NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 3/27/17
A wonderful gathering of talent for this show that has top improvisors spontaneously react to being thrust into theatre scenes of plays they've never seen performed by Broadway, TV, and/or film stars—tonight featuring Jon Glaser (HBO's Girls, NBC's Parks and Recreation, star of Adult Swim's Delocated and TruTV's Jon Glaser Loves Gear; long-time writer/performer and 5-time Emmy nominee for Conan O'Brien), Krysta Rodriguez (Trial & Error, Smash; Broadway's First Date), Brian Stack (writer for Stephen Colbert, former long-time writer for Conan O'Brien), Mark Gagliardi (The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Drunk History, voice of Batman on Super Friends), Jonathan Kaplan (Tony nominee for Broadway's Falsettos, The Diary of Anne Frank), Tami Sagher (writer for HBO's Girls, NBC's 30 Rock, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Broad City; co-star of Mike Birbiglia's Don't Think Twice), Tim Martin (Broad City, Tosh .0), Nina O'Keefe (Steppenwolf, Golden Boy), and Michael Delaney (The Stepfathers) all mixing it up for actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water (8:00 pm, $7 (always rapidly sells out of seats, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing), UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation—including at 8:00 pm group Poor Melissa, which includes superb comics Dana Shulman & Adrian Sexton—at The PIT Underground: Super Free Monday
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Travis Irvine (Viceland, The Guardian, PBS, Troma) tries out new stand-up material every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Travis Irvine
7:00 pm ($7): A variety show hosted by Sarah Puls at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Once Upon a Time
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm [$] ($25): Ophira Eisenberg tapes her comedy trivia radio show live, with tonight's guests Josh Groban (multi-platinum singer; co-star of Broadway's The Great Comet), Lucas Steele (co-star of Broadway's The Great Comet), Julian Velard (singer/songwriter), and Cecil Baldwin (puzzle guru) at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Ask Me Another
7:30 pm ($7): A dozen comics perform in this sketch show pretending to be a Scientology talent show at The Magnet theatre: The Celebrity Center Talent Show (Sponsored by The Church of Scientology)
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Seth Reiss (writer for Seth Meyers), Liz Plank (Vox), and Jackie Jennings (Above Average, Funny or Die) chug two beers on stage and talk politics at the UCB East theatre hosted by Charlie Todd & Cody Lindquist: Two Beers In
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Sabrina Jalees (irresistible dynamo stand-up and red-hot rising star who could make reading a grocery list hilarious; Comedy Central's Nightly Show and Adam Devine's House Party, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever, MTV’s Failosophy, host of My Sexy Podcast), Sam Morril (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, America's Got Talent), Shalewa Sharpe (comedy album Stay Eating Cookies), Charla Lauriston (former writer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; MTV, creator of webseries Clench & Release), and Gilbert Lawand performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by the wonderful Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; writer for South Park, Adult Swim; albums Comedy Person and Brooklyn): Night Train
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Sean Patton,Nick Griffin, Sherrod Small, and more try out fresh material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
8:00 pm ($7): All-gal variety show at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Liisa Murray & Meghan Ross: That Time of the Month
8:00 pm ($10): A group of actors and improvisors attempt to duplicate the success of UCBT's Gravid Water by putting improvisors in the middle of classic theatre scenes at The PIT Mainstage. UCBT uses top Broadway and improv talent for its show, making it extraordinary. The participants of this show aren't quite at that level, but the format is so strong that this might work anyway, despite the awful title: The Actor's Worst Nightmare
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($6): A safe place to try out new material, with tonight's comics Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There; opens for Tig Notaro; hosts top weekly NYC stand-up show Whiplash), Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1, comedy album He Has Friends), Mark Douglas (host of YouTube hit The Key of Awesome), Josh Comers, and Keith Malley performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Christian Finnegan (co-star of A&E's Black and White; Conan O'Brien; three Comedy Central specials, Netflix special The Fun Part; Chappelle's Show, The Today Show): New Release Day with Christian Finnegan (Wish Him a Happy Birthday!)
9:00 pm ($10): All-gal sketch groups Fertile as Fuck and Sketchy Bitches perform at The Magnet theatre: The Lady Sketch Show
9:30 pm ($7): A musical written by Noah Rauchwerk based on Louis Sachar’s story Holes and performed by Arjun Dhawan, Emily Featherman, Cole S. Fletcher, Ernest Bryant Hinnant III, Charlie Hurtt, Delia Kemph, Mahayla Laurence, Maggie McMeans, Tori Nassberg, Andrew Ricci, Elias Rubin, Andy Schumann, Tommy Prast, Taylor Turner, and Kate Anna at The PIT Mainstage: PITS! The Unauthorized Holes Musical
9:30 ($7): House sketch groups Bundt and The Classic try out new material at UCB Chelsea for Maude Night
9:30 pm ($7): Terrorism complaints against Tinder, protests of too much sex in Mythbusters, and many more public records uncovered by Eric Cunningham & Curtis Raye.at the UCB East theatre: Public Records, Public Shame
9:30 pm ($7): A comedy group celebrates four years of performing together at at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Hand-Me-Downs Handsome Hour
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Improvisors & stand-ups perform a show based entirely around the oddball Twitter comments of superstar musician Kanye West at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Brian Mitchell & Jose Acevedo: Kanye Confidential: Improvised Kanye Tweets
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Joe List (HBO, David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, MTV), Annie Lederman (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, @midnight, This is Not Happening; MTV's Guy Code Vs. Girl Code; Chelsea Lately), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing for this free weekly show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays
10:30 pm ($7): "Improvisers create scenes inspired by essays written about personal experiences and show that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine" at The Magnet theatre: You Are Not Alone: An Uplifting Show About Depression
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE; reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea hosted by Aparna Nancherla (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There): Whiplash
11:00 pm ($5): Improv group The Mannequin Room (Lou Gonzalez, Chrissie Gruebel, and Brian Urreta) interviews audience members over beverages about how they're doing and then springboards that information into scenes at the UCB East theatre: Spill the T with The Mannequin Room
Monday Open Mics & Jams
4:30 pm-7:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 5-6 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer who shows up time on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Jacob Lie & Stu Melton: Raining Buckets
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
11:00 pm ($5): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT Mainstage hosted by John Field: The Power Exchange
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 4 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Joseph Robert: PBR & Scrap Paper Open Mic Stand-Up
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT Underground for this weekly open access show hosted by such improv talents as Gary DeNoia and Langston Belton at The PIT Underground: Base Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 3/28/17
Chris Gethard (comedy genius; star of The Chris Gethard Show, co-star of Mike Birbiglia film Don't Think Twice; The Office, Comedy Central, IFC; author of A Bad Idea I'm About to Do and Weird New York), Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There; opens for Tig Notaro; hosts top weekly NYC stand-up show Whiplash), Julio Torres (writer for Saturday Night Live; Billy on the Street), Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, and Farah Brook Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show and podcast Risk!, owner of The Story Studio), and The Reformed Whores (raunchy comedic singing duo Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame; CBS, IFC; open for Weird Al Yankovic; albums Ladies Don't Spit and Don't Beat Around the Bush) perform stand-up, storytelling, and/or music at this fundraiser for the ACLU hosted by Blair Socci (MTV's Ladylike) & Farah Brook named after Farah's grandmother (who makes them both laugh): Harriet (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 622 Degraw Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...or join the lovely and lovable Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged) celebrating the release of her second comedy album Mind Over Melee, with opening stand-up sets by Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing finalist),Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, VH1), Nore Davis (Inside Amy Schumer, HBO's Last Week Tonight, Boardwalk Empire, Comedy Central's Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, MTV), Justy Dodge (co-host of Married to Comedy podcast and Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; "I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;" for dark bio video, please click here), Justin Herman, and Michael Brigante: Liz Miele's Mind Over Melee Album Release Show (9:15 pm; $10 online using discount code LizMiele, or $20 for both ticket & the album using discount code LizAlbum, plus two-drink min.; New York Comedy Club at 241 East 24th Street between Second & Third Avenues)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Travis Irvine (Viceland, The Guardian, PBS, Troma) tries out new stand-up material every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Travis Irvine
7:00 pm ($7): A showcase for brand new scripted shows—sketch, solo, readings, what have you—this week featuring sketch duo BenAnna, sketch group Late For Brunch, and stand-up Andrew Lee at The PIT Underground produced by the wonderful Ronny Pascale: Pilot Season
7:00 pm ($7): Improv group Honey performs and hosts other groups at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Honey and Friends
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Tuesday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($6): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot) hosts this monthly stand-up & music show, with tonight's guests Josh Gondelman (writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker), Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (amazing human boombox; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of Battlicious), and Liz Glazer performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): Myq Kaplan & Friends
7:30 pm & 9:15 pm ($7 per show): House groups at UCB Chelsea perform the classic improv form The Harold at Harold Night
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A live taping of a terrific weekly Sirius XM Radio comedy show, with stand-ups Dave Hill, Michelle Wolf, Dan Soder,and Greer Barnes, plus music from Helio Alves and the Come to Papa Trio, hosted by Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials): Come to Papa
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): At this monthly game show, Kevin Avery (staff writer for HBO's Last Week With John Oliver), LaKendra Tookes (writer for Saturday Night Live), Brandon Scott Jones (Seeso's Debate Wars; improv group Grandma's Ashes, co-host of Gentrify), and John Reynolds (Search Party) compete to see who can perform the best celebrity impressions at the UCB East theatre judged by Silvija Ozols (The Stepfathers), and hosted by Andy Beckerman (host of podcast Beginnings, co-host of Couples Therapy) & Ramsey Ess: Snap Impression Live
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club
8:00 pm ($10): An autobiographical one-woman show by Stephanie Gould about growing up with cerebral palsy at The PIT Mainstage directed by Chris Booth: Walk with Me
[FREE, plus FREE BEER] 8:00 pm: Enjoy a comfy seat and a free beer while you watch comedy at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Couch Cave Live
[FREE; plus FREE DRAFT BEER 8:00-8:30!] 8:00 pm: Mike Recine (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), Jeff MacKinnon (MTV's Ridiculousness), Eli Sairs (Comedy Central Roast Battles), and Eman El Husseini performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Two Boots Pizza Williamsburg (558 Driggs Avenue) hosted by Lucas Connolly, David Piccolomini, and Jake Fromm: Ambush Comedy
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng tries out new stand-up material (presumably for an upcoming special) at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Ronny Chieng Testing Stuff Out
8:30 pm ($7): Suburban New Jersey sketch group Kiss on the Lips performs in this monthly show at The PIT Underground: Kiss on the Lips
[FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): A show aimed at mitigating stigma and empowering women to have choices by "celebrating" Molly Gaebe (sketch group Lucille) having an abortion a year ago: "A variety of acts will join Molly in honor of the anniversary, and the night will culminate with her attempting the entire dance from one of the best abortion films of all time, Dirty Dancing. Come out and hang with Molly and friends to remind people nobody puts abortion in a corner" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Molly Gaebe's 1 Year Abortion Anniversary Show
9:00 pm ($7): A monthly stand-up & storytelling show in which comics Michael Kayne, Bobby Hankinson, Sharron Paul, and Royce Winn are encouraged to hold nothing back at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Caitlin Brodnick & May Wilkerson: Brutally Honest with Caitlin Brodnick
9:00 pm ($10): Katie Haller (Open Bark Night), Otis Gray (Moth Storyslam, Hungry Radio), Becca Beberaggi, Alex Pavone, Melissa Diaz, and LeClerc Andre perform stand-up or storytelling at Ridgewood's The Footlight (465 Seneca Avenue) produced & hosted by Gracie Canaan: Wreck the Joint
9:30 pm ($7): A musical written by Noah Rauchwerk based on Louis Sachar’s story Holes and performed by Arjun Dhawan, Emily Featherman, Cole S. Fletcher, Ernest Bryant Hinnant III, Charlie Hurtt, Delia Kemph, Mahayla Laurence, Maggie McMeans, Tori Nassberg, Andrew Ricci, Elias Rubin, Andy Schumann, Tommy Prast, Taylor Turner, and Kate Anna at The PIT Mainstage: PITS! The Unauthorized Holes Musical
9:30 pm ($7): Emmy Blotnick (writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), Sonia Denis, Drew Anderson, and Jordan Raybould performing stand-up or sketch at the UCB East theatre hosted by Brian Park in the name of a popular comedy site: CollegeHumor Live
9:30 pm ($7): Improvisors springboard scenes revolving around a time and place provided by the audience The PIT Underground hosted by Jason Scott Quinn: Meanwhile...
[TOP PICK] 10:00ish pm (normally at 9:00 pm, but just this week starting an hour later) ($10): Michael Che (SNL Weekend Update star; former star correspondent for The Daily Show and staff sketch writer for Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, The Today Show, The View, Comedy Central Half Hour; Netflix special Michael Che Matters), Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Caroline Rhea Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Comedy Central; feature films Man in the Moon, Christmas With the Kranks, The Perfect Man), Jordan Carlos (HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code, Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim), Matt Roper (UK comedy star), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time Jimmy Fallon staff comic; NBC's 30 Rock, Comedy Central's @midnight, VH1's Best Week Ever, CBS): Sweet
[FREE] 10:00 pm: LGBTQ-friendly stand-up at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Kaitlyn Holland, Elsa Waithe, and Sarah Kennedy: Rainbow Sprinkles
10:30 pm ($7): A one-man show by Steven Hajar that invites you to "Come observe the recently captured Public Enemy No. 1 down in cell block 888, the revolutionary that the nation's top psychiatrists have been treating. And if you’re lucky, you might meet the other odd prisoners who share the maximum security cell: in the convict's mind" at The PIT Underground: The Cell
11:00 pm ($5): Improv group Higgins looks at the Instagram photos of audience members and then uses them as springboards for comedy scenes at the UCB East theatre: Higgins: The Instagram Show
Tuesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
6:00 pm ($3): A chance for gals to get on stage and improvise with veteran female comics at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Blair Silverman and friends: Lady Jam
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic, with walk-ins tossing names into a hat and set length determined by the number of comics who show up, at Bunga's Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) hosted by Jimmy LeChase and/or Justin Perez: Townies Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jake Hart and a guest co-host: The Dump
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Weekly open mic for any kind of act (with sign-up starting at 7:30) at Brooklyn's Goodbye Blue Monday (1087 Broadway) hosted by Joe Crow Ryan: Goodbye Blue Monday
10:30 pm ($3): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class: Slow Jam
11:00 pm ($5): Ten stand-ups whose names are drawn from a "golden bowl of destiny" will be given stage time, along with a few invited stand-ups, at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Will Purpura: Bring It
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 3/29/17
Ira Glass (producer & host of This American Life), Tami Sagher (co-star of Mike Birbiglia film Don't Think Twice; superb TV writer for HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer, NBC's 30 Rock, CBS' How I Met Your Mother; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006), and Neil Casey (cast member of 2016 Ghostbusters; former writer for SNL, Inside Amy Schumer, and Kroll Show) are interviewed by "Logan, a 7-year-old who hosts a late night talk show in his bedroom when he's supposed to be asleep. The monster in his closet is his warm-up comic, furious because he knows he's imaginary! His sidekick, Bunny, is a stuffed animal terrified at the thought of meeting another rabbit, and his house band is a motley crew of action figures and misfit toys. There will be music, real guests, and genuine conversation until Logan eventually gets too tired and falls asleep...probably" featuring a stellar cast of Connor Ratliff, Sebastian Conelli, and more: Way Past Your Bedtime (11:00 pm, $5 (sold out of seats, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing), UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm-midnight: Six hours of free improvisation—including musical improv from group Vern (which includes superb singer & comic Julie A. Feltman) at 7:15 pm, and such stellar improvisors as Pat Swearingen and Langston Belton in Hero Compiex at 8:30 pm, at The PIT Mainstage: Super Free Wednesday
7:00 pm ($5): Sketches about recent political events at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Swamp: THis Week in Politics
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Four hours of improv from eight groups—plus a free improv jam at 6:00 pm—at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Travis Irvine (Viceland, The Guardian, PBS, Troma) tries out new stand-up material tonight and Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Travis Irvine
7:00 pm ($5): Two improv groups (not announced) make up scenes at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Annoyance Improv
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which features three house groups making up scenes on the spot: Lloyd Night
7:30 pm ($7): Stand-ups make up sets on the spot after drawing topics from a "bucket of destiny," tonight with Carolyn Castiglia, Kaytlin Bailey, Chris Calogero, Aimee Rose Ranger, and Kevin Froleiks making up jokes at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Lawson Leong: Riff City
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Breathtakingly subtle genius improvisor John Lutz (cast member of 30 Rock; six years as staff writer for Saturday Night Live; John and Scott) and extreme improvisor Peter Grosz (Veep, Inside Amy Schumer, former writer for Seth Meyers and The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) perform duo improv at UCB Chelsea as 2 Square
8:00 pm ($7): Improv comedy performed & hosted by a sweet-tongued devil group at The PIT Underground: Darling Satan Presents
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Young and/or struggling NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) produced by Meghan O'Malley, Adrian Davidson, and Erick Hellwig: Barely Making It
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng tries out new stand-up material (presumably for an upcoming special) at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Ronny Chieng Testing Stuff Out
8:30 pm ($5): Matt Barats, Anthony Oberbeck, and Carmen Christopher perform as improv group Postmen at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Postmen
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; stellar new comedy album Live at Webster Hall), Dave Smith, Luis J. Gomez, and other NYC comics "discussing the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this weekly podcast taping at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Legion of Skanks
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Ryan Reiss (Seth Meyers, MTV, FOX, Spike, WE, NICK), Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit; TruTV, The Chris Gethard Show; comedy album Good Year), Charlie Kasov (MTV's Guy Code), Kat Radley, Dave Lester, and Matt Jenkins performing stand-up for this free weekly stand-up show at Lucky Jack's Pub (129 Orchard Street) produced by Lance Weiss & Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:15 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East hosted by Doug Mo and/or Ben Rameaka: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
9:00 pm ($7): All-gal stand-up, this month featuring Shalewa Sharpe, Sydnee Washington, Irene Fagan Merrow, Arti Gollapudi, Ariel Elias, and Jes Tom performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jourdain Searles: Madams of the Universe
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): Sharp comics (not announced) debate the key topics of our day: "Freddy Mercury vs. Freddy Kreuger," "The Incredible Hulk vs. Hulk Hogan," "Lord of the Rings vs. Lord of the Flies," and "Saturday Morning Cartoons vs. Saturday Night Live" at The PIT Underground: Arguments & Grievances
9:30 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a one-woman show by Hallie Haas celebrating PBS and tits: Masterpiece Classic: Women in Art...
...and in the second other of this double bill, a mild parody of girl bands via "the world's first Asian-American pop group from the USA. Join Baby Rice, Quirky Rice, Edgy Rice, Competitive Rice, and Brown Rice as they kick off their tour by dancing, singing, and rapping about boys, friendship, and systemic racism/oppression:" AzN PoP!: Live in Concert
9:30 pm ($7): Danny Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking, Conviction), Tom Cowell, and more perform stand-up at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Gary DeNoia: Surprise! It's a Comedy Show
10:15 pm ($5): Randomly selected UCB students perform with UCB improv veterans at the UCB East theatre: The Lottery
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:30 pm: "A curated hour of eclectic comedic material written in a week with no rehearsals"...and the very last show at this noble attempt to create a Brooklyn branch of Chicago's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour
Wednesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Walk-in open mic storytelling show, with each yarn-spinner (selected via names from a bucket) getting up to 8 minutes to tell a true and funny tale at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Vincent Chang: Flynn's Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Kaity Neagle & Irene Hartmann: Ragtag Team Open Mic Stand-Up
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Sign up at 5:45 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with veteran improvisors: Magnet Mixer Wednesday
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Your chance to improvise on stage at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Anthony Velez: Recess
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic stand-up providing 4 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com to sign up, or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45, at Brooklyn's Halyards Bar (406 Third Avenue) hosted by Lukas Kaiser: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket (but no actual punch or pie, that's just a lure to entice you to come) at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Matthew Tenenbaum: Punch & Pie
11:00 pm ($5): Open mic stand-up show, with each comic whose name is selected from a bucket getting on stage for 3-5 minutes (depending on the number of comics) at The PIT Underground: The Camel Butt
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Bernard Maynore and/or Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your chance to perform with veteran UCB improvisors on the UCB East stage: The Lottery Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 3/30/17
A veteran stand-up who's performed on Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central Presents, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, and IFC, co-hosts the podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR, and stars in the stellar Comedy Central special and album Live at Webster Hall headlines tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Big Jay Oakerson (8:00 pm tonight, 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm Friday & Saturday, 7:30 pm Sunday; $27.25 tonight & Sunday, $31.25 Friday & Saturday, plus 2-drink min.; Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Travis Irvine (Viceland, The Guardian, PBS, Troma) tries out new stand-up material one last night at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Travis Irvine
7:00 pm pm ($7): A one-man show by Eli James that provides "a decade-by-decade journey through the sordid history of rock 'n' roll" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Imagine All the People: A Survey of Music Business Creeps
7:00 pm ($5): Professional clowns perform a silly show in hopes of changing your life at The PIT Underground: An Unapologetic Mess: A Clown Show
[FREE] 7:00 pm: A staged reading written & directed by Elizabeth Appleby of a 20-minute mock informercial for a product that helps deal with political correctness at The Magnet Theater Training Center (22 West 32nd Street, 10th Floor) followed by a talkback with the writer/director and cast: Offend Me Not
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
7:30 pm ($7): Adam Newman (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV), Julia Johns (writer for MTV's Girl Code), and more performing at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Anna Drezen (writer for Saturday Night Live; superb stand-up who blends jokes with characters, movement, and sketch; author of How May We Hate You), Kate Willett (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, VICE's Flophouse), Marcia Belsky, and Suni Reyes performing stand-up at this show sponsored by satirical women's magazine Reductress at the UCB Chelsea theatre hosted by Taryn Englehart & Jasmine Pierce: Haha, Wow! by Reductress
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15): An all-gal lineup raising funds for the Reproductive Health Access Project, featuring sketch group Buzz Off Lucille, and stand-ups Leah Bonnema (VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Keisha Zollar (HBO's Divorce, Orange Is the New Black, MTV, Comedy Central, ace improv trio Doppelganger, sketch group Astronomy Club), Maya Deshmukh, Alise Morales, Sriya Sarkar, and Meg Griffiths Anderson—plus "special guest Ruth Bader Ginsburg"—performing at Brooklyn's Dean Street (755 Dean Street): Herstory in the Making
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Storytellers share their true "coming out" tales, and then improvisors make up either a play or a musical based on each story at The PIT Mainstage: Thank You For Coming Out: An LGBTQ Event
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups, at 10:00 indie improv troupe The Mannequin Room, at 10:15 themed improv show Silence, Please (exploring the nuances of wordless conversation and connection, with music suggested by the audience playing in the background), and at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
[FREE] 8:00 pm: "Comics compete with on-the-spot tweets...and you decide the winner in real time using your smart phone" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Shelby Taylor: Like Me
8:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy from group Teen Radio at The PIT Underground: Teen Radio: Plz Say Hi to Daddy
8:00 pm pm ($5): Sharon Jamilkoswki performs a one-woman show as Diana Ross, the daughter of PBS painting guru Bob Ross, at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Joy of Arting with Diana Ross
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1, comedy album He Has Friends) hosts Joe List, Sam Morril, Brian Scott McFadden, and more trying out fresh stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Matt Goldich (staff writer for Seth Meyers; Comedy Central, VH1), Adam Newman (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV), Emmy Blotnick (writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), Kyle Ayers (written for CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, BBC, The New York Times), and Dina Hashem performing at UCB East hosted by rising stars Jim Tews (Louie, Last Comic Standing, New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York) & Ashley Brooke Roberts (energetic, enormously likeable stand-up; writer for Nat Geo and MTV's Guy Code): Fresh Out
9:30 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a play about the minutiae of small town politics directed by the wonderful Leslie Meisel and featuring a seven-person cast: All in Favor...
...and in the second other of this double bill, a one-man play by Geoff Garlock about memories of a classic music festival: Rock and Roll Will Never Die
9:30 pm ($7): Storytellers share tales "so horrible they are hilarious, all for your entertainment" at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Francisco Breton & Corey Easley (We're a Genius): Good, Bad Stories
9:30 pm ($7): Lani Harms hosts interviews, sketch, characters, improv, and/or more at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Late Night with Lani
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic), Trace Beaulieu (puppet Crow on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic; author of Silly Rhymes For Belligerent Children), and Carolina Hidalgo (Sirius XM Radio) tape their Movie Sign podcast at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Movie Sign with the Mads Live
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Powerhouse musical improv group Rumpleteaser slaughtered, roasted, and consumed UCB Saturday night group Goat last week, winning 139-28. Tonight the champion (8 victories in a row) competes with improv group Mermaids for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Comics perform their auditions for gigs they never booked at the UCB East theatre hosted by Lauren Brickman & Caitlin Bitzegaio: The Roles That Got Away
11:00 pm ($5): Improv with feedback at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Matthew Woods & Dan Miller: Improv MD
Thursday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm-8:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 4-5 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic Thursday
[FREE] 6:00 pm: All-gal stand-up open mic at UCB East hosted by Anna Drezen & Sue Smith: Open Michelle: Ladies Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up with 4 minutes per comic (sign-up starts at 5:30 pm) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jake Vevera & Amy Liszka: The QED Thursday Mic
6:00 pm ($3): A weekly improv jam open to the audience in which the number of participants on stage is determined by a roll of the dice at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jon Monje, Glorillis Tavarez, Trumane Alston, and Julien Darmon: Chance Encounters Jam
6:30 pm ($5): If you're a gal who'd like to try stand-up but are wary of being vulnerable in a tough male-dominated room, this show may be the perfect opportunity for you—an all-female open mic, with the first 15 comics to sign up (starting at 5:50 pm) getting 3 minutes each on stage at The PIT Underground: Ladies Night Open Mic
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Thursday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (34 Pell Street, 2nd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with a veteran improv group to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer Thursday
[FREE] 8:00 pm: A recorded-for-podcast walk-in open mic providing 5 minutes on stage for whatever you want to perform—stand-up, sketch, song—with names drawn from a bucket at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Mike Mercadal & Will Watkins: Unsung Heroes
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Walk-in stand-up open mic (signup at 10:00 pm) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chelsea Condren, Kate Moran, and Kristin Seltman: Late Night Snack Open Mic
10:30 pm ($3): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Thursday After Class Jam
[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Matt Anderson: Barf Up the Jokes
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 3/31/17
A top-notch theatrical troupe that's equally fine at compelling acting and split-second comedy uses actual material on the Web, performed verbatim, to craft laugh-out-loud scenes—with tonight's new material including "an 'article' (a.k.a. fake news) by Kirk Cameron titled 'Homosexuality Exploding Among Youth,'" and "Questions to Determine if You're a Real Vampire"—spearheaded by superb creators/performers Jen Jamula & Allison Goldberg: Blogologues (8:00 pm, $15, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): A play co-written & performed by Elana Fishbein & Elena Skopetosunique, and co-written & directed by Peter McNerney, about a family’s reluctant reunion received a rave from The New York Times' Elise Czajkowski, and this may be your last chance to see it at The Magnet theatre: Sisters Three
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm. 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Friday
7:00 pm ($7): A solo show by Jamie Aderski about her experiences in becoming a mom at The PIT Mainstage: Cry Baby: My (Reluctant) Journey Into Motherhood
7:00 pm ($7): Sketch group OK Meatplace performs dark comedy at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): OK Meatplace: A Brief Respite From Our Ruined Hellscape
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Dynamite musical improvisors including Zack Willis, Aaron Jackson, Lauren Adams, Josh Sharp, Jeff Hiller, and/or more have been destroying all other improv groups at Thursday's Cage Match (to date, eight massive wins in a row...). Come see why audiences can't resist how these superb comics make up stories with songs at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Rumpleteaser: Musical Improv
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A veteran stand-up who's performed on Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central Presents, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, and IFC, co-hosts the podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR, and stars in the stellar Comedy Central special and album Live at Webster Hall headlines tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Big Jay Oakerson
[TOP PICK] 7:30 ($10): Gary DeNoia plays movie icon Nic Cage delivering a lecture about physical intimacy at The PIT Underground: Nic Cage Teaches Sex to Adults
7:30 pm ($10): Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Carole Montgomery (Comedy Central, Nick@Night), Rhonda Hansome, and Michele Carlo celebrate the birthday of Leighann Lord at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Eric Vetter: No Name Comedy Celebrates Leighann Lord's Birthday
[$] 7:30 pm ($12): Improv group Bucky makes up one long scene in the same location (a winning form that's helped such teams as Death by Roo Roo win a whole lot of Cage Match victories)—and, when SNL is on break, sometimes includes star Sasheer Zamata (whenever that happens, consider this a TOP PICK)—at the UCB East theatre: Bucky: Thank F#@% It's Friday!
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($16.82 online, $20 at the door—includes free beer and wine): At this best sexy NYC storytelling show, performers Katie Hartman (brilliant, fearless dark comedy writer/performer; sketch groups Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting and Hartman & Carl, PIT Saturday night improv group Gypsy Danger), Marie Faustin (UnofficialExpert), Rasheda S. Crockett (HINT), and Reyes M Suni (HBO's Girls) tell tales of erotic encounters gone awry at The Pleasure Chest (1150 Second Avenue, between 60th & 61st Streets) hosted by the wonderful Natalie Wall: Awkward Sex...and the City
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Krystyna Hutchinson (co-host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast, Carson Daly), Kevin McCaffrey (former warm-up comic for David Letterman; TruTV), Clark Jones (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit), Greg Stone (America's Got Talent, TruTV's Friends of the People), Adam Mamawala (MTV’s Girl Code), and Gabriel Pacheco performing stand-up at the HiFi Bar (169 Avenue A) produced by Gary Levitt & Matt Schwartzer and hosted by Casey Balsham: I Don't Get It Stand-Up
8:00 pm ($10): This inexpensive variety show features improv by groups #Hashtag, KnB, Lazy Fair, and Just Gravy at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Really, Really Cheap Date Show
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet 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 Phoebe Tyers and Sebastian Conelli: The Friday Night Sh*w
8:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Amelia Bienstock in which she attempts to perform all of the musical Rent by herself in 30 minutes at the intimate PIT Attic (behind and above the Mainstage): Mealzy's Manic Musicals: Rent
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Alexandra Dickson, Silvija Ozols, and/or Michael Delaney forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): A musical parody of the Star Wars movies written by Jody Shelton (50 Shades! The Musical, Baby Wants Candy), Tim Sniffen (The Improvised Shakespeare Company, The Second City), and Chris Grace (50 Shades! The Musical, Thrones! The Musical) at The PIT Mainstage: Star Wars: The Farce Awakens
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): Drunken actors perform a reading of William Wycherley's play The Country Wife, with an interactive element that allows the audience to choose its own adventure, and decide which performers get totally sloshed and which get offstage. It all happens at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Mike Gregorek: Drunk Restoration Comedy: The Country Wife
9:30 pm ($7): A one-man stand-up show by Shawn Wickens at the intimate PIT Attic (behind and above the Mainstage): Shawn Wickens: Insomniact (Redux)
9:30 pm ($7): A one-man stand-up show by Shawn Wickens at The PIT Underground: New Team Honeybear: The Friendship Test
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which typically features the best improv piano player in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—springboards off an audience suggestion to create a complete story with song and dance at The Magnet theatre: Premiere: The Improvised Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12):10:30 pm ($10): Adam Newman (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV), Tami Sagher (co-star of Mike Birbiglia film Don't Think Twice; superb TV writer for HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer, NBC's 30 Rock, CBS' How I Met Your Mother; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006), Nat Towsen (VICE, College Humor, host of Downtown Variety), Michael Cruz Kayne (Funny or Die), and Mary Beth Barone performing stand-up, sketch, or improv at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): Superb improvisors James Dwyer, Craig Rowin, Connor O'Malley, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and Shaun Diston make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
10:30 pm ($7): Two sitcom pilots are performed in a staged reading at The PIT Underground: Co-Pilots
10:30 pm ($7): Improv duo The Browns (Zac Brown & Mike Brown) make up scenes to the improvised music of viola players Lost Shoe, and also host fellow improv groups Rivals and People of Earth, at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Browns Present
11:00 pm ($7): Comics perform "cold" in sketches they've never seen until they're handed the pages moments before the show begins at The PIT Mainstage: Flying Blind
11:00 pm ($7): Levi Penley & Robert Price perform duo stand-up, improv, freestyle rap, and banjo, and tonight also host stand-up & improvisor Katie Barbaro, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): The Cheep Show
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($7): Pop-punk cabaret band My Dark Little Corner channels the sound & spirit of such bands as Green Day, Blink-182, and My Chemical Romance while performing sketch comedy at The Magnet theatre: The My Dark Little Corner Show
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): Improv group Fuck That Shit, which won this year's Cage Match Championship, performs two 25-minute sets in the style of Cage Match—but tonight competing with no one but itself—at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Fuck That Shit: Fake Cage Match
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): Comics (not announced) perform stories and songs at this cabaret-style show backed by pianist Henry Koperski and friends at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones: A Lil' Night Music: Comedians Singing
Friday Open Mics & Jams
[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in open mic (signup at 4:30 pm), with 5 minutes per comic, storyteller, poet, or singer, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sydney Beveridge & Davey Melch: Queens Open Mic Fridays
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 1 hour. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
6:00 pm ($5): A weekly walk-in stand-up open mic at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Friday Night Mics
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Shalewa Sharpe & Courtney Fearrington: Thug Passion
6:30 pm ($3): PIT improv veterans mix with improv novices on-stage at The PIT Underground for Happy Hour
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-up starts at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Seena Jon: Mic and Cheese
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 4/1/17
David Carl (hilarious, charismatic rising star; Point Break Live) tries out a new one-man show, this time "about a fictional solo performer named Carl David who receives critical acclaim playing President Trump doing King Lear by himself. President Trump hears about Carl's parody and requests Mr. David's presence." Considering a series of bizarre events eventually led David to change the title of his award-winning one-man show Gary Busey's One Man Hamlet (As Performed by David Carl) to David Carl's Celebrity One-Man Hamlet, this show just might be inspired by actual events. Come judge for yourself at the world debut of Trump Lear (2:00 pm, $15, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($10 cover plus $10 drink min.; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319): 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 yarn-spinners are Peter Aguero (Conan O'Brien, Moth GrandSlam Champion, WNYC's Moth Radio Hour, The BTK Band), Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central), Marlene Nichols (Climate Reality Project), and Joanne Solomon. Come to the West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street) and 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 ($7): Graduates of Adam Wade's storytelling class tell their polished tales at The Magnet theatre: Adam Wade's Graduate Storytelling Show
6:00 pm ($7): Solo improv by Dion Flynn (frequent sketch comic on Jimmy Fallon) at The PIT Mainstage: Works Well With Others
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($12): Improv group Women and Men interview audience members about a weird and/or wild birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah, or other social gathering and then make up scenes based on those anecdotes at the UCB East theatre: Women and Men: Party Jumpin'
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Saturday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Improv group Big Black Car 2, plus improv group The Quitters, make up scenes at The PIT Mainstage: BBC2 and The Quitters
7:00 pm ($10): Sketch comedy from Andy Danish, Jeremy Reyburn, Nick Wiener, Liana S. Afuni, David Eskridge, Matt Domino, Katherine Knowles, Angela Wingrove, and/or Linda Mat The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): 301 Views
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A veteran stand-up who's performed on Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central Presents, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, and IFC, co-hosts the podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR, and stars in the stellar Comedy Central special and album Live at Webster Hall headlines tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Big Jay Oakerson
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jeff Hiller, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, and John Timothy at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): "Created in 1995 at the iO Theater in Chicago, The Armando Diaz Experience is the longest running improv show ever. A guest monologist—who tonight is Sopan Deb—takes a suggestion from the audience and shares true personal tales. These stories are then brought to life by a rotating cast of improv all-stars—and occasionally Armando himself" at The Magnet theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience
7:30 pm ($5): International improvisors use their native languages & diverse backgrounds to make up scenes in unique ways at The PIT Underground: Passport
7:30 pm ($8): Tony Deyo (Conan O'Brien), Justin Flanagan (MTV), Jocelyn Chia, and Eric Bransteen performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Charles McBee (MTV, VH1): Nerd is the New Black
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and The Baldwins (which includes brilliant comics Micah Sherman and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT Mainstage: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
8:00 pm ($7): A musical written by Noah Rauchwerk based on Louis Sachar’s story Holes and performed by Arjun Dhawan, Emily Featherman, Cole S. Fletcher, Ernest Bryant Hinnant III, Charlie Hurtt, Delia Kemph, Mahayla Laurence, Maggie McMeans, Tori Nassberg, Andrew Ricci, Elias Rubin, Andy Schumann, Tommy Prast, Taylor Turner, and Kate Anna at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): PITS! The Unauthorized Holes Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($12): Improv group Airwolf—with big talents Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, Eddie Dunn, Ben Rameaka, and Adam Fruccie—make up scenes about terrible audience experiences related to a home at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A freestyle rapping long-form improv group that includes such talents as Evan Kaufman (Your Love Our Musical) takes the stage for nearly an hour at The PIT Underground: North Coast
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): An improvised apocalypse from sharp comics John Murray, Sean Casey, Jackie Jennings, Glenn Boozan, Joanna Bradley, Chad Carter, and Caroline Cotter at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Goat
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors Peter McNerney & Rick Andrews make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
9:30 pm ($10): Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1; host of Right Now; for sample of Carolyn as white rapper, please click here), Troy Alan, and Daniel Simonsen performing stand-up featuring "the dirtiest, most unsafe for prime-time jokes, bits, and riffs" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central's South Beach, host of The Secret Loft Show) & Ben Conrad: The Dirty Show
9:30 pm ($10): Sketch and improv comics "create a brand new show in only one week, and then perform improvised sketches based off of your suggestions, just like The Second City used to do" at The PIT Mainstage: Old School Sketch Show
9:30 pm ($10): Dani Letsche, Case Watson & Alison Wien perform sketch comedy at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) directed by Paul Valenti: Thank You for Your Cervix
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12): A powerhouse group of improvisors—Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Aaron Jackson (Fuck That Shit, Newsadoozies), Natasha Vaynblat (one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), and Nate Dern (News Editor for Funny or Die)—springboard scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life at the UCB East theatre: What I Did For Love
10:00 pm ($10): Kenny Warren invites comedians Subhah Agarwal, Neko White, Pat Brown, and Jason Scoop to his "barbershop" to get their hair cut and talk comedy at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) co-hosted by Barry Ribs & Larry Beyah: Comics Cutting Comics
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Long form improv about the behavior of a theatrical troupe both on-stage and off-stage, revolving around a different show biz theme each week (unusually, not announced this time) at The Magnet theatre: The Cast
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): At UCB Chelsea, improv group Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—takes your written secrets and turns them into very funny improv scenes: Grandma's Ashes: We Won't Tell
10:30 pm ($7): Comics Frank Garcia-Hejl, Adrian Frimmy, Lori Strauss, Jess Sutich, and Sarah Smallwood Parsons perform stand-up, sketch, or improv at The PIT Underground: Physically Bold Comedy
11:00 pm ($10): Musical improv set within a sleepover at The PIT Mainstage: Sleepover at Kenny's: A Musical Improv Experience
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Fredric Goldstein and hosted by Judith George: Last Stop Laughs
[TOP PICK] 11:30 ($7): An enormously fun freestyle rap contest at UCB East with NYC comics (not announced), plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by superstar human beatbox Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central): Battlicious: A Comedy Rap Battle
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): In this acclaimed monthly show, six NYC stand-ups (not announced) each perform an 8-minute set while they "risk getting slapped by Satan himself. Actually, he hosts only bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne and Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man's shoes and put NYC's finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls? Come see for yourself" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: See You in Hell
Saturday Open Mics & Jams
4:00 pm ($5; your ticket provides $3 off a drink at nearby Pioneers Bar): Walk-in lottery style open mic (sign-up starting at 2:45 pm) at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Swing Riders Open Mic
[FREE] 5:00 pm-7:00 pm: Walk-in comedy open mic (lottery system, with sign-up starting at 4:30 pm) providing each selected comic 4 minutes on stage at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck & Veronica Garza: Murray Povich Mic
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 4/2/17
Tonight concludes the headlining run at Carolines of a stand-up who's performed on Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central Presents, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, and IFC, co-hosts the podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR, and stars in the stellar Comedy Central special and album Live at Webster Hall: Big Jay Oakerson (7:30 pm, $27.25 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] Noon-2:00 pm: The NYC comedy and other performing arts communities gather to discuss surviving, thriving, and taking action over the next four years of a clown residing in the White House. Plus there's usually free coffee and/or donuts. Join in at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue) hosted by comedic storytellers Brad Lawrence & Cyndi Freeman: The Underground Service
[TOP PICK] 5:00 pm: All-gal musical Improv group Redshirts (Catherine Wing, Jennette Cronk, Julia Lunetta, Sloane Miller, and Susan O'Doherty) creates new episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on the spot, and also hosts musical improv group Loyalty Program, at The PIT Mainstage: Redshirts: Star Trek: TNG Musical Improv
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Magnet instructors and other top improvisors—including Ed Herbstman, Louis Kornfield, and Sebastian Conelli—perform "the most grounded, organic, and simplified scenes ever" at The Magnet theatre: Whizbang
6:00 pm ($7): A one-man show by Ross Baron in which he "squares off with a gay inner demon, a corn maze of confusion, and The demogorgon of his mind" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) directed by Amelia Bienstock: Way Too Precious: Not Based on a Novel by Sapphire
6:30 pm ($5): Three NYC improv groups that are independent (i.e., not a house team of any particular improv school/theatre) compete for audience member laughs and votes at UCB East hosted by Lou Gonzalez, Chrissie Gruebel, and Brian Urreta of improv group The Mannequin Room: Indie Cage Match
7:00 pm ($7): Two guests bring and talk about their personal treasures, and then improv group Trophy Wives springboards off those memories to make up scenes at The PIT Mainstage: Show & Tell Show
7:00 pm ($5): Anthony Devito, Sharron Paul, Kat Burdick, and Danny Vega perform stand-up accompanied by musical guest Chris Nicolosi at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kaity Neagle: The Dream Team Variety Hour
7:00 pm ($7): Improv, sketch, and/or stand-up from relatively new comics at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Hodge Podge
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Shannon O'Neill and Anthony Atamanuik, and sometimes network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among seven shows, with three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 8:00 & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Sunday
7:30 pm ($7): Eight comics have an improvised dinner—with all the conflict and drama that implies—at The Magnet theatre: The Dinner Party
7:30 pm ($5): Dana Shulman and friends are improv group Student Driver, which hosts two indie improv troupes making up scenes and then performs itself, all at The PIT Underground: Student Driver: Indie Road
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Sasheer Zamata (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Jim Tews (rising star; Louie, Last Comic Standing, host of Homeschooled and co-host of Fresh Out, New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York, upcoming comedy album I Was in Band), Michael Palascak, Eman El-Husseini, Daniel Audritt, and Dan Perlman performing stand-up UCB East produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City) and hosted by Blair Socci (MTV's Ladylike): If You Build It
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Comedic storytellers share their personal tales of abortion (for a sample tale by Lucy Samuel, please click here) at The PIT Mainstage: Speakout Laughout
8:00 pm ($7): Long form improv based on one-word audience suggestions—and recorded for a podcast—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Truth & Exaggeration: The Podcast
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): Improvisors make up a brand new play in the style of William Shakespeare at The PIT Underground: As You Will: Shakespearean Improv
9:00 pm ($10): Duo improv from Louis Kornfeld & guest Paul Ton at The Magnet theatre: Kornfeld &Ton
9:00 pm ($5): Indie improv groups make up scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Ian Herrin: The Ian Herrin Improv Hour
[ALMOST FREE] 10:00 pm ($1): This improv show is based on a Mullaney Chain (pioneered by Kevin Mullaney) in which the host invites a guest to improvise with him or her, then the guest independently invites a third person, who then invites a fourth person, and so on, creating a one-time-only lineup that will be a surprise to everyone involved at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Kurt Guenther: The Telephone Show
Sunday Open Mics, Open Stages, and Jams
[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in stand-up lottery style open mic that provides 4 minutes per comic at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Andrea Shapiro & Chris Gersbeck: Bunk Bed Time Open Mic
5:30 pm ($3): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT Underground hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam
9:30 pm ($5): Open-mic comedy, with 3-5 minutes per walk-in performer who signs up (first come, first serve) at The PIT Underground, hosted by Will Neville: Amateur Night at the Gemini
Copyright © 2017 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
