NYC Comedy Picks for Week of June 20, 2011

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/20/11

Stellar stand-ups John Mulaney (For the Hour) and Hannibal Buress (Morrison Motel)...

...and superb storytellers Adam Wade (Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen) and visiting Irish star David O'Doherty (Whiplash)

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): Duo improv from team Snazzle Dazzle; and improv revolving around "the anticipation, the fall-out, that fragile moment when love blooms or dies" in Double Date

7:00 pm ($5): Musical/rap improv from troupe The Boombox Kids

7:00 pm & 9:30 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 7:00 pm, and an entirely different group of stand-ups hosted by Dan Cartwright & Dave Greek at 9:30 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison's Motel Luca

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Ray Devito (E!), Madison Malloy, and Peter Moses performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A writer/performer for Saturday Night Live (for a sample, please click here) who's also one of the very finest stand-ups in the country—with appearances on Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever, etc.—performing a deliciously long set tonight that's likely to leave you breathless with laughter and chuckling weeks later: John Mulaney: For the Hour

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here), The Lady Aye (sideshow performer), Andy De La Tour (The Young Ones), and musical guest MC Frontalot (Nerdcore)—and for all of June, as house band the super-amazing Adira Amram and the Experience (winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act)—performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from a duo who between them won four 2011 ECNY Awards—including Best Variety Show and Best Hosts—Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they've all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title's Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest & nuanced improvised shows you'll ever see. This show was previously a wonderful theatrical event that cost $18 and up. Don't miss this run at The PIT that allows you to catch the gals for a mere $10: Naked in a Fishbowl

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($15, which includes 1 drink, if you mention HyReviews.com [otherwise $20]; call 212.989.9319 to reserve seats): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Jim David (2010 award-winning FringeNYC show South Pathetic; three-time MAC Award Winner for Outstanding Comedian), Maureen Langan (HBO, Joy Behar Show, ABC News, FOX, MSNBC, WE, The Onion; 2009 MAC Award for Outstanding Comedian), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), David Cope (Last Comic Standing, co-host of Hot Soup), and Francoise Gordon performing at the Cornelia Street Cafe for John Morrison's Morrison Motel

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of UCBT's fine house sketch comedy troupes, Arbuckle (which includes Pam Murphy, Violet Krumbein, and Michael Hartney) and Stone Cold Fox (which includes Leila Cohan-Miccio, Fran Gillespie, D'Arcy Erokan, and John Murray) trying out new bits at Maude Night

[FREE] 9:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Jess Wood, Gilad Foss, Mike Pomeranz, Kendra Cunningham, Julien Dionne, Jordon Ferber, Lance Weiss, Frank Gallo, and David Lee Nelson performing at Pat O'Shea's and Troy Bynum's free weekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid

9:30 pm ($8): Young, energetic sketch troupe New Excitement

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic sketch, stand-up, improv, videos, and anything else quick & comedic, at The Magnet with host Leanne Linsky: Casual Sketch

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who tonight include Anthony Jeselnik (one of my all-time favorite stand-ups; former staff writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents; debut comedy CD Shakespeare), Jon Benjamin (star of new Comedy Central series Jon Benjamin Has a Van), and David O'Doherty (award-winning writer/stand-up visiting from Ireland; to get a feel for this extraordinary storyteller, please click here and here and here)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, 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 at this stand-up open mic hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/21/11

Jessi Klein performs in Brooklyn for Mr. Coconuts Comedy Show, while Kurt Braunohler headlines at Carolines

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

7:00 pm ($5): Two tough guys from the 1930s will explain the ins and outs of Hollywood at sketch show Listen Kid! ; and a sketch show about how life sometimes turns into a storm, in German:Der Storm

7:00 pm ($5): Any show ballsy enough to begin its description with "Have you ever loved a mop? Susan-Kate Heaney has..." is worth exploring. This one-woman show is happening at The PIT: Confessions of a Mop-oholic

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek hosted by Robert Dean: The Dean's List

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent of The Daily Show), Colin Jost (writer for SNL; Jimmy Fallon), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), and musical guest Chris Dyas (Musical Director of Blue Man Group) performing at the Lolita Bar at Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comic book creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage for a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Comic Book Club

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Dan St. Germain, Calise Hawkins, Nikki Glaser, Erik Bergstrom, Seaton Smith, Pat Thornton, and more performing at The Studio at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues) hosted by Team Submarine: MTV Comedy Showcase

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Bandter (Jon Friedman with Stuckey & Murray), Rob Cantrell (organic pothead stand-up), Kara Klenk, Ashley Brooke Roberts, and more performing stand-up at Queens LIC's The Creek hosted by Jackie Zebrowski, Julia Johns, and Sharron Paul: Twat's Up!

8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Dance Break, Grandma's Ashes, Airwolf, Sandino, and Very Good Kiss, and at 11:00 pm UCBT students mixing it up with improv veterans—all at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5 at the door, $7.63 in advance online): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), 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), Gabe Liedman (co-host of Big Terrific), and more Dan St. performing for this new monthly show at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Gabe Delahaye: Mr. Coconuts Comedy Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Joe Mande (Comedy Central, VH1; host of Joe Mande Presents at Carolines, co-host of Totally J/K; author of book Look at This F*cking Hipster), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys), comedy duo James & JF, and musical guest The Birdhive Boys performing at Brooklyn's The Royal Oak (594 Union Avenue) along with sketches from Moon regulars such as co-producer Jordan Clifford, the delightful Camille Harris, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

8:30 pm ($5): In this double-bill, each of two of The Magnet's singing improv troupes will make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: The Sound & the Fury and Rebound

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Funny or Die, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives), David O'Doherty (award-winning writer/stand-up visiting from Ireland; to get a feel for this extraordinary storyteller, please click here and here and here), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] [$] 9:30 pm (only $5 cover if you buy in advance by calling (212) 757-4100, plus 2-drink min.) A sketch master who's also gotten good enough at other forms of comedy to win this year's ECNY Award for Best Stand-Up; is the creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; is the co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; and co-hosts Hot Tub Variety, headlining for one night only (with Nick Turner and Lisa Delarios opening) at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kurt Braunohler

9:30 pm ($5): David Angelo (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Will Sylvince (HBO), and Dan Soder (Comedy Central) performing at the PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show from Julie Ann Dulude about being raised by strict Catholic parents: Bless This Mess

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free show, audience members can join in with veteran musical improv talents to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer

[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 6/22/11

Brilliant comedic actresses Kate McKinnon, Mamrie Hart, Amy Heidt...

...Shannon O'Neill, Leslie Meisel, Pam Murphy, and more
perform four hours of sketch comedy for a mere $5 at the Maude Night Marathon...

...or if you prefer an entirely free show, catch comedy geniuses Reggie Watts and Natasha Leggero at Central Park SummerStage

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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($5): Four full hours of sketch comedy, as all eight UCBT house teams—Dweeb, Fambly, Gramp's, Stone Cold Fox, Neighbor Boy, Onassis, Arbuckle, and Thunder Gulch—gather to perform their best, funniest material from the past year on the same evening. With such performers involved as Kate McKinnon, Shannon O'Neill, Mamrie Hart, Amy Heidt, Leslie Meisel, Pam Murphy, Fran Gillespie, Sue Galloway, and Violet Krumbein, this will be an evening jam-packed with talent (and a golden gift if you're a casting director or comedy producer...). Don't be fooled by the absurdly low price of 63 cents per show; this is a sketch festival worth experiencing from beginning to end: Maude Night Marathon

7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 pm: A wonderful—and free!—outdoor concert at Central Park, with star stand-ups and musical comedy performers. The stellar headliners are Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; Comedy Central special; Jimmy Fallon; Electric Company; Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited tour; for video samples, please click here) and Natasha Leggero (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; star of Last Comic Standing, Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Reno 911!, The Sarah Silverman Program, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ugly Americans, Chelsea Lately) at Central Park SummerStage

Even though SummerStage is spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of visitors,

it's not uncommon for every square inch of ground to be occupied with folks eager to laugh.

It's therefore recommended you arrive early for this lovely comedy party

to ensure you get in, and can nab either a seat or a comfortable spot on the grass.

(And consider bringing a large blanket...)

Directions to SummerStage

SummerStage is located at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park.

From the East side: Take the #6 subway to 68th Street and Lexington,

or the M1/M2/M3/M4 bus to 72nd Street and 5th Avenue;

enter the park at 69th Street and 5th Avenue;

and then walk a bit following the map above.

Traveling crosstown: Take the M-66 or M72 bus to Fifth Avenue;

enter the park at 69th Street and 5th Avenue;

and then walk a bit following the map above.

From the West side: Take the 1/2/3/B/C subway to 72nd Street,

or the M7/M10/M11 bus to 72nd Street and Central Park West;

enter the park at 72nd Street and Central Park West;

and then walk a whole lot following the map above.

[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 star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys), Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Jordan Carlos (Comedy Central), Kevin Barnett (Roundtable of Gentlemen), and Susan Prekel performing stand-up at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, off Thompson Street): John and Molly Get Along

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Dan St. Germain (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV; for reenactment of Dan's breakup, please click here), Erin Judge (Comedy Central), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central, VH1), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony tour), Ashley Brooke Roberts, and Billy Wayne Davis performing stand-up at the 11th Street Bar (510 East 11th Street, off Avenue A) for this monthly extravaganza hosted by the razor-sharp & delightful Erin Lennox (co-host of Fresh; for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here) who notes "AND FREE DRINKS! If you are very pretty and make someone think you're going to sleep with them. Otherwise there are reasonably priced drinks that you can buy yourself:" Erin Lennox's I Like You Too Show

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Ben Lerman (nuanced raunchy comedic singer/songwriter; Logo TV's NewNowNext, Sirius Radio's Frank DeCaro Show), Will Hines (UCBT improv/sketch superstar who's getting better at stand-up), Rob Gorden (storyteller; Onion News Network, The Big C), Walter Replogle (member of award-winning sketch troupe Murderfist), Sean Crespo (The Electric Company, Onion News Network, host of Lasers in the Jungle), Kristeen von Hagen (Showtime's Comics without Borders), and Carrie Gravenson performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[FREE] 10:00 pm: An evening of video comedy shorts from our NYC comedy community screened at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Nick Turner & Jason Saenz: Free Comedy Videos

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/23/11

Sharp comic & bestselling author Julie Klausner tells hilarious tales tonight at The PIT for Kevin Allison's Risk!,
while Marina Franklin performs stellar stand-up tonight at the Broadway Comedy Club and Stand Up New York...

...and it'll be a vicious battle for victory tonight between improvisors Pat Baer and Ellena Chmielewski at Cage Match

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] 6:00 pm ($5): The debut of three comedic one-act plays: Pig: A Restaurant, a one-woman show performed by Lauren Conlin Adams, written by Leila Cohan-Miccio, and directed by Caitlin Tegart about "the opening party for East Gowanus' hottest new restaurant. Join luminaries like sex-obsessed food critic The Ravenous Foodie, the editor of email blast Experience Junkie, and model/actress/hostess Aurora as they usher Brooklyn's porkiest new eatery restaurant into the spotlight;" Acts of Distraction: A Superhero Sketch Show, written by Brett White, directed by Matt Fisher, and performed by eight UCBT talents; and Once Upon A Sub Prime (about which I know nothing), all at the UCBT audition showcase Spank

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics drawing names from a bucket, with each chosen one receiving three minutes at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: Corby Haas

7:00 pm ($8): A sketch show parodying acting classes: Meagan & David's Original Low-Cost Creativity Workshop

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Young Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) has the makings of a new UCBT star in this one-woman show in which she engagingly plays oddball characters you might encounter at summer camp: Welcome to Camp!

...and in the other half of this double-bill, Ryan Karels (Conan O'Brien; member of stellar improv troupe Krompf) playing a radio host who does "a show for people on the verge of a nervous breakdown. If you've already had a nervous breakdown, this show will be like reminiscing with an old friend:" Radio Rogue: Riding the Paradox Express

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Magnet Theatre co-owner Armando Diaz directs "veteran Magnet performers throwing down for an improv revue featuring classic long forms such as the montage, monoscene, time dash, and maybe even a little freeze tag:" Old School

8:00 pm ($8): A new sketch show from troupe FreeLoveForum

[FREE] 8:00 pm: A mix of three booked stand-ups and six open mic stand-ups (the latter drawing their names from a bucket) at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by comedy duo Team Submarine: A Time to Kill

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm (no cover if you mention HyReviews.com, but 2-drink min.) An always superb comic who's developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy—and who's performed on Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, VH1, and Comedy Central's Premium Blend—on stage tonight with Mike Vecchione and Joe DeVito at the Broadway Comedy Club: Marina Franklin

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—who tonight are Julie Klausner (razor-sharp comic & storyteller, and author of I Don't Care About Your Band), Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show), Gary Belsky (Editor in Chief of ESPN Magazine), comedian Beowulf Jones, and Hallie Haglund (Web writer for The Daily Show)—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) to share tales on tonight's theme "Once in a Lifetime" at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 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] [$] 10:00 pm ($10 plus 2-drink min.) Thoroughly wonderful comics Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (amazing human boombox; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of The BEATdown), Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, VH1, and Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1), Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents, co-host of Righteous Kill, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Kurt Metzger (Comedy Central's Ugly Americans), Jordan Carlos (Comedy Central, College Humor), and Theo Von (MTV's The Real World, Comedy Central) performing at at the Stand Up New York Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street) hosted by the delightful Carolyn Castiglia (VH1's White Rapper Miss CKC): Love Machine Comedy Show

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Adorable improv troupe Boy Butter, which last week edged out spitfire Bethany Hall and her talented 8GirlsHarold via the strategically shrewd move of aligning itself with audience sympathy for Holocaust survivors—and has a highly effective "secret weapon" in its lone female member, Ellena Chmielewski—tonight faces formidable troupe Hanging Out with Pat Baer as they compete for audience laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Jason Trachtenburg hosts "special guests from bawdy burlesquers to perverted puppeteers to freak folk rockers and twisted comedic storytellers, taking you on a weekly journey through the wonderful world of weird, wild and wow" at The PIT's basement lounge: Trachtenburgs' Variety Show featuring The Pendulum Swings

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Jenna Kim Jones (two-time Emmy Award-winning Producer of The Daily Show), Sam Morril, and Jim Tews performing stand-up at The PIT for this comedy club-style (i.e., long set) weekly show hosted by Harrison Greenbaum: The Big One

11:00 pm ($5): Two improv groups competing for audience laughs and votes—yes, like UCBT's Cage Match, but with less well-known troupes and a game-like challenge component—at Inspirado

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 6/24/11

An epic improv battle for $10,000 to fund a short comedy film will be waged tonight by genius troupe Death by Roo Roo...

...equally genius duo Jason Mantzoukas & Ed Herbstman as The Mantzoukas Brothers...

...Big Black Car (which sometimes includes rising superstar Kristen Schaal), Doppelganger (a new group with a rep for toppling champs)...

...and Toronto troupe Standards & Practices at The Friars Club Second Annual Improv Competition

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: An open mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups start at 5:30 pm) at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: A wonderful—and free!—outdoor concert at Brooklyn's Red Hook Park with star Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; Comedy Central special; Jimmy Fallon; Electric Company; Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited tour; for video samples, please click here), famed DJ Stormin' Norman, and more. Please note the F/G train's Smith & 9th Street Station is very inconveniently closed, but you can take the F/G to Carroll Street and then walk a whole bunch to be rewarded with Reggie Watts at Red Hook Park

7:00 pm ($8): Award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with "a celebrity guest improvisor' at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

7:00 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from two friends who, by a wild coincidence, have the same name: We're Matt Weir: Universe Drugs

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm-10:30 pm ($12): Five improv troupes—Death by Roo Roo (UCBT-NYC), The Mantzoukas Brothers (The Magnet-NYC), Doppelganger (UCBT-NYC), Big Black Car (The PIT-NYC), and Standards & Practices (Toronto)—try hard to make you laugh for a prize of $10,000 (to fund the making of a stellar comedy short film) in this second annual contest sponsored by the Friars Club: The Friars Club Improv Competition

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($49.50): Mike Birbiglia performing a unique blend of stand-up and storytelling that's one of the best theatrical shows in NYC. For my more detailed write-up, please click here; and then grab tickets at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop) for Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($53 & 2-drink min.) Former co-host of The Man Show and Loveline, and now host of one of the most popular comedy podcasts on the Net, headlining tonight at the Carolines Comedy Club: Adam Carolla

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: TV & movie star TJ Miller (David Letterman, Opie & Anthony; co-stared in ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-starred in such hit as movies Cloverfield and She's Out of My League; member of awesome sketch troupe Heavyweight, which blew the roof off at SketchFest NYC 2011), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents), Ryan Hamilton, Dan Soder, Justy Dodge, and Jeff Wesselschmidt performing stand-up at O'Hanlon's (14th Street off 1st Avenue) hosted by Mark Normand: Hot Soup

8:00 pm ($5): Comics Jon Bander and Dave Thunder vow to lose weight (in real life) while performing sketch scenes in this show over the next month: M4: Comedy's Biggest Losers

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who's appeared on NBC, MTV, Showtime, and a Comedy Central Presents special, and performed an award-winning one man show at last year's FringeNYC, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jim David

9:00 pm ($7): "In March of 2009 a gaggle of performers were born. Some died, some wandered off into the woods, others went to work in the private sector. Those that remained grew strong by feeding on the nectar of specific choices and the gruel of strong character work. The 2-year-old terror that exists today is akin to watching a Tsunami of hair and teeth attack a baby Blue Whale and destroy it with the will of a thousand hungry Burnese Mountain Dogs. What does it all mean? We don't know." In other words, improv from Chet Watkins

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): 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 how boys will be girls, please click here) delivering a brand new collection of sketches: The Harvard Sailing Team

10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with a n audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Comedy genius Thomas Middleditch (when he's not in LA), Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

11:00 pm ($5): Stand-up and sketch comedy guests hosted by improv troupe Bad Luck Rising

11:00 pm ($10): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches from troupe FUCT

11:30 pm ($5): Before the show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

Midnight ($5): Sketch comedy troupes Hammerkatz NYU and Skit Job compete for audience laughs and votes, with troupe Sidecar hosting, in Backyard Brawl

[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Paul Mooney

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/25/11

Tonight and Sunday, 30 Rock & movie star Tracy Morgan headlines at Carolines

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

7:00 pm ($8; includes free cookies): NYC stand-ups & storytellers Elon James White, David Cope, Ben Kissel, and Asie Mohtarez telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives for a show tonight guest-hosted by Nick Turner (Monsters, Too Cool for School) while usual host Sara Benincasa is busy in LA: Family Hour

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Comedic storytelling at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez: 1001 Nights

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm-10:30 pm ($12): Last night five improv troupes competed for a prize of $10,00 to fund the making of a stellar comedy short film. The winners were comedy geniuses Jason Mantzoukas & Ed Herbstman as The Mantzoukas Brothers—and they totally earned the ten grand. (Can hardly wait to see their mini-movie...) Tonight is a similar competition for five sketch troupes—albeit ones not always quite as famous or stellar as Friday's improv groups—hosted by Jon Friedman at The Friars Club Sketch Competition

7:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Mark Grenier, Louis Kornfeld, and Charlie Whitcroft making up a play on the spot in Theory of Everything

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm tonight, 8:00 pm on Sunday ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who's one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlines for two nights only at Carolines: Tracy Morgan

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who's appeared on NBC, MTV, Showtime, and a Comedy Central Presents special, and performed an award-winning one man show at last year's FringeNYC, headlining tonight at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jim David

[FREE—plus FREE BEER!] 8:00 pm: A variety show of stand-up, storytelling, and sketch that's not only free, but promises to give each of the first 25 audience members who arrive a free beer! Unfortunately, the lineup hasn't been announced; but if you'd care to take a chance, join hosts Ray Combs Jr., Evan Jacobs, and Aalap Patel as they provide you a drink On the House

9:00 pm ($7): Organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here) and Lisa deLarios (Comedy Central) host this delightful monthly mix of stand-up and sketch, with tonight's guests Adira Amram (fresh, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter; winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act), SNL's Jason Sudeikis, Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever), Jon Glaser (long-time writer for Conan O'Brien, star of Adult Swim's Delocated), and Nikki Glaser performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall: The Party Machine: Michael Jackson Edition

[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

10:00 pm ($5): "We've all been drunk on something—love, power, money, alcohol, the heat of the moment. This storytelling show examines how far we'll go when we find ourselves under the influence. Each month hosts Megan Lohne and Ruby Marez cover a new aspect of being consumed by factors outside your control. Oh yeah, we'll play some drinking games too. Before each show a list of drinking rules will be handed out to the audience based on that month's theme. Yeah. We'll have fun:" Reckless and Loaded

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): An all-star improv troupe led by brilliant UCBT artistic director Anthony King interviews an audience member about where he or she grew up and then creates an entire show based on the mini-bio: The Curfew: Not From Around Here

10:30 pm ($7): Gay improvisors at The Magnet gather to celebrate New York's historic marriage legislation and more: Pride Week Extravaganza

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Comedic storytelling and more at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City hosted by the superb John Flynn: Variety Amour

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): From the fearless, dynamic, and always innovative Shannon O'Neill, who won the 2011 ECNY Award for Best One-Person Show: "I seem to have made a big ole mistake. I wrote a script, I purchased the props, but I forgot to rehearse it. And on top of that I HAVE NO CAST!!!! So... I am going to cast YOU, moments before the show starts. I will hand you a script, give you some props and instruct you to just listen and get ready to perform. Oh man this is going to be a fucking mess of BEAUTY!! If you want a chance to be cast, make reservations and get in line by 11:15pm. I, Shannon O'Neill will personally come out and hand pick the best damn group of Thespians this play has ever seen and will ever see because this play will only be performed ONCE, never to be seen again! What do I look for in a cast? I love fatties, I love skinnies, I love sober people, I love drunk people. I love you all. Every shape, size, and ethnicity. Let's hold hands and spin the world! What is this play about? Something real fucking weird and TBA. Thanks for helping me fix my mistake. I'll see you soon friends!:" The Unrehearsed, Historically Inaccurate Story of...

[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form "rare and wonderful one-night-only teams," with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 6/26/11

The thoroughly wonderful Faye Lane performs her last Sunday show today (she's switching to Fridays at 8:00 pm) at Beauty Shop Stories;
and comedy superstar Tracy Morgan concludes this run tonight headlining at Carolines

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[FREE] 2:00 pm: Stand-ups Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, Comedy Central, FOX), Karith Foster (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime, VH1, IMUS in the Morning, Oprah), DJ Hazard (Comedy Central, Showtime, A&E), and more performing for a free outdoor show at Central Park's Mineral Springs: Laughter in the Park

[FREE] 4:00 pm: Streeter Seidell (College Humor) and a small mob of lesser-known stand-ups performing at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Andy Rocco: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 5:00 pm ($18.50 online using discount code ADVANCE ): One of the very best shows at FringeNYC 2010 was an award-winning comedy from NYC's own Faye Lane, a luminous storyteller and singer who will charm your socks off—and possibly give you a moon pie to boot—at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club. This marvelous event recently received a 2011 Bistro Award for Musical Comedy and 2011 MAC Award for Special Production. Please read my review by clicking here, watch Faye make a pecan pie by clicking here, and then take advantage of this revival running Sundays through June to experience the hilarious and unforgettable Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories

6:30 pm ($5): "Clown and sideshow theatrics" at the debut of Clown Baggage; and "five females search for happiness" at the sketch show Pussy Control

[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] [$] 8:00 pm ($60 & 2-drink min.): A co-star of 30 Rock who's one of the most hilarious guys in the biz headlines one last night at Carolines: Tracy Morgan

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mara Herron, Chris Laker, Steve O'Brien, and more performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

8:00 pm ($5): Improv that flows from moment to moment, with no sweeps or tag outs—"each exit starts a new scene, while performers use devices ranging from monologues to in-scene questions to break into characters and relationships quicker and deeper"—at the debut of Scoresby

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Matt Ruby, Jen Statsky, Ken Schultz, and Adam Cozens performing at The PIT's downstairs lounge hosted by Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sketch, stand-up, improv, and more at a comedy variety show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by sketch troupe Froduce

[FREE] 8:30 pm: A monthly comedy video show "of epic proportions; this is every music head's dream" at The Creek downstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Holden McNeely & Ed Larson of award-winning heavy metal sketch troupe Murderfist: Stage Fright

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Andy de la Tour (pioneering UK comedy star; The Young Ones), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), Monroe Martin, and Damien Lemon performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) guest-hosted by Nick Vatterott: Comedy Night

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 4 minutes per comic, at The PIT's downstairs lounge hosted by Chris Grace & Molly Austin: Vicious Cycle

NYC Comedy Picks for Tonight

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