NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 3/4/13
Some of the best comics at UCB Chelsea perform at a prestigious
annual industry event: UCBT's
I'm Cool Showcase...
...or opt for either of two genius stand-ups in Brooklyn: Sean Patton at Night Train or Joe Pera at DTF
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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Cammi Climaco (co-host of Ask Me Stories) hosts this weekly hour-long open mic storytelling show, with typically six audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 6-7 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge: Cammi Climaco's Storytelling Open Mic: Six by Six
6:00 pm ($5 cover for comics, no cover for audience with code HyReviews, plus 1-drink min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4 1/2 minutes per set and 20 comics crammed into 2 hours—at the Greenwich Village Comedy Club (99 MacDougal Street) for John Morrison's Village Motel
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. 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
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Abigoliah Schamaun & Peggy O'Leary: Dicks Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: After Cammi Climaco's show ends (see 6:00 pm above), race on down to this other open mic storytelling show, with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling with Julia Wiedeman
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: TV & Broadway stand-up star Colin Quinn performs bits from a show he's developing for an off-Broadway run that looks at US history "from the Founding Fathers to the Kardashians" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Unconstitutional with Colin Quinn
7:00 pm ($5): Storytellers Steven Berkowitz, Justin Born, Craig Iturbe, and Laura Weinblatt tell tales about their nerdy past at The Magnet guest-hosted by Kelly Buttermore (while Adam Wade is out of town): Adam Wade's Whatever Happened to the Nerds?
[FREE] 7:30 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
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 One and One Bar's Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VHI, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), and George Gordon performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show): Night Train
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Some of UCB Chelsea's finest sketch comedy & stand-up performers perform before industry folks who can make their careers at an all-you-can-watch revue: UCBT's I'm Cool Showcase
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Todd Barry, Marina Franklin, Mark Normand, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00ish pm: Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe's latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Joyelle Johnson (opens for such superstars as Maria Bamford), Matt Koff (Onion News Network, WitStream, 9 Am Meeting), Monroe Martin, and Billy Wayne Davis performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Grand Victory Bar (245 Grand Street) for this twice-a-month extravaganza hosted by Nick Maritato and the razor-sharp & delightful Erin Lennox (co-host of The Orphanage; for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): DTF
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Inspired by the popular blog My High School Boyfriend Was Gay, this superb show at UCB East "celebrates our most tragic, hilarious, and heinous teenage memories, full of chaste hugs, Grease sing-alongs, and trips to the stage door to accost the cast of Rent," with true stories tonight from Miss Vodka Stinger, Meg Ferril, and Susan Kent, plus hosts Damian Bellino, and the super-delightful Camille Harris whose piano playing and singing will make you grin and dance in your seat: My High School Boyfriend Was Gay
8:00 pm ($8): Improv troupe Maybe Sherman makes up scenes involving mobsters at The PIT upstairs theatre: MafiaProv
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Kendra Cunningham, Sean Donnelly, Richie Redding, and Kenny DeForest performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Bar Matchless back room (557 Manhattan Avenue, near the G subway's Nassau Avenue stop) hosted by Nimesh Patel, Mike Denny, and/or Michael Che: Broken Comedy
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central, HBO, The Apprentice, opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Cardone (vaudeville magician), and Noah Winkler performing at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by comic Brett Druck and juggler Marcus Monroe: The Hang Out with Marcus and Brett
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out new bits: Chunk (which includes Zhubin Parang, Emmy-winning writer for The Daily Show) and Beige (which includes Dan Hodapp, who last August co-starred in FringeNYC smash hit Tail! Spin!): Maude Night: Chunk and Beige
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Reid Faylor (co-host of hilarious Creek show Underbelly), Justy Dodge (co-host of 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), Bryan Walsh, Evon Campbell, and Brian Allen Mitchell performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue) with host Pat O'Shea: Ed Sullivan on Acid
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set—who tonight are Neil Constantine and Brandon Collins—and then Warren Holstein closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: On the Road
9:30 pm ($5): The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam
[$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Andrew Schulz (MTV2's Guy Code), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), Modi (HBO's The Sopranos, Comedy Central), and Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET's Comic View) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Jena Friedman, Keith Alberstadt, Greer Barnes, and More
10:00 pm ($5): A rotating cast of veteran improvisors make up scenes based on improvised monologues from tonight's guest Robert Weinstein at The Magnet theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who are no longer being announced in advance, but it's virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by someone wonderful: Whiplash
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): If you're an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). If you're a comic who couldn't get booked on UCBT's all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this exceptionally supportive stand-up open mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jarrid Reed: Fresh
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 3/5/13
Joe DeRosa performs at Sweet; Dave Hill in interviewed at Beginnings
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] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, four of The Magnet's singing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Mint Condition and Legend (at 7:00) and Vulcan and Fisticuffs (at 8:30); followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with musical improv troupe Vulcan to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Josh Siegel & Jono Everrett of Geeks Out joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
[FREE] 7:00 pm: This weekly 2-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer a full 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge, tonight featuring booked guest Kathryn Dunn (1-800-LONDON) and host Jake Hart: The Dump
7:00 pm ($5): Two-person improv that launches from two chairs at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Gabe Capone & Kate Defeo: Two Chairs
7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes GoodGirl, Salmon Diane, and Bucky at this first half of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Interviews with Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes), Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), and Hilly Eye (Don Giovanni Records, ex-Titus Andronicus) about "their earliest creative experiences and the nuances of having a creative career" for a weekly podcast that once a month goes live on the UCB East stage with hosts Andy Beckerman & Mark Bisi: Beginnings
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker, blogger for Comedy Central's Indecision 2012), Erin Judge (Comedy Central; comedy album So Many Choices; for hilarious short bit on men vs. women, please click here), Michelle Wolf (IFC's Bunk), Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), Adam Lowitt (Co-Executive Producer of The Daily Show), and Alex Koll performing stand-up at Sidewalk NYC (94 Avenue A) produced by Chenoa Estrada, Emily Heller, and George Gordon and hosted tonight by Emily Heller (Comedy Central, FX's Totally Biased; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here): The Afterlife
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($15, no drink minimum): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, TruTV, Tyra Banks), and Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Nick DiPaolo , Jessica Kirson, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera, plus Charles Gould and Dan Licata: Dan + Joe + Charles' Show
8:00 pm ($5): Improv revolving around online dating—and actual dating emails received by the performers—at The PIT downstairs lounge: OK Improv
8:00 pm ($8): A panel of four comics are quizzed on odd and obscure bits of trivia at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Michael Fisher: Pop Quiz Hotshot
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Presents and Comedy Central Half Hour specials, HBO’s Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, FX's Louie, E!'s Chelsea Lately, comedy CD The Depression Auction), Jon Rineman (senior monologue writer for Jimmy Fallon), Josh Spear (CBS, NBC), Seth Olenick), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Sherlock & Cookies, Rocks, and The Regulars—plus advanced improv students springboard off an audience suggestion to make up An Improvised Play—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night
9:30 pm ($5): A stand-up performs a set, then an improv team makes up scenes based on the material; and then this happens again with a different stand-up and different improv group at The PIT downstairs lounge. Audience applause then determines the "winner" of Rumble
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A weekly wild experiment in dark comedy, blending sketch and improv, from brilliant, fearless, and innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives) at UCB East, plus tonight's guests Emily Heller (Comedy Central, FX's Totally Biased; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker, blogger for Comedy Central's Indecision 2012), and Paul Oddo (co-host of The Friday Night Hot Chicks Mic), as well as producer Andy Rocco: The Tony Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Andrew Schulz (MTV2's Guy Code), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Modi (HBO's The Sopranos, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson: Dave Attell John Mulaney, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Al Madrigal (correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno), Steve Rannazzisi (FX's The League), Ari Shaffir (HBO's Down and Dirty), Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), Gibran Saleem, and more performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, CNN, TBS): ComedyJuice
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 3/6/13
Don't miss a rare one-night-only encore of Julia
Wiedeman baring all in her memorable hit sketch show
Naked
People;
or watch brilliant writer/stand-up/MTV producer Brooke Van Poppelen perform
at Hot Soup
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: Open-mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing 3 minutes per comic at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Max Corbel & Benel Germosen: Cracking It
7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Nintendo, Flower GIrl, Chet Watkins, Brick, Featherweight, The Wrath, Dr. Champagne, and Bloomer performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Dr. Champagne at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt
[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes Huxtable and City Mouse: Lloyd Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Seating at 8:30, show at 9:00 pm (RSVP to confirm your spot at FreeComedyWednesdays@gmail.com): Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Phil Hanley (Jay Leno), Mike Recine (Comedy Central), and more performing stand-up at Ella (9 Avenue A) produced by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
[$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Nick DiPaolo, Keith Robinson, and More
8:00 pm ($5): Dan St. Germain (quick-witted & enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Subhah Agarwal, Josh Potter, Shawtane Bowen, and more perform stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rogin Kim: The Devil's Avocado
8:00 pm ($5): A two-man sketch show by Matt Dennie & Josh Sharp that very loosely springs off the real events of the title but is mostly meta-comedy. I would've preferred something meatier, especially given the fascinating subject—436 people killed by a tiger whose damaged teeth made it difficult to eat anything other than humans—but there's lots of energy and performance talent here, making this a solid first-time effort: Maneater: The True Story of the Champawat Tigress...
...and in the second half of this UCB Chelsea double-bill, young talents—gay and otherwise—put on a meta-musical spoofing Broadway musicals of the future that's hit-or-miss, but fun overall:The 2017 Tony Awardz: A Parody of Musical Proportions
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10 at the door or $11.80 in advance online): Storytelling and carny join forces to bring the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, hosted by Brad Lawrence (Moth GrandSlam Champion) & Cyndi Freeman (Moth StorySlam champion, two-time FringeNYC award winner), and tonight featuring stories from them and John Flynn (rising star storyteller/actor; Saturday Night Live, The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!) and Ed Gavagan; plus burlesque by Cherry Pitz (a.k.a. Cyndi Freeman) and Nastie Canasta, all at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): And I Am Not Lying
[FREE] 9:00 pm: JR Havlan (7-time Emmy winning writer for The Daily Show; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher), Chelsea White (MTV, VH1, co-host of Call Us Crazy), Phil Hanley (Jay Leno), Andy Hendrickson, JL Cauvin, Matt Jenkins, and Kenny DeForest performing stand-up at this free weekly comedy show at Lucky Jack's Bar (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors—and actual brothers—Will Hines and Kevin Hines make use of their intimate knowledge of each other to gracefully invent scenes (hopefully without any fighting) at UCB East performing as duo The Brothers Hines
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Patrick Waldo performs a one-man show about his spending a year scrawling a moustache tag on advertisements all around New York City, "entertaining commuters and causing thousands of dollars in damage." It's a fascinating tale for the first two-thirds...but then Waldo is arrested, and instead of owning responsibility for what he did and growing from the experience, Waldo essentially spends the last part of the show complaining about the police and the courts. It's a shame, because with a thoughtful and insightful third act this could've be a great production instead of a mere curiosity. Still, it's worth catching for all the detailed anecdotes pre-arrest—and this may be your last chance, because the UCBT run concludes tonight: Moustache Man: Confessions of a NYC Graffiti Artist...
...and in the second half of this UCB Chelsea double-bill, one of my UCBT favorite shows from 2011-2012 returns for one night only—a witty and ultimately exhilarating exploration of baring it all by fabulous long-time nudist Julia Wiedeman. Check out promo videos here and here and here, and then run to see what may be your last chance to enjoy Naked People
9:30 pm ($5): "Sister act singing sensations Lana and Lena L’Amour (Lorraine Cink and Leslie Collins) will entertain you with an hour of sexy music (musical improv), erotic poetry, dancing, love advice, and enough sequins to dazzle your pants of—which is just the way they like to see their audience members" at The PIT downstairs lounge: Lounge L'Amour (Duo Musical Improv)
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): John Mulaney, Gary Gulman, Gregg Rogell, and More
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Rising stand-up stars—Jared Logan, Mike Lawrence, Mark Normand, Dan. St. Germain, Emily Heller, Michael Che, Joe List, Dan Soder, Calise Hawkins, and/or more—at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: The Regulars
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: The wonderful Sasheer Zamata (highly charming, innovative rising star; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, FX's Totally Biased; member of red-hot improv troupe Doppelganger, sketch troupe The Prom, and Harold Night troupe Bucky) hosts as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. (Tonight's scheduled guests include Gary Vider, Jonathan Fernandez, and John Purcell & Vincent Moore; for the complete list, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
11:00 pm ($5): Two-person improv scenes from Oscar Montoya & Julia Morales, Dan Pozmanter & Nikki Lynn Michaelson, and more at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Donna Lobello and tonight's guest partner Langston Belton: I Trust (Two-Prov)
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma's Ashes: The Improv Jam
[TOP PICK] [$] 11:30 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Uncensored stand-up from Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co -host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), and Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET's Comic View) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): The Nasty Show: Paul Mecurio, Nikki Glaser, Mark Normand, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 3/7/13
Brilliant author Ted Travelstead and reality TV star Angela Railoa are interviewed at Running Late with Scott Rogowsky...
...1977 Jim Kelly blaxploitation mess Black
Samurai is karate chopped at
Devil Science Theater 3000;
and Leslie Meisel is among the stellar UCBT sketch comics performing one-act
comedy
The Unbreakable Gun
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] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin R. Free (actor/playwright; The Moth) is tonight's guest co-host at this weekly open mic storytelling show at UCB East, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress hosted by the wonderful John Flynn (rising star storyteller/actor; Saturday Night Live, The Nights of Our Lives): Oh, Hey Guys!
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT musical improv troupe Adorable mixes with musical improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Pitch
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open- mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving two minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
7:00 pm ($5): A one-man show by Arthur Meyer (The Onion; sketch troupes Pangea 3000, Fambly, and Two Fun Men) auditioning for a spot on the schedule of the prestigious UCB Chelsea theatre: Arthur Meyer: Rock and Roll
7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Punchbowl and THEM
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Hello Laser to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer
7:30 pm ($5): Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Jason Good (Comedy Central), and more performing at UCB East hosted by Dan Allen & Ray Devito: Sacapuntas!
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, ABC's The Unusuals), and Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: John Mulaney, Gary Gulman, Greer Barnes, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A former roommate & drinking buddy of such comedy giants as David Cross and Marc Maron performs a one-man show that was such a hit at August's FringeNYC it's been extended indefinitely. Please read my review by clicking here, and Jason Zinoman's New York Times review by clicking here; and then come share an intimate hour with Matt Graham at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club so he can explain life and meaning and why This Too Shall Suck
8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Eric Schaeffer (If Lucy Fell, After Fall, Winter), Ann Carr (Web series The Actress), and Jonah Loeb tell comedic tales, plus Camela Hartman sings, for this biweekly storytelling show at 2A (25 Avenue A & 2nd Street) hosted by Jenny Rubin: Here's the Story
8:00 pm ($5): UCBT star & Chris Gethard Show icon Riley Soloner is a sweet and silly comic almost impossible to not like. His character Vacation Jason is over-the-top ridiculous, which means Riley has to walk a tightrope between getting laughs and creating a reality believable enough to make us care about what's going on. This first attempt at a sketch show falters on the latter; and I'd encourage Riley to be bolder about doing sharp, smart comedy, even with dumb characters, as he moves forward with his young and promising career. But script aside, there are worse ways to spend 30 minutes then watch Riley on stage while you're wearing a show-supplied Hawaiian lei of flowers around your neck: Vacation Jason's Island Flavors...
...and in the other half of this UCB Chelsea double-bill, "all of the badass-ness of a baddass action film brought to you live on stage" by some of UCB Chelsea's finest talent: Brandon Gulya (writer/co-star), Brandon Scott Jones, Leslie Meisel, Kristen Acimovic, Eddie Dunn, Tim Martin, and Evan Greenspoon (co-writer) in a sketch comedy that proclaims "First they broke his town. Then they broke his heart. But there's one thing they'll never break—his gun!:" The Unbreakable Gun
[FREE—plus FREE BEER!] 8:00 pm: Politically incorrect stand-ups compete in this unique show for which each comic performs a set and then has to provide biting commentary on a popular online video. The audience then votes on who was the most savagely funny and has won the right to return the following month. Tonight's combatants are Abbi Crutchfield (MTV, VH1; co-host of Positively Awesome and The Living Room), Lance Weiss (NBC’s The Today Show, Bravo, MTV), Jesse Jones (MTV), Katie Hannigan (College Humor), and Ben Rosen performing at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Mike Feeney: On the Offensive
8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes, Hemlock (which includes stellar singer Megan Maes) and Dagger (which includes notable talents Ryan Dunkin and Jon Bander), make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hemlock and Dagger
8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house troupes The Boss, Junior Varsity, Horses, and Hello Laser performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by The Kubler (long form improv that takes you through the five stages of grief, directed by Russ Armstrong), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component): The Magnet's Night Out
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VHI, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Ashley Brooke Roberts (co-host of The Dream Show), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), and RG Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover and/or Emily Heller: Fresh Out
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10 or $11.34 online; the latter is recommended because this show often sells out): Ted Travelstead (brilliant, hilarious writer/comic; Vanity Fair, author of The Petraeus Files and Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk), Angela "Big Ang" Railoa (co-star of VH1's Mob Wives, star of VH1's Big Ang), Olivia Ward (winner of the first season of NBC's Biggest Loser), and Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans) perform and/or are interviewed at The PIT upstairs theatre with host Scott Rogowsky (The Onion): Running Late with Scott Rogowsky
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene
9:30 pm ($5): UCBT-NY Artistic Director Nate Dern and Artistic Associate John Frusciante perform duo improv at UCB Chelsea as Frusciante & Dern
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($5 & 2-item food/drink min.) Comics heckle a genre feature film—with tonight's victim the 1977 blaxploitation martial arts flick Black Samurai starring Jim Kelly (for a trailer with hilariously mistimed sound cues, please click here) at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Devil Science Theater 3000
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Proving it's one of the best improv groups in NYC, Grandma's Ashes has easily beaten four teams in a row at UCB Chelsea. Tonight may be a different story, as the challenger is one of the other very finest groups in NYC, The Stepfathers. The Heavens themselves will shake as these two titans battle it out for your laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): A sketch comedy radio show/podcast live on the UCB East stage, with tonight's parody sequel GI Joe 3: Left Handed Radio
[TOP PICK] [$] Midnight ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Uncensored stand-up from Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), and Justin Silver (star of CBS' Dogs in the City) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV): The Nasty Show: Big Jay Oakerson, Jena Friedman, Nikki Glaser, Paul Mecurio, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 3/8/13
TV & movie star Bobcat Goldthwait headlines at Gotham, while SNL alum Darrell Hammond headlines at Carolines
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[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 with hosts Erin Lennox and Eli Sairs: The Orphanage
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors play a fun game in which they all stay on stage at all times, and alternate between speaking roles and playing inanimate objects: Medusa
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Caroline Rhea Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Comedy Central), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson: Judah Friedlander, Caroline Rhea, Gary Gulman, Gregg Rogell, and More
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VHI, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Robert Dean, and Lawson Leong performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Jack Wilkinson & Morgan Mille: The Big Gulp
[FREE] 7:00 pm: An hour of stand-up from Kat Burdick (NPR, The Moth) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Kat Burdick: The Pocket Guide to Predators and Prey
7:00 pm ($8): The show title pretty much says it all—improvisors make up an action movie on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Boom! An Improvised Action Movie
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Nate Dern and Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Mic
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern, Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Tracey Wigfield (writer for 30 Rock), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), and more form an improv troupe at UCB Chelsea that won this year's prestigious Cage Match championship by springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): At UCB East, improv troupe Sandino—which includes Aaron Jackson, Brandon Gulya, Don Fanelli, and Kate Riley—interviews an audience member about some puzzle and then acts out scenes providing an unexpected answer: Sandino: Unsolved Mysteries
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A TV & movie star whose many credits include David Letterman, Jay Leno, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Police Academy, Shakes the Clown, Windy City Heat, etc. headlines tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club (with Ophira Eisenberg and Jon FIsch as openers): Bobcat Goldthwait
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($41 plus 2-drink minimum):The longest-running cast member in Saturday Night Live's history, and whose impressions have been widely applauded for their uncanny accuracy and range; and a talented stand-up who's been a frequent guest on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Jay Leno, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Darrell Hammond
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20, no drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Todd Barry, Big Jay Oakerson, Adrienne Iapalucci, and More
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): "Musical sketch comedy that skewers and dissects pop culture one roll of the dice at at time" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Pop Roulette
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Stand-up, sketch, videos, and more at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre with Jeffrey Joseph and hosts Ron Krasnow & Joel Walkowski: The Short Bus
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese
8:30 pm ($10):A brand new show from The Magnet house sketch troupe Company 29 about "the rite of passage into modern adulthood involving flagrant consumption, waffling definitions of sexual propriety, a general disregard for all grown-up responsibility, and occasional learning:" Company 29 Presents: College
[$] 8:45 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Caroline Rhea Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Comedy Central), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson: Judah Friedlander, Caroline Rhea, Gary Gulman, and More
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from comedy geniuses Chris Gethard and Shannon O'Neill, plus stellar comics Silvija Ozols, Zach Woods, Michael Delaney, Will Hines, and Connor Ratliff, performing at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A gathering of comedic musicians, who tonight include Mindy Raf (brilliant comedic singer/songwriter; VH1, College Humor; author of YA novel The Symptoms of My Insanity; often performs as alter ego Leibya Rogers), Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker, blogger for Comedy Central's Indecision 2012), and Future Folk performing at UCB East hosted by superb musical group Summer & Eve (for samples, please click here): Earworm Funny Music Party Show
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person):TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), Justin Silver (star of CBS' Dogs in the City), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
9:30 pm ($10): A PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello
9:30 pm ($5): "Each month the Buttski & Glasscock Talent Agency brings you the best of the worst this small town has to offer. As only two career-savvy former showgirls can, they comb through Craigslist ad after Craigslist ad; but you will determine which act gets a one-year contract:" at The PIT downstairs lounge: Buttski & Glasscock's New Talent Blowout
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code WARD, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. BWC is running every Friday night through April 4th at the Soho Playhouse. Come see why this show won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20, no drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Todd Barry, Big Jay Oakerson, and More
10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[$] 10:30 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Marina Franklin, Gary Gulman, Nick Griffin, and More
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($5, $10, or $15: Pay What You Can): John Flynn (rising star storyteller/actor; Saturday Night Live, The Nights of Our Lives, host of storytelling show Oh, Hey Guys!) tries out a new one-man show about the time he spent as an NYC black market cookie salesman. John will be baking free cookies for the audience. It all happens at The Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): John Flynn: Black Market Cookies
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Dan Klein, and/or other superb improvisors at UCB Chelsea making up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
10:30 pm ($10): Ann Carr (FX's Louie, Web series The Actress), Griffin Newman-Newman (MTV's Nikki and Sara Live), Max Fox (Huffington Post), and Lou Sanders performing at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D'Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Emily Axford, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
11:00 pm ($8): Sketches from young and forlorn comics providing "comedy as comedy was meant to be seen—through tears" at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Meredith Hackman: The Saddest Sketch Show
11:00 pm ($5): Improv or sketch from Sasheer Zamata (highly charming, innovative rising star; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, FX's Totally Biased; host of UCBT's School Night, member of red-hot improv troupe Doppelganger, sketch troupe The Prom, and Harold Night troupe Bucky), Will Hines (ace improv troupe The Stepfathers, treasured UCBT comedy instructor & director), Terry Withers, and host troupe Gadget at the Richmond Shephard Theatre (309 East 26th Street) with Caitlin Bitzegaio and friends: The Gadget Hour
11:00 pm ($5): "A scandalous night of down-right-sexy improv" that begins with "a blank, white, virgin, and untouched canvas; Mr. O and Ms. X will color you, go outside the lines, and make sure you leave with no skin left uncovered. The stage will be the frame and everyone’s the painting" at The PIT downstairs lounge: Yes, Yes, Yes...And
[TOP PICK] 11:30 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 Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, improv troupe Salmon Diane, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w
Midnight ($5): Members of UCBT house improv troupes get scrambled together into new one-night-only teams at UCB East (performers not announced): The Blender
[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage. Plus it's hosted by members of Maude troupe Fambly, typically including such wonderful talents as Nicole Byer and Veronica Osorio: Liquid Courage
[$] 12:15 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color, MTV, Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Nikki Glaser, Nick Griffin, Jermaine Fowler, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 3/9/13
It's the final night to catch headlining star Bobcat Goldthwait at Gotham and SNL legend Darrell Hammond at Carolines
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show ("starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one") at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour
[$] 6:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Nikki Glaser and Friends: Premeditated
6:00 pm ($5): For this college improv double-bill at The Magnet, visiting Yale troupe Purple Crayon and NYU troupe Dangerbox
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A comedy quiz show full of heavily researched quirky facts in which sharp contestants—who tonight are Gavin Speiller, Natasha Vaynblat, Ryan Williams, and Moujan Zolfaghari—receive points if their answers are correct but get more points if their answers are "quite interesting" at UCB East created & hosted by Katey Healy-Wurzburg: The Fascinator...
...and in the other half of this double-bill, UCBT house manager and tech guy supreme Pat Baer hosts a show about the very medium you're using to read this, with guest Ruby Karp (HelloGiggles): 404ing It: Breaking (Down) the Internet
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): The return of gal sketch duo Cathleen Carr and Daiva Deupree, who are reuniting to celebrate their 10th Year Anniversary at The PIT upstairs theatre, and accurately point out "before Two Broke Girls and Two Girls One Cup, there was us:" Two Girls for Five Bucks
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8): A unique show in which improvisors speak non-English languages. The first group, which includes Chris Grace, makes up scenes in Mandarin. The second group, which includes Oscar Montoya, improvises in Spanish. "No English will be used!" at The PIT downstairs lounge: Say What?—Improv Without English
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Todd Barry, Judah Friedlander, Gary Gulman, and More
7:30 pm ($10):A brand new show from The Magnet house sketch troupe Company 29 about "the rite of passage into modern adulthood involving flagrant consumption, waffling definitions of sexual propriety, a general disregard for all grown-up responsibility, and occasional learning:" Company 29 Presents: College
7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A TV & movie star whose many credits include David Letterman, Jay Leno, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Police Academy, Shakes the Clown, Windy City Heat, etc. headlines one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club (with Ophira Eisenberg and Jon FIsch as openers): Bobcat Goldthwait
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($41 plus 2-drink minimum):The longest-running cast member in Saturday Night Live's history, and whose impressions have been widely applauded for their uncanny accuracy and range; and a talented stand-up who's been a frequent guest on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Jay Leno, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Darrell Hammond
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20, no drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Todd Barry, Big Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, and More
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Erin Lennox (host of DTF, co-host of The Orphanage; for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here), Anthony DeVito (Conan O'Brien, VH1, FX), and Nick Maritato performing stand-up, plus improv troupe Butts, at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Peggy O'Leary: Hard, Lonely, and Vicious
[FREE] 8:00ish pm: Wonderful comics Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts host a free variety show featuring stand-up, sketch, character acts, music, and/or who knows what else, with tonight featuring innovative musician Joseph Keckler (for video samples, please click here and here), and stand-ups Anthony DeVito (Conan O'Brien, VH1, FX), Michael Brill, and Monroe Martin III performing at the Comedy Bar (134 West 29th Street): The Dream Show
8:30 pm ($10): Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's), Kevin McCaffrey (David Letterman), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Chris Laker (host of The Show at The Creek), Robert Dean (Comedy Central), and Max Silvestri (co-host of Big Terrific) performing stand-up at UCB East guest-hosted by Sean Donnelly: If You Build It
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person):TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), Justin Silver (star of CBS' Dogs in the City), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:15 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Marina Franklin (Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1): Judah Friedlander, Marina Franklin, Gary Gulman, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20, no drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Kevin Meany (David Letterman, Jay Leno), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Yannis Pappas, and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Todd Barry, Kevin Meany, Big Jay Oakerson, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Charming stand-ups Erin Judge, Abbi Crutchfield, Carrie Gravenson, and Kaytlin Bailey have been touring around the country, but you can see them tonight for free at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Pink Collar Comedy Tour
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to "take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:" Grandma's Ashes Gets Dark
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and has so far crushed 10 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
11:00 pm ($10): Nick Carrillo, Langston Belton, and Devin James Heater perform a post-apocalyptic improvised comedy—exploring the relationship of three men trapped in a Generic Underground Shelter—at The PIT upstairs theatre: G.U.S.
[TOP PICK] 11:30 ($10): NYC's heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which doesn't always ht the mark but provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and in 2011 won the ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist: Late and Dirty
Midnight ($5): Six improvisors make up scenes about the Apocalypse at The Magnet theatre: A Show at the End of the World
[FREE] Midnight: Stand-up and sketch (performers not announced) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Kingmaker Sketch
Midnight ($5): "The NYC improv scene is filled with teams of hungry, hard-working and hilarious improvisors with no allegiance to anything but the love of the game. Each month, we pull them from the streets and give them a stage to perform their swaggering brand of improv comedy while they give us a little bit of indie cred" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Indie Improv Showcase
[TOP PICK] [$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), John Joseph (Comedy Central, The View), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show): Big Jay Oakerson, Kurt Metzger, Greer Barnes, and More
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 3/10/13
The wonderful Eileen Kelly performs funny songs & stories at The
Magnet in
Two Voices, Four Kidneys;
Bobcat Goldthwait does stand-up in Brooklyn for
Creaghead & Company...
...Top
Gun goes Shakespearean at The PIT in the cleverly executed
Jester's Dead;
Joe Pera performs for a rare free show (no cover, no min.) at top comedy
club The
Stand
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] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open mic stand-up show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase
6:00 pm ($8): "Becky Flaum thinks she’s Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But her high cinematic hopes for her love life get in the way of reality on her quest to find the perfect co-star." This one-woman show is at The PIT upstairs theatre: Hopeless Romantic Comedy
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer
[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Sean Lynch (Comedy Central, MTV, Spike TV), Frank Vignola (Comedy Central), Dante Nero (Comedy Central, HBO, ABC, FOX), and Rob Shapiro performing stand-up—and raising funds to pay the medical bills of a fellow comic—at the Comedy Bar (134 West 29th Street): Comedy Benefit for Nick Cimato
[FREE] 6:00 pm: "Short-form improv teams battle it out for the most points and a prize. C’mon, admit it! You miss the quick-witted fun and audience involvement of short-form improv. A different short-form team joins Mishmash! each month and struts their stuff for a panel of judges (including one judge chosen from the audience) until a winner emerges. There will be a series of completely improvised scenes, stories and musicals all based on your suggestions. Come ready to shout out suggestions, and even shout at the judges," at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Scrimmage
6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic's 5-minute set at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop
[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Eileen Kelly (one of the finest storytellers in the country; also a superb stand-up; NBC’s Today Show, Showtime, staff comic for Lifetime; for video samples please click here and here, and for my review of her FringeNYC show please click here) and Marian Rosin (Conan O'Brien) perform comedic songs & stories at The Magnet theatre: Two Voices, Four Kidneys...
...and in the other half of this double-bill, Andy Moskowitz performs an improvised one-man show: Andy, Please!
7:00 pm ($8): Long-time friends Jessica van Campen & Danielia Donohue perform a two-woman show "exploring the 90s, Groupons, cats, sweaters, and being their own worst enemies" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Yarn Robot
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Chris Gethard, and occasionally network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000
7:30 pm ($5): Improv troupes not affiliated with any comedy school compete at UCB East for audience laughs and votes—and the privilege to go on to perform at the primary Cage Match show at UCB Chelsea—in this show hosted by the delightful Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (Krompf): Indie Cage Match
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): TV & movie star Bobcat Goldthwait (David Letterman, Jay Leno, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Police Academy, Shakes the Clown, Windy City Heat, etc.), Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, The Dave Hill Explosion, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, champion rapper, author of Tasteful Nudes), Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy), Jim Tews, and Alex Koll performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, NBC, Broadway), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Modi (HBO's The Sopranos, Comedy Central), and Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Colin Quinn, Judah Friedlander, Gary Gulman, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15, no drink min.): Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Carole Montgomery (Comedy Central, ABC's Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Oprah, Showtime, MTV, VH1, A&E), and other gal stand-ups at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Girls Gone Funny: Carmen Lynch, Carole Montgomery, and More
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): From Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman (producers of The Scene), improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One
[FREE] 8:00 pm: The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Ryan McKee (writer for MTV's Guy Code), Rojo Perez, and more performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up
8:00 pm ($7):A brand new show from The Magnet house sketch troupe Company 29 about "the rite of passage into modern adulthood involving flagrant consumption, waffling definitions of sexual propriety, a general disregard for all grown-up responsibility, and occasional learning:" Company 29 Presents: College
8:00 pm ($8): "ImprovFM is every improv lover’s dream. Not only are the radio station conversations improvised, but so are the names, the stories, the songs, reports, and sound effects! In and by their play, the performers create a parallel world with its own rules, based solely on their imaginations and interactions" at The PIT upstairs featuring Nate Starkey, Ashley Ward, Justin Akin, Michelle Best, and Erick Hellwig: ImprovFM
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Casey James Salengo, and Andrew Holmgren performing in the East Village's Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at the Beauty Bar
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups (not announced this week) performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue), typically hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace): Comedy Night
9:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): This show begins with a delightful concept—Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare—and then executes it with the joyful craft only a sharp, tight theatrical ensemble can create. Everyone in the cast is terrific, but among the most memorable are Dan Hartley as Maverick, and Vayu O'Donnell who steals every scene he appears in with his hilariously deadpan delivery as Iceman. While this is playing at The PIT upstairs theatre for a mere $10, it's really legit Fringe theatre, and I hope it eventually makes its way to FringeNYC or Edinburgh—or better yet, develops more songs and gets a commercial run as a musical. Meanwhile, don't miss this opportunity to see a way fun parody of a cult classic for about half of what you oughta be paying: Jester's Dead: Top Gun Shakesparody
9:30 pm ($5): Sketch comedy at The Magnet, tonight from troupes Risky Bottom (which includes the spectacularly talented Lauren Olson) and Cookie Mountain: Magnet Sketch Teams
[ALMOST FREE] 9:30 pm ($1): Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Molly Austin & Mike Brown: Vicious Cycle
[$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Andrew Schulz (MTV2's Guy Code), and Erik Rivera (Jay Leno, MTV) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Marina Franklin, Greer Barnes, Ryan Hamilton, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm (no cover, no drink min.!): Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; more recently he ended his set by slicing milk; for Joe's latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color, MTV, Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour). It's very rare for a top comedy club to offer a show that's 100% free; come and support this, and order from the acclaimed food menu and/or drink list if the spirit moves you: The Seaton Smith Show: Joe Pera, Jermaine Fowler, and More
10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam
[FREE] 10:45 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet hosted by Sebastian Conelli. Everyone who signs up—at 10:30 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress
[$] 11:30 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Justin Silver (star of CBS' Dogs in the City) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Nikki Glaser, Joe List, Sam Morril, and More
Copyright © 2013 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
