NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/19/17
Michael Che (SNL Weekend Update star; former star correspondent for The Daily Show and staff sketch writer for Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, The Today Show, The View, Comedy Central Half Hour; Netflix special Michael Che Matters), Janine Brito (VH1's Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party; former staff writer/performer for FX's Totally Biased), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), Kenice Mobley, Tanael Joachim, and Yedoye Travis perform stand-up or storytelling hosted by the wonderful Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; writer for South Park, Adult Swim; albums Comedy Person and Brooklyn): Night Train (8:00 pm; $8; Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...and Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United), Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Eddie Brill (former long-time booker for David Letterman), Jeff Lawrence, and Barry Ribs perform stand-up hosted by the exceptionally kind and charming John Morrison at Morrison Motel (8:30 pm; $20 at the door—which includes one drink—if you mention code HyReviews.com or BestNewYorkComedy.com [otherwise $25]; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319 because this show often sells out; West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe at 29 Cornelia Street)
More 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—including at 8:00 pm group Poor Melissa, which features superb comics Dana Shulman & Adrian Sexton—at The PIT Underground: Super Free Monday
7:00 pm ($7): A sketch show that asks, "Are you tired of boys? Have you been mad at your dad since you were 12 for literally no reason? If the only thing you love holding more than puppies is a grudge, this is for you—sketch for the working girl, complete with heels to change into after you walk to work in sneakers" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Male Gauze
7:00 pm ($7): Musical improvisors make up a fairy tale with song and dance at at The PIT Mainstage: Once Upon a Time
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There; opens for Tig Notaro; hosts top weekly NYC stand-up show Whiplash), Liza Treyger (fresh, fierce, fearless stand-up; Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, Chelsea Lately), Kyle Ayers (Fuse's Uproarious; written for CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, BBC, The New York Times), Joe List (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me?), and Langston Kerman (cast member of HBO's Insecure; Adam DeVine’s House Party; written for Chris Rock's hosting of the Oscars and Comedy Central's Problematic) perform stand-up for this summer-themed show at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by Tommy McNamara (The Onion): Tommy McNamara's Summer Beach Bash
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Josh Gondelman (writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker), Sally Kohn (CNN, The Daily Beast), and Nicole Silverberg (Reductress, Truth & Iliza) chug two beers on stage and talk politics at the UCB East theatre hosted by Charlie Todd & Cody Lindquist: Two Beers In
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts Judah Friedlander, Dan Soder, Sam Morril, and more trying out fresh stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
8:00 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a one-man play by Geoff Garlock about memories of a classic music festival: Rock and Roll Will Never Die...
...and in the second other of this double bill, a faux TV episode by sketch group Nipsey in which "As a father/daughter duo, Albert and Corinne work great. As co-owners of a cigar store-turned-vape shop, they've got a lot to learn! And when the big Vape Expo comes to town Darcy, Gayle, and Heath have kooky ideas about how to make waves!:" Nipsey: Vape Lyfe
8:00 pm ($7): Musical improv at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) from group Good Catch
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($6): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; 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 CDs No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot) hosts this monthly stand-up & music show, with tonight's stellar guests Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (amazing human boombox; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of Battlicious), Naomi Ekperigin (dynamite rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Half Hour; writer for Comedy Central's Broad City and Hulu's Difficult People; MTV, VH1, FX), Andy Beckerman (host of podcast Beginnings, The Pete Holmes Show, co-host of Couples THerapy), Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life, Moth GrandSlam Champion, comedy album & show And I Am Not Lying), and Negin Farsad perform at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): Myq Kaplan & Friends
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Character comics—including brilliant writer/performers Filip Jeremic, Phoebe Tyers, and more—perform solo bits demonstrating their impressive talent at UCB East hosted by Frank Garcia-Hejl & Justin Tyler. This is one of my favorite monthly events, and I especially recommend it if you're a producer, casting director, or other industry pro in search of sharp comedy actors: Characters Welcome
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jaqi Furback, Kendra Cunningham, Samantha Ruddy, Zane Golia, Richie Tolway, and Gabriel Pacheco perform at this free weekly stand-up show at Brooklyn's Freddy's Backroom (627 Fifth Avenue) hosted by Calvin Cato (Oxygen's My Crazy Love): Ed Sullivan on Acid
9:30 ($5): House sketch groups A Few Sandwich Lovers and Archnemesis try out new material at UCB Chelsea for Maude Night
9:30 pm ($7): Following today's fasting on Ramadan, Muslim comics celebrate being able to eat and drink again by performing on stage at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Duaa Osman & Leila Ben-Abdallah: Not Even Water?!
9:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Chelsea Clarke, Anthony Apruzzese, and/or Steve Theiss host and perform this show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
9:30 pm ($7): Storytellers Gabrielle Schutz, Cathryn Lynne, and Michelle Drozdick each tell a 5-minute tale, and after each yarn improvisors make up scenes springboarding off the details at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), with tonight's improv groups Batteries Not Included, Queen of the Bees, and Thank You, Spaceman: Tell Us Again!
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—push boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Andy Sandford: Permission to Fail
10:30 pm ($7): Comics perform sets revolving around one or more of the seven deadly sins, and then improvisors make up scenes springboarding off the material at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Seven Deadly Sinprov
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE; reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea hosted by Aparna Nancherla (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There): Whiplash
Monday Open Mics & Jams
4:30 pm-7:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 5-6 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer who shows up time on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Jacob Lie & Stu Melton: Raining Buckets
6:00 pm ($3): A walk-in stand-up open mic hosted by Katherine Dudas and a walk-in improv jam hosted by Collin Gossel somehow happen at the same time at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Improv Open Mic Stand-Up Jam
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Walk-in weekly open mic that favors an act beyond joke-telling (storytelling, characters, etc.), which receives 5 minutes on stage vs. just 3 minutes for stand-up, at Brooklyn's The Topaz (251 Bushwick Avenue) hosted by Colin Michael & Fitzgerald Burgess: Late Mic
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Walk-in character open mic, with 3 minutes on stage if your name that you wrote on a slip of paper is drawn from the bucket at UCB East hosted by Natasha Vaynblat: Out Sick: Character Jam
11:00 pm ($5): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT Mainstage hosted by John Field: The Power Exchange
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 4 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Joseph Robert: PBR & Scrap Paper Open Mic Stand-Up
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT Underground for this weekly open access show hosted by such improv talents as Gary DeNoia and Langston Belton at The PIT Underground: Base Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/20/17
A one-man show by Oliver Chinyere, a former worker on Hillary Clinton's election campaign, who promises to provide "a behind-the-scenes look at everything that went wrong, including the things that were supposed to go right...Emails! Benghazi! Pussy grabbing! A riveting story which explains how a failed businessman with no political experience became the leader of the Free World:" Unprecedented and Unpresidential: How Hillary Clinton Lost the Election (9:30 pm, $7, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5; sold out of seats, but you might get in if you show up early and are okay with standing): UCB weekend long form improv groups Higgins, Bucky, The Curfew, and Airwolf perform at the UCB Chelsea theatre hosted by The Stepfathers for this special pre-DCM edition of Harold Night, Part 1
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): A classic play by Pulitzer & Tony Award-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley is performed by Alexis Di Gregorio, Nicholas Thomas, and George Walsh with direction by Patrick McCartney at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Dreamer Examines His Pillow
7:00 pm ($7): Claire Yale (Gypsy Danger), Julie Rosing (Buzz Off, Lucille), and Jenny Bareilles (BBC2, Studio System) perform trio improv at The PIT Underground: Wrecked
[FREE] 7:00 pm: An NYC stand-up tries out material tonight through Wednesday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: David Lester
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Tuesday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): A show focused on dance, movement, and physical comedy for "those of us who fall outside social binaries and the beauty standards of mainstream...dedicated to the weird, the beautiful, the gross, and, ultimately, the human" featuring Sydnee Washington, Alyssa Limperis, Karolena Greenridge, Joe Castle Baker, and Tessa Skara performing at UCB East hosted by Arti Gollapudi: Yourself, Your Body
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A live taping of a terrific weekly Sirius XM Radio comedy show, with a great lineup of Dave Hill, Ryan Hamilton, Jim Norton, Carmen Lynch, Greg Fitzsimmons, and Paul Morrissey performing stand-up, plus music from Helio Alves and the Come to Papa Trio, all at the Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue) hosted by Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials): Come to Papa
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Phoebe Robinson (Seth Meyers, Last Comic Standing, Broad City, MTV’s Girl Code, Glamour Magazine, podcast Sooo Many White Guys, co-host of 2 Dope Queens), Gary Richardson (brilliant improvisor; Comedy Central), Jaboukie Young-White, and Rachel Pegram perform in "this comedic dissertation that explores the many faces of white allyship through sketch and stand-up" at Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street): Rachel Joravsky is the Thirsty White Ally
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Storytellers tell science-related tales at the Seven Year Anniversary of this monthly show at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Erin Barker: The Story Collider
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Emmy Blotnick (rising star; staff writer & warm-up comic for Comedy Central's spectacular The President Show; writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code), Ramy Youssef (Stephen Colbert), Blair Socci (MTV's Girl Code and Ladylike), and Nick Chambers perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Bar Schimmi (54 North 11th Street) hosted by Ryan Reszelbach: Creative Rezistance Comedy
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at the intimate PIT Attic (up the stairs behind the Mainstage), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
8:00 pm ($10): Sketch and improv comics "create a brand new show in only one week, and then perform improvised sketches based off of your suggestions, just like The Second City used to do"—with tonight's cast including Abbi Crutchfield—at The PIT Mainstage produced & teched by Jane Kehoe and directed by Mark Stetson: Old School Sketch Show
[FREE] 8:00ish pm: Kerry Coddett (The Nightly Show, MTV's Joking Off, TruTV), Kara Buller (Last Comic Standing), Mookie Thompson, Oscar Aydin, and Gabe Morales perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Hungry Ghost Cafe/Bar (781 Fulton Street, between Fulton and South Oxford Streets) hosted by Keenan Steiner & Thiago Macklin: Comedy at the Corner
[FREE, plus FREE BEER] 8:00 pm: Enjoy a comfy seat and a free beer while you watch comedy at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Couch Cave Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Jessica Kirson (The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, MTV), Nimesh Patel (Comedy Central, TruTV; written for Chris Rock hosting the 2016 Oscars; co-host of Broken Comedy), and Jared Freid (TruTV) perform stand-up at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street) hosted by Mike Finoia (Producer for TruTV's Impractical Jokers; host of Jamcast): Hot Seat Comedy Show
[FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
8:30 pm ($7): Southern-born Malorie Cunningham & Kristen Ballard perform duo improv at The PIT Underground: The Dolly Partners
[TOP PICK] 9:00ish pm ($10): Michael Sommerville (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing; hosted TV shows on Starz, Encore, Nickelodeon, FLN), Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Ali Kolbert (Jimmy Fallon), Avital Ash (indie films Kaleidoscope, Claire, Dark Space, Temps), and more performing stand-up at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time Jimmy Fallon staff comic; NBC's 30 Rock, Comedy Central's @midnight, VH1's Best Week Ever, CBS): Sweet
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Stellar comics Jo Firestone, Julio Torres, Michael Cruz Kayne, Doug Widdick, and Dave Mzzoni perform characters in this show that asks "Have you ever wondered what it would be like if sister rock band HAIM hosted a comedy show?" at the UCB East theatre hosted by Becky Chicoine, Sudi Green, and Sam Reece: Theme Party
9:00 pm ($7): An improvised game of Dungeons & Dragons at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Campaign
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5; sold out of seats, but you might get in if you show up early and are okay with standing): UCB weekend long form improv groups What I Did For Love, Grandma's Ashes, Women & Men, and Goat perform at the UCB Chelsea theatre hosted by The Stepfathers for this special pre-DCM edition of Harold Night, Part 2
9:30 pm ($7): Kou Moshtael & Jeremy Pick perform duo sketch comedy at The PIT Underground: Moshpick Live
[FREE] 10:00 pm: A monthly stand-up show that books comics from the same original area (i.e., outside of NYC) to perform long sets at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Trey Galyon: I'm Not From Here
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($7): Annie Lederman (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, @midnight, This is Not Happening; MTV's Girl Code; Chelsea Lately) and Jared Freid (TruTV) perform club-length sets at the UCB East theatre hosted by Emmy Blotnick (rising star; staff writer & warm-up comic for Comedy Central's spectacular The President Show; writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever): Big Long Sets
10:30 pm ($7): Improv comedy focused on personal relationships and hosted by a father-daughter duo at The PIT Underground: Daddies Issues
Tuesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:30 pm ($5): Walk-in stand-up open mic at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Giggles & Bits Open Mic
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jake Hart and a guest co-host: The Dump
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Weekly open mic for any kind of act (with sign-up starting at 8:30) at Brooklyn's Little Skips (941 Willoughby Avenue) hosted by Joe Crow Ryan: Tuesday Night Open Mic
10:30 pm ($3): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class: Slow Jam
11:00 pm ($5): Ten stand-ups whose names are drawn from a "golden bowl of destiny" will be given stage time, along with a few invited stand-ups, at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Will Purpura: Bring It
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 6/21/17
(Summer Edition)
Genius comics John Lutz (staff writer for Seth Meyers; cast member of 30 Rock, six years as staff writer for Saturday Night Live) teams with fellow 30 Rock cast member Scott Adsit (voice of robot Baymax in Disney's Big Hero 6; co-writer/director/producer & cast member of Adult Swim's awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) to form a super-smart and hilarious star duo crafting in the moment one of the very finest improv shows you'll ever see: John & Scott (8:00 pm, $7 (sold out of seats, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing), UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)...
...and you know the Del Close Marathon is near (it's this Friday through Sunday) when such legendary comics as John Gemberling (above) and Matt Besser (co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade) start appearing on UCB stages. In this blend of improv and interview, "Logan is 7 years old and hosts a late night talk show in his bedroom when he's supposed to be asleep. The monster in his closet is his warm-up comic, furious because he knows he's imaginary! His sidekick, Bunny, is a stuffed animal terrified at the thought of meeting another rabbit, and his house band is a motley crew of action figures and misfit toys. There will be music, real guests, and genuine conversation until Logan eventually gets too tired and falls asleep...probably" featuring stellar comics Connor Ratliff, Sebastian Conelli, and more: Way Past Your Bedtime (11:00 pm, $5 (even if it sells out of seats, you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing), UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/22/17
Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, TruTV, Playgirl Magazine, host of First Set, comedy album True Love), Gail Thomas (David Letterman, Law & Order: SVU, Beavis and Butthead), Jamie Brickhouse (Moth StorySlam champion, The New York Times), and Joey Novick (Comedy Central, United Solo Festival) perform for this free monthly oddball storytelling show in the East Village featuring such treats as a trivia contest with alcoholic prizes, hosted by the wonderful Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic/pianist; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, Internet Action Force, star of The Real Housewives of Columbo): Sideshow Goshko (7:00 pm, Free!, KGB Bar at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/23/17
The 19th Annual Del Close Marathon, which is the undisputed king of improv festivals, will run continuously from 4:00 pm on Friday June 23rd, 2017 until midnight on Sunday June 25th. Improv groups from all around the US and Canada—and a few places further away—will perform around 700 shows, typically in 15- or 30-minute blocks, for over 50 hours. As in past years, the only down side is way more patrons than available space, which will cause long waits to get into UCB Chelsea (307 West 26th Street), which seats about 150. However, the congestion will be somewhat eased by nine additional venues: UCB East, The Magnet, Theater for the New City (4 theatres), SVA (2 theatres), and the FIT Haft Auditorium; for details, please click here. For the complete schedule, please click here. To view shows organized by performer, please click here. For information on buying a festival pass, please click here. To buy premium tickets online, please click here. (Please note that if any premium show doesn't sell out and you have a marathon pass, you can receive a remaining seat free of charge on a first come, first serve basis.) Quite simply, this is the greatest improv festival in the world: 19th Annual Del Close Marathon (4:00 pm Friday-midnight Sunday, $40 for festival pass plus $10-$25 each for premium shows, 10 venues around Chelsea and the East Village)...
...or if you prefer stand-up—and were wise enough to buy passes in advance for this comedy festival that sold out weeks ago—you can enjoy the second annual Skankfest NYC, which will replace the usual shows at Queens LIC's The Creek in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) today through Sunday.
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/24/17
A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with guests Janine Brito (above middle, wearing tie; VH1's Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party; former staff writer/performer for FX's Totally Biased) and Danny Tamberelli (above right; Arnold Perlstein in The Magic School Bus and Little Pete in The Adventures of Pete and Pete;.movie The Mighty Ducks; now bassist and vocalist for New Jersey rock band Jounce) hosted by Lane Moore (above left; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's): Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...and it's Day #2 of the Del Close Marathon, which is running continuously through midnight on Sunday. For the complete schedule, please click here. To view shows organized by performer, please click here. For information on buying a festival pass, please click here. To buy premium tickets online, please click here. For details on the 10 venues, please click here. Quite simply, this is the greatest improv festival in the world: 19th Annual Del Close Marathon
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 6/25/17
Helping judge people on what really matters for the sixth year in a row, the wonderful Jo Firestone (among the most relentlessly inventive and adventurous comics alive; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers) hosts as 12 of New York City's "most warm-hearted oddballs" are judged on the content of their character via an interview portion, a talent portion, and a homemade swimsuit competition. Audience members will be given the chance to vote silently by ballot "so that no one's feelings get too hurt:" The 6th Annual Inner Beauty Pageant (8:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...and Aasif Mandvi (former correspondent for The Daily Show; appearances in numerous movies & TV shows) tries out a new one-man show: Come See How the Sausage is Made (8:00 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)
...plus it's the final day of the Del Close Marathon, which is running continuously through midnight. For the complete schedule, please click here. To view shows organized by performer, please click here. For information on buying a festival pass, please click here. To buy premium tickets online, please click here. For details on the 10 venues, please click here. Quite simply, this is the greatest improv festival in the world: 19th Annual Del Close Marathon
Copyright © 2017 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
