NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 5/15/18
Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents; former writer & correspondent for FX's Totally Biased), Ophira Eisenberg (NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!), John Fugelsang (former host of America's Funniest Home Videos), Robin Fox (Nickmom Night Out, Lifetime, WE), and Mick Diflo perform stand-up hosted by the exceptionally kind and charming John Morrison at Morrison Motel (8:30 pm; $20 at the door—which includes one drink—if you mention code HyReviews.com or BestNewYorkComedy.com [otherwise $25]; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319 because this show often sells out; West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe at 29 Cornelia Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation—including at 8:00 pm group Poor Melissa, which features superb comics Dana Shulman & Adrian Sexton—at The PIT Underground: Super Free Monday
7:00 pm ($7): Skilled improvisors David Rysdahl & Paul Gutkowski make up a play on the spot at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) as improv duo True East
7:00 pm ($7): Improv from group Pez Junket, plus stand-up from Louis Melendez and Aaron Rosen, at The PIT Mainstage: Pez Junket and Friends
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
7:30 pm ($7): Comedy groups The Nitro GIrls and Just Karen perform sketch comedy at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Sketch Teams
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Character comics—including brilliant writer/performers Filip Jeremic, Phoebe Tyers, and more—perform their favorite solo bits for this "Best Of" show demonstrating their impressive talent at UCB East hosted by Frank Garcia-Hejl & Justin Tyler. This is one of my favorite monthly events, and I especially recommend it if you're a producer, casting director, or other industry pro in search of sharp comedy actors: Characters Welcome: Best Of Show Edition
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, MTV), Joel Kim Booster (Conan O'Brien, Billy on the Street), Merrill Davis (Comedy Central's Anotehr Period), Rob Haze, and Drew Michael perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) guest-hosted by Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, host of First Set, comedy album True Love): Night Train
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts a great lineup of Judah Friedlander, Michelle Wolf, Carmen Lynch, Sam Morril, and more trying out fresh stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a one-man play by Geoff Garlock about memories of a classic music festival: Rock and Roll Will Never Die...
...and in the second other of this double bill, sketch comedy that aims to have you "laughing until blood pours out of your throat and eyes and you die and you go to hell and you're like 'god damn that was worth it!' to Satan and he'll be like 'Yeah, I know, I was there, it was dope':" O.S.F.U.G. The Fast Fuckin' Sketch Show
8:00 pm ($7): "A live episode of the long-forgotten 1978 musical TV show In the Giant's Soup" peformed by Kirk Stevens & Mike Wirsch at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): In The Giant's Soup
[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 ($10): Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and The Incredible Game Show Showcase, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers) performs stand-up with thosts Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan stand-up; killer set on Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central, Adult Swim; for a very special one-minute set at Carolines, please click here; for Joe's Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here; co-host of the Dan + Joe + Charles Show) and Dan Licata (The Chris Gethard Show; co-host of the Dan + Joe + Charles' Show), plus music from Holland Patent Public Library, Leapling, and Yazan, all at Brooklyn's Baby's All Right (146 Broadway): Dan & Joe's Stand-Up & Music Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Robert Kelly (Louie, HBO, CBS' upcoming The 2-2, two Comedy Central specials) hones a long stand-up set at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Robert Kelly Working Out
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Kate Willett (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, VICE's Flophouse, comedy album Glass Gutter), Myka Fox (SNL freelance contributor; host of Myka Fox & Friends podcast on Keith and The Girl Network), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Liz Barrett, Alex Ptak, Dean Masello, and Momoh Pujeh perform at this free weekly stand-up show at Brooklyn's Freddy's Backroom (627 Fifth Avenue) hosted by Calvin Cato (Oxygen's My Crazy Love) and RIchard James: Ed Sullivan on Acid
9:00 pm ($7): Harrisburg Improv Theatre founders Jake Compton & Paul Barker make up scenes based on the "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist at The Magnet theatre: Missed Connections Two-Prov
9:00 pm ($10): A two-person play by Courtney Ulrich & Ryan Wesley in which "five years after the fateful Ham Factory fire of 2012 that cut short her acting career, former Ham Factory owner turned Life Coach Jon Ham helps Courtney on her journey of redemption as she remounts her unauthorized one-woman adaptation of The Miracle Worker titled The Worker's Miracle" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Courtney, Ryan, and The Great Ham Factory Fire of 2012
9:30 ($5): House sketch groups Archnemesis and A Few Sandwich Lovers try out new material at UCB Chelsea for Maude Night
9:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Chelsea Clarke, Anthony Apruzzese, and/or Steve Theiss host and perform this show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself; Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It; opens for Amy Schumer), Dan Soder (cast member on Showtime's Billions; film Trainwreck; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), and more perform for this free weekly show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays
10:00 pm ($7): Improv group That's Dinner makes up an entire movie that never existed based on a suggestion from the audience at The PIT Mainstage: That's Dinner and a Movie
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($7): Storytellers share their true "coming out" tales, and then improvisors make up either a play or a musical based on each story at The Magnet theatre hosted by Laura (Dubbs) Weinblatt: Thank You For Coming Out: An LGBTQ Event
10:30 pm ($7): Improvisors face the elements—fire, fog, floods, whatever the wind blows—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): FX
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE; reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea hosted by Aparna Nancherla (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There): Whiplash
Monday Open Mics & Jams
4:30 pm-7:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 5-6 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer who shows up time on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Jacob Lie & Stu Melton: Raining Buckets
6:00 pm ($3): A walk-in stand-up open mic hosted by Katherine Dudas and a walk-in improv jam hosted by Collin Gossel somehow happen at the same time at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Improv Open Mic Stand-Up Jam
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv veterans Chelsea Clarke, Anthony Apruzzese, and/or Steve Theiss host and perform in this 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 Underground for this weekly open access show hosted by such improv talents as Gary DeNoia and Langston Belton at The PIT Underground: Base Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 5/16/17
A rare NYC stand-up set by comedy treasure Jeff Garlin (brilliant comic who stars on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and ABC's The Goldbergs, and who has a uniquely laid-back, anecdote-based stand-up style that's a delight), plus stand-ups Peggy O'Leary, Jay Gillespie, and Tyler Richardson, musician Jes Hudak, and more performing for Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard 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 ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Jim Norton (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; hosted HBO stand-up showcase Down and Dirty; former cast member of HBO sitcom Lucky Louie; HBO half-hour One Night Stand; feature film Spider-Man; regular on The Opie & Anthony Show; author of book Happy Endings) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Jim Norton: Work In Progress
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions, preceded at 6:00 pm by an improv jam open to the audience: Magnet Musical Megawatt
7:00 pm ($7): Comedic storytellers tell tales accompanied by videos, with tonight's guests Lucie Pohl (Red Dwarf), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Half Hour), and Chris O'Neil, plus The Improv Group Who Takes Off Real Clothes making up scenes springboarding off the stories, all at The PIT Underground hosted by Harmon Leon: Videotale
7:00 pm ($7): In this double-bill, first gal trio Dani Letsche, Case Watson, and Alison Wien perform sketch comedy, and then duo Chris O'Neill & Paul Valenti—who haven't performed together for four years—reunite to create yet more sketch comedy, all at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Thank You for Your Cervix + The Chris and Paul Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Brett Davis (HBO; creator/host of weekly Manhattan cable TV show The Special Without Brett Davis; co-host of The Macaulay Culkin Show; winner of the 2015 Andy Kaufman Award) performs his best characters for this special hour-long showcase at the UCB East theatre: Brett Davis Is Not Real
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Scientists, geeks, and writers tell tales related to science—with this month's topic "Invisibility: from the struggle to remain invisible in the field to the struggle to be visible in the lab"—at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by Ben Lillie & Erin Barker: Story Collider: Invisibility
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts), Kate Willett (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, VICE's Flophouse, comedy album Glass Gutter), Luke Mones (Funny Or Die), Ryan Donahue, Eric Neumann, and Stavros Hakias perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Bar Schimmi (54 North 11th Street) hosted by Ryan Reszelbach: Creative Rezistance Comedy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Sketch and improv comics "create a brand new show in only one week, and then perform improvised sketches based off of your suggestions, just like The Second City used to do"—plus an extra special opener for tonight only, star Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There; opens for Tig Notaro; hosts top weekly NYC stand-up show Whiplash), all at The PIT Mainstage produced & directed by Jane Kehoe: Old School Sketch Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
[FREE; plus FREE DRAFT BEER 8:00-8:30!] 8:00 pm: Doug Smith (Conan O'Brien, co-host of See You In Hell), Peggy O'Leary (host of Hard Lonely and Vicious and Creek Cave Live), Marisa Douenias (Louie), and Nina Daniels (Maron) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Two Boots Pizza Williamsburg (558 Driggs Avenue) hosted by Lucas Connolly, David Piccolomini, and Jake Fromm: Ambush Comedy
8:00 pm ($5): UCB house groups Ice Cold Bev and By the Book make up scenes using the long improv form called The Harold at the UCB Chelsea theatre (see also 9:30 pm): Harold Night, Part 1
[FREE, plus FREE BEER] 8:00 pm: Enjoy a comfy seat and a free beer while you watch comedy at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Couch Cave Live
[FREE] 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): Superb improvisors and guest improv groups join host Skycopter (which includes David Carl) to make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT Underground: Act One
9:00 pm ($7): Clips from B-movies (and worse) are screened in between comics performing stand-up, sketch, characters, and/or improv at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Mitch Lucas: The Super 8 Show
9:30 pm ($7): A semi-scripted sketch/improv show in which 8th graders go on a trip to Washington DC to learn about the pros and cons of porn at the UCB East theatre hosted by Becky Chicoine & Rachel Wenitsky: Theme Party: Class Trip to DC
9:30 pm ($7): "The kids in Ms. Stevens AP English class were given a big assignment when the semester started: creatively combine all the texts on their reading list into one short play. But the life of a senior is busy, and they might have put it off a little too long. See The Catcher in the Rye, Oedipus Rex, Jane Eyre, and more somehow smushed together with teen angst, SAT vocab words, and plot lines from The Vampire Diaries the teens are praying their teacher doesn't notice" at The PIT Mainstage: Ms. Stevens' AP English Class Presents: A Play
9:30 pm ($5): UCB house groups Fluffty and Moose make up scenes using the long improv form called The Harold at the UCB Chelsea theatre (see also 8:00 pm): Harold Night, Part 2
[FREE] 10:00 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
10:00 pm ($7): Comics perform deliberately stupid sketches, characters, and/or stand-up at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jennica Delancey & Hoyt Schermerhorn: Make America Fart Again
10:00 pm ($7): Stand-ups (not announced) perform at The PIT Underground: Heaps of Comedy: A Stand-Up Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Hasan Minhaj (correspondent for The Daily Show; breakthrough star performance at the recent White House Correspondents' Association Dinner; Netflix special Homecoming King) tries out new stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Hasan Minhaj: Experiment Time
11:00 pm ($5): Going beyond the classic Harold, group Some Kid performs whatever type of long form improv it likes at the UCB East theatre: Harold on the Run
11:00 pm ($7): Three improv groups each perform a murder mystery addressing the question "Who Murdered Phil?" at The PIT Underground hosted by group Frog Basker: You're Dead To Us, Phil
11:00 pm ($7): Improv teams make up scenes springboarding off 30-second videos they've never seen before at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by improv group Ice Cold Milk: Curated Chaos
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): Walk-in stand-up open mic at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Giggles & Bits Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv veterans to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory
[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] 9:00 pm: Weekly open mic for any kind of act (with sign-up starting at 8:30) at Brooklyn's Little Skips (941 Willoughby Avenue) hosted by Joe Crow Ryan: Tuesday Night Open Mic
11:00 pm ($5): Ten stand-ups whose names are drawn from a "golden bowl of destiny" will be given stage time, along with a few invited stand-ups, at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Will Purpura: Bring It
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 5/17/17
Stellar comics John Hodgman, Scott Adsit, David Rees, Ted Leo, Jean Grae, Mark Gagliardi, and more perform "a trio of tales from the Golden Age of Hollywood, where truth is stranger than fiction:" Acker & Blacker’s Tales from the Black Lagoon (7:30 pm, $25, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth 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:
[FREE] 6:00 pm-midnight: Six hours of free improvisation—including musical improv from group Vern (which includes superb singer & comic Julie A. Feltman) at 7:15 pm, such stellar improvisors as Pat Swearingen and Langston Belton in Hero Complex at 8:30 pm, and star instructors such as Dana Shulman, Adrian Sexton, Chris Booth, and sometimes even PIT owner Ali Reza Farahnakian at The Faculty at 10:00 pm, all at The PIT Mainstage: Super Free Wednesday
6:00 pm ($7): Improvisors interview an audience member about his or her high school experiences and then use the anecdotes as springboards for scenes at The PIT Underground: Back to School
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Noah Forman & Kristen Acimovic host this new version of game show Jeopardy!, "which already totally rocks. New rules, tweaks, and surprises make it rock even harder, leading three money-grubbing contestants through a gut-busting gauntlet of tough trivia, confounding clues, and emotional soul-searching," with guests Connor Ratliff (brilliant improvisor & sketch comic; The Stepfathers, The George Lucas Talk Show), The Chris Gethard Show comics Murf Meyers & David Bluvband, and Cathryn Mudon (Improvised Seinfeld, Higgins) all competing at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Better Jeopardy
[$] 7:00 pm ($20): A play based on the premise "What if being gay was the social norm and coming out as straight was the taboo?" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): A Straight Play
7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Four hours of improv from eight groups—plus a free improv jam at 6:00 pm—at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
[FREE] 7:00 pm: A half-dozen students of a storytelling class taught by the lovely Cyndi Freeman (The Colbert Report, Moth StorySlam champion, two-time FringeNYC award winner, star burlesque performer) do their best to entertain you at Chinatown's The Unicorn (105 Henry Street; take the F to East Broadway): Cyndi Freeman's Storytelling Class Showcase
7:00 pm ($7): Annemarie Cullen & Keilana Decker perform improv with guests at The PIT Underground: Delightful & Company
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
7:30 pm ($7): NYC stand-ups Dina Hashem, Casey James Salengo, Julie Kottakis, and Brandon Collins perform at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Babe Parker & Davey Stevey Dave: Neato Bedito
7:30 pm ($5): Extending the improv showcased at UCB Chelsea's Tuesday Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which features house groups seventeen, Hotel Hotel, and Zaddy also making up scenes via the long improv form called The Harold: Lloyd Night
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, host of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, HBO's Down and Dirty, National Lampoon, Comedy Central special Passive Aggressive), Sydnee Washington, and Nick Padilla "tell their funniest true stories" at Brooklyn's Excelsior Bar (563 Fifth Avenue, between 15th & 16th Streets) hosted by Sean O'Brien & Chris Ryan: Dummies & Company
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a mostly fun sketch comedy gathering of "the world's foremost cryptozoologists, monster hunters, and friends of freaky fauna, will convene at our top-secret headquarters under a grocery store to unveil the year's most fascinating and grotesque new beastly discoveries:" Monsters Exist...
...and in the second other of this double bill, Mark Vigeant springboards off audience suggestions to create and launch a website on the spot: Let's Make a Website
8:00 pm ($10): A musical improv and stand-up show that features a live band providing musical accompaniment to jokes, with guests Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts), Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, MTV), Samantha Ruddy, Ryan Schutt, Robert Dean, Tom Thakkar, and Jennie Sutton performing stand-up or music at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by Yedoye Travis: Rent Party
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Young and/or struggling NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) produced by Meghan O'Malley, Adrian Davidson, and Erick Hellwig: Barely Making It
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Stand-ups tell deliciously long tales, with tonight's yarn-spinners Ben Bailey (Emmy Award-winning host of Cash Cab and NBC's Who's Still Standing?; Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno), David Juskow (Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program and Dr. Katz Professional Therapist, TV Funhouse, film The Wrestler), and host DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, ABC's The Unusuals), all performing at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Storytelling
8:30 pm ($7): A play about Mel & Luis Chuds, a married couple that, a la Sonny & Cher, recently divorced each other yet are still hosting a popular TV variety show together: "Trying to keep it together while their past demons haunt them during their live telecast, things eventually spiral out of control in this dark yet hilarious take on life, love, and loss during the biggest of all stakes" at at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The CHUDS Variety Hour
8:30 pm ($7): Storytellers share tales of bad dates, and then improvisors create scenes that make those bad dates even worse at The PIT Underground hosted by Ryan Darden: Bad Date Theater
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; stellar new comedy album Live at Webster Hall), Dave Smith, Luis J. Gomez, and other NYC comics "discussing the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this weekly podcast taping at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Legion of Skanks
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Comedic storytellers tell tales about losing their virginity at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Angela Cobb: My First Time: A Stand-Up and Storytelling Show
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Half Hour), Kyle Ploof (MTV), Mike Feeney (truTV’s Late Night Snack), Justin Williams (Comedy Central; host of Death Comedy Jam), Chelsea Hood, and Pete Mutino performing for this free weekly stand-up show at Lucky Jack's Pub (129 Orchard Street) produced by Lance Weiss & Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:15 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East hosted by Doug Mo and/or Ben Rameaka: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[TOP PICK] 9:30 ($7): A show in which over a dozen talented female improvisors parody all-gal opinion shows such as The View—and, according to the UCB site, tonight features special guest Rosie O'Donnell!—at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Female Gaze
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): A one-man show by Rich Kameda about the dark period in US history when Japanese citizens during WWII were unjustly imprisoned in interment camps—seen from the perspective of a magician trying to entertain his fellow prisoners—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): An Internment Camp Magic Show
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Storytellers share true tales hosted by Jenna Marucci & Aileen Think at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Jenna & Aileen Think You're Great
[TOP PICK] 10:15 pm ($5): Improvisors pair up as scene-inventing duos for one night only at the UCB East theatre hosted by stellar comics Leslie Meisel & Brian Faas: Couples Skate
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): "Logan is 7 years old and hosts a late night talk show in his bedroom when he's supposed to be asleep. The monster in his closet is his warm-up comic, furious because he knows he's imaginary! His sidekick, Bunny, is a stuffed animal terrified at the thought of meeting another rabbit, and his house band is a motley crew of action figures and misfit toys. There will be music, real guests, and genuine conversation until Logan eventually gets too tired and falls asleep...probably" featuring stellar comics Connor Ratliff, Sebastian Conelli, and more at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Way Past Your Bedtime
11:00 pm ($7): Improv group Breakfast Boys perform and host other improv groups consisting of 2-4 people at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Breakfast Boys Present Small Teams Show
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 ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Sign up at 5:45 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with veteran improvisors: Magnet Mixer Wednesday
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Your chance to improvise on stage at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Anthony Velez: Recess
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic stand-up providing 4 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com to sign up, or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45, at Brooklyn's Halyards Bar (406 Third Avenue) hosted by Lukas Kaiser: Comics Phoning It In
11:00 pm ($5): Weekly open mic that provides 5 minutes per comic, with sign-up at 10:00 pm (maximum of 12 comics, so arrive early), at The PIT Underground hosted by Max Halpert: Awkward High Five Open Mic
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Bernard Maynore and/or Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans: The Improv Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 5/18/17
A stellar lineup of Josh Gondelman (writer/producer for HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker), Naomi Ekperigin (dynamite rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Half Hour; writer for Comedy Central's Broad City and Hulu's Difficult People; MTV, VH1, FX), Emmy Blotnick (rising star; staff writer & warm-up comic for Comedy Central's spectacular The President Show; writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), and Dan Chamberlain (hilarious larger-than-life character actor & sketch performer; sketch writer for Above Average) perform for this free monthly stand-up show hosted by Sachi Ezura & Taylor Moore: What's Your Damage? (8:00ish pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Grand Bar & Grill at 647 Grand 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 ($20): Stand-up from Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot) and Myka Fox (SNL freelance contributor; host of Myka Fox & Friends podcast on Keith and The Girl Network), plus music from Jen Kwok, for this show benefiting The New York Abortion Access Fund (and followed by a meetup covering ways to take action) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Jenn Dodd & hosted by Selena Coppock (Amazon's Red Oaks, VH1, author of book The New Rules for Blondes): Cause & Affect
7:00 pm ($5): Adam Hamway performs his impression of Jimmy Fallon hosting The Tonight Show,with fellow impressionists playing celebrity guests, at The PIT Mainstage: Fallon Tonight
7:00 pm ($7): Stand-ups tell stories which improvisors then turn into TV movies at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Catherine Cypher, Emily Duke, and Christina Sirabian: Live or Die
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and 8:00 & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Michelle Wolf (star stand-up who's also a star writer/correspondent for The Daily Show; previously staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers), Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents; former writer & correspondent for FX's Totally Biased), Ben Blanchard, Kevin Bartini, and Eman El-Hussein perform stand-up at UCB East produced by Carol Hartsell and hosted by Sean Crespo & Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
7:30 pm ($7): Real-life couples perform duo improv The PIT Underground hosted by Nate Foster & Raquel Powell: Couples' Retreat
[$] 7:30 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.) A former MTV icon you either love or actively avoid headlines through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Tom Green
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, musical comic Eric Gersen attempts to move himself up to the first page of search results for his name on Google: Gersenality: One Man's Search for Google Greatness...
...and in the second half of this double bill, dynamite musical improvisors including Zack Willis, Aaron Jackson, Lauren Adams, Josh Sharp, Jeff Hiller, and/or more this year destroyed 10 improv groups in a row at Thursday's Cage Match. Come see why audiences can't resist how these superb comics make up stories with songs: Rumpleteaser: Musical Improv
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups, themed improv show Hero (making up a brand new superhero...played by eight improvisors exploring such questions as "What does it mean to be a hero? What does it mean to be human?"), and improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An all-gal lineup of stand-ups, storytellers, character comics, and improvisors performing at The PIT Mainstage hosted by the women of group Darling Satan: She Makes Me Laugh
[FREE] 8:00ish pm: Rising star Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), plus Melissa Diaz, Danny McWilliams, Sagar Bhatt, and Bob Kitson perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Hungry Ghost Cafe/Bar (781 Fulton Street, between Fulton and South Oxford Streets) hosted by Keenan Steiner & Thiago Macklin: Comedy at the Corner
[FREE] 8:00 pm: A monthly showcase of both stand-ups and improvisors at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue), hosted by stand-up Nick Maritato and improv troupe Priest and the Beekeeper: Pig Pile
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A great lineup of Judah Friedlander, Michelle Wolf, Rachel Feinstein, Keith Alberstadt, Jessica Kirson, Phil Hanley, and more trying out new stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
8:30 pm ($7): Group Hot Boss hosts comedy about jobs at The PIT Underground capped by an audience member excoriating his or her boss and coworkers: Hot Boss: Happy Hour
8:30 pm ($7): A five-guy improv group interviews an audience member about his or her problems and then makes up scenes to solve them The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Wrassling With Your Problems
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several TV shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts), Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents; former writer & correspondent for FX's Totally Biased), Josh Sharp (superb sketch writer/performer; CBS' Two Broke Girls, MTV, IFC's How Shit Works, co-host of Cool Shit/Weird Shit), Riley Soloner (irresistible sketch comic specializing in silly characters; The Chris Gethard Show), and Maria Shehata perform stand-up at UCB East hosted by rising stars Jim Tews (Louie, Last Comic Standing, host of Homeschooled, New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York), and/or Ashley Brooke Roberts (energetic, enormously likeable stand-up; writer for Nat Geo and MTV's Guy Code): Fresh Out
9:00 pm ($6): Kate Willett (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, VICE's Flophouse, comedy album Glass Gutter), Eman El-Husseini, Amy Buchwald, Venessa Lince, Cindee Weiss, and Matt Nedostup perform stand-up or storytelling at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sue Funke & Katie Compa: Happy Place Comedy
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): The Emmy-winning writers of The Daily Show gather on the UCB Chelsea stage to perform an all-improvised Non-Daily Show
9:30 pm ($10): Comics who all met at Brown University perform scripted comedy at The PIT Mainstage: Rad Motel Sketch Comedy
9:30 pm ($7): "A former college liberal is the only one who can stop the evil Hillary Clinton from committing the world's most heinous crime" in this play at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Flouridians
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC magicians try out new material, with some stand-up thrown in, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by mind reader Eric Dittelman (America’s Got Talent, Ellen): Amazeballs
10:00 pm ($7): Comics (not announced) perform stand-up, sketch, and/or improv at The PIT Underground hosted by Caitlin Arcand: Sketchy Stand Prov
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7): Last week indie improv group Funky Hard Beats ripped in half challenger By the Book with a win of 71-34. Tonight champion FHB competes with group Hotel Hotel for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): Leah Bonnema (VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Half Hour), Luke Thayer, and more perform at the UCB East theatre hosted by Brendan Fitzgibbons & Lance Weiss: Gandhi, Is That You?
11:00 pm ($7): Improv and stand-up (details not announced) "dumped here for your pleasure" at The PIT Mainstage: Dump
Thursday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm-8:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Weekly walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 4-5 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic Thursday
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic for solo character bits, with names drawn from a bucket and 5 minutes provided to each performer, at the UCB East theatre: Don't Be Yourself: Character Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up with 4 minutes per comic (sign-up starts at 5:30 pm) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jake Vevera & Amy Liszka: The QED Thursday Mic
6:00 pm ($3): A weekly improv jam open to the audience in which the number of participants on stage is determined by a roll of the dice at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jon Monje, Glorillis Tavarez, Trumane Alston, and Julien Darmon: Chance Encounters Jam
6:30 pm ($5): If you're a gal who'd like to try stand-up but are wary of being vulnerable in a tough male-dominated room, this show may be the perfect opportunity for you—an all-female open mic, with the first 15 comics to sign up (starting at 5:50 pm) getting 3 minutes each on stage at The PIT Underground: Ladies Night Open Mic
6:00 pm ($5 for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with a veteran improv group to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer Thursday
[FREE] 8:00 pm: A recorded-for-podcast walk-in open mic providing 5 minutes on stage for whatever you want to perform—stand-up, sketch, song—with names drawn from a bucket at The Creek's downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Mike Mercadal & Will Watkins: Unsung Heroes
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Walk-in stand-up open mic (signup at 10:30 pm) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chelsea Condren, Kate Moran, and Kristin Seltman: Late Night Snack Open Mic
10:30 pm ($3): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Thursdays After Class Jam
[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Matt Anderson: Barf Up the Jokes
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 5/19/17
Did you catch Anthony Atamanuik's brilliant episode of The President Show last night on Comedy Central with Deepak Chopra? If not, you can watch it right now by clicking here. (You are most welcome.)
Adult Swim provides a free screening of the first two episodes of Season 2 of Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter, followed by a Q&A with star Jon Glaser and director John Lee: Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter Season 2 Premiere Fan He-Yump-Vent (8:00 pm, FREE with RSVP, Brooklyn's Bell House at 149 7th Street in Brooklyn; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth 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 ($10): A sketch comedy double-bill from Dinosaur Jones, a group that's "part adventure, part absurdity, and all comedy" and The Executives, a tie-wearing group that leverages physical comedy, all at The Magnet theatre: Dinosaur Jones and The Executives
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($15 cover for FBPL shows, $24 cover for CC & VU shows, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Friday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Superb "overactor" Pat Swearingen and many more make up a ridiculous soap-operish TV movie on the spot at The PIT Underground: Improvised Lifetime Movie
[FREE, but donation requested] 7:00 pm: Emma Willmann (Stephen Colbert, Bravo, Oxygen, Sirius XM), Dave Mizzoni (Pop Roulette), Eman El Husseini, Jess Salomon, and Jaboukie Young-White perform stand-up or storytelling at this LGBTQ-themed show at Brooklyn's Pete's Candy Store (709 Lorimer Street) hosted by Bobby Hankinson: Kweendom
7:00 pm ($7): Four teams of improvisors make up theatre on the spot based on "the weirdest Off-Off-Off Broadway play and musical titles that ever existed" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Way Off-Broadway
7:30 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, a play about the minutiae of small town politics directed by the wonderful Leslie Meisel and featuring a seven-person cast: All in Favor...
...and in the second other of this double bill, a play in which "Blue's Clues meets Avenue Q in puppet comedy:" Simon's Street
[$] 7:30 pm ($12): Improv group Bucky makes up one long scene in the same location (a winning form that's helped such teams as Death by Roo Roo win a whole lot of Cage Match victories)—and, when SNL is on break, sometimes includes star Sasheer Zamata (whenever that happens, consider this a TOP PICK)—at the UCB East theatre: Bucky: Thank F#@% It's Friday!
7:30 pm ($10): A sketch comedy group that formed in Chicago back in 2008 performs at The PIT Underground: Teenager of the Year
7:30 pm ($10): Stand-ups Anthony Devito, Dan Perlman, Lauren Vino, Karolena Theresa, and Jay Welch perform material that may include uncomfortable observations or revelations at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Erin Lynn O'Connor & Rosa Escandon: Awkward Stage Comedy Show
[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) A former MTV icon you either love or actively avoid headlines through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Tom Green
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15): A top-notch theatrical troupe that's equally fine at compelling acting and split-second comedy uses actual material on the Web, performed verbatim, to craft laugh-out-loud scenes spearheaded by superb creators/performers Jen Jamula & Allison Goldberg—and this is the last time you can see them for a while, as they're leaving for a few months to seek fame & fortune in LA—at The PIT Mainstage: Blogologues
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): This charming show puts comics who are duos behind the scenes on stage for an evening to adorably perform together. Tonight's twosomes are Alex English & Rosebud Baker (couple), Mike Brown & Dillon Stevenson (pals), Brendan McLaughlin & Chase Mitchell (pals), and Mike Recine & Frank Terranova (pals), all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by lovers Naomi Ekperigin (dynamite rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Half Hour; writer for Comedy Central's Broad City and Hulu's Difficult People; MTV, VH1, FX) & Andy Beckerman (The Pete Holmes Show, Beginnings Podcast): Couples Therapy
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A historical period or major event is explored comedically via stand-up, sketch, trivia contests, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Justin Auslaender & Lindsay Boling: Annal Revue
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improvisors make up a play on the spot springboarding off the writings of Jane Austen at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Being Jane Austen
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Phoebe Tyers and Sebastian Conelli: The Friday Night Sh*w
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Alexandra Dickson, Silvija Ozols, and/or Michael Delaney forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE; plus FREE PIZZA!] 9:00 pm: Emily Heller (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, writer for TBS' People of Earth), Josh Johnson (writer for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central Half Hour), Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Sarah Tollemache (Adam Devine's House Party), and Scott Chaplain (Comedy Central's Roast Battle) perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Big Irv's (381 Hooper Street) hosted by Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central's South Beach, host of The Secret Loft Show): Camouflage: A Comedy Show
9:00 pm ($10): Stand-ups and improvisors perform at The PIT Underground hosted by Matt Catanzano & Richie Moriarty: Simply Unemployable Live
9:00 pm ($10): NYC sketch comedy groups 17:38 and Horse Club perform at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Boogie Manja
9:30 pm ($10): An improvised transit hour inside a single NYC subway car—people come, people go, and the ride keeps rolling—at The PIT Mainstage: Strangers on a Train
9:30 pm ($7): Levi Penley & Robert Price perform duo stand-up, improv, freestyle rap, and banjo, and tonight also host San Francisco-based stand-up Helen Pappas at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): The Cheep Show
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which typically features the best improv piano player in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—springboards off an audience suggestion to create a complete story with song and dance at The Magnet theatre: Premiere: The Improvised Musical
10:00 pm ($5): A guest visual artist shows off his/her work for 15 minutes. Then 5 comics each tell a story while being sketched by the artist, by the host/cartoonist Grant Lindahl—and, if you're into it, you (bring a sketchbook!). The audience member crafting the best sketch wins a prize. It all happens at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Art School Acid Dropout
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): Superb improvisors James Dwyer, Craig Rowin, Connor O'Malley, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and Shaun Diston make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($7): I'm not sure he's in NYC tonight, but one of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre) will either personally spearhead or lead in spirit a breathtakingly brilliant group of improvisors from Chicago and New York who will blow the roof off The PIT Underground with lightning-quick dark comedy unlike anything else in NYC. The other superb players typically include Doug Stoley (Conan O'Brien, The Scene), Amey Goerlich (Indie Cage Match, Krompf, The Scene), Jed Resnik (Annoyance Theatre, UCB), Silvija Ozols (The Stepfathers), Micah Sherman (Second City, co-host of The Scene, host of Fun), and/or many more, all declaring ChicaGoGo
[$] 10:30 pm ($12): Emily Heller (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, writer for TBS' People of Earth), Dru Johnston (The Chris Gethard Show), Brendan Scannell (Heathers), and Clifton Cash perform stand-up at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
10:30 pm ($7): Talented improvisors make up scenes with fast & furious ferocity at improv The PIT Underground: Fury
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Honestly, I'm not sure this 1996 comedy is dreadful enough to merit inclusion in this "make fun of bad movies'" series; but at any rate, Space Jam will be screened and mercilessly savaged by Jordan Temple, Mamadou N'Diaye, Catlin Peluffo, and FreddyG at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersback: Movies R Dumb: Space Jam
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($10): Pop-punk cabaret band My Dark Little Corner channels the sound & spirit of such bands as Green Day, Blink-182, and My Chemical Romance while performing all-new sketch comedy at The Magnet theatre: My Dark Little Corner: The Band Goes on a Road Trip
[$] 11:30 pm ($20): Lard Dog and his 6-piece Band of Shy normally does children's musical theatre, but tonight performs an adults-only version of its comedy at The PIT Mainstage: Life's a Real Dream
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): A unique show based on the premise "Let's be honest, love doesn't exist, couples suck, and Valentine's Day is bullshit. We test real life couples to see if they are meant to be together (they aren't). The couple with the least amount of points at the end of the night will have to break up, because we all die alone anyway and what's the point of anything really? It'll be fun!" at UCB East hosted by Carly Ann Filbin: Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: If you're looking for something different: Former porn star Alia Janine hosts this show featuring sex workers ranging from dancers to strip club bouncers performing stand-up, plus more conventional comics, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Hardcore Comedy 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 Sydney Beveridge & Davey Melch: Queens Open Mic Fridays
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
6:00 pm ($5): A weekly walk-in stand-up open mic at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Friday Night Mics
[FREE] 6:00 pm: A weekly walk-in stand-up open mic (drop your name in the bucket by 6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by James Hamilton: Scatterbrain
6:30 pm ($3): PIT improv veterans mix with improv novices on-stage at The PIT Underground for Happy Hour
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-up starts at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Seena Jon: Mic and Cheese
[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 hosted by members of various Maude Night groups: Liquid Courage
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 5/20/17
An acclaimed comedic work-in-progress about abortion rights by playwright & activist Winter Miller gets a staged reading with a cast that's likely to be stellar—see a write-up from The New Yorker about a previous reading here—directed by Mikhael Tara Garver, and with music from Grammy-winning cabaret star Lady Rizo, with proceeds going to the National Network of Abortion Funders’ Dr. Willie Parker Fund which supports safe, affordable, compassionate abortions for women in Alabama and Georgia: Spare Rib (8:00 pm, $20 suggested donation (or whatever you can afford), Judson Memorial Church at 239 Thompson 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 $) include:
[$] 11:00 pm ($20): A kid-friendly and autism-themed musical that "promotes positive messages of creativity, niceness, acceptance, and frivolity" by Lard Dog and his 6-piece Band of Shy at The PIT Mainstage: Life's a Real Dream: Autism-Friendly Edition
[FREE; reserve tickets here] 1:00 pm: A rare lunchtime stand-up show for families, with all kids under 15 allowed on stage to tell a joke, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Paul Bennett: Guess What?
[$] 2:00 pm ($20): A kid-friendly musical—without the autism theme of the 11:00 am show—that "promotes positive messages of creativity, niceness, acceptance, and frivolity" by Lard Dog and his 6-piece Band of Shy at The PIT Mainstage: Life's a Real Dream: Standard Edition
[TOP PICK] 3:00 pm-4:30 pm ($8): An early stand-up show for parents with babies (no cover charge or drink minimum for the babies) featuring Ophira Eisenberg (NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!), Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VH1; host of Right Now; for sample of Carolyn as white rapper, please click here), Jordan Temple (writer for MTV's Decoded), Casey Balsham, and Ryan Donahue performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sally Brooks: Baby & Me Comedy
6:00 pm ($7): A one-woman show by Malú Huacuja del Toro described as "a politically incorrect monologue on how to be a Mexican feminist in 15 minutes" at The PIT Underground: Quixota in the Time of Trump
5:00 pm ($7): Senior citizens perform improv at The PIT Mainstage: Geezers
6:00 pm ($7): Comedy groups are invited to perform any improv form (except montage) hosted by improv group My Brother's Girlfriend at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Do Something Weird with My Brother's Girlfriend
6:00 pm ($7): Solo improv by Dion Flynn (frequent sketch comic on Jimmy Fallon) at The PIT Mainstage: Works Well With Others
6:00 pm ($5): Four indie improv troupes perform at The Magnet theatre: The Rundown
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Saturday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($12): Improv group Women and Men interview audience members about a weird and/or wild birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah, or other social gathering and then make up scenes based on those anecdotes at the UCB East theatre: Women and Men: Party Jumpin'
7:00 pm ($10): 75 minutes of sketch comedy from group Teen Radio, plus an opening set from stand-up David Morton, at The PIT Underground: Teen Radio
7:00 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
7:00 pm ($10): Improv group BBC2 (which includes Patrick McCartney, Raquel Powell, Jennifer Bareilles, and Kevin Scott) make up scenes at The PIT Mainstage: BBC2
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jeff Hiller, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, and John Timothy at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): "Created in 1995 at the iO Theater in Chicago, The Armando Diaz Experience is the longest running improv show ever. A guest monologist—who tonight is Shacottha Fields—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
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Comedic musician Rachel Blithe, and stand-ups Selena Coppock (Amazon's Red Oaks, VH1, author of book The New Rules for Blondes) and Shauna Lane (Comedy Central) perform at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1; to watch his hit video Pachelbel Rant, which has been viewed by over 13 million people on YouTube, please click here): Don't Feed the Musicians
[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) A former MTV icon you either love or actively avoid headlines one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Tom Green
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12): In this reverse roast battle, comics compete to compliment each other while getting the most laughs, with tonight's terrific contestants Josh Gondelman, Matt Koff, Emmy Blotnick, Giulia Rozzi, Maeve Higgins, and Robert Dean, plus music from DJ Will Winner, all at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by Kyle Ayers (written for CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, BBC, The New York Times): Boast Battle
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and The Baldwins (which includes brilliant comics Micah Sherman and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT Mainstage: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and/or Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite
8:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy from group Adam's Summer Class ("come for the laughs, stay for the lessons") directed by Chris Aurilio and choreographed by Joe Galan at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Adam's Summer Class
8:00 pm ($10): Comics compete in "a gauntlet of trivia and challenges that, ultimately, don't quite make sense" at The PIT Underground hosted by Ganesh Nair & Ryan Stanisz: Lightning Round: A Comedy Game Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($12): Improv group Airwolf—with big talents Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, Eddie Dunn, Ben Rameaka, and Adam Fruccie—make up scenes about terrible audience experiences related to a home at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A rare opportunity to see master improvisor Armando Diaz make up scenes with his former students Hannah Chase and Michael Lutton—who are now respected improv instructors as well—at The Magnet theatre: Teacher Teacher
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A highly talented freestyle rapping long-form improv group makes up scenes with fierce musical energy at The PIT Underground: North Coast
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): An improvised apocalypse from sharp comics John Murray, Sean Casey, Jackie Jennings, Caroline Cotter, Joanna Bradley, David Bluvband, and Zach Cherry at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Goat
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A talk & variety show, with this month's comics Alyssa Lott, Tamsi M New, Taylor Ortega, Matty Frazier, and Christine Piñeiro, plus musical guest Adrien Pellerin, spearheaded by head writer & director Jacob Williams and producers Alyssa Lott & Jay Malsky at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jay Malsky (highly talented, super-charged improvisor & character comic; FringeNYC): This Live Show
9:30 pm ($10): A 5-man improv group consisting of Matt Higgins, Rory Scholl, Patrick McCartney, Jay Rhoderick, and Nick Balanan organically makes up weird scenes at The PIT Mainstage: Rutger Hauer Players
9:30 pm ($8): NYC stand-ups Alex English, Sharron Paul, Carlos Delgado, and Bob Hansen perform at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Cathy Humes: Tina Fey Will (Not) Be Here
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12): A powerhouse group of improvisors—Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Natasha Vaynblat (one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), Casey Jost (former writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and TruTV's Impractical Jokers), and Lui Vega—springboard scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life at the UCB East theatre: What I Did For Love
10:00 ($5): Comics compete in freestyle rap games and battles, with the prize being stage time, at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Noah Savage with DJ Will Winner: So You Think You Can Rap
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Long form improv about the behavior of a theatrical troupe both on-stage and off-stage, revolving around a different show biz theme each time—which this week is Shakespeare—at The Magnet: The Cast: Shakespeare Edition
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): At UCB Chelsea, improv group Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—takes your written secrets and turns them into very funny improv scenes: Grandma's Ashes: We Won't Tell
10:30 pm ($10): Comedic singing duo James Bruffee & Brian Hansbury perform and host musical guests at The PIT Mainstage: X-Ray-X Presents
10:30 pm ($5): Comics pretend to be infants at The PIT Underground: Babies Night
11:00 pm ($7): A parody of a late night talk show hosted by Roxy Cotten at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Nighty Nite Show
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Fredric Goldstein and hosted by Judith George: Last Stop Laughs
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy that aims to have you "laughing until blood pours out of your throat and eyes and you die and you go to hell and you're like 'god damn that was worth it!' to Satan and he'll be like 'Yeah, I know, I was there, it was dope'" at the UCB East theatre: O.S.F.U.G. A Fast Fuckin' Sketch Show
Saturday Open Mics & Jams
4:00 pm ($5; your ticket provides $3 off a drink at nearby Pioneers Bar): Walk-in lottery style open mic (sign-up starting at 2:45 pm) at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Swing Riders Open Mic
[FREE] 5:00 pm-7:00 pm: Walk-in comedy open mic (lottery system, with sign-up starting at 4:30 pm) providing each selected comic 4 minutes on stage at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck & Veronica Garza: Murray Povich Mic
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Walk-in open mic, with names drawn from a bucket (sign-up starts at 6:50 pm), and a designated beer drinker on stage who might chime in at any moment to riff with you during your set, at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Amy Shanker, Brett Hiker, and Cameron Ford: Power Hour Open Mic
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Walk-in open mic for character bits, stand-up, etc. at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Elise Edwards: Discount Disco
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 5/21/17
On this unique show, as stand-ups do their sets their material is brought to visual life by animators. Tonight's terrific comedy lineup consists of Drew Michael (SNL), Jim Tews, Emmy Blotnick, LIz Miele, Jono Zaley,and Danny Tamberelli, produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance: Picture This! (7:30 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 $) include:
[$] 2:00 pm ($20): This musical with puppets is a family-friendly and interactive reinvention of the fairy tale The Three Billy Goats that urges the audience to work at improving the environment at The PIT Mainstage: Gruff!
[TOP PICK] 5:00 pm ($7): All-gal musical Improv group Redshirts (Catherine Wing, Jennette Cronk, Julia Lunetta, Sloane Miller, and Susan O'Doherty) creates new episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on the spot, and also hosts group Who-Prov which makes up Dr. Who episodes, all at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Redshirts: Star Trek: TNG Musical Improv and Who-Prov
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($7): 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 at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Pet Prov
6:00 pm ($7): Ross Berman, Priscilla Cintron, Michelle Drozdick, and Rob Verdino blend game show elements, audience interaction, and improv to have fun with online dating experiences at The PIT Mainstage: OK Stupid
6:00 pm ($5): Three NYC improv groups that are independent (i.e., not a house team of any particular improv school/theatre) compete for audience member laughs and votes at UCB East hosted by Lou Gonzalez, Chrissie Gruebel, and Brian Urreta of improv group The Mannequin Room: Indie Cage Match
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Mike Birbiglia (one of the finest stand-up comedians in the country; feature films Don't Think Twice and Sleepwalk with Me; three Comedy Central specials, multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, comedy CDs Two Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live) tries out new material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Mike Birbiglia: Working It Out
7:00 pm ($5): Two improv groups compete for your laughs at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Bucket of Fun
7:00 pm ($5): Group Clyde performs a mix of sketch and improv at The PIT Mainstage: Hey Clyde
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Emily Heller (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, writer for TBS' People of Earth), Leah Bonnema (VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Harrison Greenbaum (Comedy Central, Mad Magazine), Billy Bonnell, Cliff Cash, and Zack Bornstein performing stand-up at UCB East produced by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, MTV, TruTV) and hosted by Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight, Comedy Central Half Hour): If You Build It
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Shannon O'Neill and Anthony Atamanuik, and sometimes network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] [$] 1:30 pm, 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 four 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): "Improvisers create scenes inspired by essays written about personal experiences and show that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine" at The Magnet theatre: You Are Not Alone: An Uplifting Show About Depression
7:30 pm ($5): Dana Shulman and friends are improv group Student Driver, which hosts two indie improv troupes making up scenes and then performs itself, all at The PIT Underground: Student Driver: Indie Road
8:00 pm ($7): Improv, sketch, and possibly other comedy forms in this variety show hosted by improv group Empress at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Empress' New Groove
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:30 pm ($14.80 online using discount code BOX12, otherwise $18): My favorite FringeNYC 2016 show (out of over 60 seen) was a production taking place entirely inside a box, written & performed by breathtakingly talented sketch comic/actress/writer/singer Dominique Salerno (for my review, please click here). This amazing production is now enjoying a revival running Sundays at 8:30 pm at The PIT Mainstage through June 11th. Take advantage of this wonderful chance to experience The Box Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Comics who write for and/or have performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers—including Ryan Reiss and Phil Hanley—do stand-up at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street) hosted by Seaton C. Smith: Comedians of Seth Meyers
8:30 pm ($7): A one-woman show by Jean LeBec in which she "breaks out of the traditional storytelling format and guides the audience through three stories of her life" at The PIT Underground: Swept Up
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself; Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It; opens for Amy Schumer), Emily Heller (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, writer for TBS' People of Earth), Andy Sandford (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, The Beards of Comedy), Emma Willmann (Stephen Colbert, Bravo, Oxygen, Sirius XM), and Maria Wojcieshowski performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Clark Jones, and/or Kenny DeForest: Comedy Night at the Knit
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Duo improv from Louis Kornfeld & Rick Andrews at The Magnet theatre: Kornfeld & Andrews
9:00 pm ($6): Two three-person groups of transplanted comics compete to determine "which will be accepted by the city and which will have to move back home" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Brendan Busee: Graft vs. Host
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) typically hosted by Peggy O'Leary: Creek Cave Live
9:30 pm ($5): Improv group Higgins looks at the Instagram photos of audience members and then uses them as springboards for comedy scenes at the UCB East theatre: Higgins: The Instagram Show
[ALMOST FREE] 10:00 pm ($1): This improv show is based on a Mullaney Chain (pioneered by Kevin Mullaney) in which the host invites a guest to improvise with him or her, then the guest independently invites a third person, who then invites a fourth person, and so on, creating a one-time-only lineup that will be a surprise to everyone involved at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Kurt Guenther: The Telephone Show
10:30 pm ($7): Short stories are used as springboards for improvised scenes in this improv form created by Louis Kornfeld at The PIT Underground: Fact or Fiction
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7): The debut of a show in which three five-member groups of comics compete in a Survivor-like game that tests them "in acting, writing, improvisation, character work, storytelling, and stand-up. The audience decides who goes to tribal council, but the tribe will actually vote and decide who is out of the competition" at The PIT Mainstage: Outwit, Outplay, Outlaugh: A Survivor Style Comedy Competition
Sunday Open Mics, Open Stages, and Jams
[FREE] 3:30 pm: An improv jam celebrating diversity in comedy that lets audience members—whose names are drawn from a bucket—perform with sharp improv/sketch group Astronomy Club (which includes Keisha Zollar and Jonathan Braylock) at the UCB East theatre: Diversity Improv Jam
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (put your name in the bucket) at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Sam Rose: Bucket! We'll Do it Live!
5:30 pm ($3): Email Michelle Thomas at improv10000hrs@gmail.com to improvise with experienced PIT performers at The PIT Underground: 10K Jam Jam
9:30 pm ($5): Open-mic comedy, with 3-5 minutes per walk-in performer who signs up (first come, first serve) at The PIT Underground, hosted by Will Neville: Amateur Night at the Gemini
[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] 11:00 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 © 2017 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
