NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 3/7/16
If you're funny and a talented writer, consider submitting a short story to my fiction anthology Ghosts on Drugs. I'm being flooded with submissions from fantasy/SF/horror writers, but not many comics; and this is a great opportunity to land a prestigious book credit, plus upfront pay and a share of the royalties. Full details are here.
Some of the best comics at UCB-NY show off their talents at several prestigious annual industry events this week. Tonight is the first, and includes sketch group One Idiot performing its entire 25-minute play What the Horse Saw: UCBT's I'm Cool Showcase (7:30 pm, $5 (sold out of seats, but you can probably get in if you arrive early on the standby line 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 at The PIT downstairs lounge: Super Free Monday
7:00 pm ($5): Women are 50% of the population but receive only about 12% of the top movie roles. This show addresses that by flipping gender roles and letting actresses be the stars in famous movie scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Boss Will See You Now
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
7:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy from two sharp house groups at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Sketch Teams
[TOP PICK] 8:00 ($5): Jon Glaser (HBO's Girls, NBC's Parks and Recreation, star of Adult Swim's Delocated; long-time writer/performer and 5-time Emmy nominee for Conan O'Brien), Hank Smith (Sesame Street, The Story of Tap), and Tyler Richardson performing stand-up, characters, or storytelling at UCB East hosted by Nat Townsen: Downtown Variety Hour
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; staff writer for Emmy-winning Inside Amy Schumer; frequently invited lightning wit on @midnight; Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Michelle Buteau (daily host of VH1's Morning Buzz; FOX's Enlisted, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, VH1's Best Week Ever, @midnight), Langston Kerman, and Neel Nanda 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 numerous awesome shows, including South Park; albums Comedy Person and Brooklyn): Night Train
8:00 pm ($5): Producers, writers, and other staff members of TruTV show Impractical Jokers improvise scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: Impractical Jokers Staff Infection
[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 ($5): Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000) hosts as "Moodsy, the Clinically Depressed Owl showing weird/crappy old cartoons in between sets," with guests Lane Moore Lane Moore (The Onion, host of Tinder Live) and Tiana Miller at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue). Described by Patton Oswalt as "like a kid's show done in Bosnia," it's Frank Conniff's Cartoon Dump
9:00 pm ($7): Talented comics perform solo characters at The Magnet theatre hosted by Ari Miller & Elena Skopeto: Character Bash
9:30 ($5): House sketch groups Charles and Nipsey try out new material at UCB Chelsea for Maude Night
9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phil Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
9:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Meghan O'Malley about a fictional background actress at The PIT upstairs theatre: Maybelline Shadow (Chandee)
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; staff writer for Emmy-winning Inside Amy Schumer; frequently invited lightning wit on @midnight; Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Janelle James, and more performing stand-up at one of best comedy clubs in NYC at absolutely no cost to you (feel encouraged to order food and//or drinks, but you don't have to) for 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): Five improv duos each make up scenes at The Magnet theatre: The Duo Show
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 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 best stand-ups in the country; writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Last Comic Standing). Reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing: Whiplash
Monday Open Mics & Jams
4:40 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 whose name is pulled from a bucket 3 minutes on stage. Arrive at around 5:45 to sign up, or wait for the late bucket at 6:15, to perform at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Matt Anderson: First Stop Open Mic
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
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[FREE] 10:30 pm: 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
11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT upstairs theatre 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 downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 3/8/16
Louis C.K. shares his thoughts about Donald Trump here. Also, Louis has a notable new TV series, Horace and Pete, that isn't actually on TV but is available for small fees via his website here (and that I hope to get caught up on this week if I can force myself to take a small break from obsessively watching election coverage...)
If you're trying to figure out why serial liars Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are doing so well in the Republican primaries, this show hosting lectures on deception from top writers and performers might shed some light: The Confidence Game (7:30 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)...
...or if you're seeking to experience something different, "WELCOME TO THE FUTURE. Virtual reality is reality as you become part of one of the first live comedy shows filmed for 360 video headsets. You'll feel like you're really there (because you will be)" with a killer lineup of Chris Gethard, Jo Firestone, Joe Pera, Julio Torres, and host Brett Davis: Virtual Reality Comedy Special (8:00 pm, $5, Elvis Guesthouse NYC at 85 Avenue A)
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-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, six singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions, followed at 10:15 pm by an improv jam open to the audience hosted by group Midnight Heat: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): David Carl provides a sneak peek at Saturday's Republican Party Debate—playing all the candidates himself! Not for every taste; to determine if it's for you, watch these highlights from a previous show. This happens at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Road to the White House
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 ($5): Brendan Brown (founding member of pop rock band Wheatus) is interviewed about "that one song he'll never forget," and also performs songs, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Patrick Cartelli & Evan Forde Barden: Repeater: A Little Show About Big Songs
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 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
7:30 pm & 9:15 pm ($5 per show): House groups at UCB Chelsea perform the classic improv form The Harold at Harold Night
7:30 pm ($5): A weekly showcase for brand new shows—sketch, solo, readings, what have you—this time focused on Math, Science and Humanities at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by the wonderful Ronny Pascale: Pilot Season
8:00 pm ($5): Making great use of UCB East's previous incarnation as an indie movie theatre, tonight features screenings of select films running five minutes or less—most of them funny—crafted in the style of TV pilots. The shorts receiving the most audience votes get to continue with additional episodes, while the others are "canceled" at Channel 101
8:00 pm ($5): There's nothing more unpredictable on a stage than an animal. In this show, pet owners perform improv along with their real-life pets at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Pet Prov
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups and musicians drink and perform at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Justin Peele: Party & Bullshit
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Joel Kim Booster, Steven DeSiena, Sam Taggart, and more performing at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Hayden Maxwell & Ben Wasserman: Hayden & Ben Are Really Into Wine Now
[TOP PICK] 8:15 pm ($15): "Four writers read their own work for seven minutes or less, and are then judged by three all-star judges. Two finalists are chosen to compete in the finale, a vaguely-literary game to decide the ultimate winner," with tonight's judges Wyatt Cenac, Ophira Eisenberg, Michael Shannon—and you—at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Literary Death Match
[FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
8:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors and guest improv groups join host Skycopter (which includes the incredible David Carl) to make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One
[TOP PICK] 9:00ish pm ($7): 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, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Michelle Wolf (star stand-up who's also staff writer for and performer on Seth Meyers; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), Jon Rineman (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Dion Flynn (sketch comic for Jimmy Fallon), Ramon Rivas II, and Craig Baldo performing stand-up at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) guest-hosted by NIck Stevens (host of AMC's Action Park and Discovery's Money on the Menu; VH1, ESPN): Sweet
9:00 pm ($5): Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1), Adam Mamawala (MTV), Alison Klemp, Peter K, Wilson McDermut, Rob Santos, and Kristin Seltman performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Angela Cobb: Fun Size & Venti
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Alison Lieby, Matt Ruby, Lukas Kaiser, and Jacqui Rossi present comedic lectures on silly topics—e.g., "Latrine Supreme: A Comprehensive History of Man's Quest for a Clean Bottom"—at the UCB East theatre produced by Kara Klenk and hosted by Jim Tews: Homeschooled—A Comedic Lecture Series
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Comics and audience members who've drunk too much engage in a spelling competition at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Jake Flores & Blake Midgette: The Drunk Spelling Bee
10:00 pm ($5): Eight comics each perform solo characters while competing for audience laughs and votes at The PIT downstairs lounge: Character Clash: A Comedy Tournament
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Eli Sairs & Scott Chaplain and other stand-ups pair up to brutally insult each other and then be judged for the effectiveness of their viciousness at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Luis J. Gomez: The RoastMasters
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Stand-ups Nore Davis, Drew Michael, Sarah Tollemache, David Ebert, and more performing at this free weekly show at UCB East hosted by Matteo Lane (Comedy Central): Chemistry
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 ($5): A chance for writers and actors to walk in and try out sketches on stage (casting begins at 5:45 pm) at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Kristen O'Brien: Cold Cream
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory
[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:30 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3-5 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, typically hosted by Jamie Aderski: Personality Disorder Character Jam
[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] 7:00 pm: Open mic storytelling show, with each yarn-spinner whose name is picked from a basket receiving 5 minutes on stage, at the Astoria Bookshop (31-29 31st Street) hosted by David Lawson (The Flyer Guy at Solocom 2015): The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show
[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 downstairs lounge 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
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:15: Sign up at 9:30 pm for the opportunity to make up a musical on the spot with The Magnet improv group Wonderland: Magnet Musical Improv Mixer
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class Jam
11:00 pm ($3): 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: 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
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for students at all levels to work on their skills at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Elke Reid and/or David Frasure: Study Hall
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 3/9/16
All eight of UCB-NY's stellar weekend improv groups—including What I Did For Love (above left) and Goat (above right)—perform on this Wednesday for industry audiences in two blocks, starting at 6:30 pm (Airwolf, What I Did For Love, Goat, Grandma's Ashes) and at 9:00 pm (The Stepfathers, The Law Firm, Bucky, The Curfew). These are sold out of seats, but you can probably get in if if you arrive early on the standby line and are okay with standing for UCBT's I'm Cool Improv Showcase (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm, $5 per show, 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 free hours of improvisation—including an open-to-all improv jam at 6:00 pm; group Lovers, which includes the spectacular Dana Shulman and Tracy Mull at 7:00 pm; group Gypsy Danger, which includes Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman at 8:00 pm; and PIT owner Ali Farahnakian & friends at 10:25 pm—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Naomi Ekperigin (dynamite rising star stand-up; writer for Comedy Central's Broad City and Hulu's Difficult People; MTV, VH1, FX), Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Ashley Brooke Roberts (co-host of Fresh Out, sketch group Absolutely), and more performing at the only stand-up show at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Will Bleakley: The Sensible Show
7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Four hours of improv from eight groups—plus a free improv jam at 6:00 pm—at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 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 an 8:00 pm show 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 ($5): Storytelling about husbands and more from Jeff Simmerman, TJ Mannix, Greg Stone, Shalewa Sharpe, and Sharon Spell at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kambri Crews: Role Models
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12): Comics and/or writers Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of Punderdome 3000, The Unexpectashow, and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), Maria Konnikova contributing writer for The New Yorker; author of The Confidence Game and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes), Janelle James (stand-up), and Sara Yasin ("foul-mouthed Palestinian-American journalist") performing stand-up and/or being interviewed at Brooklyn's Union Hall for this show hosted by recent UK transplants Jon Ronson (New York Times bestselling author of The Men Who Stare At Goats and more; screenwriter; This American Life) and Maeve Higgins (Irish TV & radio star): I'm New Here, Can You Show Me Around?
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Amber Nelson (dynamic stand-up & character comic; Comedy Central, TruTV's Almost Genius; sketch group Murderfist), Matt Wayne (co-host of See You in Hell), Alison Leiby (host of It's a Long Story), Chris Laker, and Jordan Temple performing stand-up for this free bi-weekly show at the East Village's Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street, between Second and Third Avenues) hosted by Julia Johns & Carmen Lagala: Bowl Cut Comedy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: A monthly stand-up show that books comics from the same original area (i.e., outside of NYC) to perform long sets at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Trey Galyon: I'm Not From Here
8:00 pm ($10): A double-bill of one-man shows by Cole Orloff and Thomas Whittington at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): I Have a Job to Do and My Ass
8:30 pm ($5): A comedic play by sketch group Teen Radio about a teen serial killer at The PIT downstairs lounge, with stand-up Lisa Davey opening: Murder Beach
[FREE] 9:00 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 downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Legion of Skanks
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing for this free weekly stand-up show at Lucky Jack's Pub (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
9:00 pm ($5): Lauren Hope Krass, Will Mars, Derek Humphrey, Bob Hansen, and Luke Mones performing stand-up or music at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) guest-hosted by Aaron & Kyle Dersh: Everythign Is Dumbn: A Comedy & Music Showcase
9:00 pm ($5): All-gal improv groups compete for audience laughs and votes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by improv group Punch: Battlestar GIRLactica
[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
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A unique musical improv show in which scenes explode into popular songs with tunes you know but entirely made up lyrics. Instead of an improv pianist, this show uses a DJ spinning karaoke tracks at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) directed by Philip Markle (Executive Director of The Annoyance Theatre): Happy Karaoke Fun Time!
9:30 pm ($5): A staged reading of a comedic play written by James III in which NYC is invaded by aliens from outer space, with a seven-person cast including Jonathan Braylock, at The PIT downstairs lounge: How Things Are Now
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5; no min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United), Monroe Martin (finalist on this season's Last Comic Standing), 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), Chris Distefano (David Letterman, Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code), and Jourdain Fisher performing stand-up for this super-affordable weekly club show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): $5 Funnies: Judah Friedlander, Mark Normand, and More
[FREE] 10:00 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' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue), hosted by Chris Laker: The Show
[TOP PICK] 10:15 pm ($5): Improvisors make up scenes about obsessions at the UCB East theatre: The Fix
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: 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 (no cover, 1 drink min. 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 upstairs theatre hosted by Anthony Velez & Parker Denton: 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
11:00 pm ($3): 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 downstairs lounge: The Camel Butt
[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 upstairs theatre hosted by Matthew Tenenbaum: Punch & Pie
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Bernard Maynore and/or Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans at UCB East hosted by members of improv group Airwolf: Rotisserie Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 3/10/16
If you're funny and a talented writer, please consider submitting a short story to my fiction anthology Ghosts on Drugs. This book is shaping up to be a notable collection likely to expose you and your work to a wide range of new audiences. Pay is an above-market-rate upfront advance, plus a share of the royalties down the line. For full details, please click here.
Watch the Republican Debate live while it's being heckled a la Mystery Science Theatre 3000 by actual former MST3K co-host Frank Conniff, Myka Fox (freelance contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), and John Fugelsang (Sirius XM, ABC's America's Funniest Videos): Republican Debate Watch Party (8:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
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): Superb "overactors" Pat Swearingen, Jay Malsky, and more make up a ridiculous soap-operish TV movie on the spot at The PIT upstairs theatre: Made For TV Movie
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): In this last of this week's UCB for-industry events, the wonderful Jo FIrestone hosts a variety of talented sketch and improv comics—including a fully improvised new episode of Seinfeld—at the UCB Chelsea theatre: UCBT's I'm Cool Showcase Finale
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 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 an 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Matt Koff, Tim Dillon, Sarah Kennedy, Dave Rosinsky, Omar Shaukat, Amanda Luken, and David Spector performing stand-up, plus music from band The Spookfish, all at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Deepak Ananthapadmanabha & Hiram Becker: AbeMixture
7:30 pm ($5): Leah Evans & Matthew Schrader make up a fast-paced duo-dialogue mini-play in the style of an Aaron Sorkin movie or TV series at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Boozeroom
7:30 pm ($5): Matteo Lane, Carolyn Castiglia, Kevin McCaffrey, Rojo Perez, and Ramon Rivas performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The greatest science fiction anthology radio show of all time was X Minus One. Improvisors who know their genre history created this show in which they make up scenes of awe, mystery, and wonder at The PIT upstairs theatre—with an opening act from musical improv genius Evan Kaufman (Your Love Our Musical, North Coast) making up 1940s-style tunes: X Plus One
[TOP PICK] [FREE—and FREE BEER!] 8:00 pm: The Reformed Whores (raunchy comedic singing duo Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame; album Ladies Don't Spit; CBS’ The Doctors), Emma Willman (Sirius Radio), and Lily Karlin share their shit stories—needing to go at the worst moments, major accidents in pants, and so on—at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by the spectacular Natalie Wall: Awkward Poop...and the City
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($10): A comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) are shared by their original authors before total strangers at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street): Mortified
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Two veteran house improv groups, art-inspired improv from The Forgers Guild, themed improv show Hall of Mirrors ("every piece of this show reflects back some facet of every other piece, revealing the strange and spooky undercurrent of meaningful coincidence that might just underpin the universe as we know it"), and improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
8:00 pm ($5): LGBTQ comics Aaron Jackson (rising star and member of ace improv group What I Did For Love), Ginny Leise, Emma Willmann, Chris Doucette, and Gabe Morales performing stamd-up or storytelling at Chinatown's The Unicorn (105 Henry Street; take the F to East Broadway) hosted by Bobby Hankinson: Kweendom
8:00 pm ($5): Three improv house groups make up scenes for an hour at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Detention + Gun Club + Dim Wit
8:30 pm ($5): Character-based sketch comedy at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rachel Joravsky & Rachel Pegram: Peas in a Pod
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A comedic play written by Ryan Douglass, with a cast of seven directed by Anthony Oberbeck, spun off the fact "someone wrote a script titled Cut-Throat with Charlton Heston in mind for the lead and was able to hand it to him. Not much is known about the script other than Heston’s own belief that it 'seems to have been written without adequately researching the realities of competition tennis.' Unfortunately for us and Western culture, the movie was never made. Luckily, Ryan Douglass has written what he thinks that movie was probably about" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Cut-Throat
9:00 pm ($5): Riley Soloner (irresistible sketch comic specializing in silly characters; The Chris Gethard Show), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Robert Dean (co-host of Comedy at Alligator Lounge), and Ramon Rivas performing stand-up or characters at UCB East guest-hosted by Chris Thayer: Fresh Out
[$] [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): Todd Barry, Emma Willmann, and more at the only comedy club in the East Village, hosted by Sachin Shaan Bansal: Eastville Comedy Club
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Eight performers from the Ten Bones Theatre Company attempt to recreate cult classic Top Gun, with each using only what he or she can remember from seeing the movie years ago. To add to the fun are a few rules: "Performers must incorporate lines written by the audience; performers must incorporate any sound effect played by the tech booth; one lucky audience member will be given a bell that they can ring three times—once rung, the actors must create a scene that has no business being in Top Gun but makes perfect sense given where they are in the story" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Top Gun...Entirely From Memory
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Sasheer Zamata (cast member of SNL), Tim Dillon (Last Comic Standing), hosts Nathan Yaffe & Caldwell Tanner (The Drawfee Channel), and more performing stand-up or sketch at the UCB Chelsea theatre in the name of a popular comedy site: College Humor Live
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Justin Williams & Akash Bhasin: Death Comedy Jam
[FREE] 10:30 pm: "A curated hour of eclectic comedic material written in a week with no rehearsals" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improv groups Fuck That Shit and Higgins compete for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea for the raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): Rising star Langan Kingsley (What I Did For Love) and Nat Townsen (VICE, host of Downtown Variety) are guests on this show hosted by Gary Richardson, John Reynolds, Carmen Christopher, and Joey Dundale at the UCB East theatre: $$$
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
6:00 pm ($3): 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 downstairs lounge: Ladies Night Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Stand-up open mic in which 15 walk-ins whose names are drawn from a bucket get to tell jokes on stage for 4 minutes each at UCB East hosted Brandon Scott Wolf & Paul Oddo: Thursday Night 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 upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. 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
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for 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
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: A weekly improv jam hosted by group Salt at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Blender
[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
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): 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 downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Patrick Hastie: Beer, Booze, and Bits
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A supportively silly jam for duo improv (you'll be paired up on the spot) in which the audience shows "Good Scene!" at the end of every scene at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by improv group Judith: Good Scene!: A Judith Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 3/11/16
"Mike Reiss has won four Emmys during his 25 years writing for The Simpsons. In this lively presentation, he reveals stories from the show’s past—dealing with guest stars and network censors, and tales of the show’s fans (Pope Benedict) and detractors (George H. W. Bush). Reiss will also show rare clips from The Simpsons and his other animated creations The Critic and Queer Duck. Reiss ran The Simpsons in Season 4, which Entertainment Weekly called 'the greatest season of the greatest show in history.' He's lectured on The Simpsons at 300+ venues in 11 countries:" The Simpsons Backstage Tour with Mike Reiss (9:30 pm, $20, The PIT Upstairs Theatre 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, 7:30 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 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) and the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Friday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): All-gal improv from superb comics Katie Hartman, Rebecca Vigil, Tracy Mull, Brigid Boyle, and more at The PIT upstairs theatre: Ladies of The PIT
7:00 pm ($7): Comics and professional therapists team up to answer audience questions related to food and body at The Magnet theatre: Dragons & Dungeons
7:00 pm ($5): Three improv teams compete in this cutthroat battle for laughs. What's different about this cage match is it's determined by a human judge, the audience...and a dog. If there's a tie between the votes of the judge and audience, the guest canine will decide the fates of everyone based on which bowl this dog goes to first. It all happens at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Dog Fight
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, ace improvisors Connor Ratliff, Molly Lloyd, Terry Withers, and more somehow create an improvised murder mystery on the spot—with the audience helping to commit the crime: The Terry Withers Mysteries
7:30 pm ($10): 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!
7:30 pm ($5): A house sketch group that includes the wonderful Sarah Nowak performs at The PIT downstairs lounge: National Scandal
7:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups tell stories for this podcast being recorded live on stage at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sam Haft & Tommy Kang: Comedy Llama
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Myq Kaplan, Adrienne Iapalucci, Bonnie McFardland, and more performing stand-up at the HiFi Bar (169 Avenue A) hosted produced by Gary Levitt & Matt Schwartzer and guest-hosted by Julie Kottakis: I Don't Get It Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): "An interactive farce about a couple on the verge of a breakup. Their friends, portrayed by three audience members, must try to keep them together through deception, sneaking, and creative thinking. The couple continually clashes in a 5 minute loop and the audience can change their fate by learning from previous loops and making good choices. Will the audience be smart enough to save the relationship? Or will they doom them to eternal heartbreak?" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Groundhog Date
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20; no min.): Judah Friedlander, Dan Soder, and more performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): The Stand Friday
8:00 pm ($10): A sketch comedy troupe performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: Sorta Best Friends
8:00 pm ($10): Two PIT downstairs lounge improv groups making up a musical on the spot. Dagger includes Abby Holland (VH1's Best Night Ever, musical improv groups Aquarius and Veal), and Hello includes Lorraine Cink (especially lovely singing voice; host & writer of Marvel Comics' The Watcher): Dagger and Hello
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Comedy trio Eli Sairs, Joel Walkowski, and Jeff Wesselschmidt performs at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Wildcats
[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 Sebastian Conelli (2014 Cage Match Champion The Enemy): The Friday Night Sh*w
8:30 pm ($5): An autobiographical one-man show by Bill Santiago about the death of his father and birth of his daughter at the rarely-used, cozy PIT Attic: The Immaculate Big Bang
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Jordan Klepper, Silvija Ozols, Shannon O'Neill, Alexandra Dickson, 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 ($10): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): A show celebrating a modern dating site, with Chase Mitchell, Maris Kreizman, Sally Kohn, and Jordan Carlos performing at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street) hosted by Lane Moore followed by a free party: Tinder Live
9:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Boogie Manja
9:30 pm ($5): Comics "perform kooky bits based off online videos. The goal of the show is primarily to be louder than the jazz music coming from upstairs" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Matt Barats: Louder Than Jazz
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Storytellers David Lawson, Selena Coppock, and more share tales of relationships in front of a panel of comics and therapy experts who then give advice at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Lynn Bixenspan & Morgan Pielli: Relationshit
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which 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
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Petey DeAbreu invites three of his stand-up friends—who tonight are Leah Bonnema, Jeffrey Joseph, and Ian Fidance—to joke around with him at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Petey's World
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): 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 ($10): Brandon Scott Wolf, Boris Khaykin, Alan Starzinski, David Ebert, and Ayanna Dookie performing stand-up, sketch, storytelling, or improv at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
10:30 pm ($5): This variety show features stand-up, characters, dance, improv, and/or more at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Carmen Christopher: The Juice
10:30 pm ($5): Improvisors springboard scenes off of actual NYC police reports of oddball crimes at The PIT downstairs lounge: Internal Investigation
11:00 pm ($5): "A sketch comedy show for hospice patients demonstrating that death isn’t only fun, but also funny" at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Last Show You'll Ever See
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): This monthly stand-up, storytelling, and carny show brings the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, with storytelling from Sofia Stefanovic and host Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life), stand-up from Justin Williams and Yamaneika Saunders, and burlesque from Dandy Dillinger & Minnie D'Moocha at the UCB East theatre: And I Am Not Lying
[$] Midnight ($30 at the door or $22.09 in advance online—please arrive early to nab a seat): NYC comics perform stand-up in the nude (audience members can choose to be clothed or naked) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: The Naked Show
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 Kimberly Sparkle Stewart & Sydney Beveridge: 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 (no cover, 1 drink min. 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
[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
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Walk-in open mic that allows everyone to get on stage at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): $1 Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT improv veterans mix with improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge 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
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Walk-in open mic (signup at 10:45 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 Kimberly Sparkle Stewart: Working Late Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Improv is dominated by guys...and for no good reason. A way to help remedy this situation are shows like this one, which is an open improv jam for any gal wanting to participate, at any experience level, at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Lady Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 3/12/16
Buy the newest album from the delightful Reformed Whores and help these gals reach their crowdfunding goal (they're already 96% of the way there!) by clicking here.
Grace Parra (writer/performer for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore) and Jennifer Bartels (Friends Of The People) host this female-empowered sex comedy talk show. "We're talking celeb guests. We're talking sex experts. We're talking raunchy factoids. We're talking songs, audience giveaways, diagrams, PowerP—wait, did you say 'diagrams'? We sure did. You're a lady in the streets. You're a freak in the sheets. You are Lady/Freak (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union 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 $) include:
[$] 5:00 pm ($15): A one-man autobiographical show by Lon Blais about growing up with nine siblings at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) : The Boy on the Bureau
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Ben Conrad, Lizzy Mazzucchelli, Will Carey, and Will Watkins each perform a different 10-minute stand-up every Saturday in March at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Grant Lindahl: The 8
6:00 pm ($5): Four Indie improv troupes performing at The Magnet theatre: The Rundown
6:30 pm ($5): International improvisors use their native languages & diverse backgrounds to make up scenes in unique ways at The PIT downstairs lounge: Passport
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the country's finest stand-ups spread among the 7:00, 8:45, 10:30, and 12:15 shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): 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 upstairs theatre: BBC2 and The Quitters
7:00 pm ($5): Three improv groups performing at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): New Year, New You + Fetch + Distant Cousins
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): "Musical sketch comedy that skewers and dissects pop culture one roll of the dice at at time" at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street in Brooklyn; take R subway to Union Street): Pop Roulette
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): 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 Shane O'Neill—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 ($7): Political activists and pundits mix with comics at this political comedy show that makes fun of the news at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Electoral Dysfunction
7:30 pm ($10): Duo sketch from Brooklynites Brooks Russell & C.S. Rutledge at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Shorts Show: Tourist Trap
7:30 pm ($8): Stand-ups perform on this month's theme of Love at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Lauren Krass: Laughter School Special
[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 upstairs theatre: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A comedic play written by Rollie Williams, with a cast of four, in which "a deadly collapse traps you and the other miners deep and dark, down beneath the surface of the Earth with almost no hope of rescue" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Dark Down Deep Down Dark
[FREE—plus FREE BEER!] 8:00 pm: Phoebe Robinson (Seth Meyers, Last Comic Standing, Broad City, MTV’s Girl Code, Totally Biased, co-host of 2 Dope Queens), Kevin Avery (staff writer for HBO's Last Week With John Oliver), Michelle Buteau (daily host of VH1's Morning Buzz; FOX's Enlisted, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, VH1's Best Week Ever, @midnight), Jordan Carlos (writer/correspondent for The Nightly Show; MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Guy Court, HBO's Girls, Comedy Central, VH1, Adult Swim), and Matt Pavich (MTV2's Joking Off) performing stand-up at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Peggy O'Learn & Lucas Connolly: Hard, Lonely, and Vicious
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): 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): An improvised apocalypse from superb comics Anthony Atamanuik, John Murray, Sean Casey, Jackie Jennings, Joanna Bradley, Chad Carter, and/or Joel Weidel at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Goat
[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 downstairs lounge: North Coast
9:00 pm ($10): Emmy award winning writer Brian McCann (Conan O'Brien) hosts a fully improvised talk show in which he interviews members of the audience—maybe including you—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Talk. Show.
9:00 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors Nick Kanellis & Alex Marino make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
9:00 pm ($10): NYC stand-ups performing for this weekly show at Brooklyn's The Experiment Comedy Gallery (20 Broadway) hosted by Camille Harris, Camille Theobald, Michael Lewis, and/or Mo Fathelb: The Weekend Drop
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): NYC's heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy, won the ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group, was written up by Jason Zinoman in The New York Times, and performs tonight at The PIT upstairs theatre: Murderfist
9:30 pm ($5): Long-form improv with a playful title directed by Conner O'Malley at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Michael Jordan Steakhouse
9:30 pm ($5): Stand-ups and improvisors performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Patrick Holbert: End of the Line Comedy
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): A powerhouse group of improvisors—Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Langan Kingsley (rising star; sketch group Beige, one-woman show The Dicewoman Cometh), Aaron Jackson (Fuck That Shit, Newsadoozies), Natasha Vaynblat (one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), and Nate Dern (News Editor for Funny or Die)—springboard scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life at the UCB East theatre: What I Did For Love
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: "Starting in 1982, the city of Atlanta threw an annual party called Freaknik which essentially became the largest black spring break party in the country. The party became so big and wild that the city shut it down for good in 1996. But comedians Andy Sandford and Noah Gardenswartz are bringing Freaknik back...to Long Island City. 'Comedy Freaknik' will be a lot like the original Freaknik, except it’s going to happen once a month, and it will be a comedy show hosted by three white guys. That’s basically the only difference" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Freaknik
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($20): Charismatic and hilarious rising star David Carl transforms into Gary Busey—and portrays child-like Busey doing a one-man version of the psychologically complex masterpiece Hamlet. The result is consistently inventive, joyful, and laugh-out-loud funny. This was my second favorite show—out of 196—at the 2014 FringeNYC, went on to further acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is one of the funniest shows in New York, period. David is reviving his show for a run through this summer at The PIT Loft, starting tonight. If you haven't seen GBOMH, don't miss this wonderful opportunity to do so at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street). And if you have, share it with a loved one who's been deprived of GBOMH: Gary Busey's One-Man Hamlet (As Performed by David Carl)
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): 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
[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—which tonight is Sold Out—at The Magnet theatre: The Cast: Sold Out Edition
10:30 pm ($10): Comics of Latin American descent perform at The PIT downstairs lounge: Latinx
[FREE] 11:00 pm: The stellar Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, Seth Meyers, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update) and other stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Tommy Kang: Last Stop Laughs
11:30 ($5): Comics playing characters answer obscure quiz questions in this comedic game show at UCB East hosted by Vincent Moore: Best Answer
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): "Real-life lovers Diana Kolsky & Murf Meyer bring you the live counterpart to their saucy podcast, a fun, ballsy, raucous variety show about the audience" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Menage a Trois Radio After Dark
[FREE] Midnight: "Food sketches, street food interviews, and live cooking" at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): So You Think You Can Rap
Saturday Open Mics and Jams
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show, with names drawn out of a bucket, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Rachel Coleman: Let's Be Friends
[FREE] 10:30 pm: If you're female, this is your chance to get on stage for an improv jam hosted by all-gal group Gun Club at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) followed by a dance party: Twat the Night: Gal Improv Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 3/13/16
Genius improvisors from Chicago—including ISC founder Blaine Swen—delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the start of a three-night NYC run, with every show on every evening utterly different from the last. As I write this, tonight's 7:00 pm show is sold out, but there are still tickets for the 9:30 pm show here (use discount code OPHELIA). Plus you can even get into the sold-out shows if you arrive early and are okay with sitting on stairs (with tickets discounted to $20) instead of theatre seats. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company (7:00 pm & 9:30 pm, $25 using discount code OTHELLO or $20 if you opt to sit on stairs, Theatre 80 St. Marks at 80 St. Marks Place off First Avenue)
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] [FREE] 5:00 pm: Comics performing funny characters audition at The Magnet to appear in the most prestigious comedy festival in Canada: Just for Laughs Character Auditions
5:30 pm ($5): Improvisors who cut across all regions and schools come together for one evening at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Supernova
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 superb improvisors Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (half of revered improv group Krompf): Indie Cage Match
7:00 pm ($5): Myka Fox, Tyler Richardson, and Sean O'Brien make up jokes on the spot based on pictures you and the rest of your audience submit via the Crowd Source app at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Forrest Haigh: Crowd Sourced Comedy
7:00 pm ($5): Three scripted shows for the price of one at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Triple Feature
7:00 pm ($5): Brandon Scott Wolf, Liz Acury, and more perform stand-up on this show that features an equal number of male and female comics at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jen Flanagan: Cootie Free Zone Comedy Show
[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Bunga's Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) hosted by Jimmy LeChase: Church!
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Shannon O'Neill and Anthony Atamanuik, and sometimes network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 five shows, with three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Sunday
7:30 pm ($7): Sketch comics perform their material, and then improvisors make up scenes that further explore those worlds of sketch at The Magnet theatre: Works Cited
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 downstairs lounge: Student Driver Indie Road
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($15; no min.): Judah Friedlander, Joe List, Pete Lee, and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue off 20th Street): The Stand Sunday
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do their best to impress at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) in these auditions to perform in the most prestigious comedy festival in Canada: Just for Laughs Stand-Up Auditions, Part 1 (Part 2 is at 10:00 pm)
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Typically superb improvisors make up theatrical scenes at The PIT downstairs theatre for this weekly show produced by Sarah Nowak (The Baldwins): People Improvising
8:00 pm ($5): Phil Hanley, Christi Chiello, Doug Smith, Peggy O'Leary, Kevin Iso, Nate Fridson, and Ramon Rivas II performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It
8:30 pm ($5): What appears to be an uninspired science parody sketch show (click for video promo) at The PIT downstairs lounge: Dr. Professor PhD
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors Louis Kornfeld & Rick Andrews make up scenes at The Magnet theatre: Kornfeld & Andrews
9:00 pm ($7): Typically solid stand-ups perform at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Clark Jones, and/or Kenny DeForest: Comedy Night at the Knit
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Tom Cassidy & Matt Pavich: Have Fun
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do their best to impress at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) in these auditions to perform in the most prestigious comedy festival in Canada: Just for Laughs Stand-Up Auditions, Part 2 (Part 1 was at 8:00 pm with an entirely different group of comics)
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Group Medusa turns a calamity selected by the an audience member into an improvised documentary live on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Medusa Presents Improv Against Humanity
Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (put your name in the bucket, drawings every half hour), providing 4 minutes per comic at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Intestinal Fortitude
[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
[ALMOST FREE] 5:00 pm ($1): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam
5:15ish pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Weekly open mic stand-up, with comics selected from names tossed into a bucket starting at 4:55 pm, at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Aaron Glaser, Irene Hartmann, and/or Carlos Delgado: Sunday Open Mic
9:30 pm ($3): Open-mic comedy, with 3-5 minutes per walk-in performer who signs up (first come, first serve) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Will Neville: Amateur Night At The Gemini
[FREE] 10:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show (sign up is at 9:45 pm) providing 5 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from the bucket at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Ian Kitchen: The Grandstand
[FREE] 10:00 pm: 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
Copyright © 2016 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
