtime's SMILF) and more, all performing for host Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1): Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Tuesday 1/16: Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, TruTV, Playgirl Magazine, host of First Set, comedy album True Love) and her sister Elena Pellegrino (a.k.a. DJ Therap-E) select a different feeling each month for comics to joke about via interviews, stand-up, sketch, and/or music, with tonight featuring Griffith Newman, Janelle James, Leah Bonnema, Josh Rabinowitz, Katina Corrao, Chrissi Poland, Phi Phi O'Hara, and Alex English: Feelings: A Talk Show with Giulia Rozzi (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/17: David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Jo Firestone, Joe Pera, Dan Licata, and more perform stand-up for this fundraiser to enable third graders at the Brooklyn New School to spend the year studying Africa and learn there's much more to it than our President thinks there is: Benefit for Brooklyn New School 3rd Grade Africa Curriculum Program (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/17: Sal Vulcano (co-star of TruTV's Impractical Jokers), Liza Treyger (fresh, fierce, fearless stand-up; Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, Horace and Pete, Chelsea Lately), Shane Torres (above; fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1), Chanel Ali, and Maria Wojciechowski perform stand-up for this free weekly LES show produced by Luisa Díez, and hosted by Samantha Ruddy, Luke Touma, JP McDade, Jordan Temple, and/or Dina Hashem: Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, Lucky Jack's Pub at 129 Orchard Street between Rivington & Delancey Streets)
Wednesday 1/17: Dulcé Sloan (above left; powerhouse comic who's a correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, @midnight), singing duo Friends Who Folk (Rachel Wenitsky & Ned Riseley, above right; TheNewYorker.com), and Yedoye Travis (Stephen Colbert, Search Party; co-host of Rent Party) perform and/or are interviewed by host Dale Seever (a.k.a. James Bewley) for this podcast live recording: Deep Night with Dale (8:00 pm, $12, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Wednesday 1/17: Ophira Eisenberg (NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here), Cyrus McQueen (Last Comic Standing), Liz Barrett, Ray Gootz, and Camille Theobald perform extra-long stand-up sets hosted by Ben Asher: Double Plus Good Comedy (8:00 pm, $5 suggested contribution or $1 for students, but paying is optional; Brooklyn's Pacific Standard at 82 Fourth Avenue)
Friday 1/19: A live version of the popular podcast Tinder Tales that provides stories of Tinder dates, dating advice, and fun games, with guests Chris Calogero (Vice; host of Mourning Coffee podcast),Julie Kottakis (Comedians at Law), and Amy Shanker hosted by David Piccolomini: Tinder Tales Live (7:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Saturday 1/20: Christi Chiello is a delightful stand-up, writer, and actress with infectiousness enthusiasm and a unique voice who's appeared on Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, and TruTV, and is co-host of Battle of the Divas and White Chocolate. Tonight Christi performs a solo production that demonstrates she's one of the funniest and most talented comics in NYC. Kudos also go to director Giulia Rozzi for helping Christi show off what a powerhouse she is at her confident best. If you like fun, I happily recommend you come enjoy Christi Chiello: It's Christi, B*tch! (8:00 pm; $13.18 online using code CUPCAKE (a $5 discount); Ars Nova at 511 West 54th Street between Tenth & Eleventh Avenues)
Saturday 1/20: World-class singing improvisors Evan Kaufman & Rebecca Vigil interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (7:00 pm; $15, which is a good deal—this show has regularly sold out at $18 at other venues; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 1/20: Comics perform their darkest, saddest, and most traumatically funny bits for this monthly catharsis machine hosted by Shane Torres (above; fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Nate Fridson, and Alison Zeidman, with tonight's guests Doug Smith (Conan O'Brien, co-host of See You In Hell), Noah Gardenswartz (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), Petey Deabreu (host of Petey's World), Marcia Belsky (Reductress; lead singer of band Free the Mind), Sarah Tollemache (Adam Devine's House Party), and Wanjiko Eke: Dark Spots (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 1/21: Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times) celebrates the debut of his comedy album Pure Uncut Joy with stand-ups Aparna Nancherla, Casey James Salengo, Joyelle Nicole, Marc Theobald, and Courtney Maginnis: Rob Cantrell Album Release Party (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 1/22: Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly, a.k.a. Silly, on CBS' Star Trek Discovery; Meg Joyce on A&E's Longmire; FX's Baskets) is the guest of this NPR weekly comedy trivia show taped live in Brooklyn and hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!): Ask Me Another (7:30 pm, $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Monday 1/22: Jared Logan (Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, CNN, TBS), Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City; TruTV, Spike, Nickelodeon; producer of If You Build It and Homeschooled), Jackie Kashian (Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing; for hilarious cartoon about LA pet owners, please click here), Dina Hashem (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, Seeso's Night Train), and more perform stand-up for this weekly Brooklyn show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None), and Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 1/23: Josh Gondelman (above right; Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper), iconic star Jerry O'Connell (Sliders, My Secret Identify, Crossing Jordan, Jerry MaGuire, Stand by Me), Jackie Kashian (Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing; for hilarious cartoon about LA pet owners, please click here), Ian Karmel (staff writer/performer for James Corden; Conan O'Brien, Showtime, TruTV), Baratunde Thurston (author of How to Be Black; former writer/producer for The Daily Show; has been pundit on HBO's Bill Maher, MSNBC, Comedy Central) and more perform stand-up, sketch, and/or music for host Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1): Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Wednesday 1/24: Stellar comic book parody writer/artist R. Sikoryak (author of The Unquotable Trump, Masterpiece Comics, Terms and Conditions) and 8th grader kid cartoonist Sasha Matthews (author of Everyday Superheroes) are interviewed by Maxine Krenzel (professor at Brooklyn College) at this free event benefiting the ACLU and hosted by bookstore Bookculture: Superheroes: R. Sikoryak and Sasha Matthews (7:00 pm, Free! (optionally RSVP here), Bookculture at 450 Columbus Avenue between 81st & 82nd Streets)
Wednesday 1/24: Sharp storytellers Ashley Brooke Roberts (pizzahead above; energetic, enormously likeable stand-up, sketch comic and actress; stellar co-host of Fresh Out and Camp; former writer for Nat Geo Explorer and MTV's Guy Code; UCB Maude sketch groups The Prom and Absolutely), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; album The Human Comedy; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), and Neil Goldberg (performance artist whose works are exhibited in the permanent collection of MOMA) tell comedic tales on this month's theme Vices hosted by the wonderful David Martin: The Nights of Our Lives: Vices (8:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 1/24: Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code) is the guest for this podcast taping hosted by Michelle Buteau (VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, comedy album Shut Up) & Jordan Carlos (HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code, Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim): Adulting (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/24: Sixteen comics—including John Reynolds, Connor O'Malley, and Ana Fabrega—perform characters, songs, and a variety of other comedic bits: Yardsale Comedy Night (10:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 1/25: Kelsey Caine & Carmen Lagala host stand-ups and then interact with them after their sets...via puppets! Tonight's stellar comics are Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and The Incredible Game Show Showcase, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, @midnight; former writer & correspondent for FX's Totally Biased), and Janelle James (@midnight, SeeSo's Night Train with Wyatt Cenac): Puppets Present: A Stand-Up Show (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 1/25: Jean Grae & John Hodgman have written topics on a carnival wheel. In this show they spin the wheel and then chat about whatever subject they land on, along with a surprise guest. What else do you need to know?: Jean and John (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 1/26: Ronny Chieng (above left; correspondent for The Daily Show), Chris Redd (above right; cast member of Saturday Night Live), Josh Gondelman (Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper), Michelle Buteau (VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, comedy album Shut Up), Joe Pera (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, Adult Swim), Chris Laker (Jimmy Kimmel), Lorelei Ramirez (Adult Swim), and Eudora Peterson perform stand-up hosted by Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central's South Beach, host of The Secret Loft Show): Camouflage: A Comedy Show (9:00 pm; Free, $5, or $10, depending on how far in advance you nab tickets (buying online is also a good idea because this show often sells out)—price includes Free Pizza!; Brooklyn's Big Irv's at 381 Hooper Street)
Friday 1/26: Comics give funny lectures on a science-related topic—which this month is the experiments & inventions of hairy genius Leonardo da Vinci, starring Phoebe Robinson (author of You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain; co-host of live & Net hit show 2 Dope Queens; host of podcast Sooo Many White Guys; Seth Meyers, Last Comic Standing, Broad City, MTV’s Girl Code, Glamour Magazine) and Sandy Honig (sketch group Three Busy Debras) hosted by the brilliant & delightful Blythe Roberson (The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's) & Madelyn Freed (ace improvisor & computer programmer): The Scientists: Leonardo (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 1/26 (see also 1/31): Brothers Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap in Das Racist) spontaneously interact with each other, sharing family stories, discussing current events, and more: The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Project (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 1/26: Superb improvisors Adrian Sexton (above left; co-host of Tamara's & Adrian's Tarot Variety Show, Ouiser & Clairee, George/Martha, and The Darklings; host of Pet Prov), Jay Malsky (above right; highly talented, super-charged character comic; host of This Live Show; UCB sketch group Pretty Boys; PIT improv group Peaches Galore; FringeNYC solo show Elaine Stritch: Still Here; Solocom & UCB solo show Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend), and more TBA form improv group The Community Players, which makes up a play on the spot based on an audience suggestion to artfully create Theatre! Theater! Theatah! (8:30 pm, $10, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 1/27: Blythe Roberson (The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's) & Colin Stokes (Associate Cartoon Editor at The New Yorker; The Onion, GQ) read a book every month so you don't have to and then discuss it for your edutainment, with tonight's classic Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Diary (a prequel to Bobby Mueller: The Clues in the Dossier) by Mildred Wirt Benson under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Soak in culture while being amused by comics Jen Spyra (staff writer for Stephen Colbert; The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast; former Senior Writer/director/producer for The Onion), Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV), and Rebecca O'Neal (Netflix's Easy; Vanity Fair, Gawker, Vulture; former host of local Chicago TV show One Night Stand-Up): Book Club—A Comedy Show: Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Diary (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 1/27: Josh Gondelman (Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for phenom HBO news satire series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper) performs an hour of stand-up in Brooklyn for one night only as part of a national tour (with opening sets by Alison Leiby, Cristela Alonzo, and Ian Karmel): Josh Gondelman: The Team Wolf Tour (7:30 pm, $13, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 1/27: Comics Josh Sharp (above; superb sketch writer/performer; CBS' Two Broke Girls, Comedy Central's The Opposition, IFC's How Shit Works, MTV; co-host of Cool Shit/Weird Shit), Joe Rumrill (co-host of Cartoon Monsoon), and Chrissy Shackelford (The Story Pirates) give funny lectures about science and/or technology—plus Josh will get a website built on the spot for him based on audience suggestions—hosted by Mark Vigeant (Funny Or Die, Prairie Home Companion): Internet Explorers (7:00 pm; $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 1/28: Superb storyteller David Lawson (The Flyer Guy, No Oddjob) performs a hilarious and fascinating one-man show "about those three Star Wars movies most people hate. About how art can mean something different at different ages, discovering the limits of one’s own nerddom, the thrill of watching a movie stoned, the final massive cultural event before social media took over, telling the elder at synagogue you think the anti-Semitic character is comedy gold, the warmth of loving a certain movie trilogy that is so universally loathed...and even a bit on the newest insanely divisive Star Wars movie:" David Lawson's The Prequels (7:00 pm, $10, The Tank at 312 West 36th Street between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
Sunday 1/28: Josh Gondelman (Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper), Ana Fabrega (Portlandia, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Chris Gethard Show, host of Sundays with Ana), Sachi Ezura (producer for The Rundown with Robin Thede), Tommy McNamara, Rebecca V. O'Neal, and Mary Cella perform stand-up hosted by Harris Mayersohn & Jessy Morner-Ritt: Just a Show (6:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Sunnyvale at 1031 Grand Street)
Sunday 1/28: A small army of comics—the Cocoon Central Dance Team, Julio Torres, Matt Rogers & Bowen Yang, Dylan Marron, Josh Sharp, and about a dozen more—perform stand-up, dance, or sketch to help raise money for the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, hosted by Marybess Pritchett & Patti Harrison: Generous Laughs (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 1/29: The PIT and UCB give birth to a beautiful child tonight, as PIT stars David Carl and Taylor Ortega perform for the first time as part of a brand new Maude sketch team named Presley. It's actually an all-round great night to be at UCB-HK, with Gravid Water at 8:00 pm featuring Vanessa Bayer (SNL), Cristin Milioti (Black Mirror, How I Met Your Mother), Cady Huffman (The Producers, Curb Your Enthusiasm), improv geniuses such as John Lutz , Brian Stack, and Tami Sagher, and much more; Presley at 9:30 pm; and Whiplash at 11:00 pm. I'll be there for the entire evening, and hope you can join me: Maude Night: Presley (9:30 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Monday 1/29: Josh Gondelman (Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper), Ana Fabrega (Portlandia, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Chris Gethard Show, host of Sundays with Ana), Calise Hawkins (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, TruTV, Oxygen; writer for Comedy Central, Playboy.com), and Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV) perform stand-up and then sit down to chat with host Evan Rocha at The Talking Show (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's C'mon Everybody at 325 Franklin Avenue)
Tuesday 1/30: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents; comedy albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Erik Bergstrom (Comedy Central Half Hour, cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker), Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code), Tony Deyo (Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, SiriusXM Radio), Mike Vecchione (Jay Leno, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern), Brian Jian, and Eman El Husseini perform extra-long stand-up sets at cool new jazz venue The Django (above) hosted by Ben Asher: Double Plus Good Comedy (8:00 pm, Free!, The Django at 2 Sixth Avenue between White and Walker Streets, in cellar of The Roxy Hotel; take the 1 subway to Franklin Street)
Wednesday 1/31: Natasha Vaynblat (Funny or Die, McSweeney's, Reductress;, improv group What I Did For Love, sketch group Absolutely, one-woman show United Federation of Teachers) shares her occasionally controversial ideas via multiple characters and stand-up sets, with opening sets by CJ Hunt and groups OK Meatpleace and Supreme Leader: Natasha Vaynblat: One Night Only (8:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Legion Bar at 790 Metropolitan Avenue)
Wednesday 1/31: Brothers Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap in Das Racist) spontaneously interact with each other, sharing family stories, discussing current events, and more: The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Project (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/31: Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (star of Comedy Central hit The President Show; Trump vs. Bernie, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv, helped by cast members and guests TBA, in the resurrection of this classic show that used to serve up anarchy weekly at UCB East before Anthony became an international star via his genius impersonation of Trump: The Tony Show (11:00 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Copyright © 2018 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>