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).
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for January 2020 included the following:
Happy New Year!
Wednesday 1/1: Welcoming 2020 with laughs are Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentaries 25 Sets, A Universal Language, co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), and Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV2, FX): New Year's Day Stand-Up at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/2-Saturday 1/4: Comedy legend Sinbad—who in addition to his acting and music is an acclaimed stand-up—performs a deliciously long club set, with an opener by Caleb Elliott (High School Musical 1--3 movie trilogy) Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: Sinbad Headlines Carolines (7:30 pm Thursday, 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday-Saturday; $46.50 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets)
Thursday 1/2: Orli Matlow (Someecards; co-host of Aliens of Extraordinary Ability) hosts comics telling their favorite jokes about long-obsolete topics (old movies, old scandals, etc.), with guests Alise Morales (News & Politics Editor of Betches; Reductress, Above Average; voice of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Showtime's Our Cartoon President), Graham Ross Techler (The New Yorker, McSweeney's, UCB's Characters Welcome, Less Than Rent theatre co.), Simone Norman (The Special Without Brett Davis), Anne VIctoria Clark (Funny or Die), Nonye Brown-West (PBS, NPR), Amanda Hunt (UCB, The PIT), and Jason Piro: Comedy Time Machine (7:30 pm, $7, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Thursday 1/2: Stand-up from Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Jessica Kirson (HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire), and Nina Daniels (The Last O.G., Showtime's Shameless, Maron): Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/2: This free stand-up show with rotating hosts—tonight it's Luke Touma—features Calise Hawkins (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, TruTV, Oxygen; writer for Comedy Central, Playboy.com), Carmen Lagala (Stephen Colert; member of sketch group All Female Reboot, co-host of Creek Bros), Mike Recine (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), Caitlin Peluffo (Stephen Colbert; co-host of podcast Beasts; co-host of Karen), and Rojo Perez (HBO Latino's Entre Nos: Spot On, Conan O'Brien, MTV's Decoded, TruTV): Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/2: Stand-up from Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentaries 25 Sets, A Universal Language, co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), Lev Fer (host of the Yung Daddy podcast), and Yamaneika Saunders (HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress): Late Night Stand-Up at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/3: Gary Gulman (razor-sharp wordsmith who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; superb recent HBO special The Great Depresh; notable role as stand-up in blockbuster movie Joker; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno; finalist on Last Comic Standing; other comedy specials include Boyish Man, In This Economy, and It's About Time), Mohanad Elshieky (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Kenice Mobley (host of podcast Love About Town, co-host of The Pasta Show), and Sarah Tollemache (Adam Devine's House Party; co-host of Vadge podcast) perform stand-up at this comedy show that's also a voter registration drive for 2020 hosted by Selena Coppock, Alison Klemp, Matt Nedostop, and Jarret Bernstein: Standup 2020 (7:30 pm, $15, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 1/3: Seminal comic book writer Chris Claremont (revived X-Men and turned them into some of Marvel's most prized crown jewels, forming the basis of the hit X-Men and Wolverine movie franchises), Alan Sepinwall (chief TV critic for Rolling Stone; co-author of TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time), and Caroline Martin (member of Netflix sketch group Astronomy Club) are the guests of brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (Netflix's Orange is the New Black, Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Comedy Central, TBS, TruTV), who transforms into "filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host!" He's joined by talk show sidekick Griffin Newman (brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves) "as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema:" The George Lucas Talk Show (7:30 pm, $14, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Friday 1/3-Saturday 1/4: Sinbad—who in addition to being a movie and TV star is an acclaimed stand-up, with two Comedy Central specials and four HBO specials—continues his headlining NYC run, with an opening set by Caleb Elliott (High School Musical 1--3 movie trilogy) tonight and Saturday: Sinbad Does Carolines (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday-Saturday; $46.50 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets)
Friday 1/3-Saturday 1/4: "When I encountered rich people for the first time, I discovered that not only do they holiday in places that are hard to find on a map, but that they use the names of seasons as verbs. When they asked me, 'Where did you summer and winter growing up?' I would usually say, 'As a child? The same place I springed and autumned.'" A veteran comic headlines in Chelsea tonight and Saturday, with opening sets by Russ Meneve (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing), Alli Breen (Sirius XM), and at the 10:00 show Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge): Artie Lange at Gotham Comedy (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday-Saturday, $35 plus 2-drink min., Gotham Comedy Club at 208 West 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue)
Friday 1/3: For the 14th 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 Emmy Blotnick, Josh Gondelman, Ashley Brooke Roberts, Christi Chiello, Kevin Iso, Alison Leiby, Shane Torres, Shalewa Sharpe, Ismael Loutfi, Jake Flores, Kate Willet, Nore Davis, Matt Koff, Tom Thakkar, Alex English, Ariel Elias...and many, many more. This lovely coming together of NYC's stand-up comedy community is hosted by John F. O’Donnell: 50 First Jokes, 2020 Edition (7:00 pm doors, 8:00 pm show, $20, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 1/3: Powerhouse lineup of Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show, co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; new album When I Saw Hamilton), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Yamaneika Saunders (HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), and Lev Fer (host of the Yung Daddy podcast): Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/3: Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), Charles Engle (co-host of podcast Please Send Nudes), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas) perform in an intimate club venue: Friday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (9:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/3: Stand-up, stories, or characters from Zach Zimmerman (The New Yorker, McSweeney's; album Clean Comedy), Rachel Pegram (Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Comedy Central's Alternatino, MTV, BET; movies Don't Think Twice and The Week Of; member of National Lampoon Radio Hour and UCB star improv group ASSSSCAT 3000), Michael Cruz Kayne (sketches on Seth Meyers and The Chris Gethard Show; HBO's High Maintenance; former writer for @midnight and Billy on the Street; member of ace musical improv group Baby Wants Candy and UCB Saturday night improv group What I Did For Love; co-host of monthly comedy show The Exhibition), and Gwynn Ballard perform for hosts Tracy Soren (host of My Nightmare), Julian Edward Williams, and Angela Palladino (Funny Or Die): WALT (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 1/3: Stars Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show, co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; new album When I Saw Hamilton), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Yamaneika Saunders (HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), and Lev Fer (host of the Yung Daddy podcast) perform late night stand-up in Union Square: Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/3: Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX) hosts stand-ups Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, animated webseries Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), Lev Fer (host of the Yung Daddy podcast), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas), and Geno Bisconte (frequent guest on The Artie Lange Show, The Howard Stern Show): Late Night Stand-Up and Afterparty at The Stand (11:00 pm; $20 cover and no min.—includes afterparty; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/4: Tonight's the last chance to catch Sinbad—who in addition to being a movie and TV star was designated by Comedy Central as one of the top 100 stand-ups of all time—perform a deliciously long club set at Carolines, with an opener by Caleb Elliott (High School Musical 1--3 movie trilogy): Sinbad at Carolines (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm; $46.50 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets)
Saturday 1/4: A veteran comic—who is now hosting the podcast Halfway House—headlines in Chelsea for one last night, with opening sets by Russ Meneve (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing) and Alli Breen (Sirius XM): Artie Lange at Gotham Comedy (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm, $35 plus 2-drink min., Gotham Comedy Club at 208 West 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue)
Saturday 1/4: Chrissie Mayr (NBC's America's Got Talent, FOX, The Chris Gethard Show, Wendy Williams; host of Comedy at Stonewall) hosts this live-on-stage recording of her advice podcast about sex, love, and relationships, with tonight's guests Madelyn Monroe (porn star), Kevin Brennan (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Carson Daly; star of HBO special One Night Stand; former writer for SNL; co-host of podcast Misery Loves Company), Mehran Khaghani (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, MTV, IFC, TruTV; co-hosts Sirius XM's Paid or Pain), and Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), plus the show's announcer Mike Figs (host of Arthur Avenue's Bronx Beerhall show Figs in the Hall): Chrissie Mayr: Wet Spot Live (7:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/4-Sunday 1/5: Seven art portrait masterpieces come to life and reveal the stories behind their creation—explaining why Mona Lisa was smiling, what Frida was staring at, the cause of the desperately sad eyes of the girl with a pearl earring, and more—written & directed by Karleigh Chase, and performed by Alexa Harris (Narrator), Marlee Dater (Mona Lisa), Karleigh Chase (Girl with a Pearl Earring), Rory Lipede (Dora Maar), Rory Kelsch (American Gothic), Duvall O'Steen (Gala Dali), Juanita Castro-Ochoa (Frida Kahlo), and Maureen Toomey (Marilyn Monroe): Memoirs of a Painted Woman (8:00 pm, $12, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 1/4: Terrific lineup of Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show, co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; new album When I Saw Hamilton), Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX), Mike Vecchione (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Half Hour and Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern; stand-up album Muscle Confusion), and TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo: Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/4: Every Saturday night, a highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour: North Coast (9:00 pm, $15, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 1/4: Great lineup of Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and Sh*tty Mom), Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show, co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; new album When I Saw Hamilton), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Mike Vecchione (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Half Hour and Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern; stand-up album Muscle Confusion), and Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX): Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/4: Sketches, characters, riffs, bits, and vids from five-gal comedy group Ladies Who Ranch, consisting of Kelly Cooper, Caitlin Dullea,Maya Sharma, Caroline Yost, and Sophie Zucker; plus an opening stand-up set from Mary Beth Barone (Viceland; host of podcast Mildly Offensive): Ladies Who Ranch (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 1/5: Comics tell true tales of how drink, drugs, and/or sex addiction have ruined their lives in the past and for what they're now grateful, with Mike Cannon, Mehran Khaghani, Corinne Fisher, Krystyna Hutchinson, Jonas Barnes, Louis Katz, and host Jeff Leach: Stand-Ups Anonymous (7:00 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/5: Enjoy brunch with laughs at this comedy show that provides free bacon and $20 bottomless mimosas along with jokes from NYC stand-ups Ashley Hesseltine (co-host of podcast Girls Gotta Eat), Jeff Leach (host of podcast Savage Snowflake and show Stand-Ups Anonymous—which happens tonight at 7:00 pm in the same room), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), and Ben DeMarco hosted by Remy Kassimir (host of podcasts How Cum and We Really Love Island): Bacon Bits Brunch Show (3:00 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/5: Watch the Golden Globes Awards with an audience, and enjoy comedic observations and characters by NYC comics performing for you during the commercials. The show is hosted by Jenny Gorelick, with a voting explanation by Andrea Jones-Rooy, color commentary by Rachel Pegram, Allie Carieri, Gabe Gonzalez, and Miz Diamond Wigfall, and celebrity impersonations by John Everett Trowbridge, Sophie Elizabeth Santos, Ana McCasland, Abby Herold, Micaela Fagan, Joey Dardano, and Jeremy Moulton: Golden Globes Watch Party (6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show; $16.89 in advance online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 1/5: John Reynolds (co-star of Search Party, cast member of Stranger Things; previously writer for The President Show, Craig Ferguson, and Celebrity Deathmatch) & Matt Barats (HBO's High Maintenance, Seth Meyers, The New Yorker) perform duo comedy: John Reynolds & Matt Barats (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 1/5: Seven art portrait masterpieces come to life and reveal the stories behind their creation—explaining why Mona Lisa was smiling, what Frida was staring at, the cause of the desperately sad eyes of the girl with a pearl earring, and more—written & directed by Karleigh Chase, and performed by Alexa Harris (Narrator), Marlee Dater (Mona Lisa), Karleigh Chase (Girl with a Pearl Earring), Rory Lipede (Dora Maar), Rory Kelsch (American Gothic), Duvall O'Steen (Gala Dali), Juanita Castro-Ochoa (Frida Kahlo), and Maureen Toomey (Marilyn Monroe). Tonight concludes this show's PIT run, so this may be your last chance to experience Memoirs of a Painted Woman (8:00 pm, $12, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Sunday 1/5: Sharp stand-up from Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Derek Gaines (Jaybird on The Last O.G.; NBC's Will & Grace; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentaries 25 Sets, A Universal Language, co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas), and Tom Cassidy: Sunday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/5: Casey James Salengo (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents; album Wild Country Phoenix), Alex Babbitt (HBO's All Def Comedy), Mike Brown (TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, TruTV, MTV, Adult Swim; co-host of Comedy Outliers), Jocelyn Chia (2-time Moth StorySlam winner), and JJ Mattise (Brooklyn's Best) perform stand-up for stellar hosts Sydnee Washington, Aminah Imani, and Marie Faustin: Comedy at The Knit (9:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Knitting Factory at 361 Metropolitan Avenue; take the G/L subway to Lorimer Street-Metropolitan Avenue)
Sunday 1/5: This weekly competitive 1-on-1 roast battle tonight features a main bout of Jess Feeney ("I'm really nice till you get to know me") vs. Chris Lamadieu ("You have the confidence of a man who doesn't know he looks like that") judged by Corinne Fisher, Trey Galyon, and Dale Cheeseman, and hosted by Matt Maran: Comedy Fight Club (9:00 pm; $8.13 online using code CFC, otherwise $13.13; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/5: Doug Smith (Conan O'Brien, co-host of See You In Hell), Subhah Agarwal (writer for Comedy Central's The Jim Jefferies Show; TruTV, Fusion), Kevin Iso (Hulu's High Fidelity, Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar and Adam Devine’s House Party), Marcia Belsky (Reductress; Handmaid's Tale The Musical; lead singer of band Free the Mind), Mike Lebovitz (HBO's The Deuce, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing), and Noah Savage (ESPN) perform stand-up hosted by Robert Dean (Comedy Central): If You Build It (9:30 pm, $9, UCB at SubCulture, 45 Bleecker Street—take #6 subway to Bleecker Street stop)
Monday 1/6: Christi Chiello (multi-talented rising star; Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, PBSKids, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!; co-host of Battle of the Divas, White Chocolate, and Lost & Found) is one of the finest comics in the country, and also one of the nicest and kindest pros in the biz. Christi's teaching a stand-up class starting this evening on "Finding Your Voice." This is an invaluable opportunity, but Christi is accepting a mere $300 for the 5-week course, meeting Mondays from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in Astoria Queens' QED. For details, and to nab one of the two remaining spots before they're snapped up, please click Christi Chiello Class: Finding Your Stand-Up Voice ($300, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 1/6: Mike Zakarian (solo show Christ Kid: A Journey Through Snow Camp) hosts the fabulously multi-talented Emma Vernon (bottom left; North Coast Hip-Hop Improv, Anybody: The Improv Musical, Off Top; host of dating game show In a World), Tracy Soren (right; Above Average; host of My Nightmare, co-host of WALT), Lori Strauss (upper left; The Moth), and more telling true tales of their experiences "growing up in the eyes of the Lord:" Holy Hour (7:00 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 1/6: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Jessica Kirson (HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), and Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app): Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/6: In this solo show, actress Mary McDonnell "needs to work on presenting her 'authentic self' to the industry. But Mary isn’t sure who she is…so she’s putting it to a vote! Listen and judge as Mary recounts personal experiences, quotes references, and offers historical evidence for you to make an informed decision about her personality. Whoever you decide she is, that’s who she’ll be—forever! So pay attention. Her career depends on it. This is not so much a comedy show as a life-changing think tank for a desperate actor:" Mary McDonnell: Who Am I? Seriously. You Decide. (8:00 pm, $9, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Monday 1/6: Be part of a rare evening of live UCB shows being filmed for posterity. First up is a tour of the greatest never-before-seen DVD bonus features from some of your favorite movies, starring Eliza Kingsbury, Tim Girrbach, Claire Burns, Xavier Padin, Michael Stevens, and Alex Field (who also wrote the show), with direction from Eric Feurer. And on the second half of this double-bill are ace improvisors Zack Willis, Ali Gordon, Eric Gersen, Jessica Morgan, Hannah Solow, Shane Nielsen, Jake Smith, Corin Wells, and/or Woody Fu making up an entire musical on the spot as troupe Rumpleteaser: The Bonus Features and Rumpleteaser: Musical Improv (9:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Monday 1/6: Indie character group Poughkeepsie—which consists of Johnathan Appel (above left; writer for The New Yorker, McSweeney's, and PIT sketch group Boogiemanja; Producer & Teaching Artist for Story Pirates; host of Some Fun Lines, the only open mic for satire & humor writing), Marina di Marzo (above right, playing multiple roles; Producer for CNN's Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter; previously Associate Producer for MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber), Hugh Hobbs, Rafael Rautha, Kevin Necciai, Mary Nepi, Julia Ogilvie, and Kathleen Cameron—performs brand new characters every month to surprise and delight you: Poughkeepsie’s Character Showcase (9:00 pm, $9, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Monday 1/6: The great Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer) joins quick-witted hosts Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of podcast The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall; Netflix's The Degenerates), Luis J. Gomez (special Luis J. Gomez Presents Luis J. Gomez), and Dave Smith (FOX; host of podcast Part of the Problem) to "discuss the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this free weekly podcast recording: Legion of Skanks (9:30 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/6: Great lineup—for any show, let alone this free one—of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Subhah Agarwal (writer for Comedy Central's The Jim Jefferies Show; TruTV, Fusion), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Jeff Leach (host of podcast Savage Snowflake and show Stand-Ups Anonymous), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), Sneako (YouTube star who garnered over 11 million views with Would You Say the N Word for One Dollar?), Mike Falzone (comic, musician, and YouTube star; new free special You Got Toes), and Andrew Collin trying out material at this weekly show hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language) and/or Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV): Frantic! (10:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/7: Smart, fresh stand-up by Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Krystyna Hutchinson (with comedy partner Corinne Fisher, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s crewed), Aminah Imani (host with Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine), Josh Johnson (writer for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central Half Hour, Kevin Hart's Hart of the City), and more for hosts Anya Volz (writer for Riot Fest, The Hard Times; host of Thirst Trap With Anya Volz) & Gabby Bryan (co-host with Katie Hannigan of podcast Apodcalypse): Our Time of the Week (7:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/7: True tales on this month's theme of Future Tense/New Beginnings from comedic storytellers and/or scientists Peter Aguero (Conan O'Brien, Moth GrandSlam Champion, WNYC's Moth Radio Hour, The BTK Band), Vicki Eastus (Professor at New York Law School, using storytelling and improv to help law students find their voices), and Dr. Maria Mercedes Franco (Chair of Mathematics & Computer Science at Queensborough CUNY) hosted by Tracy Rowland (3-time Moth StorySlam winner) & Paula Croxson (neuroscientist; Associate Director for Education Programs at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute): The Story Collider: New Beginnings (7:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Tuesday 1/7: A raucous monthly pun competition hosted by Fred Firestone (co-author with Jo Firestone of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), with 18 audience members (a dozen sign-ups and six returning champions) fiercely competing for wordplay dominance—and the chance to become an instant star based on verbal cleverness, and the ability to drum up the most applause from a packed and loudly cheering crowd. Be prepared to boo 2020 puns anything less than stellar: Punderdome 3000: New Year! (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street—take R subway to Union Street; show up early—doors open at 7:00—to nab a seat, or plan on standing)
Tuesday 1/7: Sal Vulcano (co-star of TruTV's Impractical Jokers), Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, animated webseries Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Derek Gaines (Jaybird on The Last O.G.; NBC's Will & Grace; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Maddy Smith (cast member of MTV's Wild n Out; writer for Comedy Central's Roast of Alec Baldwin), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas) perform stand-up for host Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC, co-host of podcast Cum Town): Fat Tuesdays (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/7: Dan St. Germain (above; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Crashing, @midnight, This is Not Happening, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; former staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts, Netflix's The Break with Michelle Wolf, and TruTV's Ten Things; album No Real Winners Here), Alex Babbitt (HBO's All Def Comedy), Olga Namer ("Unorthodox Jewish comedian"), Stephon Bishop, and Justin Smith perform stand-up hosted by Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV; album You Guys Are Dope) representing both well-known and less-known comics considered worthy of your attention by comedy blog Stellar Underground (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 1/7: There are scores of open mics in NYC, but this is the only one I know of devoted to erotic-themed jokes and/or performances. If you're either looking to try out your raunchier material or simply want to experience something unusual, consider this monthly event hosted by Jennifer Dawn Harmon: Sugar & Spice: An Erotica Open Mic (9:00 pm, $5, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Tuesday 11/12: Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed) and Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction) team up for this podcast which, starting tonight, will run every Tuesday at 9:30 pm at The Stand. They describe it as follows: "Amidst a culture filled with loud pigs and whiny cows, we discuss current news stories and how each is covered differently by our media's most biased, poker-prodding news sources. We are hell bent on finding the quiet, spineless middle ground that must exist somewhere between cries of Vulture and Breitbart:" Without A Country Podcast— Live! (9:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/8: Comedic storytellers, musicians, and/or political organizers "tell inspiring, funny, and absolutely true personal stories about turning points, and no turning back points. With special remarks from Swing Left about its 2020 strategy to flip the Senate, plus specific calls to action and ways for you to get involved in the fight for our lives. 100% ticket proceeds go directly to Swing Left’s Senate funds," with performers Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Shaina Taub (Emmy-nominated singer/songwriter who's written songs for TV shows ranging from The TONY Awards to Julie Andrews' Julie's Greenroom to Sesame Street; albums Visitors and Die Happy), Paola Mendoza (activist who co-founded @WeAreSoze, @ResistanceRev, and Women’s March OG; author of Together We Rise), Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show and podcast Risk!, owner of The Story Studio), Sandi Marx (PBS, 7-time Moth StorySlam winner), and more hosted by Nicole Ferraro (founder of Art, Humanity & Action) and Liat Olenick (Indivisible Nation BK): No Turning Back: A Storytelling Show to Flip the Senate (7:30 pm, $35-$60, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 1/8: Comics who are parents vent by telling mean stories about their children (and guest comics who aren't revel in their freedom), with tonight's cruel jokesters Jenny Hagel (staff writer for Seth Meyers; iO, Second City), Doogie Horner (NBC's America's Got Talent; author of A Die Hard Christmas, This Might Hurt a Bit, and Home Alone Hard; stand-up album A Delicate Man), Iris Bahr (actress in numerous TV shows including Friends, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The King of Queens, and such films as Larry the Cable Guy and The Last Exorcism), Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of Sandwich, comedy album Immigrant Made), and Katie Goodman (member of Broad Comedy; YouTube hits I Didn't F*ck It Up and Sorry Babe, You're a Feminist) hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (one of the finest comedic storytellers and stand-ups in the country; host of weekly NPR/WNYC show Ask Me Another, author of bestselling book Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy, comedy album Bangs!; NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime) and Emily Flake (star cartoonist for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Forbes, etc.; author of books Mama Tried, Lulu Eightball, and These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves): Shitshow (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/8: A beloved Broadway, TV, film, and Netflix star (Trainwreck, Red State Blue State) tries out new material in an intimate club for his next mass media solo show: Colin Quinn (7:00 pm, $10 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Wednesday 1/8: Fans of kombucha beverages Lawrence DeLoach (CBS Sports Network; host of lifestyle podcast Sup?) & Troy Alan host Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, animated webseries Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), and Harrison Greenbaum (America's Got Talent, Comedy Central, Mad Magazine) in an intimate club venue: Kombucha Komedy (7:30 pm, $10, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/8: Radio star Ron Bennington (host of shows Bennington and Unmasked), Jessica Kirson (hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), and Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX): Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/8: Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic; author of How to Write Cheesy Movies) hosts an open mic for MST3K-style riffing on film clips of awful movies, tonight with guest co-host Carolina Hidalgo (co-host with Frank and Trace Beaulieu of Movie Sign with the Mads podcast; also co-host of podcast Professional Friends). Sign-up is open to all, and riffing happens in randomly assigned groups of three, with no advance knowledge of what's going to be screened. Whoever Frank and Carolina decide is best will get to riff with them at the end of the night: Frank Conniff's Open Riff Night (9:00 pm, $5 to riff or $ 8 to just watch, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Wednesday 1/8: In this unique show, you pay $5 to get in, but also commit to spending at least another $10 on the comics who'll be performing. Specifically, during the show you'll Venmo the stand-ups who make you laugh the most. Each stand-up's Venmo feed will be displayed live on stage, so you can post whatever comment you like for all to see...as long as you pay to say it. Tonight's competitors for your laughs & cash are Tyler Richardson (quick-witted rising star stand-up; The Splash Report, ReelzChannel; host of New Bedtime Stories and co-host of Black Guys), Jim Tews (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), Lizzie Martinez (co-host of Star F*ckers), Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentaries 25 Sets, A Universal Language, co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), and Derek Humphrey (ABC, MTV, host of podcast Derek Mansplains It All) hosted by Boris Khaykin (Comedy Central's Broad City, The Opposition; Amazon's Red Oaks, acclaimed improv hip-hop group North Coast; host of Impro(VS)tandup) & Brian Theriot: Capitalism! (9:30 pm, $15—$5 for entry and at least $10 to comics during the show via Venmo; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/8: Ace stand-up from Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Subhah Agarwal (writer for Comedy Central's The Jim Jefferies Show; TruTV, Fusion), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Derek Gaines (Jaybird on The Last O.G.; NBC's Will & Grace; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), and Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic): Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/9: Michelle Collins (host of TLC's 90 Day Live; host of SiriusXM Stars 109's The Michelle Collins Show, 7:00-10:00 am daily; former co-host of ABC's The View and Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise) performs a deliciously long stand-up club set for one night only: Michelle Collins Headlines Carolines (7:00 pm, $32.75 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets)
Thursday 1/9: Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentaries 25 Sets, A Universal Language, co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), and Kim Congdon (writer for Impractical Jokers; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV; host of podcast Broad Topix) perform stand-up for host Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV): Citywide (7:00 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/9: Shalewa Sharpe (HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Comedy Central's The New Negroes; comedy album So, You Just Out Here?), Daniel Simonsen (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar; cast member of BBC's House of Fools; toured with Simon Amstell), Mohanad Elshieky (Conan O'Brien; Epix's Unprotected Sets; digital producer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), and Amelita ("Future icon blazing through the intersection of diva pop music and comedy that some would argue does not actually exist") perform stand-up for hosts Emily Winter (writer for NPR's Ask Me Another; The New Yorker, The New York Times) & Larry Mancini (ESPN Radio; band member of The Tracys): BackFat Variety (7:00 pm; $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 1/9: Storyteller and cartoonist Anoush Froundjian (above right) shares memorable and moving coming of age tales from her days as an Armenian-American child and teen (for a stellar example, please click here). "The piece addresses the cultural differences between Anoush’s background and that of day-to-day, society, revealing how it has both torn down and reshaped the life of a child and now (semi) adjusted adult:: One Woman, Under Brow (7:00 pm, $11, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 1/9: Open mic storytelling show, with each yarn-spinner whose name is picked from a basket receiving 5 minutes on stage to share something that happened in his or her life, hosted by David Lawson (Comedy Central; solo shows include The Flyer Guy, No Oddjob, The Prequels, and The 2020 Book Report): The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show (7:00 pm, Free!, Queens' Astoria Bookshop at 31-29 31st Street)
Thursday 1/9: Justin Long (left; NBC's Ed, Galaxy Quest, Going the Distance, Live Free or Die Hard, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the Mac in Apple Computer commercials) and Marina Franklin (middle; staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; Showtime’s“Women Who Kill; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female) are the guests of this NPR comedy trivia show taped live in Brooklyn hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (right; one of the finest comedic storytellers and stand-ups in the country; author of bestselling book Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy, comedy album Bangs!; NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime) with music by Jonathan Coulton: Ask Me Another (7:30 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Thursday 1/9: "We've been waiting over a year for the new season of Doctor Who, and now that it's finally airing we are so giddy we just needed to celebrate Burlesque style. Be prepared for Cybermen, Daleks, Weeping Angels, and of course the new female Doctor who takes it upon herself to sort out fair play throughout the universe," starring Cherry Pitz & Handsome Brad, and featuring Cubby Hall, Le Grand Chaton, Luna Lee, Matt Knife, Miranda Raven, Persé Fanny, Esmé D'Avril, and Bimini Cricket: Hotsy Totsy Burlesque Tribute to Doctor Who (8:00 pm, $15, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Thursday 1/9: Enjoy a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) shared by their original authors before total strangers at this popular monthly show—which is now also a six-part series titled The Mortified Guide on Netflix: Mortified (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 1/9: This free stand-up show with rotating hosts—tonight it's Chanel Ali—features a great lineup of Seaton Smith (HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Chris Rock's film Top Five, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show; album Greatest Album of the Year), Myka Fox (fearless, boundary-busting stand-up; SNL freelance contributor; host of Myka Fox & Friends podcast on Keith and The Girl Network), Jay Jurden (Jimmy Fallon; written for The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Vutlure, Christi Chiello (multi-talented rising star; Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, PBSKids, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!, co-host of Lost and Found, Battle of the Divas, and White Chocolate), Jared Freid (NBC, MTV, TruTV), and JP McDade (Comedy Central's Roast Battle II, TruTV; writer for webseries Sports Balls): Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/9: Stellar lineup of Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), radio star Ron Bennington (host of shows Bennington and Unmasked), Michael Kosta (correspondent for The Daily Show), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas): Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/10: Great lineup of Eva Victor (Twitter comedic characters video superstar; The New Yorker), Dulcé Sloan (powerhouse comic and correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, @midnight), Ego Nwodim (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Larry Owens (staff writer for TruTV's Paid Off; HBO's High Maintenance; feature film To Dust), Conner O'Malley (former staff writer/performer for Seth Meyers; Louie, Broad City), Taylor Garron (editor for Reductress), and Dan Licata (writer for Adult Swim's Joe Pera Talks To You; The Chris Gethard Show) hosted by Ethan Beach & Josh Nasser: Oh, Such A HUGE Show, Oh!: A Benefit for The Innocence Project (7:30 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 1/10: The debut of a podcast exploring mental health, relationships, and experiences that shape our lives from daughter-of-a-therapist Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), with first guest Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction): Relatively Sane Debut Podcast Recording (7:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/10: A solo show by Tiff Stevenson (UK comic/actress; numerous UK/US TV show appearances include The Office, Drunk History, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Mock the Week) about which one reviewer said, "It's jaw-droppingly remarkable how much ground she covers, how funny she is, how intelligent her attacks are:" Tiff Stevenson: Mother (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 1/10-Saturday 1/11: Chloé Hilliard (Comedy Central, NBC, ABC, MTV, TruTV, CNN) celebrates the release of her book F*ck Your Diet and Other Things My Thighs Tell Me by headlining tonight and Saturday in Chelsea: Chloé Hilliard at Gotham Comedy (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm tonight, 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm Saturday; $28 plus 2-drink min.; Gotham Comedy Club at 208 West 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue)
Friday 1/10: Great lineup of Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; ; Showtime’s“Women Who Kill; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female), Vladimir Caamaño (Jimmy Kimmel, CW), and Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic): Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/10: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above middle; author of bestselling book How to Be Alone; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are Laura Benanti (Tony Award winner for Broadway musical She Loves Me; cast member of TBS' The Detour; NBC's The Sound of Music Live, CW's Supergirl, CBS' The Good Wife, Showtime’s Nurse Jackie; album Songs From My Fair Lady), and married couple Jennifer Wright (right; political Editor-at-Large for Harper's Bazaar; The New York Times; author of numerous books including It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History, We Came First: Relationship Advice from Women Who Have Been There, and Killer Fashion: Poisonous Petticoats, Strangulating Scarves, and Other Deadly Garments Throughout History) & Daniel Kibblesmith (left; staff writer since 2015 for Stephen Colbert; The New Yorker, McSweeney's; writer of such Marvel comic books as Loki and Black Panther vs. Deadpool; author of books How to Win at Everything and Santa's Husband; former Humor Editor for Buzzfeed): Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $18 at the door or $19.51-$22.76 online; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street)
Friday 1/10: Comics TBA pitch the worst ideas they can think of for TV series about sexy singles, which are then analyzed by genuine TV execs—tonight headed by Katla McGlynn (above right), who handles digital content for HBO—in this monthly show hosted by Ned Ehrbar (above left): Bad Pitches: The Single Life (8:30 pm, Free!, Crystal Lake Brooklyn at 647 Grand Street; take L subway to Brooklyn's Lorimer Street or Graham Avenue)
Friday 1/10: Superb lineup of Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; ; Showtime’s“Women Who Kill; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female), Vladimir Caamaño (Jimmy Kimmel, CW), and Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic): Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/10: Francis Ellis (Senior Editor of highly popular BroBible.com, co-host of Oops the Podcast), Caitlin Peluffo (Stephen Colbert; co-host of podcast Beasts; co-host of Karen), Subhah Agarwal (writer for Comedy Central's The Jim Jefferies Show; TruTV, Fusion), Aminah Imani (host with Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine), and Tom Cassidy perform stand-up hosted by Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX) and followed by a party: Late Night Stand-Up and Afterparty at The Stand (11:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/11: Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone) performs a deliciously long set in an intimate club venue: Jessica Kirson: Traveling Circus (7:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/11: World-class singing improvisors Rebecca Vigil & Evan Kaufman 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; $22.32 for a seat, or $17 for standing room, online; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street. Please note this show consistently sells out, so buying in advance online is highly recommended. PLEASE NOTE: This show has SOLD OUT.)
Saturday 1/11: Chloé Hilliard (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, The Nightly Show, ABC, MTV, TruTV, CNN) continues celebrating the release of her first book F*ck Your Diet and Other Things My Thighs Tell Me by headlining one more night in Chelsea: Chloé Hilliard at Gotham Comedy (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm, $28 plus 2-drink min., Gotham Comedy Club at 208 West 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue)
Saturday 1/11: Stand-up from Francis Ellis (co-host of Oops the Podcast), Jeff Leach (BBC; films London Town and The Smoke; host of podcast Savage Snowflake and show Stand-Ups Anonymous), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Yamaneika Saunders (Jimmy Fallon, HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), and Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic) : Saturday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (9:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/11: Stand-up by Lisa Curry (writer for Jim Jeffries), Gus Constantellis (writer for Nickelodeon), Eman Morgan (Egyptian-American comic; documentaries Just Like Us, How to be a Terrorist in Hollywood), and Alex Pavone (JFL) hosted by the charming Katie Boyle (co-host of podcast The Shift; host of Transplants Comedy): QED Presents (9:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Saturday 1/11: Stand-up from Sherrod Small (Jimmy Kimmel, A&E's Black & White, TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Bonnie McFarlane (HBO, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Presents special; co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; author of You're Better Than Me), Yamaneika Saunders (Jimmy Fallon, HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), Vladimir Caamaño (Jimmy Kimmel, CW), Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas): Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/11: Stand-up from Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentaries 25 Sets, A Universal Language, co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), Jeff Leach (BBC; films London Town and The Smoke; host of podcast Savage Snowflake and show Stand-Ups Anonymous), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), and Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app): Late Night Stand-Up at The Stand (11:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/12: Highly talented & hilarious duo Taylor Ortega (HBO's Succession, Shego in Disney Channel's live-action Kim Possible, TruTV) & Jay Malsky (acclaimed solo shows Elaine Stritch: Still Here and Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend) play "Leaeah and Jacobs, the founders and resident pastors of a church for the Instagram generation that is known for its celebrity parishioners and hot, relatable take on Christianity. Bear witness to this clearly closeted married couple’s latest fame-hungry venture: Jesus. Sing with them in praise. Become the rock upon which they build their religious empire for Christ-horny millennials:" Turnt Valley Church Club (7:00 pm, $12, Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
./
Sunday 1/12: Enjoy brunch with laughs at this comedy show hosted by Remy Kassimir (host of podcasts How Cum and We Really Love Island) that provides free bacon and $20 bottomless mimosas along with a small army of stand-ups: Subhah Agarwal (HBO, NBC, MTV, TruTv, Fusion; former writer for Comedy Central's The Jim Jefferies Show), Lev Fer (host of the Yung Daddy podcast), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), Chrissie Mayr (NBC's America's Got Talent, FOX, The Chris Gethard Show, Wendy Williams; host of Wet Spot podcast; co-host of long-running LGBT stage show Comedy at Stonewall), Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV; album You Guys Are Dope), Luisa Lange (writes & produces segments for MTV News), Natalie McGill (correspondent for RT America's Redacted Tonight; stand-up film American Comic streaming on Amazon Prime), and Maddy Smith (cast member of MTV's Wild n Out; writer for Comedy Central's Roast of Alec Baldwin): Bacon Bits Brunch Show (3:00 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/12: Alex Kayhart & Amarie Castillo know NYC can be lonely, so they've created this new show that helps you make friends as you enjoy stand-up by Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX), and @PhilanthropyGal (top pod "Guys We F*cked"), and Shaun Latham (Comedy Central; host of Barstool Sports' 20 Dollar Chef and SiriusXM's daily The Shaun Latham Show): The Set Up (7:00 pm, $10, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/12: Pairs of comics face off in "passionate, high-stakes debates about absolutely unimportant, low-stakes topics," with Larry Owens, Ziwe Fumudoh, X Mayo, Josh Sharp, Marcia Belsky, Natalie Walker, Eva Victor, Peter Smith, and Bob Vulfov hosted by Karen Chee (staff writer for Seth Meyers; The New Yorker, McSweeney's) & Ariel Dumas (staff writer for Stephen Colbert): Big Debates, Lil Issues (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Sunday 1/12: Stand-up from Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), Chaunte Wayans (Netflix special "They Ready" 1.6, MTV’s Wild N’ Out, TruTV, TLC, film 50 Shades of Black, 50 Cents' 50 Central), Jeff Leach (BBC; host of podcast Savage Snowflake and show Stand-Ups Anonymous), Subhah Agarwal (HBO, NBC, MTV, TruTv, Fusion; former writer for Comedy Central's The Jim Jefferies Show), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Chrissie Mayr (NBC's America's Got Talent, FOX, The Chris Gethard Show, Wendy Williams; host of Wet Spot podcast; co-host of long-running LGBT stage show Comedy at Stonewall), Vladimir Caamaño (Jimmy Kimmel, CW), and Nina Daniels (The Last O.G., Showtime's Shameless, Maron): Sunday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/12: This weekly competitive 1-on-1 roast battle tonight features a main bout of Camille Theobald ("The smell of Camel cigarettes and Budweiser remind me of goodnight kisses from Mom") vs. Brian Barganier judged by Mike Cannon, Remy Kassimir, Brandan Sagblow, and Patrick Schroeder,and hosted by Matt Maran: Comedy Fight Club (9:00 pm; $8.13 online using code CFC, otherwise $13.13; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/12: Real-life ER doctors Andrés Mallipudi and Darien Sutton host "chronically over-sharing comics" Peter Muth, Sherm Jacobs, and Todd Montesi to tell stories of their weirdest diagnoses, and then "break down the insane history of how the medical community has treated that condition, why that condition has been stigmatized, and the real facts you should know when dealing with the condition yourself;" plus you can ask the doctors "your own embarrassing medical questions:" Doctors Without Boundaries (9:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/13, Tuesday 1/14, Tuesday 1/21: The great Mike Birbiglia (writer/star of hit Broadway show & Netflix special The New One; writer/director/star of feature films Don't Think Twice and Sleepwalk with Me; actor in numerous films and TV shows, including Trainwreck, Inside Amy Schumer, and Orange is the New Black; multiple appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, etc.; three Comedy Central specials; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live) plays around with new material in the West Village: Mike Birbiglia: Working It Out (7:00 pm tonight, 9:00 pm on 1/14 & 1/21; $27-$37, depending on seat location; Lucille Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher Street; take #1 subway to Christopher Street)
Monday 1/13: Cole Steffensen (Rainbow Brigade) hosts this show about sports for people who don't "get" sports. This month the game of Football is explained in ways that finally make sense, including the gayest moments in football history, the queer athletes that made it happen...and tons of pictures of hot jocks! In between these edutainment segments, a member of the queer community—this month Gus Constantellis—faces off against a straight person—TaTa Sherise—in a series sport-themed challenges; plus stand-up from Moroccan-Japanese comic Sarah Harvard (CBS): Sports For Gays (and Curious Straights): Football (7:00 pm; $11.59 in advance online using discount code SPORTYVIBES, or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/13: Powerhouse lineup of Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked), Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV; host of Citywide), Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing,, Comedy Central, VH1, Netflix; co-host of podcast Vadge), Rojo Perez (HBO Latino's Entre Nos: Spot On, Conan O'Brien, MTV's Decoded, TruTV), and—from Austin Texas and its Moontower Comedy Festival—Matt Bearden (co-host of Austin radio's The Dudley & Bob with Matt Show; Comedy Central, MTV, A&E, IFC) & Raul Sanchez (#1 iTunes stand-up album I'm Funnier Than This): Austin's Moontower Visits The Stand (7:30 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/13: 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; podcast Broccoli and Ice Cream) performs stand-up and hosts fellow stand-ups Jaye McBride (writer for Abortion Access Front), Nadia Pinder (host of Can I Ask You Something?), Gavin Matts (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Bill Burr Presents, Hulu's Ramy), and twins Max & Nicky Weinbach: Myq Kaplan & Friends (9:00 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 1/13: "A young woman applies for a job at an adult video store because she figures the dress code will be lax." Shalewa Sharpe (HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Comedy Central's The New Negroes; comedy album So, You Just Out Here?) performs a solo show "about the people who need porn and the folks brave enough to sell it to them:" Shalewa Sharpe: Don't Reach in the Bag (9:30 pm, $13.71 online or $15 at the door, Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/13: Great lineup—for any show, let alone this free one—of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Francis Ellis (co-host of Oops the Podcast), Nina Daniels (Showtime's Shameless, TBS' The Last O.G., Maron), Caitlin Brodnick (co-host of Brutally Honest, writer for Glamour.com, docu-series Screw You Cancer), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), Ismael Loutfi (writer for Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj), and Mike Figs (host of Arthur Avenue's Bronx Beerhall show Figs in the Hall) trying out material at this weekly show hosted by Aaron Berg (documentary 25 Sets; TV series 24 Hour Rental; co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!) and/or Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV): Frantic! (10:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/13: Musical theater collides with sketch comedy when Broadway characters appear in skits written and/or performed by Matt Gehring (Amazon's The Tick), Shaina Taub (Shakespeare in the Park), Max Ash, Joél Pérez (Fun Home), Alex Song, Mahayla Laurence, Heath Saunders (Great Comet of 1812), and Natalie Walker, and also performed by Kim Blanck, Larkin Bogan (Wicked), Fernando Contreras, Liana Hunt (Newsies), Kuhoo Verma, and Nicole Weiss, with musical direction by Myrna Conn: SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy (10:30 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Monday 1/13, Tuesday 1/14, Tuesday 1/21: The great Mike Birbiglia (writer/star of hit Broadway show & Netflix special The New One; writer/director/star of feature films Don't Think Twice and Sleepwalk with Me; actor in numerous films and TV shows, including Trainwreck, Inside Amy Schumer, and Orange is the New Black; multiple appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, etc.; three Comedy Central specials; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live) plays around with new material in the West Village: Mike Birbiglia: Working It Out (7:00 pm tonight, 9:00 pm on 1/14 & 1/21; $27-$37, depending on seat location; Lucille Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher Street; take #1 subway to Christopher Street)
Monday 1/13: Cole Steffensen (Rainbow Brigade) hosts this show about sports for people who don't "get" sports. This month the game of Football is explained in ways that finally make sense, including the gayest moments in football history, the queer athletes that made it happen...and tons of pictures of hot jocks! In between these edutainment segments, a member of the queer community—this month Gus Constantellis—faces off against a straight person—TaTa Sherise—in a series sport-themed challenges; plus stand-up from Moroccan-Japanese comic Sarah Harvard (CBS): Sports For Gays (and Curious Straights): Football (7:00 pm; $11.59 in advance online using discount code SPORTYVIBES, or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/13: Powerhouse lineup of Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked), Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV; host of Citywide), Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing,, Comedy Central, VH1, Netflix; co-host of podcast Vadge), Rojo Perez (HBO Latino's Entre Nos: Spot On, Conan O'Brien, MTV's Decoded, TruTV), and—from Austin Texas and its Moontower Comedy Festival—Matt Bearden (co-host of Austin radio's The Dudley & Bob with Matt Show; Comedy Central, MTV, A&E, IFC) & Raul Sanchez (#1 iTunes stand-up album I'm Funnier Than This): Austin's Moontower Visits The Stand (7:30 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/13: 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; podcast Broccoli and Ice Cream) performs stand-up and hosts fellow stand-ups Jaye McBride (writer for Abortion Access Front), Nadia Pinder (host of Can I Ask You Something?), Gavin Matts (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Bill Burr Presents, Hulu's Ramy), and twins Max & Nicky Weinbach: Myq Kaplan & Friends (9:00 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 1/13: "A young woman applies for a job at an adult video store because she figures the dress code will be lax." Shalewa Sharpe (HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Comedy Central's The New Negroes; comedy album So, You Just Out Here?) performs a solo show "about the people who need porn and the folks brave enough to sell it to them:" Shalewa Sharpe: Don't Reach in the Bag (9:30 pm, $13.71 online or $15 at the door, Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/13: Great lineup—for any show, let alone this free one—of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Francis Ellis (co-host of Oops the Podcast), Nina Daniels (Showtime's Shameless, TBS' The Last O.G., Maron), Caitlin Brodnick (co-host of Brutally Honest, writer for Glamour.com, docu-series Screw You Cancer), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), Ismael Loutfi (writer for Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj), and Mike Figs (host of Arthur Avenue's Bronx Beerhall show Figs in the Hall) trying out material at this weekly show hosted by Aaron Berg (documentary 25 Sets; TV series 24 Hour Rental; co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!) and/or Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV): Frantic! (10:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/13: Musical theater collides with sketch comedy when Broadway characters appear in skits written and/or performed by Matt Gehring (Amazon's The Tick), Shaina Taub (Shakespeare in the Park), Max Ash, Joél Pérez (Fun Home), Alex Song, Mahayla Laurence, Heath Saunders (Great Comet of 1812), and Natalie Walker, and also performed by Kim Blanck, Larkin Bogan (Wicked), Fernando Contreras, Liana Hunt (Newsies), Kuhoo Verma, and Nicole Weiss, with musical direction by Myrna Conn: SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy (10:30 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Among the very finest comedy albums of 2019 is Sad Lemon, providing sharp stand-up that's both wise and hilarious, and that Erica Rhodes delivers with graceful perfection. Please check out the sample above, and then listen here.
Tuesday 1/14 & Tuesday 1/21: The great Mike Birbiglia (writer/star of hit Broadway show & Netflix special The New One; writer/director/star of feature films Don't Think Twice and Sleepwalk with Me; actor in numerous films and TV shows, including Trainwreck, Inside Amy Schumer, and Orange is the New Black; multiple appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, etc.; three Comedy Central specials; comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live) plays around with new material in the West Village: Mike Birbiglia: Working It Out (9:00 pm on 1/14 & 1/21; $27-$37, depending on seat location; Lucille Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher Street; take #1 subway to Christopher Street)
Tuesday 1/14: Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), and Damien Lemon (host of TruTV's Comedy Knockout; Comedy Central Half Hour; MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Guy Court) perform stand-up for hosts Ray DeVito (The Jim Gaffigan Show, MTV; co-host of podcast The Ghole) & Josh Carter (Comedy Central's Broad City and The Jim Gaffigan Show): Northern Discomfort (7:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/14: Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00 pm, a beloved Broadway, TV, and film star (Trainwreck, Sandy Wexler, Drunk Parents), and star of Netflix specials Red State Blue State, The New York Story, and Unconstitutional, tries out new material in an intimate club for his next mass media solo show: Colin Quinn (7:00 pm, $10 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Tuesday 1/14: Every Tuesday—at new time of 7:00 pm—comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture, with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club (7:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Tuesday 1/14: Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Sydnee Washington (Conan O'Brien, MTV2's Vidiots; host with Marie Faustin of podcast The Unofficial Expert; host with Marie Faustin & Aminah Imani of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit), and Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing,, Comedy Central, VH1, Netflix; co-host of podcast Vadge) perform stand-up for host Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC, co-host of podcast Cum Town): Fat Tuesdays (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/14: The 1989 TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk introduces David Banner to Matt Murdock, who tries to help David beat a robbery frameup in both his day job of attorney and his nighttime role as superhero Daredevil, battling kingpin Wilson Fisk. Spoiler alert: There never is an actual trial of The Hulk, so the title is a blatant lie. These and other cinematic crimes will likely be pointed out as this film is screened, dissected, and mercilessly savaged by Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic), Jenn Wehrung (BBC; co-producer of Soft Core!), Brian McGuinness (Inside Amy Schumer, co-host of Retro Bits, Playable Characters podcast), and Aaron Zarabi hosted by Chris Gersbeck (host of Casual Sets, Soft Core!, and Bunk Bed Time Open Mic; producer of numerous comedy shows): Movies R Dumb: The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (8:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Tuesday 1/14: Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed) and Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction) team up for this podcast which runs every Tuesday at 9:30 pm at The Stand. They describe it as follows: "Covering the latest controversial headlines, pulling stories about each from the most opposing outlets, and discussing the much-needed middle ground amidst the madness. Each episode is taped in front of a live audience, town hall-style, with attendees having the chance to chime in during the closing Q&A segment. NDA’s are also distributed so folks know a lot of what happens in the room stays in the room. That’s not a play to put the kibosh on reviews or post-show Twitter talk, it’s a means to make the audience feel comfortable expressing, sharing, and, most importantly, freely experiencing the moment. No snooping journalists looking over your shoulder here. No loud-mouth media outlets telling you what to think. No emotionally-charged editorials being tossed at you from your smart phone. Just two liberals gone rogue, hosting a podcast, and trying to have some fun with you in the interest of unbiased news, common sense, and nuance. In other words: everyone is welcome and no one will be canceled:" Without A Country Podcast— Live! (9:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/14: Stand-up from greats Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Nina Daniels (Showtime's Shameless, TBS' The Last O.G., Maron), Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Vladimir Caamaño (Jimmy Kimmel, CW), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas): $5 Funnies (10:00 pm, $5 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/15: Hosts Molly Gaebe & Kylie Holloway invite female storytellers, comics, and historians to share the tales of "some of the greatest women the world has ever known, but history erased" for this live-on-stage podcast recording, with this week's theme Heroines of Reproductive Rights (in partnership with Abortion Access Front) articulated by guests Lizz Winstead (Comedy Central Presents, The Daily Show, Air America), Sarah Hartshorne (HBO's Vice, Netflix's Explained, former contestant on America's Next Top Model), Jaye McBride (writer for Abortion Access Front), Arti Gollapudi (host of Yourself, Your Body), Onika McLean (Bravo; co-host of podcast Violently Funny; host of Cosmic Comedy), and Brittany Brave (TBS, MTV; the other co-host of podcast Violently Funny): Nevertheless She Existed: Boss of Her Body (7:00 pm; $16.89 online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 1/15: Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00 pm, a beloved Broadway, TV, and film star (Trainwreck, Sandy Wexler, Drunk Parents), and star of Netflix specials Red State Blue State, The New York Story, and Unconstitutional, tries out new material in an intimate club for his next mass media solo show: Colin Quinn (7:00 pm, $10 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Wednesday 1/15: T.J. Miller (red-hot comedy star; David Letterman, Stephen Colbert; co-star of HBO's Silicon Valley, HBO's Crashing, and former ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-star of numerous movies including Deadpool, Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Big Hero 6, Cloverfield, and Get Him to the Greek; for vintage videos, please click here), Bonnie McFarlane (HBO, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Presents special; co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; author of You're Better Than Me), Sameer Naseem (creator of Vice's Party Legends; co-host of Funhouse Comedy), and Caitlin Reese hosted by sisters Janelle & Ash Draper—who will also answer your sex/health questions in between stand-up sets: Twisted Sistas (7:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/15: Great alt comedy lineup of Larry Owens (joyful, hilarious musical comic; staff writer for TruTV's Paid Off; HBO's High Maintenance; feature film To Dust), Lorelei Ramirez (fresh, explosively brilliant comic; Adult Swim, VICE), Meg Stalter (innovative comic pushing at formats; National Lampoon Radio Hour, The Chris Gethard Show), Steven Castillo (writer for Saturday Night Live; Steezus), and Dan Licata (writer for Adult Swim's Joe Pera Talks To You; The Chris Gethard Show) hosted by Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays): Pantheon with Stavros Halkias (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/15: Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), and TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo perform stand-up at an intimate club venue: Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/15: Professional meme creators and @NetflixIsAJoke writers Ben Leary & Kendall Payne scour the Net every day for the latest viral trends and deep cut content. In this monthly talk show, they share their expert knowledge with you via visual round-ups, as well as provide you with stand-up comedy and interviews with guests TBA: Extremely Online (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 1/15: The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon, 22 Jump Street, Netflix's The Lucas Bros: On Drugs and Lady Dynamite, FOX's Lucas Bros Moving Company and Arrested Development, HBO's Crashing), Leah Bonnema (Stephen Colbert, VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Sam Morrison (writer for Bravo's Blind Date; co-host of Thrift Comedy), Remy Kassimir (host of podcasts How Cum and We Really Love Island, and Sunday stand-up show Bacon Bits Brunch), Gabby Bryan (co-host of ApodcalypsePod), and Ashley Hamilton (co-host of podcast We Were in a Fight) perform stand-up for hosts Kate Robards (writer/actress) & Betsy Carroll (software engineer/rapper): Peach Pit Comedy (9:30 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/15: Stand-up giants Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland), Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Yamaneika Saunders (Jimmy Fallon, HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), and Aminah Imani (host with Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine) perform in a top club's elegant main room: Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/16: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of Sirius XM's The Bonfire, and podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's The Jim Gaffigan Show, Netflix's Master of None; host of podcast No Need for Apologies), and Jennie Sutton (former writer for David Letterman and TruTV's Paid Off; writer/producer of Comedy Central Snapchat series Poolers) perform stand-up for Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV): Citywide (7:00 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/16: Phoebe Robinson (co-star of HBO's 2 Dope Queens; host of podcast Sooo Many White Guys; Seth Meyers, Conan O'Brien, Broad City, MTV’s Girl Code; feature films What Men Want and Netflix's Ibiza; author of Everything's Trash, But It's Okay and You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain) performs and hosts "special guests" to raise funds for the reelection of her brother, Ohio State Representative Phil Robinson (above left): Phoebe Robinson and Special Guests (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)
Thursday 1/16: Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Sherrod Small (Jimmy Kimmel, A&E's Black & White, TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Maddy Smith (cast member of MTV's Wild n Out; writer for Comedy Central's Roast of Alec Baldwin) perform stand-up for hosts Justin Silver & Krystyna Hutchinson...who want to be sure you know they're involved only comedically: We're Not Banging (8:00 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/16: This free stand-up show with rotating hosts—tonight it's Samantha Ruddy (Stephen Colbert; warm-up comic for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee; written for College Humor, Reductress, Someecards)—features Shane Torres (fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Stand-Up Presents and Comedy Cellar, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Damien Lemon (Comedy Central Half Hour; MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Guy Court; former host of TruTV's Comedy Knockout), Clare O'Kane (Comedy Central Half Hour, Amazon's Budding Prospects, Viceland's Flophouse, webseries Semi-Famous; former writer for SpongeBob SquarePants; stand-up album Let It Be),Aminah Imani (host with Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine), Luke Touma (co-host of this show), and Rufat Agayev: Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/16: Skilled punsters Sam Corbin, Tim Donnelly, Jerzy Gwiazdowski, Ally Spier, and Nikolai Vanyo will show off their word expertise by punching up news headlines, tightening movie titles, merging words to create new terms, taking etymological deep-dives, doubting atoms (above left), and playing a variety of other word games: The PUN-ch Up (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 1/16: Stand-ups Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Francis Ellis (co-host of Oops the Podcast), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's The Jim Gaffigan Show, Netflix's Master of None; host of podcast No Need for Apologies), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), and Tom Cassidy perform in a top club's elegant main room: Late Night Stand-Up at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/17: Comics competitively roast each other 1-on-1...while playing superheroes and supervillains! Tonight features Batman (Tom Kalnas) vs. The Joker (Mike Dowd), Harry Potter (Dave Namery) vs. Voldemort (Brett Kline), Yelling Lady (Heather Candella) vs. The Cat (Maura Sateriale), and Baby Yoda (Andrew Steiner) vs. Baby Groot (Mark Goodman). The Rules: "Each battle has at least two rounds. In the first round each contestant has 30 seconds to diss his or her opponent as much as possible, and then the audience decides who won. In the second round each roaster delivers his or her best three jokes, and the audience then picks the winner. If the same person wins both rounds, the battle is ended; while if there's a tie, there's one last sudden-death joke:" Heroes Vs. Villains Roast Battle (7:00 pm; $13, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Friday 1/17: Nathan Macintosh (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien), Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; ; Showtime’s“Women Who Kill; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female), Harris Stanton (SNL, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, BET's Comic View; opened for Tracey Morgan), and Alli Breen (Sirius XM) perform stand-up hosted by Von Decarlo (TruTV, CNN; author of book Speak Fluent Man): Grown AF Comedy (7:00 pm; $14.72 online using code HAPPY, otherwise $24.72 online; no min.; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/17: Comics dub—i.e., provide a verbal soundtrack—by making up narration and dialogue on the spot for silly video and film clips, with this month's theme Technically Speaking, starring Josh Sharp & Aaron Jackson, Julia Shiplett, Shalewa Sharpe, Mary Beth Barone, and Sam Taggart hosted by Max Wittert & Joe Castle Baker: Get Reel (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 1/17: Stand-up from Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show, co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; new album When I Saw Hamilton), Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; ; Showtime’s“Women Who Kill; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), and Lev Fer (host of the Yung Daddy podcast) perform in a top club's elegant main room: Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm, $25, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/17: Acclaimed groundbreaking improvisors Patrick McCartney, Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott make up scenes that often have a theatrical quality: Centralia (8:00 pm; $15, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Friday 1/17: Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show, co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; new album When I Saw Hamilton), Jim Florentine (Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, Inside Amy Schumer, and @midnight; co-host 2008-2015 of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show; MTV; films Trainwreck, A Little Help; stand-up album Cringe N Purge), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), Dante Nero (Comedy Central, HBO, ABC, FOX; co-host of podcast Man School 202), and Caitlin Brodnick (co-host of Brutally Honest, writer for Glamour.com, docu-series Screw You Cancer) perform stand-up in an intimate club space: Friday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (9:00 pm, $25 and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 1/17: Famed musical comic Nick Thune (albums Thick Noon, Folk Hero, and Good Guy) and legendary musician Damien Jurado team up to create an odd blend of laughs and melancholy: Nick Thune & Damien Jurado: Sad Music, Sad Comedy (9:00 pm, $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 1/17: Late night stand-up from Dante Nero (Comedy Central, HBO, ABC, FOX; co-host of podcast Man School 202), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), Alex Babbitt (HBO's All Def Comedy), Sneako (YouTube star who garnered over 11 million views with Would You Say the N Word for One Dollar?), Jatty Robinson, Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), and Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland), hosted by Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX): Late Night Stand-Up at The Stand (11:00 pm, $20, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street; includes afterparty!)
Saturday 1/18: Comics who've taken The Bob Ross Challenge (painting along with a Ross video) tell jokes, talk about the experience, and have their art auctioned off to raise funds for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Josh Gondelman (one of the sharpest comics in the country; writer/producer for Showtime's Desus & Mero; previously Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; author of book Nice Try; stand-up albums Dancing On a Weeknight and Physical Whisper), Rebecca Vigil (powerhouse improv singer; Your Love Our Musical, The Vigilante), Mia Jackson (Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer), and Tarik Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, NBC's Seth Meyers, Showtime's Ray Donovan) hosted by Micah Sherman (Ezra on HBO's High Maintenance; co-creator of The Bob Ross Challenge, The Scene, and Old School Sketch) & Mark Stetson ( former Creative Director of PITtv): The Bob Ross Challenge Live (7:00 pm, $25, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 1/18: Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Krystyna Hutchinson (with comedy partner Corinne Fisher, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s crewed), Ian Fidance (regular on SiriusXM's You Up? with Nikki Glaser, Comedy Central Radio; host of Picture This!), Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV; host of Citywide), and Paris Sashay perform stand-up hosted by Jax Dell'Osso (MTV, Twitch TV) & Alia Janine (former adult film star; host of the Whormones Podcast): Jawbreakers! (7:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/18: In this unique show, animators—Erik Bergstrom (!), Bryan Brinkman, Dan Pinto, Rachel Gitlevich, Patrick Hosmer, Cat Baldwin, and Alex Pierre—spontaneously bring the jokes of stand-ups Erik Bergstrom (tackled by one of the other animators), Sean Patton, Christi Chiello, Petey DeAbreu, Andrew Collin, and Talib Babb to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don’t know what the animators will draw and the animators don’t know how the comics will react. Produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance (regular on SiriusXM's You Up? with Nikki Glaser, Comedy Central Radio): Picture This! (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 1/18: Stand-up from Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and New York Times bestseller Sh*tty Mom), Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; ; Showtime’s“Women Who Kill; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female), Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Sherrod Small (Jimmy Kimmel, A&E's Black & White, TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Vladimir Caamaño (Jimmy Kimmel, CW), and Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX) perform in a top club's elegant main room: Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm, $25, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 1/18: Stand-up from Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1; special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad; author of books Dead People Suck and New York Times bestseller Sh*tty Mom), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland), Sherrod Small (Jimmy Kimmel, A&E's Black & White, TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas) perform in an intimate club space: Saturday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (9:00 pm & 11:00 pm, $25, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/19: Enjoy brunch with laughs at this comedy show that provides free bacon and $20 bottomless mimosas along with comics Hannah Berner (cast of Bravo's Summer House; host of podcast Berning In Hell), Samantha Ruddy (Stephen Colbert; warm-up comic for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee; written for College Humor, Reductress, Someecards), Ian Lara (HBO, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Stand-Up, NBC's Bring the Funny; former host of Out of Tune music app), Napoleon Emill (Carolines' Comedy Madness 2018 champion), Patrick Schroeder (Comedy Central’s Road to Roast Battle), Ashley Gavin (Hulu), Kat Belinfante, and host Remy Kassimir (Netflix's Explained; host of podcasts How Cum and We Really Love Island): Bacon Bits Brunch Show (3:00 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/19: Storytellers share tales of when they did something terrible—but if given the chance would absolutely do the same thing again! Featuring Neko White (MTV, TruTV, Vice; Carolines' March Madness 2016 champion), Chloe Radcliffe (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker), Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, Showtime, MTV; host of podcasts My Dumb Friends, and Defend Your Movie; stand-up album Manual Labor Face), Charles Engle (co-host of podcast Please Send Nudes), and Derek Humphrey (ABC, MTV, host of podcast Derek Mansplains It All) hosted by Joe Perrow & Sam Mazany: Sorry Not Sorry (7:00 pm, $10, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/19: Anthony DeVito (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central Half Hour, This American Life, House of Cards) performs a solo show about discovering a family secret. "Weaved throughout is a conversation about childhood, Italian masculinity, and gender norms. Come see an evening of vulnerable storytelling from one of NYC’s most moderately successful stand-ups:" My Dad Isn't Danny DeVito (7:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 1/19: Sherrod Small (Jimmy Kimmel, A&E's Black & White, TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) produces and hosts this show with great stand-ups Nikki Glaser (host of You Up on SiriusXM; star of former Comedy Central series Not Safe; Comedy Central and Netflix specials; films Trainwreck and I Feel Pretty), Sam Jay (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, Netflix's The Comedy Lineup, MTV's SafeWord; former host of Adult Swim's Ricking Morty; stand-up album Donna's Daughter), Greer Barnes (HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central Presents, David Letterman, Louie, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game; comedy album See What I'm Saying), Cipha Sounds (Chappelle's Show, MTV, Hot 97), Yamaneika Saunders (Jimmy Fallon, HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), Keith Robinson (HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, Wanda Sykes Show; special Back of the Bus Funny), and Dan Naturman (America's Got Talent, David Letterman, Jay Leno): Small World Comedy/Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $25, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/19: Kevin Iso (Hulu's High Fidelity, Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar and Adam Devine’s House Party), Christi Chiello (multi-talented rising star; Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, Chris Gethard Presents, TruTV, PBSKids, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!, co-host of Battle of the Divas, White Chocolate, and Lost and Found), Leah Bonnema (Stephen Colbert, VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Napoleon Emill (JFL, Carolines Comedy Madness 2018 Chamption), and Joyelle Johnson (Seth Meyers, HBO's Crashing, TruTV; former writer for Broad City) perform stand-up for solo host Aminah Imani (while Sydnee & Marie are performing in San Francisco; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine): Comedy Night at the Knit (9:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Knitting Factory at 361 Metropolitan Avenue; take the G/L subway to Lorimer Street-Metropolitan Avenue)
Sunday 1/19: This weekly competitive roast battle tonight features a main bout of Dan Abraham ("Just made the list of ‘Comedians You Should Ignore in 2020’") vs. Dan WIckes ("Reminder, if you book me on your show you get both a comedian and a bouncer") judged by Luis J. Gomez (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, NBC's Last Comic Standing, MTV's Guy Code, TruTV; co-host of Sirius XM's The Countdown and podcast Legion of Skanks), Krystyna Hutchinson (with comedy partner Corinne Fisher, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s crewed), and more, and hosted by Matt Maran: Comedy Fight Club (9:00 pm; $8.13 online using code CFC, otherwise $13.13; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 1/19: Lisa Curry (writer for Jim Jeffries; former staff writer for Comedy Knockout; PBS), Gary Vider (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, America's Got Talent finalist), Julia Shiplett (HBO's Crashing, Moth Radio Hour; The New Yorker, The New York Times, McSweeney's; producer of Side Ponytail), Ryan Schutt, Opeyemi Olagbaju (writer for Sarah Silverman’s I Love You America on Hulu), Raanan Hershberg (HBO's Crashing, TruTV; great FringeNYC 2018 solo show Off the Grid; stand-up album Self-Helpless), and Lauren Davis perform stand-up for host Alison Leiby (writer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, former writer for Comedy Central's The Opposition and The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story): If You Build It (9:30 pm, $9, UCB at SubCulture, 45 Bleecker Street—take #6 subway to Bleecker Street stop)
Sunday 1/19: "Since the dawn of mankind, humans have tried to get high in one way or another. Why? Altered states of consciousness can be profoundly dangerous or dangerously profound. Knowledge makes the difference. We welcome a panel of experts and comedians to discuss how these drugs work." More specifically, tonight's focus is on drug economics: "When the black market turns rainbow, what are we gonna do? How do we keep the good parts of an underground community? How do we protect against the bad parts of a legal economy? How do we keep the deal in drug deal?" Plus a post-show hour of networking, all hosted by Sarah Rose Siskind (comedy writer for StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson): Drug Test: Psychedelic Economics & Networking Hour (9:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 1/19: Sherrod Small (Jimmy Kimmel, A&E's Black & White, TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) produces and hosts this show with great stand-ups Sam Jay (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, Netflix's The Comedy Lineup, MTV's SafeWord; former host of Adult Swim's Ricking Morty; stand-up album Donna's Daughter), Greer Barnes (HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central Presents, David Letterman, Louie, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game; comedy album See What I'm Saying), Keith Robinson (HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, Wanda Sykes Show; special Back of the Bus Funny), Yamaneika Saunders (Jimmy Fallon, HBO's Crashing, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Roast Battle; stand-up album Damsel in Distress), Cipha Sounds (Chappelle's Show, MTV, Hot 97), and Dan Naturman (America's Got Talent, David Letterman, Jay Leno): Small World Comedy/Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $25, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/20: Jordan Klepper (star of docuseries Klepper; former star of Comedy Central's The Opposition and correspondent for The Daily Show) hosts a comedic debate about whether we should break up big tech, with Kelly Bachman (CNN, The New York Times, Glamour), Adam Green (co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Progressive Change Institute), and Peter Suderman (Managing Editor of Reason.com; The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Politico): Debate Club: Should We Break Up Big Tech? (7:00 pm, $22.20 online or $25 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/20: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's The Jim Gaffigan Show, Netflix's Master of None; host of podcast No Need for Apologies), Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), Aminah Imani (host with Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine), and Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House) perform in a top club's elegant main room: Monday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 1/20: This show is about "the science of astrology, which is very real and definitely not fake. Each month, hosts Melissa Stokoski, Karolena Theresa, and Brian Bahe (famously all Virgos) along with resident Astrologist Lizzie Martinez (Taurus) welcome a lineup of comedians all born under the current zodiac." This month's group of Capricorn stand-ups are Alison Leiby (writer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, former writer for Comedy Central's The Opposition and The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story), Joe Castle Baker (host of Get Reel), Zubi Ahmed (Bengali-American Muslim stand-up; co-host of Kutti Gang), Eliza Hurwitz, and Solange Azor: Star F*ckers: Astrology, But Make It Comedy (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 1/20: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Devon Walker (Comedy Central), Ashley Hesseltine (co-host of podcast Girls Gotta Eat), and Richie Redding (HBO) trying out material at this weekly show hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language) and/or Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV): Frantic! (10:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/21: Helping to solve some "serious problem" (TBA) via PowerPoint, essays, music, and/or videos are guests Todd Barry (Netflix special Spicy Honey, star of delightful documentary The Crowd Work Tour; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, co-star of feature film The Wrestler), Mia Jackson (Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer), and Adam Mamawala (Comedy Central, MTV, BET; freelance contributor to SNL's Weekend Update; stand-up album One of the Good Ones) plus hosts Kevin McCaffrey (former warm-up comic for David Letterman; TruTV; co-host of podcast Sex and the Cidiots; stand-up album Nice & Drunk) and Emmy-winning writer/producers Brock Mahan (Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj) and Josiah Madigan (Head Writer of HQ Trivia): Serious Matters (7:00 pm, $13.71 online or $15 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 1/21: Stand-ups Kim Dinaro (writer for Someecards; co-host of Knitting Factory's Left Breast), Jaron Young (co-host of 6 Pack At Brit Pack; sketch group The Unusual Culprits), Chris Metcalfe (co-host of podcast The Dunce Caps), Jenae Boston, and host Sarah Garner tell jokes about their lives and then take questions about yours. Come to the show that provides not only laughs but personalized life advice for way less than a therapist would charge: Not a Therapist: A Stand-Up Comedy Advice Show (7:30 pm, $5 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/21: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Paris Sashay (BET's 50 Central, EPIX's Unprotected Sets), and Sam Morril (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, America's Got Talent) perform stand-up for host Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC, co-host of podcast Cum Town): Fat Tuesdays (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/21: Stand-up from Alison Leiby (writer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, former writer for Comedy Central's The Opposition and The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story), Lane Moore (HBO's Girls; author of bestselling How to Be Alone; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; host of hit monthly stage show Tinder Live; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's), April Boddy (writer for iHeartRadio, previously for Buzzfeed), and Drexton Clemons hosted by Jaye McBride (writer for Abortion Access Front): Feminist Buzzkills of Comedy (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 1/21: T.J. Miller (red-hot comedy star; David Letterman, Stephen Colbert; co-star of HBO's Silicon Valley, HBO's Crashing, and former ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-star of numerous movies including Deadpool, Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Big Hero 6, Cloverfield, and Get Him to the Greek; for vintage videos, please click here), Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Aasif Mandvi (CBS' Evil, HBO's The Brink, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, numerous films; former correspondent for The Daily Show; author of No Man's Land), Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV; album You Guys Are Dope), and more perform stand-up and/or music hosted by Seth Herzog (above; long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1): Sweet (9:00 pm, $16.80 online [all tickets sold via DICE app], Chelsea Music Hall at 407 West 15th Street)
Tuesday 1/21: A highly popular show that reenacts bizarre events of the past, with all sketches researched, written, and directed by award-winning journalist Malorie Cunningham (ABC News, NBC News) and Heath Harckham (Food Network), and performed by comics including Malorie, Heath, Victoria Hoffman, Sophia Shefner, Talia Heller, Ian Mather, and/or Mike Newkirk: Sketchy History (9:30 pm, $13.71 online or $15 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 1/22: Stellar comics Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Sam Jay (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, Netflix's The Comedy Lineup, MTV's SafeWord; former host of Adult Swim's Ricking Morty; stand-up album Donna's Daughter), and Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?) perform stand-up and more for this interactive audience show that will probably include a rap battle, all hosted by Brendan Gay, Charles Engle & Santiago Angel: Freestyle Comedy Show (7:00 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/22: Great lineup of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked), Jessica Kirson (stellar hour-long special Talking to Myself currently streaming on Comedy Central; HBO's Crashing, The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), and Richie Redding (HBO) perform stand-up at an elegant Union Square club: Stars at The Stand (7:30 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/22: This long-running monthly stage series & podcast presents true personal tales related to science, with this month's storytellers Michelle Tong (top left corner above; med student and poet), Victoria Ruiz (right of Michelle; Assistant Professor of Medicine at NYU), Anders Lee (right of Victoria; co-host of Pod Damn America), and more TBA hosted by Erin Baker & Nisse Greenberg (above right): The Story Collider (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Wednesday 1/22: Ben Sinclair (co-creator, co-director, and co-star of HBO's High Maintenance) is the guest of this NPR comedy trivia show taped live in Brooklyn hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (one of the finest comedic storytellers and stand-ups in the country; author of bestselling book Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy, comedy album Bangs!; NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime) with music by Jonathan Coulton: Ask Me Another (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue. PLEASE NOTE: This show has SOLD OUT.)
Genius comics John Lutz (long-time staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers; numerous VO characters for such animated series as American Dad; seven seasons as staff writer for Saturday Night Live; cast member of 30 Rock) and 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) form a super-smart and hilarious star duo crafting in the moment one of the very finest improv shows you'll ever see: John and Scott (9:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street off Eleventh Avenue)
Wednesday 1/22: Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show) and Napoleon Emill (Carolines' Comedy Madness 2018 champion) each perform a 30-minute stand-up set to hone an upcoming special or album hosted by Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV; album You Guys Are Dope) & Nash Rose (producer for Stellar Comedy): Thirty Thirty (9:00 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/22: The Lucas Brothers (bottom left above; Jimmy Fallon, 22 Jump Street, Netflix's The Lucas Bros: On Drugs and Lady Dynamite, FOX's Lucas Bros Moving Company and Arrested Development, HBO's Crashing), Larry Owens (top left; joyful, hilarious musical comic; staff writer for TruTV's Paid Off; HBO's High Maintenance; feature film To Dust), Josh Johnson (top right; writer for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central Half Hour, Kevin Hart's Hart of the City), and Paris Sashay (bottom right; BET) are interviewed by host Clark Jones (HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central) for his podcast: Classic Black Dude Live (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Tuesday 1/21: Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed) and Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction) team up for this political podcast that runs every Tuesday and includes a town hall-style Q&A with the audience: Without A Country Podcast— Live! (9:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 1/21: Stand-up from greats Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked), Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House), Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), and Caitlin Brodnick (co-host of Brutally Honest, writer for Glamour.com, docu-series Screw You Cancer): $5 Funnies (10:00 pm, $5 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/23: This monthly comedic show about the MTA is usually full of compaints, but tonight sings the praises of...the G Train! "The New York Times said it best in 2016, with an article titled, 'Once Mocked, the G Train Is Now Cool. Kind Of.' Honestly, we think the G line kicks ass and is massively misunderstood. The trains may be short, but their hearts are large. So we're going to spend an hour and a half telling you why The Little Light Green Line That Could really can," hosted by Meg Pierson (TEDx, Alchemy Comedy) and Justin Williams (Comedy Central; host of Death Comedy Jam): Why Your Train is F*cked: The Unappreciated G Train (7:00 pm; $16.89 online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 1/23: Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV) hosts stand-ups Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked; Kreeps With Kids tour), Kate Willett (Comedy Central's The Jim Jeffries Show and This Is Not Happening; VICE's Flophouse, Netflix's Comedy Lineup; comedy album Glass Gutter; co-host of Reply Guys Podcast), Tom Cassidy, Tommy Pope (member of sketch group Bird Text), and Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; co-host of podcast History Hyenas): Citywide (7:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/23: "From the mind of Dungeon Master Branson Reese (above; Cartoon Network, Swan Boy), comics, artists, and storytellers join together to spin webs that thrill your heart and break your bowels," with Tim Platt (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central, Sesame Street; member of The Story Pirates and Cartoon Monsoon; host of podcast Hampton High), Carly Monardo (Adult Swim, Nick Jr.), Chris Hastings (Dr. McNinja, Gwenpool, Adventure Time), Ali Fisher, and Joe Lepore: Rude Tales of Magic Live (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Thursday 1/23: Strong lineup of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), and Josh Wesson (Comedy Central, MTV, FX) performing stand-up at an elegant Union Square club: Thursday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/23: The only show in town that enourages you to bring your dog—because it takes place in a Barkeasy. Come to "enjoy great food, German beers, and comedy from some of New York City’s funniest comedians. We even invite dogs onstage to do tricks. You’re going to love it, and your dogs are going to love it. Unlike at the dog run, people without dogs are also welcome," with the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (one of the finest comedic storytellers and stand-ups in the country; host of weekly NPR/WNYC show Ask Me Another, author of bestselling book Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy, comedy album Bangs!; NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Jourdain Fisher (Jimmy Fallon), Caitlin Peluffo (Stephen Colbert; co-host of podcast Beasts; co-host of Karen), Matt Koff (staff writer for The Daily Show), Alon Elian (Heads Will Roll on Audible), and Wendy Steiner hosted by Jonathan Zeller (The New Yorker, McSweeney's): The Good Dog Show (8:00 pm, $7, Brooklyn's DSK's Haus on Hanson at 710 Fulton Street—take the A/C subway to Lafayette Avenue or the G subway to Fulton Street)
Thursday 1/23: This free stand-up show with rotating hosts—tonight it's JP McDade (Comedy Central's Roast Battle II, TruTV; writer for webseries Sports Balls)—features Ismael Loutfi (Jimmy Kimmel; staff writer for Netflix's Patriot Act), Maddy Smith (cast member of MTV's Wild n Out; writer for Comedy Central's Roast of Alec Baldwin), Chanel Ali (MTV's Girl Code, STARZ, TruTV), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Half Hour; co-host of travel podcast "Road Heads;" stand-up album "Katzkills"), Katie Hannigan (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central, MTV; co-host of podcast Apodcalypse), Will Winner (The Special Without Brett Davis), and Brittany Carney: Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/23: Comedic storytellers Gastor Almonte (above left; Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of Sandwich, comedy album Immigrant Made), David Drake (above middle; stand-up albums Dave, Sorry Mom, and Live From the Gutter; producer of Comedians You Should Know NYC), Barb Ponella (above right; singer/songwriter), and Monika Novak join pioneering sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State; owner of The Story Studio) at what's typically one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk! (9:30 pm, $15, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 1/22: Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked), Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; hosts podcast Tuesdays With Stories; tours with Amy Schumer), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Joe List (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, James Corden, David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Netflix's The StandUps, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), and Dante Nero (Comedy Central, HBO, ABC, FOX; co-host of podcast Man School 202) perform stand-up at an elegant Union Square comedy club: Thursday Night Stand-Up at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15, The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/23: Jourdain Searles (bottom left; The New York Times) & Bronwyn Isaac (next to Jourdain; Showtime, Vice) host this podcast "dedicated to exploring all of the tropes and pitfalls of the romantic comedy genre from a place of love. The duo will be bringing their brand of playful but incisive criticism to the rom-com classic Love Actually, joined by cultural critic and popular Youtuber Kyle Kallgren (top right; Brows Held High), who will help them answer the ultimate question about this movie: Is it full of romance or delusion? Or perhaps more accurately, is there a difference between romance and delusion?:" Bad Romance Live Show: Love Actually (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Friday 1/24: The Daily Show staff writers Kat Radley (stand-up album The Important Thing is That I'm Pretty) and Josh Johnson (writer for The Daily Show; previously writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central Half Hour, @midnight) join host Rahmein Mostafavi for a roundtable discussion with the audience about relationships: Couples Therapy: A Comedy Show (7:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street; PLEASE NOTE: This show has SOLD OUT.)
Friday 1/24-Sunday 1/26: This solo show is described as follows: "''In my four years of living in New York, I’ve only ever swiped right on white men.' In this semi-autobiographical stand-up drama, Sim Yan Ying takes a bitingly honest look at white worship, postcolonial baggage, and politically correct culture. She tears apart her escapades with white men in New York and delves into her experiences growing up in Singapore, throwing into question how and why we are sometimes complicit in the very things we outwardly reject:" I Love White Men (7:00 pm, $22, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 1/24: "Amazon is a crazy big corporation. So big, in fact, it’s hard to even wrap your head around it. Web hosting, groceries, streaming video, home surveillance, holiday gifts...you can get almost anything from Jeff Bezos’ mega-company..." The online store & Web services company that changed the world, Amazon.com, is explored by host Mark Vigeant (Funny Or Die, Prairie Home Companion) with Kashmir Hill (The New York Times), Dhruv Mehrotra (Gizmodo), Caroline Haskins (Buzzfeed News), Samantha Reece (Head Writer of Buzzfeed's BTW) and Rollie Williams (host of An Inconvenient Talk Show), plus music by Darren Williams: Internet Explorers: Amazon.com (9:30 pm, $13.71 online or $15 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 1/24: This popular podcast by Abdullah Saeed & David Bienenstock (bottom right) "blazes joints, cracks jokes, and explores the people, places, and events that make up the complex and fascinating 10,000+ year past of weed and weed culture, from Barack Obama's time in the Choom Gang, to an exclusive first-hand account of how the Hollywood sign briefly became the Hollyweed sign," tonight with guest Ben Sinclair (left and top right; co-creator, co-director, and co-star of HBO's High Maintenance): Great Moments in Weed History Live (10:00 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Friday 1/24: Dave Hill (WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake; books Tasteful Nudes, Dave Hill Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and Parking the Moose; comedy album Let Me Turn You On) gives his first-person account of different periods throughout history, while Jodi Lennon, Jim Biederman, and Chris Gersbeck "call bullsh*t on most of what he's saying:" for this live-on-stage recording of Dave's weekly podcast: Dave Hill: History Fluffer (10:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Friday 1/24: Come celebrate Josh Wesson's birthday as he hosts Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's The Jim Gaffigan Show, Netflix's Master of None; host of podcast No Need for Apologies), Molly Austin (TruTV's Late Night Snack, Comedy Central; stand-up album Zero to New Jersey), Phoebe Bottoms (Adult Swim's Decker; Jim Henson Foundation-trained puppeteer; written for Tig Notaro's Twitter account; 4-time Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction winner), Lawrence DeLoach (CBS Sports Network; host of lifestyle podcast Sup?), Charles Engle (co-host of podcast Please Send Nudes), Ben DeMarco (Comedy Central, MTV, FX), and Danny Palmer: Late Night Stand-Up at The Stand (11:00 pm, $20, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street; includes afterparty!)
Saturday 1/25-Sunday 1/26: The first NYC Asian Comedy Festival—produced by Otter Lee, Kate Moran, and Edward Pokropski—celebrates the growing Asian comedy scene with dozens of shows playing today and Sunday at both of The PIT's East Side theatres: Asian Comedy Festival (5:00 pm-11:30 pm today, 4:00-11:00 pm Sunday; $13 per show or $30 for an all-you-can-see-pass (does not cover sold out shows); The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 1/25: "A fully improvised, obsessively sound-designed science fiction comedy following a team of misfit ambassadors attempting to establish diplomatic relations in the remote and crappy Zyxx Quadrant. Join the crew and celebrate the upcoming Season 4 launch with a special live episode," which featurs special guest Rachel Wenitsky (staff witer for Jimmy Fallon and for The Story Pirates Podcast; half of comedic musical duo Friends Who Folk): Mission to Zyxx (5:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 1/25: Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu; Netflix special Warn Your Relatives; co-host of Kondabolu Brothers podcast) performs a deliciously long set at an iconic NYC club: Hari Kondabolu Headlines at Carolines (7:00 pm & 9:30 pm; $27.25 using code MANGO, plus 2-drink mn.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th Streets)
Saturday 1/25: Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin (co-hosts of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit) host this live-on-stage recording of their podcast that tests stand-ups on their masterful knowledge of an intriguing subject (TBA), with tonight's guests Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays) and Paris Sashay: The Unofficial Expert Live (7:30 pm; $13.83 online before day of show, $15 at the door; Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Saturday 1/25: Carly Ann Filbin (luminous sketch comic/comedic actress/writer; on-camera correspondent for Cosmopolitan.com; host of Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show) pushes boundaries with this comedic game show in three segments: straight date, lesbian date, and gay date. Carly says, "Romance today isn't what it used to be—swiping, clicking, dick-picing. It's time we went retro with an old fashioned IRL dating show! Millennials choose their hottie based on how well they answer questions like 'If you wanted morning sex, how would you initiate it?', all while I make fun of them because, well, why not? Let's make some love connections or, at the very least, a one-night stand to talk about at brunch:" Young Hot Sluts: A Matchmaking Show (8:00 pm; $15 at the door or $14.30 online; Brooklyn's C'mon Everybody at 325 Franklin Avenue—take the G subway to Classon Avenue)
Saturday 1/25: Candid conversations about coming out with Vicci Martinez & Emily Tarver (Orange is the New Black) and Shakina (Hulu's Difficult People) for a podcast sponsored by Gay City News, the largest LGBT newspaper in the country: Thank You For Coming Out (9:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 1/25: Kate Willett (Comedy Central's The Jim Jeffries Show and This Is Not Happening; VICE's Flophouse, Netflix's Comedy Lineup; comedy album Glass Gutter; co-host of Reply Guys Podcast) & Julia Claire (NPR, Nerdist), "two nice ladies doing socialism," host this "feminist political comedy podcast" with guests Katie Halper (Useful Idiots Podcast) and Mohanad Elshieky (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central): Reply Guys Live (10:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
Sunday 1/26: It's the second and final day of the first NYC Asian Comedy Festival—produced by Otter Lee, Kate Moran, and Edward Pokropski—celebrating the growing Asian comedy scene with shows playing continously for seven hours at both of The PIT's East Side theatres: Asian Comedy Festival (4:00-11:00 pm Sunday; $13 per show, or $30 for an all-you-can-see-pass which does not cover sold out shows); The PIT Mainstage/Striker and The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Sunday 1/26: The spectacular 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; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; co-host of Butterball; comedy album The Hits) & Manolo Moreno (America's Funniest Home Videos) host this show revolving around games created by their listeners, with tonight's stage version including audience members playing those games for prizes: Dr. Gameshow Live (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street; part of the Brooklyn Podcast Festival)
<
Monday 1/27: Corinne Fisher & Krystyna Hutchinson (authors of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed) perform and host an original stage show—i.e., something separate from their wildly popular Guys We Fucked: The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast, but probably with the same delicious energy and quick wit: Guys We F*cked LIVE (7:00 pm, $24, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 1/27: Mary Houlihan (The New Yorker; Difficult People, The Chris Gethard Show, Cartoon Monsoon) & Nick Naney (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central) spearhead "a special lost episode HBO's classic The Sopranos put on by a local high school's drama department," with the other cast members Bardia Salimi Tommy McNamara, and Betsy Kenney: The Sopranos: The Musical (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 1/27: Jordan Klepper (star of docuseries Klepper; former star of Comedy Central's The Opposition and correspondent for The Daily Show) hosts a comedic debate about whether the US should pay reparations, with Kenice Mobley (host of podcast Love About Town, co-host of The Pasta Show), Michael Cruz Kayne (sketches on Seth Meyers and The Chris Gethard Show; HBO's High Maintenance; former writer for @midnight and Billy on the Street; member of ace musical improv group Baby Wants Candy and UCB Saturday night improv group What I Did For Love; co-host of monthly comedy show The Exhibition), Nelini Stamp (National Organizing Director at the Working Families Party), and Coleman Hughes (undergrad at Columbia University who's written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The National Review): Debate Club: Should the US Pay Reparations? (9:30 pm, $22.20 online or $25 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 1/28: Readings of short humor pieces by sharp writers & comics Nicole Boyce (Comedy Central, The Ellen Show, The New Yorker, New York Magazine; host of podcast Come to Brazil), Bizzy Coy (The New Yorker, McSweeney's), and Steve Macone (The New Yorker, The New York Times Sunday Review, The Atlantic), plus hosts Brian Angler, Luke Burns, and James Folta (all writers for The New Yorker and McSweeney's): An Evening of Humorous Readings (7:00 pm—arrive at 6:30 to hang out a bit with the guests, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 1/28: Comics Maeve Higgins (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, co-host of NatGeo's StarTalk, host of Maeve in America, co-host of Butterboy), Moss Perricone (writer for Netflix's Patriot Act), Julia Johns (member of sketch group All Female Reboot; former writer for MTV's Girl Code), Melissa Stokoski (TruTV; regular on John Fuselsang's Tell Me Everythling; co-writer & co-star of Handmaid's Tale The Musical; host of Star Fuckers), Francesca D'Uva, and Brittany Carnage perform for this monthly stand-up showcase named after Stevie Nicks and hosted by Marcia Belsky, Sam Taggart, and Drew Anderson: Stevie (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 1/28: Jordan Klepper (star of docuseries Klepper; former star of Comedy Central's The Opposition and correspondent for The Daily Show) hosts a comedic debate about whether the US should pay forgive student loan debt, with Michael Cruz Kayne (sketches on Seth Meyers and The Chris Gethard Show; HBO's High Maintenance; former writer for @midnight and Billy on the Street; member of ace musical improv group Baby Wants Candy and UCB Saturday night improv group What I Did For Love; co-host of monthly comedy show The Exhibition), Lou Perez (head writer & executive producer of Webby-award winning We the Internet TV; former producer for Impractical Jokers; half of sketch duo Greg and Lou), and more: Debate Club: Should the US Forgive Student Loan Debt? (9:30 pm, $22.20 online or $25 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 1/28: Corinne Fisher (recently wrote, "Billie sweeping the Grammys is a cool reminder to let kids explore the talents they have instead of trying to make them choose a 'good career;'" with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed) and Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, 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, stand-up album The Depression Auction) team up for this comedic political podcast that runs every Tuesday and concludes with a town hall-style Q&A with the audience: Without A Country Podcast— Live! (9:30 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/29: Moses Storm (co-starred in NBC's Sunnyside; Conan O'Brien; Last Comic Standing, Arrested Development, This is Us, The Jim Jefferies Show, Showtime's I'm Dying Up Here) performs a solo show in Brooklyn for one night only: Moses Storm (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 1/29: A beloved Broadway, TV, film, and Netflix star (Trainwreck, Red State Blue State) tries out new material in an intimate club for his next mass media solo show: Colin Quinn (7:00 pm, $10 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Monday 12/23: "Most people having a midlife crisis buy a motorcycle. Jason Gore is having a midlife crisis and putting on a one-man sketch comedy show. And if it's successful enough, he's going to buy a motorcycle, too." Co-written by Emmy-nominated Kristen Bartlett (staff writer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, previously for Saturday Night Live), and directed by Kristen & Hunter Nelson, as half of a double-bill with solo show Thomas Whittington Is A Total Monster: Jason Gore's Midlife Crisis (7:30 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street off Eleventh Avenue)
Wednesday 1/29: Ron Bennington (host of radio shows Bennington and Unmasked; Kreeps With Kids tour), Moses Storm (co-starred in NBC's Sunnyside; Conan O'Brien; Last Comic Standing, Arrested Development, This is Us, The Jim Jefferies Show, Showtime's I'm Dying Up Here), Corinne Fisher (with comedy partner Krystyna Hutchinson, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast & stage show, and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed), Aaron Berg (documentary 25 Sets; TV series 24 Hour Rental; co-host of CompoundMedia.com's In Hot Water and The Stand's Frantic!), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic), and Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's The Jim Gaffigan Show, Netflix's Master of None; host of podcast No Need for Apologies) perform stand-up at an elegrant Union Square comedy club: Stars at The Stand (10:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 1/29: Come lend your laughs to Arianna Durnell, Patrick Grizzard, KK Apple, Tim Girrbach, John Sartori, Austin Rye, Erin Bartley, LaGina Hill, Jessica Morgan, and Nathan Pearson as they tape their best original characters for submission to the prestigious Just For Laughs comedy festival: UCBT Caracter Comics Taping Sets for JFL (10:30 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street off Eleventh Avenue)
Thursday 1/30: Dan Soder (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; HBO special Son of a Gary; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Paul Virzi (hour-long special I'll Say This, currently streaming on Comedy Central; TruTV, FOX; host of podcast The Virzi Effect; stand-up album Night at The Stand, which hit #1 on iTunes; tours with Bill Burr), Doogie Horner (NBC's America's Got Talent; author of A Die Hard Christmas, This Might Hurt a Bit, and Home Alone Hard; stand-up album A Delicate Man), Caitlin Peluffo (Stephen Colbert; co-host of podcast Beasts; co-host of Karen), and Mike Recine (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour) perform stand-up for hosts Shane Gillis (co-host of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, frequent guest on Sirius XM's The Bonfire; recent interview on Artie Lange's Halfway House) & Abby Rosenquist (Fuse TV): Citywide (7:00 pm, $10 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/30: Chris Gethard (star of HBO 90-minute special Career Suicide; star of TruTV's & Fusion's The Chris Gethard Show; host of Webby-winning podcast Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People; producer of fresh comedy webseries Chris Gethard Presents), Christi Chiello (multi-talented rising star; Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, Chris Gethard Presents, TruTV, PBSKids, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!, co-host of Battle of the Divas, White Chocolate, and Lost and Found), Sam Taggart (Live on Broadgay, Lake Homo High), and Martin Urbano (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central) perform their extra special flavors of stand-up for this showcase of comics who perform on MNN cable access show Chris Gethard Presents: Chris Gethard Presents All-Stars (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 1/30: Ace storytellers Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show and podcast Risk!, owner of The Story Studio), Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, host of The Liar Show), and Katina Corrao (HBO, Comedy Central's Broad City, VH1, co-host of Lasers in the Jungle) perform at this wonderful monthly oddball storytelling show featuring such treats as a trivia contest with alcoholic prizes hosted by Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic/pianist; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post): Sideshow Goshko: 11th Year Anniversary! (7:00 pm, Free!, KGB Bar at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)
Thursday 1/30: Come experience rising star comics doing their very best to make you laugh—and to impress industry folks watching along with you, most likely including a JFL rep sitting in the back quietly taking notes—at these two stand-up audition shows for the largest comedy festival in the world: Just For Laughs Talent Showcase (7:30 pm & 9:30 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Thursday 1/30: Stellar storytellers 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; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow; live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; comedy album The Hits), Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of Sandwich, comedy album Immigrant Made), Angel Yau (co-host of Asian American Film Thing), Julian Fleisher (WNYC; Joe's Pub: The Naked American Songbook), and David Heatley (The New Yorker; Qualification: A Graphic Memoir) tell tales about how they started out hosted by Blaise Allysen Kearsley: How I Learned In The Beginning: Origin Stories (9:30 pm, $13.71 online or $15 at the door, Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 1/31: Alise Morales (above right; News & Politics Editor of Betches; Reductress, Above Average), Michael Hartney (top left; TV Land's Throwing Shade, Broadway's School of Rock; co-host of Characters Welcome), Natasha Vaynblat (left; Comedy Central, IFC, Funny or Die, McSweeney's, Reductress; ace improv group What I Did For Love), and John Trowbridge (writer for Nickelodeon's All That; Huffington Post videos; co-founder of BOOGIEMANJA) perform comedy for hosts Amanda Giobbi & Ariel Gitlin (middle), who ask you to "join us as we welcome some people we love to do some comedy they love and that we think you'll love too:" We Love You: A Fucking Positive Comedy Show (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Copyright © 2020 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
>