Please note that these listings are updated frequently. The best way to be instantly notified about new show postings is to subscribe to my BestNewYorkComedy.com blog and allow for email notifications, and/or to follow me on Twitter (@hybender) or Instagram (@hybenderny).
In addition, you can use the links below to explore the schedules of all the major comedy venues in NYC; and you can find excellent live comedy recommendations weekly via The New York Times.
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for March 2018 include:
Thursday 3/1: One of comedy's greatest talents, Daniel Kitson, has just made available a film of his stage show It's Always Right Now Until It's Later for a 3-day online rental. Daniel has been famously reluctant to provide his work in a permanent form that can be savored by mass audiences, so please encourage him to make this a mere first step in a flood of releases by renting and thoroughly enjoying the 96-minute show in the convenience of your own home, office cubicle, prison cell, or what have you. Recorded in June 2012 at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and produced, directed, and edited by Ewan Jones Morris: It's Always Right Now Until It's Later ($5 for a 72-hour streaming rental; available immediately worldwide via Daniel's site at Video.DanielKitson.com)
Two of the finest productions to ever grace The Peoples Improv Theater are from the Recent Cutbacks company, which includes superbly inventive director Kristin McCarthy Parker, amazing shape-shifting performers Kyle Schaefer, Nick Abeel, and Matt Zambrano, and stellar foley artists Blair Busbee & Kelsey Didion—and tonight you can see both magical shows back to back. Kicking off the evening is a live-on-stage 'shot for shot' parody of the first chapter in "the most epic fantasy trilogy of all time"—i.e., Lord of the Rings: Fly, You Fools!; and then an unforgettable live shot for shot stage version of Jurassic Park: Hold On To Your Butts...Jurassik Parc (7:00 pm, $30 for the entire double-bill (a great deal, as these shows are normally $20 each), The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 3/2: "Do you ever leave a comedy show saying 'Hmm, that was pretty funny but not enough reading'? Literati is a night of comics in character performing hilarious readings—sometimes while wearing wigs," with comics Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Ruby McCollister, Peter Smith, and Fareeha Khan hosted by Colin O'Brien & Michael Wolf: Literati: A Comedy Show About Books and the Idiots Who Write Them (9:30 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 3/3: Harry Potter fans, rejoice! The topic for this month's Book Club is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth and longest book in J.K. Rowling's phenom series. Hosts Blythe Roberson (The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's) & Colin Stokes (Associate Cartoon Editor at The New Yorker; The Onion, GQ) will discuss it for your edutainment, aided by comics Sydnee Washington (MTV2's Vidiots, co-host of podcast The Unofficial Expert), Dan Chamberlain (hilarious larger-than-life character actor & sketch performer; sketch writer for Funny or Die, Above Average), Sachi Ezura (producer for The Rundown with Robin Thede), and Amy Zimmer (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal; author of book Meet Miss Subways: New York's Beauty Queens 1941-1976): Book Club—A Comedy Show: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 3/3: Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true...but one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber—and everyone who chooses correctly gets a free t-shirt! This evening's superb yarn-spinners are Ophira Eisenberg (above, middle left; NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here), Jim O'Grady (above right; The New York Times, This American Life, WNYC Radio, Moth GrandSlam Champion), Susan Kent (above, middle right; The Moth Radio Hour), and Mike Brown (above left; MTV, Adult Swim, TruTV; co-host of Comedy Outliers). Come let these storytellers and host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show (6:00 pm; $20, which includes one drink; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319; West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe at 29 Cornelia Street)
Saturday 3/3: It's your last chance to enjoy this run of Andrea Alton being hilarious as Molly "Equality" Dykeman, "the loveable but barely lucid security guard at PS 339 who dabbles in a bit of poetry, a bit of Percocet, and a lot of drink," co-starring Allen Warnock: Molly's World (7:10 pm, $13.03 online using code MULLET; Under St. Marks at 94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue)
Saturday 3/3: Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, and The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV), Sydnee Washington (MTV2's Vidiots, co-host of podcast The Unofficial Expert), and Pretty Sad White Girls (Lisa Bettencourt & Jillian Schiralli) perform stand-up or sketch hosted by Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, stellar Ars Nova show It's Christi, B*tch!) & Petey Deabreu (host of Petey's World): White Chocolate (10:00 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/5: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents; comedy albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Nikki Glaser (star of former Comedy Central series Not Safe; film Trainwreck; hour-long special Perfect; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight; NBC's America Ninja Warrior: Celebrity Edition; podcast You Had to Be There), Eliot Glazer (Broad City, Haunting Renditions; author of My Parents Were Awesome), Chloe Hilliard (The Nightly Show, Last Comic Standing, MTV, TruTV), and Donnie Sengstack perform for this weekly Brooklyn stand-up show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/5: Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly; Netflix stand-up special America is the Greatest Country in the United States; bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United) performs an hour of brand new material in the West Village: Judah Friedlander (8:00 pm, 8:00 pm, $15 plus two-item food/drink min., Village Underground at 130 West 3rd Street off Sixth Avenue)
Monday 3/5: Comics each perform an argument for why he or she should receive a Pulitzer Prize—with tonight's candidates Tim Barnes (writer for HBO, NPR, The AV Club), Karen Chee (The New Yorker, Funny or Die, McSweeney's, Splitsider, Reductress; member of sketch group Lo-Fi), James Folta (writer for The Onion, Funny or Die, McSweeney's, Splitsider; co-author of website The Encyclopedia of Hypothetical Police Procedurals), and Joey Dundale (co-host of UCB show $$$)—hosted by Caroline Schaper (writer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, former writer for David Letterman) & Eliza Cossio (Senior Latina Correspondent for The Daily Show): Pulitzer Surprises (8:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/5: With shockingly little fanfare, last Monday ended one of the greatest comedy runs in NYC, when Aparna Nancherla announced it was the final time she'd be hosting Whiplash, UCB's free Mondays at 11:00 pm show that developed into one of the finest stand-up comedy showcases ever.
In a sense, the show began in 2005 as Crash Test hosted by Aziz Ansari, and eventually co-hosted by Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel. The three comics came to form group Human Giant, and moved on from the free weekly show to do an inventive sketch show on MTV. Wonderful former UCB Artistic Director Anthony King reasoned "What naturally follows a Crash? Whiplash!” Anthony asked stellar comic Leo Allen (who'd previously written for Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central) to host; and Leo in turn asked brilliant comedy booker Jeremy Levenbach to find the stand-ups to perform each week. Starting September 2008, the two of them set a standard of excellence that made Whiplash not only the best free comedy show in NYC but one of the very finest stand-up showcases in the world. When Leo decided to move on in 2014 and pursue opportunities in LA, he left very big shoes to fill.
Aparna Nancherla stepped into the role with extraordinary ease and grace. An exceptionally supportive host and prolific writer, Aparna churned out brilliant material week after week to start the show with great comedic energy. The vibe Aparna created made Whiplash continue to attract such star drop-ins as Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, John Oliver, Jim Gaffigan, Daniel Kitson, and pretty much any other top comic who happened to be in town and wanted to try out material in front of one of the friendliest and sharpest comedy audiences on the planet.
Two things recently changed. First, Aparna has taken on a paid role Mondays at 8:00 pm, co-hosting the stand-up show Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve at Brooklyn's Littlefield. And second, UCB's recent mainstage move from West 26th Street (near a number of colleges) to way West 42nd Street (near the Hudson River) has at least temporarily altered the audience and vibe of Whiplash, making it a more difficult gig for both the host and guest comics.
Whoever takes over from Aparna will have an amazing history to live up to, and fresh challenges. Meanwhile, enormous kudos are due to Aparna for making one of the greatest shows in comedy even better for a glorious three years and change: Whiplash (11:00 pm. Free! (but make a reservation), UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Tuesday 3/6: A wild monthly pun competition hosted by father-daughter duo Fred Firestone (co-author with Jo of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers) and Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow), with 18 audience members fiercely competing for wordplay dominance: Punderdome 3000 (8:00 pm; $10—sold out of advance tickets, but there'll be 150 tickets available at the door; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 622 Degraw Street—take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 3/6: Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, and The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out) performs phenom stand-up, and then Caitlin Cook makes music—in her own words, "Sometimes I sing silly songs. Sometimes I sing serious songs. One time I got a master's degree from Oxford in maritime archaeology. Now I play the kazoo:" Peech Imspediment: A Night of Comedy and Music (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 3/6: Chris Gethard (comedy genius; star of HBO 90-minute special Career Suicide; star of TruTV's & Fusion's The Chris Gethard Show; co-star of Mike Birbiglia film Don't Think Twice; host of Webby-winning podcast Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People; The Office, Comedy Central, IFC; author of A Bad Idea I'm About to Do and Weird New York), Danijela Stajnfeld (Serbian film & TV star visiting NYC and performing her comedic character Stasya), Laura Prangley (former writer for SNL's Weekend Update; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, TruTV's Friends of the People, PBS), Rojo Perez (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, MTV, TruTV), and more perform for host Seth Herzog's (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1) seminal weekly stand-up & variety show: Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Wednesday 3/7: Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, national comedy treasure) hones material for a one-man show: Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals (7:00 pm, $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Wednesday 3/7: One of the very best shows at UCB is by Jay Malsky, a super-charged & hilarious character comic who also sings beautifully. This 25-minute solo musical shows off all of Jay's strengths, as he plays a variety of women whose boyfriends he stole. With musical direction by Jody Shelton, choreography by Zak Sommerfield, and taped vocals by David Carl & Taylor Ortega, this production establishes Jay Malsky as a vibrant rising star with a great comedy career ahead of him. If you're in the industry and looking for fresh talent, come check this out: Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend! (9:30 pm; $9—which includes a second show, I'm Your Mommy; UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 3/7: Comics make up a new episode of one of the greatest TV series of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, springboarding off an audience suggestion: Improvised Buffy (10:00 pm, $8, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 3/8-Sunday 3/11: Michelle Wolf (star stand-up, and soon to star in a Netflix weekly late night half-hour comedy news show; previously the finest writer/correspondent for The Daily Show; previously staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers; stellar HBO hour-long special Nice Lady; slated to host this year's White House Correspondents Dinner) headlines at Carolines tonight through Sunday. This show is almost entirely sold out, but you can still grab tickets for Sunday if you act quickly: Michelle Wolf (Sunday at 7:30 pm, $32.75 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Thursday 3/8: Enjoy a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) shared by their original authors before total strangers at this popular monthly show: Mortified (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 3/8: Highly talented hip-hop improv group North Coast attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (7:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 3/9: Comics offer oddball information on topics selected in alphabetical order, with tonight's subjects Aesop’s Fables, ALT, Architecture, AR-15’s, and Aspen expounded upon by guests Luke Null (cast member of Saturday Night Live), James Folta (The New Yorker, McSweeney’s), Claire Friedman (The Atlantic), Larry Owens (Time Out New York's “Comedians We’re Obsessed With”), and Julia Weiss (head writer of Cards Against Humanity) hosted by Brad Einstein (Billy on the Street, Baby Wants Candy, Second City): Encyclopedia Commedia: Vol. 1 (Aa-Au) (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 3/10: Lisa Bettencourt & Jillian Schiralli are a comedic musical duo named Pretty Sad White Girls, and they deserve your attention. They combine witty original lyrics with beautiful harmonies, hitting notes that may make you happy for days afterward. If you love Garfunkel and Oates, then you'll probably also adore these rising stars working a similar folk comedy vein; and you can experience them tonight for an entire hour at Greenwich Village's legendary Bitter End: Pretty Sad White Girls (7:00 pm, $10 cover (plus 2-drink min. at tables), The Bitter End at 147 Bleecker Street)
Saturday 3/10: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above right; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions for this Fourth Anniversary Show are guests Mychal Denzel Smith (above left; author of New York Times bestselling book Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education), JD Samson (above middle; singer/songwriter/musician/producer; bands Le Tigre and MEN), and Eliot Glazer (Broad City, Haunting Renditions; author of My Parents Were Awesome). This show usually sells out, so I highly recommend nabbing tickets in advance online for Tinder Live: Fourth Anniversary Show (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 3/10: Comics Becky Krause (above; sketch writer for Jimmy Fallon), Ben Warheit (writer for Seth Meyers), and Lauren Ashley Smith (writer for Robin Thede) learn about biology from Evie Alexander (science teacher at the Professional Children’s School) hosted by Matthew Starr & Monique Moses: Raise Your Hand: Biology (7:00 pm; $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 3/11: Michelle Wolf (star stand-up, and soon to star in a Netflix weekly late night half-hour comedy news show; previously the finest writer/correspondent for The Daily Show; previously staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers; stellar HBO hour-long special Nice Lady; slated to host this year's White House Correspondents Dinner) is headlining one last night at Carolines. Buying tickets in advance is recommended, as all other performances since Michelle's run began on Thursday have sold out: Michelle Wolf (7:30 pm, $32.75 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Tuesday 3/13: Great lineup of Chris Barron (above left; lead singer of The Spin Doctors), Griffin Newman (above right; brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves), Dan Soder (cast member on Showtime's Billions; film Trainwreck; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Jacqueline Novak (exceptionally smart, fresh stand-up; Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO; comedy album Quality Notions; book How to Weep in Public), and Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Artie Lange, VH1) perform for host Seth Herzog's (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1) seminal weekly stand-up & variety show: Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)
Tuesday 3/13: In this quick-paced show, 64 comics each perform a one-line joke for the sake of winning audience laughs and applause (for a sample from last year, please click here). This bracket-style competition will result in a single champion in just 90 minutes, hosted by Emily Winter and Larry Mancini: One Liner Madness (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 3/13: Because there isn't enough division in America, this monthly show strives to create more discord by asking the musical question "Whose side are you on: Patti LaBelle (Lady Marmalade, New Attitude, Stir It Up, Winner in You) or Aretha Franklin (Respect, Natural Woman, Spanish Harlem, Think)?" Comic Rob Haze argues for The Godmother of Soul and Ryan Beck makes the case for The Queen of Soul, with illustrative diva drag performances by Shuga Cain, plus music from DJ Molly Austin, with fabulous hosts Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, co-host of White Chocolate, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!) & Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code): Battle of the Divas: Patti LaBelle vs. Aretha Franklin (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 3/14: UCB comics try to impress while pretending to be too cool to care at the first of two sketch & variety comedy shows for industry (agents, producers, casting directors, etc.) featuring the luminous and delightful Carly Ann Filbin (above), Sarah Smallwood Parsons, the cast of Better Jeopardy, and much more hosted by Will Martinez: UCBT's I'm Cool Showcase (7:30 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 3/14:: "Four writers read their own work for seven minutes or less, and are then judged by four all-star judges. Two finalists are chosen to compete in the finale, a vaguely-literary game to decide the ultimate winner," with tonight's judges Anna Chlumsky (above; Amy Brookheimer in HBO's Veep, for which she's received five Emmy nominations; AMC's Halt and Catch Fire; film My Girl), Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Jessica Valenti (author of Sex Object: A Memoir, creator of Feministing blog), and Krystyna Hutchinson (co-host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast; co-author of book F*cked: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That's Screwed)—and you—hosted by Adrian Todd Zuniga: Literary Death Match (8:00 pm, $15, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 3/14: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents; comedy albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Nikki Glaser (host of You Up on SiriusXM Comedy Central Radio; star of former Comedy Central series Not Safe; film Trainwreck; hour-long special Perfect; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight; NBC's America Ninja Warrior: Celebrity Edition; podcast You Had to Be There), Michelle Buteau (HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, Amazon's The Tick, VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, comedy album Shut Up), and Peter Grosz (Comedy Central's The President Show and Inside Amy Schumer, HBO's Veep; former writer for Seth Meyers and The Colbert Report; star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) perform stand-up hosted by Nate Craig (writer for MTV's Ridiculousness; Comedy Central's Tosh.0 and Mash-Up; comedy album Eggshell): Nate Craig & Friends (10:30 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 3/15: A glorious collection of hilarious film & TV clips and lectures by mass media experts hosted by super-fan Kevin Maher, this month focusing on women's wrestling (for a sneak peek video, please click here), with scheduled guests Kimmy Gatewood (from LA via phone; star of Netflix's GLOW), Brian Solomon (author of book Pro Wrestling FAQ), Victoria McNally (writer for MTV News, Nerdist, Bustle), Marcus Pinn (creator of Pinnland Empire), Tom Blunt (paying tribute to Chyna; host of Meet the Lady), Steve Flack (reality TV editor), and Camila Jones ("Mistress of Ceremonies"): Kevin Geeks Out About Women's Wresting (7:30 pm; $15—buying in advance is recommended, as this show crammed with rich imagery and fascinating ideas typically sells out; Brooklyn's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 445 Albee Square West—take the 2/3 subway to Hoyt Street)
Thursday 3/15: Jean Grae & John Hodgman have written topics on a carnival wheel. In this show they spin the wheel and then chat about whatever subject they land on, along with a surprise guest. What else do you need to know?: Jean and John (8:00 pm, $15, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Thursday 3/15: Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Larry Owens (writer for TruTV's Paid Off), Max and Nicky Weinbach (musical theatre twins), Between Two Bushes (musical comedy duo Lacey Jeka & Kristen Buckels), and Andrew Barbato (singer/comic who waits tables at Ellen's Stardust Diner) tell jokes and/or sing for this show that's a mix of stand-up, music, and more hosted by Jenny Gorelick (Improv Anywhere; perpetual birthday gal) & Addie Weyrich (HBO's Crashing, Hulu): Jenny's Birthday Variety Show: 40! (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 3/15: Highly talented hip-hop improv group North Coast attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (7:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street; see also Friday's North Coast show)
Friday 3/16: Fifty comics gather to each share a minute's worth of observations about a bit of pop culture with which he or she can’t be bothered. Tonight's participants include Emmy Blotnick, Eliot Glazer, Katie Hartman, Jeff Hiller, Meghan O'Neill, Aimeé Lutkin, and many more, hosted by Matt Rogers & Bowen Yang (above; hosts of the acclaimed Las Culturistas podcast): Las Culturistas Live: I Don't Think So, Honey (8:00 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 3/16: From New York University's Graduate Musical Theatre program comes three short musicals starring puppets made of trash (ranging from discarded plastic bottles to old vibrators). Plastic Lover (A Sex Toy Story) by Annabel Mutale Reed & Kim Jinhyoung; Rime of the Ancient Grog by Briana Whyte Harris & J.M. Gates; and Plastic Island by Andi Lee Carter & Jess Newman, all produced by Andi Lee Carter and directed by Annabel Mutale Reed: Trash Puppets (6:00 pm, $8, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Friday 3/16: A highly talented freestyle rapping improv group that makes up scenes with fierce and joyous musical energy celebrates its Ninth Anniversary for this special show: North Coast (9:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 3/16: In honor of tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day, (mostly) Irish comics Matt Koff (staff writer for The Daily Show), Katie Boyle (host of Transplants and Bingo n' Laughs), Colum Tyrrell, and Jason Chatfield share cringe-worthy experiences from their pasts hosted by Brendan Busee & Ron Raganella: Shame!: The Not-So-Honorable Comedy Show (9:30 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
David Carl (hilarious, charismatic co-star of Point Break Live) is best known for his solo show Gary Busey's One Man Hamlet (As Performed by David Carl), which nabbed raves and awards during its debut in the 2014 FringeNYC Festival and subsequent international tour (for my review, please click here). Three years later, David and his director Michole Biancosino have created this second solo show as a sort of meta-sequel...and also as an examination of the inner turmoil Donald Trump's success creates for struggling artists who live to discover and share truths. For my full description & review of this production, please click here. Running every Saturday at 2:00 pm through April 28th, this is a show worth experiencing: Trump Lear (2:00 pm; $20—which includes free brownies baked by the multi-talented writer/performer himself; Under St. Marks at 94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue)
Saturday 3/17: World-class singing improvisors Evan Kaufman & Rebecca Vigil interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (7:00 pm; $16.89 in advance online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 3/17: In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of guest stand-ups to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don’t know what the animators will draw and the animators don’t know how the comics will react. Tonight's stand-up & character lineup consists of Mike Drucker, Brett Davis, Alison Leiby, Nore Davis, and Madison Shepard, with animators including Bryan Brinkman and Dan Pinto, produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance: Picture This! (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 3/17: A show for "female, queer, and gender non-conforming voices," tonight featuring Aaron Jackson (above right; unique improv/sketch/musical talent; cast member of Comedy Central's The Opposition; stellar improv groups Rumpleteaser, What I Did For Love, Fuck That Shit), Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Dara Katz (IFC), Dash Turner, Karolena Theresa, and Zubi Ahmed hosted by Juliet Prather, Maddie Fischer, Fareeha Khan, Jesse Roth, and Stephanie Pace: The 'Sup Show (9:30 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 3/17: Sixteen comics—including John Reynolds, Connor O'Malley, Ana Fabrega, Gary Richardson, and Matt Barats—perform characters, songs, and a variety of other comedic bits: Yardsale Comedy Night (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 3/18: Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show; UCB Saturday night improv group What I Did For Love) and Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and co-host of Butterball, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers) demonstrate their quick wits by hilariously answering questions about what a guest scientist's job entails at this live taping of Chris Duffy's excellent podcast: You're the Expert (7:00 pm, $16.89 in advance online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 3/18: Brothers Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap in Das Racist) spontaneously interact with each other, sharing family stories, discussing current events, and more for this podcast recording: Kondabolu Brothers Podcast Live (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/19: Ophira Eisenberg (above; a rare combination of top storyteller & ace stand-up; NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here), Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV), Dwayne Kennedy (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seinfeld, semifinalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing, Showtime, FX), and Chris Donahue (host of Panic Attack) perform for this weekly Brooklyn stand-up show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/19: A show about the Fear Of Missing Out on some cool experience mentioned on social media, with a terrific late night TV lineup of Chris Redd (cast member of Saturday Night Live; NBC's Will & Grace, Netflix's Disjointed, movie Popstar: Never Stop Stopping), Sasheer Zamata (cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon’s Transparent, TBS’ People of Earth), Alex Moffat (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Kate Sidley (writer for Stephen Colbert), Jasmine Pierce (writer for Jimmy Fallon and Editor-at-Large for Reductress), Bowen Yang (Comedy Central's Broad City; member of sketch group Pop Roulette; co-host of podcast Las Culturistas), and Jason Gore (Hulu's Difficult People, sketch group Bridge & Tunnel) hosted by Kristen Bartlett (writer for Saturday Night Live): FOMO Live with Kristen Bartlett (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 3/18: Terrific lineup of—starting from top row above, left to right—Sasheer Zamata (cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon’s Transparent, TBS’ People of Earth), Matt Koff (staff writer for The Daily Show), Dulcé Sloan (powerhouse comic and correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, @midnight), Rebecca Vigil (rising star powerhouse improv singer; Your Love Our Musical, The Vigilante), Kat Radley (staff writer for The Daily Show; stand-up album The Important Thing is That I'm Pretty), and Evan Williams (Comedy Central's Roast Battle II) performing stand-up, produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City) and hosted by Alison Leiby (writer for The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story): If You Build It (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Tuesday 3/20: One of the most risk-taking shows on television returns for another 10 episodes on TruTV, now running Tuesdays at 11:00 pm. The live call-in show and improvised roller coaster ride is described by Chris Gethard as "a talk show where the host has no control over what’s happening. I think the show is at its best when I’m on my heels and all authority and respect have been taken away from me.” Tonight's guest is Abbi Jacobson of Broad City, and subsequent scheduled guests include Sasheer Zamata & Nicole Byer on March 27th, and Will Ferrell on April 3rd: The Chris Gethard Show
Tuesday 3/20: Comics who are parents vent by telling mean stories about their children, with tonight's cruel jokesters Roz Chast (above top; genius star cartoonist for The New Yorker; author of numerous books including Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York, Theories of Everything, What I Hate From A to Z, and Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?), Emily Flake (above bottom; genius star cartoonist for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Forbes, etc.; author of books Mama Tried, Lulu Eightball, and These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves), Iris Bahr (actress in numerous TV shows including Friends, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The King of Queens, and such films as Larry the Cable Guy and The Last Exorcism), Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1; host of Right Now; for sample of Carolyn as white rapper, please click here), and Aminah Imani (host of podcast Wine Before Nine) hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!) and aforementioned Emily Flake: Shitshow (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 3/20: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn tonight, and also on 3/25 and 3/29: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm; $15—SOLD OUT, but you might still be able to nab a ticket via the Fan Exchange; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 3/21: Stellar comics Mike Birbiglia, Dave Hill, Jo Firestone, Michelle Buteau, Christian Finnegan, and host Seth Herzog, plus Tony winner Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), perform stand-up and/or music to raise funds for organizations pushing for gun control: Never Again: A Night to Benefit Stoneman Douglas High School (7:30 pm, $25, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 3/21-Sunday 3/25: Today kicks off a 5-day festival featuring over 150 improv shows at all three of The PIT's theatres: The Seventh Annual NYC Improv Fest ($10 per show, or $30 for an all-you-can-see festival pass, at The PIT Mainstage, Underground, and Loft theatres)
Wednesday 3/21: Gina Yashere (above; correspondent for The Daily Show; HBO's Crashing, Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately, @midnight, Showtime 1-hour special Skinny Bitch), TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Harris Stanton (SNL, BET; opened for Tracey Morgan), Mike Britt (Comedy Central), and more perform stand-up for this show raising funds for cooperation: Comedy Co-Op (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 3/21: In this superb solo show, Mindy Raf (VH1, College Humor; author of YA novel The Symptoms of My Insanity; singer/songwriter alter ego Leibya Rogers) weaves a complex tapestry from her past relationships, anxieties, arcane bits of knowledge (e.g., she explains how the dark Web can record you while you're masturbating), and sexual preferences (which include being bi and polyamorous) that's thoroughly compelling. At the same time, Mindy delivers a performance so intimate and in-the-moment that it almost feels as if she's revealing herself spontaneously. Along similar lines, when anything unexpected happens (such as an audience member snapping fingers to a background song, or another audience member getting up and crossing the stage at a delicate moment to go to the bathroom), Mindy is lightning-quick in providing a response so spot-on that it couldn't have been better if she'd planned it. I recommend taking advantage of this brief revival of a wonderful show Mindy has previously performed Off-Broadway and at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Not the One: A Love Story (7:30 pm; $20, Theaterlab at 357 West 36th Street off Ninth Avenue)
Wednesday 3/21: A music-backed stand-up show that features a live band providing musical accompaniment to jokes, with comics Sasheer Zamata (cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon’s Transparent, TBS’ People of Earth), Alison Leiby (writer for The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story), Dina Hashem (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, Seeso's Night Train), Ryan Beck (Comedy Central, MTV), Farah Brook (Reductress, Someecards; viral video Kiss Me NYC), Kenice Mobley (host of Person About Town podcast), and Jake Head (host of Razzle Dazzle) hosted by Yedoye Travis: Rent Party (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 3/21: Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up and staff writer for The President Show; previously wrote for Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Bill Nye Saves the World, The Onion, McSweeney's), Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!, co-host of Battle of the Divas and White Chocolate), Chloé Hilliard, Nate Craig, Ryan Reiss, and Reena Calm perform stand-up for this free weekly LES show produced by Luisa Díez, and hosted by Samantha Ruddy, Luke Touma, JP McDade, Jordan Temple, and/or Dina Hashem: Too Many Cooks (9:00 pm, Free!, Lucky Jack's Pub at 129 Orchard Street between Rivington & Delancey Streets)
Thursday 3/22-Sunday 3/25: Nikki Glaser (host of You Up on SiriusXM Comedy Central Radio; star of former Comedy Central series Not Safe; film Trainwreck; hour-long special Perfect; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight; NBC's America Ninja Warrior: Celebrity Edition; podcast You Had to Be There) headlines Thursday through Sunday at Carolines: Nikki Glaser (7:30 pm Thursday and Sunday, 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday & Saturday; $35 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Thursday 3/22-Sunday 3/25: It's Day #2 of a 5-day festival featuring over 150 improv shows at all three of The PIT's theatres. Among tonight's highlights are improv duo Adrian Sexton & Steve Tardio making up scenes as John Lennon & Paul McCartney & in Two of Us 8:00 pm at The PIT Loft: The Seventh Annual NYC Improv Fest ($10 per show, or $30 for an all-you-can-see festival pass, at The PIT Mainstage, Underground, and Loft theatres)
Friday 3/23: Delightful stellar improvisors Dana Shulman & Adrian Sexton play Clairee Belcher & Ouiser Boudreaux, the sassy supporting characters from 1989 film Steel Magnolias about charming but tough Southern women. In this show, they're "fresh graduates from the one-day improv workshop at The Chinquapin Parish Senior Center and are ready to show you everything they've learned at the NYC Improv Fest. You'll be enchanted by their improvisation skills, their witty banter, and their ability to make grown men cry. If you're lucky, they might give you their signature offer, 'Come and sit by me, Ouiser and Clairee:'" Ouiser and Clairee Go to an Improv Festival (7:00 pm, $10, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street; part of the Seventh Annual NYC Improv Fest)
Friday 3/23-Sunday 3/25: Three more nights to see a brand new hour-long stand-up set by Nikki Glaser (host of You Up on SiriusXM Comedy Central Radio; star of former Comedy Central series Not Safe; film Trainwreck; hour-long special Perfect; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight; NBC's America Ninja Warrior: Celebrity Edition; podcast You Had to Be There) headlining through Sunday at Carolines: Nikki Glaser (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday & Saturday, 7:30 pm Thursday; $35 plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Friday 3/23: The lovely Natalie Wall (above right) hosts the best sexy storytelling show in NYC, which tonight features Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show and podcast Risk!, owner of The Story Studio), Mary Beth Barone (above left; Viceland, Mary Beth's Sex Tape), and Sydnee Washington (above middle; MTV2's Vidiots, co-host of podcast The Unofficial Expert) telling tales of erotic encounters gone awry: Awkward Sex...and the City (8:00 pm; $16.62 if purchased in advance online (otherwise $20)—which includes free beer and wine; The Pleasure Chest at 1150 Second Avenue between 60th & 61st Streets)
Saturday 3/24: Emma Carmichael (above left; former Editor-in-Chief of Jezebel), Ashley Brooke Roberts (above right; energetic, enormously likeable stand-up, sketch comic and actress; stellar co-host of Fresh Out and Camp; former writer for NatGeo Explorer and MTV's Guy Code; UCB Maude sketch groups The Prom and Absolutely), and Celisse Henderson (singer/songwriter/musician; recently performed with Ke$ha at the Grammys) sing or tell jokes, then enthusiastically endorse some product they love...which will be handed out to lucky members of the audience! (Note: The product will not be a dog, or any other mammal, so don't even ask...) Hosted by the wonderful Chris Duffy (staff writer for NatGeo Explorer, host of You're the Expert), who makes this promise for one audience member per show: You Get A Spoon (4:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 3/24: Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Django Gold (writer for Stephen Colbert; The New Yorker, The Onion), Ziwe Fumudoh (writer for The Rundown with Robin Thede), Milly Tamarez (The Story Pirates; co-creator of the Diverse as Fuck Festival), and Eudora Peterson (visiting from New Jersey) perform stand-up hosted by Ethan Beach (MTV) & Josh Nasser (The Story Pirates): Oh, Such a Good Show, Oh (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 3/24: Eight performers from the Ten Bones Theatre Company attempt to recreate the 1996 Michael Jordan & Looney Tunes cinematic collaboration Space Jam, with each comic using only what he or she can remember from seeing the movie just once. To add to the fun are a few rules: "Performers must incorporate lines written by the audience; performers must incorporate any sound effect played by the tech booth; one lucky audience member will be given a bell that they can ring three times—once rung, the actors must create a scene that has no business being in Space Jam but makes perfect sense given where they are in the story:" Space Jam...Entirely From Memory (8:00 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street; part of the Seventh Annual NYC Improv Fest)
Saturday 3/24: Seven comics—tonight including Rob Haze (Jimmy Fallon; from Atlanta), Kimberly Dinaro (Reductress; from Massachusetts), and Darius Davies (BBC; from England)—tell stories of where they originally came from and the journey that led them to NYC, hosted by the charming Katie Boyle (above; from Ireland): Transplants (7:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Sunday 3/25: The most compelling show tonight may be at 7:00 pm on CBS' 60 Minutes, as Stormy Daniels discusses her affair with Donald Trump. (For an appetizer, you can watch former Playboy model Karen McDougal being interviewed on CNN by Anderson Cooper about her own affair with Trump here.) So if you choose to stay home to watch one of the most formidable opponents of Trump to emerge since his Presidency lay out potential criminal acts of cover-up, it's understandable. Otherwise, set your recording device to CBS and consider enjoying the shows below.
Sunday 3/25: On this final day of NYC Improv Fest 2018, a highlght is this show in which comics make up Disney-themed ditties on the spot, inviting you to "Come be our guest for this magical, musical show where we take your favorite childhood movie scenes and reimagine them with improvised songs! We play clips from classic children’s films and then jump on stage as the characters you know and love to finish each scene with a never-before-heard song! Come be a part of our world and experience the Magic Kingdom in a whole new way!": The Magical World of Musical Improv (6:00 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street; part of the Seventh Annual NYC Improv Fest)
Sunday 3/25: Comics perform for the approval of a panel of moms and dads in Parental Approval; and then comics randomly paired into duos (e.g., a stand-up with an improvsior) compete for your laughs in The Lethal Lottery, with tonight's twosomes Clare O'Kane & Sandy Honig, Sydnee Washington & Wes Haney, Stavros Halkias & Nathan Min, and Sonia Denis & Sarah Lazarus, all hosted by Brett Davis (HBO, TruTv, Manhattan cable TV show The Special Without Brett Davis; winner of the 2015 Andy Kaufman Award) & Colin Burgess (host of Strangers and Late Mic): Double Feature Comedy: Parental Approval and The Lethal Lottery (8:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Alphaville at 140 Wilson Avenue; take L subway to Jefferson Street)
Sunday 3/25: In a parody of comedy roasts, comics roast vegetables. Can Mitra Jouhari, Danny Groh, Eliza Cossio, Halcyon Person, Jason Gilbert, Meaghan Strickland, and Tommy McNamara stretch this one-joke idea into a fun hour? You won't know unless you join them and host Zach Zimmerman for The Roast of Vegetables (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 3/25: PLEASE NOTE: This show is SOLD OUT, but you might still find tickets through the Fan TIcket Exchange. David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn tonight, and also on 3/29: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/26: Stellar comics and game nerds Anthony Atamanuik, Josh Gondelman, Alison Leiby, Mitra Jouhari, Ziwe Fumudoh, Mike Brown, and Dan Ryckert play and make merciless fun of some of the worst video games of all time (e.g., Shaq-Fu) hosted by Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up and staff writer for The President Show; previously wrote for Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Bill Nye Saves the World, The Onion, McSweeney's): Shit Arcade (9:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 3/26: Lena Hall (Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee as Yitzhak in 2014 Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Nicola in Broadway's Kinky Boots; lead singer of rock band The Deafening) is the guest of this NPR comedy trivia show taped live in Brooklyn and hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!): Ask Me Another (7:30 pm, $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Monday 3/26: Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly; Netflix stand-up special America is the Greatest Country in the United States; bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United) performs an hour of brand new material in the West Village: Judah Friedlander: Always Creating (8:00 pm, $15 plus two-item food/drink min., Village Underground at 130 West 3rd Street off Sixth Avenue)
Monday 3/26: Adira Amram and The Experience (Adira, above middle, is a spectacular comedic writer, singer, and dancer; HBO, Funny or Die; album Hot Jams for Teens; co-host of Ophira & Adira), James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; Trump Vs. Bernie, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central's @midnight, The Meltdown, and Drunk History; IFC's Comedy Bang Bang), Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, TruTV, Playgirl Magazine, host of First Set, comedy album True Love), and more perform for this weekly Brooklyn stand-up show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 3/28: Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, national comedy treasure) hones material for a one-man show: Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals (7:00 pm, $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Wednesday 3/28: Fifty comics tell dick jokes for this show raising money to support gun control, featuring Jo Firestone, Josh Gondelman, Emmy Blotnick, Roy Wood Jr., Ashley Brooke Roberts, Mike Drucker, Christi Chiello, Clare O'Kane, The Reformed Whores, Janelle James, Kat Radley...and many more, hosted by long-time Daily Show staff writer Matt Koff: Cocks Against Glocks: 50 Comedians Tell Dick Jokes To Benefit Gun Control (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Wednesday 3/28: The lovely and delightful Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing finalist; SiriusXM pick for 2017 comedy album of the year Dance Like You Don't Need the Money) performs an hour-long stand-up set in the West Village, with an opening set by Mike Finoia (producer for TruTV's Impractical Jokers; host of JamCast; regular on SiriusXM's The Bonfire with Big Jay Oakerson & Dan Soder): Lynched (8:30 pm, $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)
Thursday 3/29: Saturday Night Live writers Nimesh Patel (above; exceptionally sharp stand-up; Comedy Central, TruTV; written for Chris Rock hosting the 2016 Oscars; co-host of Broken Comedy), Anna Drezen (above; superb stand-up who blends jokes with characters, movement, and sketch; author of How May We Hate You), Gary Richardson (brilliant improvisor; Comedy Central), Steven Castillo, and Claire Friedman, plus SNL cast member Luke Null, perform stand-up or sketch hosted by Bryan Tucker (co-head writer of Saturday Night Live; former writer for The Chris Rock Show and Chappelle's Show; eight-time Emmy nominee and winner of a Peabody Award): Saturday Night Live Writers Showcase (7:30 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Thursday 3/29: Highly talented hip-hop improv group North Coast attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (7:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street; see also Friday's North Coast show)
Thursday 3/29: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm; $15—SOLD OUT, but you might still be able to nab a ticket via the Fan Exchange; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 3/30: A comedy group performs surreal sketch comedy: Terrorbird (9:30 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 3/30-Saturday 3/31: This five-show mini-festival, running Friday and Saturday night, showcases scores of comics of racial and sexual diversity including Keisha Zollar, Nore Davis, Mamoudou N'Diaye, Jen Kwok, Nicole Pasquale, North Coast, Here & Queer, Astronomy Club, Off Top, and many more: Diverse as Fuck Comedy Festival (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm on Friday; 6:00 pm, 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm on Saturday; $10 per show, or $35 for an all-access pass to all five shows; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 3/30: Two musical improv groups each perform a rock opera on the spot springboarding off audience suggestions. How can you go wrong?: Rockpera! (8:00 pm, $10, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Saturday 3/31: Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Josh Gondelman (Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper), Abbi Crutchfield (Broad City, MTV, VH1, Witstream), and Mamoudou N'Diaye (MTV's Decoded) perform stand-up for this show that each month raises funds for a different worthy cause—this time it's The Ali Forney Center—hosted by Mike Brown & Sam Grittner: The Feel Good Show (7:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 3/31: The three remaining shows in this mini-festival that celebrates diversity in comedy features over 40 comics, including Jen Kwok, Nicole Pasquale, Jeena Bloom, North Coast, Off Top, and many more: Diverse as Fuck Comedy Festival, Night 2 (6:00 pm, 8:00 pm, and 10:00 pm; $10 per show, or $20 for an all-access pass to all three remaining shows; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 3/31: Hosts Catherine Cohen & Mitra Jouhari "are gals who just don't get 'guy stuff.' They've invited comics to give them lectures on guy stuff so that they can finally fit in," with tonight's bearers of wisdom Marie Faustin, Lily Marotta, Martin Urbano, Emily Panic, and sketch group Please Don’t Destroy: It's a Guy Thing (8:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Copyright © 2018 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
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