NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 1/24/11
The wonderful Leo Allen returns to Whiplash, and the wonderful Arden Myrin rocks the boat at Hot Tub Variety
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam
[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): From a comic Time Out New York says delivers "categorically pitch- perfect one-man comedy" comes this one-man show: "When Ryan Paulson moved to New York City he was a husky boy. And he’d never had sex. Even with himself. How did this happen? Well, he grew up speaking in tongues in an ultra-conservative, fundamentalist church. But now he’s taking a crash course in sex, alcohol and self-pleasure. And it’s going pretty well...other than regularly being condemned to hell on MySpace:" Ryan Paulson: I'm Uncomfortable
6:30 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—with an early show hosted by Sean Donnelly & Blaine Perry at 6:30 pm, and an entirely different group of stand-ups hosted by Dan Cartwright & Dave Greek at 9:00 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison's Motel Luca
7:00 pm ($5): Jenny Dunne and Rick Andrews improvise a single moment in two characters' lives again and again, exploring three parallel realities, and the difference that a look or tone can make; and duo improv from Ruby Marez and Binu Paulose will improvise within a single scene, in the double-bill The Cascade and RuBin
[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Mike Lawrence (John Oliver's NY Stand-Up Show), Esther Ku (Last Comic Standing), Nore Davis (MTV), Harriet Halloway, and Jason Burke performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Todd Barry (HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Jessica Delfino (enjoys singing songs about her vagina, as demonstrated by her CD Dirty Folk Rock; created the hilarious and wildly popular YouTube animated short film I Wanna Be Famous; has a cool MySpace page, and an even cooler blog; to get a feel for Jessica's amazing range and talent, please click here), and Vincent Frisari (opera singer turned bagel salesman) performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from NYC comedy royalty Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-director & cast member of Adult Swim's awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) teaming up with fellow 30 Rock actor John Lutz (who previously spent six years as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live) to form a super-smart and hilarious new improv duo who should not be missed: John & Scott
8:00 pm ($5): Improv based on headlines from the amazing New York Post: Headless Body in Topless Bar
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): World-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here) hosts a show that's "like watching the characters of The Wonder Years and Freaks & Geeks all grown up and telling coming-of-age tales of love, lost, regret, and redemption, with Time Out New York's Comedy Editor Jane Borden, Megan Gray, Joe Dettmore, and Jake Goldman: Adam Wade's Whatever Happened to the Nerds?
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm ($15 online or at the box office using discount code FBKTJD): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are a widely acclaimed improv duo. This is the last evening of their four-night run at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave
9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's fine house sketch comedy troupes, Stone Cold Fox and Arbuckle, trying out new bits at Maude Night
10:00 pm ($5): Hip hop musical improv from Nick Brown, Don Romaniello, and Michael Short pretending to be NYC police officers: Rap Crimes Division
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller and sharp stand-up; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Liar Show), Jay Pharoah (cast member of Saturday Night Live), and Nick Turner (co-host of Too Cool for School)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you're an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). If you're a comic who couldn't get booked on UCBT's all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills on this stand-up open mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and Erin Lennox: Fresh
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 1/25/11
Top NYC cartoonists including Michael Kupperman (whose work appears above and below)...
...Emily Flake and David Rees (whose work appears above), and more perform tonight at Tell Your Friends
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors play themselves on stage (similar to Naked in a Fishbowl) in Self Image ; and in the second half of this double-bill, eight improvisors trace the storylines of characters at a single event suggested by an audience member in Hell Buffalo
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A special evening devoted to stellar NYC cartoonists—Emily Flake (The New Yorker, Time Magazine, Lulu Eightball), Mike Kupperman (The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Snake n' Bacon, Tales Designed to Thrizzle), David Rees (Get Your War On, My New Fighting Technique Is Unstoppable), Lisa Hanawalt (frequent Ignatz Award winner; Vice Magazine, McSweeney’s), and Andy Friedman (popular illustrator and singer, and tonight's musical guest)—performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out write-ups in The New York Times by clicking here and here, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Superb veteran improvisors—including Tara Copeland, Matt Higgins, and Matt Oberg—performing as new troupe HugeTown
8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Grandma's Ashes, Very Good Kiss, Standard Oil, Badman, and Dybbuk; and at 11:00 pm UCBT students chosen by chance perform with veteran improvisors—all at Harold Night
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Pat O'Shea (host of Ed Sullivan On Acid), Rachael Parenta, and Tomas Delgado performing at Cellar 58 (58 Second Avenue) alongside delightful host Abbi Crutchfield and comedic rapster Andrew Singer: Positively Awesome
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; delivered perfect set recently at Carnegie Hall; upcoming appearance on David Letterman in February), Mike Vecchione (Comedy Central), Giulia Rozzi (co-host of Stripped Stories and Dive Comedy), and more performing stand-up at the Ace of Clubs (9 Great Jones Street, underneath Acme Bar & Grill) hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Jeff Ross (Comedy Central's Roast Master General), Mike Lawrence (John Oliver's NY Stand-Up Show), and "other very special guests" performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by the wonderful Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
9:30 pm ($5): Kurt Braunohler, Pat Carlin, and Moon Hooch interviewed on stage for this live broadcast of Comical Radio
[FREE] 11:00 pm: A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open mic stand-up show hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 1/26/11
Donald Glover (Totally J/K) and Todd Barry (John and Molly Get Along)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Donald Glover (co-star of NBC's Community; Derrick, Mystery Team), and Joe Wengert (VH1, The Onion, Reuben Williams) join best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Molly Knefel (member of superb improv troupe Naked in a Fishbowl) and her brother John Knefel (veteran stand-up) host this monthly comedy show, with tonight's guests Todd Barry (HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever), Dan St. Germain (quick-witted, hilarious stand-up; MTV; for reenactment of Dan's breakup, please click here), Jamie Kilstein (Conan O'Brien), Luke Cunningham (MTV), and Trey Galyon performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): John and Molly Get Along
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out write-ups in The New York Times by clicking here and here, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
8:00 pm ($5): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; popular blogs NYisretarded.blogspot.com and RockBottom; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories) hosting this free weekly NYC stand-up comedy show, with tonight's guests not yet announced (for potential update, please click here) performing at Brooklyn's Hank's Rootin' Tootin' Saloon (46 Third Avenue at Atlantic): Dive Comedy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mara Herron, Brian Longwell, Sue Funke, Carrie Gravensonm Cary Prusa, and Joel Stice performing at this free weekly show at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Joe DeVito (Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central), Rachael Robbins (scream queen in such B-movies as Vampire Lesbian Kickboxers), and Paul Case (HereTV's Hot Gay Comics) performing at the Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge (542 Tenth Avenue, between 40th & 41st Streets) for a free weekly gay-themed comedy show hosted by Adam Sank: That Sank Show
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Adam Wade, Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn, Jon Gabrus, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious, with tonight's theme Music at The Nights of Our Lives
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 1/27/11
Carolyn Castiglia and Tom McCaffrey host what's likely to be an energy-packed music comedy show at The Phat Pack
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:
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7:00 pm ($5): Young comics performing a new sketch comedy show: Standing Reason
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The Emmy-winning writers of The Colbert Report gather on stage to perform an all-improvised show at Seize the Mustard
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out write-ups in The New York Times by clicking here and here, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[$] 8:00 pm ($10 & 2-item min.) Comedic rappers Carolyn Castiglia and Tom McCaffrey are joined by such superb musical guests as Jessica Delfino in what's likely to be a fun, energy-filled evening at the Comix Comedy Club: The Phat Pack
[$] 8:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A long-time cast member of MAD TV headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Bobby Lee
8:00 pm ($5): Veteran improvisors play with "elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde" in Sleepover
8:00 pm ($5): Improvisors make up scenes based on Twitter posts in Tweets
9:00 pm ($12): Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; commentator on MNBC's Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1's Best Week Ever; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Helen Hong (Logo’s new series Setup Squad, TLC, E!), Pete Correale (Comedy Central), musical guest Amy Miles, and more performing stand-up at Comedy Below Canal
[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway (co-host Sean Patton is working in CA for a few months): Comedy as a Second Language
9:30 pm ($5): If you're a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can get a behind-the-scenes peak—plus comics Streeter Seidell, Jeff and Sarah, Jena Friedman, and John F. O'Donnell—at CollegeHumor Live
[$] 10:00 pm ($21.25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's performed on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, IFC, and Discovery headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Mike Vecchione
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Genius improv troupe Outlook of the Poet (Jon Gabrus, Ben Rodgers, and Gavin Speiller) competes with Harold Night improv troupe Badman for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 1/28/11
The Bridget Fitzgeralds rock the house tonight with Songs of Seriousness, while rising star Billy Gardell headlines at Gotham
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
7:00 pm ($8): "Ever wonder how you become a writer for an Emmy winning TV show? So does J. D. Durkin. Since no one has told him, here is his one-man show performing all original material to become a writer for The Colbert Report. Durkin channels Colbert live on stage to present political punditry as only The PIT could do it...and only The PIT, since he was escorted off the Comedy Central premises:" Stephen Colbert: Hire Me
7:30 pm ($10): Sketch shows from Two Fun Men and from Bleak, in the double-bill Two Men Having Fun and Stomachtown
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($13) Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher have spent years scouring thrift stores and garage sales around the country for odd, funny, and startling videos. For samples of their past finds, please click here and here. Tonight and Saturday they'll be screening a whole new collection at Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue) of their Found Footage Festival
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12 & 2-drink min.) Fresh, quirky, hilarious musical duo The Bridget Fitzgeralds will be performing tonight and Saturday at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues) with Songs of Seriousness
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Dan St. Germain (rising star; MTV), Doogie Horner (America's Got Talent), David Angelo (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Mark Normand, Brendan McLaughlin, and Scott Moran performing stand-up at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Matt Ruby: Hot Soup
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out write-ups in The New York Times by clicking here and here, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A long-time cast member of MAD TV headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Bobby Lee
[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A co-star of CBS sitcom MIke & Molly, and the star of his own upcoming Comedy Central hour-long special, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Billy Gardell
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from the comedy genius members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches titled Ms. Larsen's Class: The Harvard Sailing Team
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
10:30 pm ($10): Jonathan Gabrus, Sue Galloway, and other fine improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
11:00 pm ($5): An all-gal improv troupe consisting of Jennifer Bild, Christine DeNoon, Julianne Dunn, and Brandy Mitchell, with tonight's guest guy the wonderful Kurt Braunohler, performing as Goldie and the Hawns
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($7): A spectacular collection of veteran improvisors from Chicago and New York performing for one night only—including Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO teacher, Annoyance co-founder), Jodi Lennon (Comedy Central's Exit 57), Ari Voukydis (UCB instructor, VH!'s Best Week Ever), Doug Stoley (Conan O'Brien, UCB), Rick Andrews (Magnet performer), Mark Grenier (Magnet teacher), Jen Sanders (Magnet performer), and Chet Siegel (Magnet performer)— Lights Out, Shirley!
Midnight ($5): Obscure sketch comedy troupes Pink Axe and Missing Earl compete for audience laughs and votes, with troupe Sidecar hosting, in Backyard Brawl
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 1/29/11
Incredibly bad videos at the Found Footage Festival, and incredibly bad jokes at Auld Lanxiety
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($12 & 2-drink min.) Fresh, quirky, hilarious musical duo The Bridget Fitzgeralds will be performing at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues) with Songs of Seriousness
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever), Ben Lerman (superb raunchy singer/songwriter), and Julian McCullough (Comedy Central Presents) performing at Brooklyn's Sycamore with hosts Caroline Creaghead and Anne Johnson: Rope Swing
7:00 pm ($5): A sketch show about New Jersey that asks you to "Take a ride on the Garden State Parkway with us as we go on a Great Adventure to see what makes the third state so special! We'll go from the grease trucks to Menlo Park, to diners, troopers and Weird New Jersey after dark. Some of our finest historical figures, actors, and musicians will be stopping by as well, so come on out" and give yourself over to a Garden State of Mind
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Anthony King, Christina Gausas, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, and more—plus a rotating cast of stellar visitors who've included writers & performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show—all joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($13) Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher have spent years scouring thrift stores and garage sales around the country for odd, funny, and startling videos. For samples of their past finds, please click here and here. Tonight they'll be screening a whole new collection at Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue) of their Found Footage Festival
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Expect an evening of groans with wonderful stand-ups Dan St . Germain and Mike Lawrence as they host Brooke Van Poppelen, Ben Lerman, Murderfist, Nick Turner, and many more telling the worst jokes they've written over the past year at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: Auld Lanxiety
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($28 online using discount code TMANIA): UK-based Daniel Kitson is one of the sharpest and most respected writer/performers alive. This is a rare opportunity to spend an intimate 90 minutes with a true genius of comedy. Please note this is a sprawling, detail-packed theatrical show, not stand-up...and not for every taste. But whether you're ultimately grabbed by the story or not, it's worth experiencing if only for Daniel's lightning-quick flashes of humor. For example, at the performance I attended a woman sitting in the front row had the incredible gall to start reading. Daniel sweetly responded, "Ooh, that's a subtle yet effective form of criticism. I'm certainly not cross with you, just too nosy about what you're reading to plow on. Look, you're still reading. What a lack of faith you have in live entertainment." Place your faith in Daniel, check out write-ups in The New York Times by clicking here and here, and catch this show running every day except Mondays through January 30th at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse (38 Water Street): The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A co-star of CBS sitcom MIke & Molly, and the star of his own upcoming Comedy Central hour-long special, headlining at the Gotham Comedy Club: Billy Gardell
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A long-time cast member of MAD TV headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Bobby Lee
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—and the Cage Match Champion for three years in a row!—genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
9:00 pm ($7): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!
9:30 pm ($10): "A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics," following sold out shows at Joe's Pub: Political Subversities
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code SBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last year for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event by catching tonight's edition of Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King: Reuben Williams
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($5): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney (Statues of Liberty) and Leslie Korein as comedy trio Trike
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): "Hey Mambo I-talia-FUN-o, recovered from a vault of long lost television specials! Come join your favorite drunk egotistical crooner for a night of of insults, memories, and maybe music. Watch as the faces of your favorite celebrities of of the late 60's and early 70's struggle to cling to their fame while hurling cutting remarks to one another:" The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 1/30/11
The amazing Adira Amram (Comedy Night) and genius performer Ed Herbstman (Laurie Stanton's Sound Diet)
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
6:00 pm ($5): "Edwina Debooveman is a handsome woman with a rich memory unaffected by her constant intake of muscle relaxers. With the help of a financial backer, a talented creative team, a rolodex of contacts to fill the house, and a flimsy show premise she will be performing her own one woman show" at I Remember: Edwina Debooveman's One Woman Show; plus in the second half of this double-bill, a show auditioning at The Magnet with no description whatsoever and an instantly forgettable title (good luck with that...): Riot Act
7:00 pm ($5): Christina Casa debuts a one-woman show that intriguingly explains "Some candy is good & some candy is bad & some candy is full of Satan's razor blades forged by 10,000 tortured souls in the bowels of the underworld. Hooray!" directed by Lorie Steele: Eat the Candy
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Rory Albanese (Executive Producer of The Daily Show), Jamie Kilstein (Conan O'Brien), Reese Waters, and more performing at this free LES stand-up show at Pianos hosted by Adam Lowitt (Producer at The Daily Show): It Is It
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): "Live music and some amazing actors perform new school radio drama, complete with sound effects." Created and starring Melanie Hoopes, with performer genius Ed Herbstman (Melanie's husband), Arthur Aulisi, Jenny Bacon, and Kelly Park, plus tonight's musical guest composer Konrad Meissner, in a show that's getting buzz (and barring mishaps, I'll finally see it tonight): Laurie Stanton's Sound Diet
8:00 pm ($7): Typically stellar stand-ups (not yet announced, but you might find an update by clicking here) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by comedy giant Eugene Mirman: Pretty Good Friends
[$] 8:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A long-time cast member of MAD TV headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Bobby Lee
8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing stand-up at The PIT for a free weekly show typically hosted by Sean Donnelly and Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Brilliant & hilarious musical guest Adira Amram, plus superb stand-ups Dan St. Germain, Mike DeStefano, Godfrey, and Ryan Hamilton, all performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central): Comedy Night
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Mike Dobbins (unique stream of consciousness comic), Sean Donnelly (host of Lil' Seany Boy), Nick Turner (host of Too Cool for School), and Mike Birch performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar at Vince Averill's & Jesse Popp's free weekly show Beauty Bar Comedy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Streeter Seidell (College Humor), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents), Sarah Tollemache (Last Comic Standing), and Kevin Barnett (host of Round Table of Gentlemen) performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
9:30 pm ($5): Two improv groups compete for audience laughs and votes—yes, like UCBT's Cage Match, but with less well-known troupes, plus there's an escalating challenge component—at Magnet Inferno
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Ali Wong (comedy human dynamo who's always worth catching; MTV), Rachael Parenta (Gawker.com), and Shawn Hollenbach (Here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics) performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
Copyright © 2011 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
