NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 5/19/16
My computer has been repaired.
And starting today, comprehensive daily comedy listings have returned.
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): A comic whose career spans dacades, and includes writing the book Never Shake Hands With a War Criminal and being the subject of the 2015 documentary Call Me Lucky directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, tries out material every night through Sunday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Barry Crimmins
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Six improvisors—including Adrian Sexton and Matt Hammond—compete for your laughs and votes at this fun improv game show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by the wonderful Tracy Mull: The Island: Improv Competition
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Improv from indie troupe's Clown Boy and Emilady Bogue's TEAM, stand-up/characters from John Sartori, and more at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Nick Ramirez: Leslie
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
7:30 pm ($5): Lane Moore (The Onion, host of Tinder Live), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, VH1), Tony Zaret, and more performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
7:30 pm ($5): Clowns guests (not announced) and clown host Icky Shirley Dangle performing a silly show at The PIT upstairs theatre: An Unapologetic Mess: A Clown Show
7:30 pm ($5): Two teams of storytellers compete for your applause at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Tim Unkenholz & Liz Phillips: The Rivalry
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups, themed improv show Uncivilians ("follows realistic characters and situations to their unpredictable extremes"), and improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): Amy Marcs performs a one-woman show about her experiences with breast cancer at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Nice T!Ts
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Amber Nelson (dynamic stand-up & character comic; Comedy Central, TruTV's Almost Genius; sketch group Murderfist), Rob Santos, Greg Stone, Petey DeAbreu, Freddie G., and Lauren Jordan performing stand-up or characters at Brooklyn's Hungry Ghost Cafe/Bar (781 Fulton Street, between Fulton and South Oxford Streets) hosted by Keenan Steiner: 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
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): Selfish Green Men + Dim Wit
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($5): Superb storyteller David Lawson (The Flyer Guy at Solocom 2015) performs a one-man show about video games "with stories about secretly playing an ultra-violent Nazi-killing game at a Jewish Community Center, a former boss with a Grand Theft Auto-related secret, how Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have tried to censor video games, and more" at The PIT downstairs lounge: No Oddjob
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It; opens for Amy Schumer), Sam Morril (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), John Early (30 Rock, Broad City, Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer), Jamie Lee (MTV's Girl Code, The Pete Holems Show), Beth Stelling (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central), and Django Gold (Stephen Colbert, The Onion) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Sunnyvale (1031 Grand Street) hosted by Harris Mayersohn: Just a Show
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A four-person comedic play in which "Attendees of this mandatory interactive theatrical seminar will learn valuable office skills that will optimize their performance in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Refreshments will be not provided. You will come" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Dingleberry Theater Foundation Presents Mandatory Seminar
9:00 pm ($5): Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City; Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike, Nickelodeon; host of If You Bring It), Brett Davis (IFC, co-host of The Macaulay Culkin Show), Ahmed Bharoocha (Conan O'Brien), Brendan Eyre (Adam Devine's House Party), and Loyiso Gola performing stand-up at UCB East typically hosted by Ashley Brooke Roberts & Jim Tews: Fresh Out
9:00 pm ($6): Desiree Burch (Comedy Central, VH1) and other stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sue Funke & Katie Compa: Happy Place Comedy
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): World-class singing improvisors Rebecca Vigil & Evan Kaufman interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here)—at The PIT upstairs theatre for their phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm: Potentially an animation fan's dream come true, in this show comics make merciless fun of bad Japanese anime at The Creek uptairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Benel Germosen: Otakulypse
[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
[FREE] 10:30 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced & hosted by Chris Gersbeck, Lauren Hope Krass, and/or Peter Bandyk: Casual Sets
[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
11:00 pm ($5): Josh Rabinowitz (writer for Comedy Central's Broad City), Nore Davis (Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, HBO's Last Week Tonight, MTV), Hadiyah Robinson (BET's Comic View), and Mike Camerlengo (MTV's Joking Off) performing stand-up at the UCB East theatre hosted by Brendan Fitzgibbons & Lance Weiss: Gandhi, Is That You?
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: A character-based open-mic happening weekly at UCB East hosted by Sean Hart: 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 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
6:30 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] 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] 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
[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
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 5/20/16
Jessica Delfino's 5th Annual NY Funny Songs Fest is this weekend, running today from 4:00 pm to midnight at Brooklyn's Union Hall and Littlefield, and LES' The Unicorn. For the complete schedule, please click NY Funny Songs Fest 2016 (free-$10, depending on the show)
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 ($5): A comic whose career spans decades, and includes writing the book Never Shake Hands With a War Criminal and being the subject of the 2015 documentary Call Me Lucky directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, tries out material every night through Sunday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Barry Crimmins
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
7:00 pm ($7): Psychotherapist Amie Roe brings comics to the stage to share their food and body issues, plus pros to go into depth on the subject, at The Magnet theatre: Group Therapy: Food & Body
7:00 pm ($5): Female duo Sarah Khasrovi & Nina Grollman perform sketch, stand-up, characters, and more at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Hopeful Dads Show
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
[TOP PICK] [FREE; but reserve your seat by clicking here] 7:30 pm: "R. Sikoryak has drawn the entire, unedited text of the iTunes Terms and Conditions as a graphic novel in over 90 distinct comics styles. It has appeared online here. For this performance, Sikoryak will project the artwork and read from the text accompanied by live music by Brian Dewan, joined by special guest readers Paul Boocock and James Godwin, all at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie Street): Terms and Conditions
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): StorytellersTim Manley (award-winning one-man show Feelings at FringeNYC 2015, The Moth Radio Hour), Steve Whyte (Moth GrandSLAM champion), and Michelle Onufrak (Moth StorySLAM winner) share nostalgic tales from the 80s and 90s with hosts Robin Gelfenbien & Danny Artese at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): A Very Special Episode
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 ($5): Stand-ups and improvisors performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Matt Catanzano & Richie Moriarty: Simply Unemployable Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): From the team that created the amazing Hold On To Your Butts: Kyle Schaefer, Nick Abeel, Matt Zambrano, and foley artist Blair Busbee create live on stage "a 'shot for shot' parody of the first chapter in the most epic fantasy trilogy of all time" directed by the highly talented Kristin McCarthy Parker at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Fly, You Fools!
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($20; no min.): Ted Alexandro, Rachel Feinstein, Bonnie McFarlane, Monroe Martin, Damien Lemon, and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): The Stand Friday
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20—which includes free beer and wine): At this best sexy NYC storytelling show, performers Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; FOX's Mulaney, Seth Meyers, The Nightly Show), Mike Kelton (MTV's Street Meet), and Emma Willmann (Sirius Radio) tell tales of erotic encounters gone awry at The Pleasure Chest (1150 Second Avenue, between 60th & 61st Streets) hosted by the wonderful Natalie Wall: Awkward Sex...and the City
8:00 pm ($10): A comedic play that proclaims "Love is patient, love is blind. Love is deaf and dumb. Love is a burden dressed in a top hat and spats, tearing the pulse from the blood. Love is closing your eyes to come, baby, split yourself in nine. Love is a jerk-off partner and a sad meal. Love ain’t never gonna..."
...and in the second half of this double-bill, "a dark, surreal comedy exploring themes of marriage, power dynamics and crown molding" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Love Ain’t Never Gonna and Burn It Down Presents: Fix This House
8:00 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
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Becky Yamamoto, Sarah Tollemache, and more performing stand-up at the HiFi Bar (169 Avenue A) produced by Gary Levitt & Matt Schwartzer and guest-hosted by Michelle De Swarte: I Don't Get It Stand-Up
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) and trying to live up to the event's title: Cool Show (Not Lame)
[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
[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 ($10; includes free drink): Get dressed up and dance with some of the top comics and comedy instructors at The PIT downstairs lounge for this once-a-year event which is not a show, but a fun way to hang in a wonderfully supportive comedy community: PIT Prom 2016
[$] 9:00 pm ($15): A talk & variety show at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) produced by Jay Malsky & Tamsi New: This Live Show
9:30 pm ($10): Well-liked sketch/improv group Gentlemen Party performs at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party
9:30 pm ($8): Justy Dodge (co-host of Married to Comedy podcast and Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; "I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;" for dark bio video, please click here) and more performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Ariel Elias & Liz Magee: You Deserve It
9:30 pm ($10): Jon Glaser (HBO's Girls, NBC's Parks and Recreation, star of Adult Swim's Delocated; long-time writer/performer and typically terrific guests (not announced) make up scenes from a year in the life of three people at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): What a Year!
[TOP PICK] 10:00 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] 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
[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): Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City; Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike, Nickelodeon; host of If You Bring It), Dan Wilbur (IFC), Tim Platt (Story Pirates), and Drew Michael perform stand-up or sketch at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
10:30 pm ($5): Stand-up, sketch, 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 Dylan Evan: Business Casual
10:30 pm ($5): Improvisors make up scenes at at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Matt's Emotions
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): One of the most entertainingly bad films ever made is screened and commented upon by quick-witted comics Amber Nelson (dynamic stand-up & character comic; Comedy Central, TruTV's Almost Genius; sketch group Murderfist) and Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck & Freddy G: Showgirls Screening & Mocking by Amber Nelson & Leah Bonnema
11:30 pm ($7): A group that was formed at random at The Magnet but has stayed together for years returns to its place of origin at the Magnet theatre: GYRE: The Circuit Reunion Show
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Livia Scott, Matt Rogers, and more perform stories and songs at this cabaret-style show backed by pianist Henry Koperski and friends at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones: A Lil' Night Music: Comedians Singing
[FREE] Midnight: "Every month comedian Dan King writes a pilot script for a new sitcom and hosts a live table read of the script. It’s important that you come see these live because these ideas will never, ever make it to television" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Test Pilots
Friday Open Mics & Jams
[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in open mic (signup at 4:30 pm), with 5 minutes per comic, storyteller, poet, or singer, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sydney Beveridge & Davey Melch: Queens Open Mic Fridays
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm (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] 6:30 pm ($1): PIT improv veterans mix with improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Happy Hour
7:00 pm ($5): Show up at 6:45 pm to place your name in a dog bowl for the chance to get called up on stage and jam with veteran improvisors at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Dog Fight
[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 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
[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 5/21/16
A woman who lives on her toilet for two years is the basis for this extraordinary play by Max Mondi that was among the very best at last year's FringeNYC (my #4 out of roughly 200 productions). Don't miss this wonderful chance to catch one of the smartest and most moving shows to have come along in indie theatre during this brief run at The PIT: Maybe Tomorrow (1:00 pm, $18, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)...
...and it's the final day of Jessica Delfino's 5th Annual NY Funny Songs Fest, running today from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm at Chinatown's The Unicorn (above), LES' Pianos, and Astoria Queens' QED. For the complete schedule, please click NY Funny Songs Fest 2016 (free-$10, depending on the show)
Noon-1:00 pm ($5): A sketch and stand-up show for kids—with no irony, this is for children aged 4-9—with guests TBA at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Mark Malkoff: Two Juice Minimum
[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 Peggy O'Leary & Lindsay Boling: Guess What?
[TOP PICK] 2:00 pm-Midnight ($5 per show): The 4th Annual NYC Podcast Festival runs today and Sunday at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton): NYC PodFest 2016
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Ben Conrad, Lizzy Mazzucchelli, Will Carey, and Will Watkins each perform a different 10-minute stand-up every Saturday in April 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 ($5): A comic whose career spans decades, and includes writing the book Never Shake Hands With a War Criminal and being the subject of the 2015 documentary Call Me Lucky directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, tries out material every night through Sunday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Barry Crimmins
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 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) 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 Higgins—which includes Connor Ratliff and Matt Dennie—makes up the season finale of a popular, long-running TV series that does not exist (based on a show title provided by the audience) at the UCB East theatre: Higgins: Season Finale
[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): Gun Club + Shadows
[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 Rev. Jim Kast-Keat—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): 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 ($5): Small Batch Mafia ("a 3-man outfit that brings small batch, handcrafted artisanal comedy rap to your earholes"), The Dreamstalks! ("a comedy duo that brings you jaded and world-weary children's music that gives kids the unfiltered horrific truth of life"), and Ben Pernick (comedy songwriter and cartoonist) performing songs at Astoria Queens' 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 ($5): A group of six comedic actors performs sketch at The PIT downstairs lounge: Uncle Function
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
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12): 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 at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street). "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
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and The Baldwins (which includes brilliant comics Micah Sherman and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25; no min.): Superb stand-ups Ted Alexandro, Judah Friedlander, Mike Lawrence, and more performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): The Stand Saturday
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): "A not-so-safe space where comics expose the shitty, horrifying teenager that made them into shitty, horrifying adults. Nobody leaves until everybody cries" with an all-gal panel that includes Natasha Vaynblat and Christi Chiello at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Alise Morales: The Roast of Your 15 Year Old Self
8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite
[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 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 ($10): Sharp improvisors Nick Kanellis and guest Branson Reese make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
[$] 9:30 pm ($15): TV parodies from a food-based sketch group performing at The PIT upstairs theatre: Dinner For One: A Channel Flippin' Odyssey
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
[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
10:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups take a comedic look at the world's problems at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Tom Dillon: Love, Poverty, and War
[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 Short Form—at The Magnet theatre: The Cast: Short Form Edition
10:30 pm ($5): "We’re here to listen to things you’re sad, angry, frustrated, or just feeling strongly about. We will listen to audience members share their emotions and help them deal with it in whatever way they choose—including but not limited to dancing, singing, screaming, hugging, eating, breaking shit, whatever you need. We've got a list of approved methods for dealing with strongly held emotions; you choose which method speaks to you and the whole crowd supports you. You’re not alone. You are heard!" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): You Are Heard
10:30 pm ($5): Sketch group Teen Radio performs a silly play about a fictional golf tournament at The PIT downstairs lounge: Teen Radio: The Golf Masters
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Comic Greg Murphy is moving to LA. But before he leaves, he will be mercilessly made fun of by his comedy friends at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): The Roast of Greg Murphy
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Fredric Goldstein: Last Stop Laughs
11:30 pm ($5): Comics playing characters answer obscure quiz questions in this comedic game show at UCB East hosted by Vincent Moore: Best Answer
Saturday Open Mics and Jams
3:00 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] 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] 5:00 pm: Reserved (via email annevictoriaclark+workout@gmail.com) and walk-in (time permitting) stand-up & sketch open mic providing each comic 5 minutes at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Meggie Spellman & Anne Victoria Clark: The Workout Open Mic
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Walk-in open mic for character bits, stand-up, etc. at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs theatre hosted by Elise Edwards: Discount Disco
[FREE] 11:30 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 5/22/16
The 4th Annual NYC Podcast Festival concludes today, featuring live tapings of such wonderful shows as Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast (interviewing Dick Cavett), Robert Kelly’s You Know What Dude! (interviewing Colin Quinn), Jo Firestone's Dr. Gameshow (with JC Coccoli), The Goddamn Dave Hill Show (with Ted Allen), and Mouth Time with Reductress (interviewing Mara Wilson): NYC PodFest 2016 (2:00 pm-midnight, $5 per show, Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton)
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] 5:00 pm: All-gal improv group Pin-Up Squirrels performs and hosts other improv groups at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Play Date With the Pin-Up Squirrels
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
6:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Becca Schall playing characters at a grade school; plus a comedic play about friends who look like siblings at this showcase for new scripted works at The Magnet theatre: Show Offs: Schooled and Fraternally Yours
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
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A comic whose career spans decades, and includes writing the book Never Shake Hands With a War Criminal and being the subject of the 2015 documentary Call Me Lucky directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, tries out material one last night at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Barry Crimmins
7:00 pm ($5): A comedic play about the Hollywood experience for minorities, in which "four black actors in Room 4 have just realized they’re stuck in a time loop, auditioning for the same role of 'Drug Dealer #2' over and over. What once felt like a messed-up metaphor has become a literal existential nightmare. Get them out of there" at The PIT upstairs theatre written by Marina & Nicco and with an eight-man cast: Room 4
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
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Veteran improvisors reunite, new improvisors perform, and then old and new merge to create a one-night-only team at The Creek downtairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Nick Arret: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue
[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 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): A one-man show by Andrew Yurman-Glaser that I'm guessing is about a break-up, plus Liz Noth, at The Magnet theatre: This Show Is NOT About My Ex-Girlfriend
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] 8:00ish pm ($5): Cocoon Central Dance Team (delightful trio of immensely talented comedic dancers/actresses Eleanore Pienta, Tallie Medel, and Sunita Mani; Comedy Central's Broad City), Arthur Meyer (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon), Beth Stelling (Jimmy Kimmel, @midnight), David Ebert (MTV's Guy Code), Manboobs (includes Pete & Pete's Danny Tamberelli), and Jess Lane performing dance, stand-up, or sketch at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium (20 Meadow Street) hosted by Brett Davis & Sally Burtnick: The Macaulay Culkin Show
8:00 pm ($5): JC Coccoli (happily, has moved back to NYC; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, WB), plus Noah Gardenswartz, Ahmed Bharoocha, Paul Hooper, Greg Santos, and Billy Bonnell performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It
[FREE] 8:00 pm: All-gal and female-identifying stand-up show, with 10 comics including Sharron Paul, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kate Moran: The Revolution
8:30 pm ($5): Three improv groups perform, on a rotating basis, at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Annoyance Presents Improv
9:00 pm ($5): Duo female improv on the premise "two lifelong friends meet on a park bench every Tuesday afternoon and make their own happy hour (via tall cans of Budweiser beer)" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Two Girls, Tall Boys
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Duo improv from Louis Kornfeld & Rick Andrews 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
9:30 pm ($5): Sketches and music by Catya McMullen (musical parody Locked Up B*tches) on such subjects as "rapping cockroachs, dirty-mouthed toddlers, puberty, bar mitzvahs, sex tapes, putting a penis in your eye, and fucking Jenny Schecter " at The PIT upstairs theatre: McMullen's MadHouse
Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages
[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, 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
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
[ALMOST FREE] 5:30 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
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 downstairs 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
