NYC Comedy Picks for May 2018

Please note that these listings are updated frequently. The best way to be instantly notified about new show postings is to subscribe to my BestNewYorkComedy.com blog and allow for email notifications, and/or to follow me on Twitter (@hybender) or Instagram (@hybenderny).

In addition, you can use the links below to explore the schedules of all the major comedy venues in NYC; and you can find excellent live comedy recommendations weekly via The New York Times.

That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for May 2018 (with more to come soon) include:

Tuesday 5/1: A wild monthly pun competition hosted by father-daughter duo Fred Firestone (co-author with Jo of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers) and Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow), with 18 audience members fiercely competing for wordplay dominance. Tonight is the show's Seventh Anniversary, and features as its Celebrity Judge national treasure Jason Zinoman, who covers comedy brilliantly for The New York Times, and who performed a mind-boggling amount of research and insightful analysis to create the massively bestselling and acclaimed book Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night—which just recently came out in trade paperback. Come see Jason, Jo, Fred, the Human Clap-O-Meter, and much more on this special all-star edition of Punderdome 3000 (8:00 pm; $10—sold out of advance tickets, but there'll be 150 tickets available at the door; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street—take R subway to Union Street; show up early (doors open at 7:00) to nab a seat, or plan on standing)

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Tuesday 5/1: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)

Tuesday 5/1: This African-American stand-up show features Dillon Stevenson (writer for HBO's Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas), Abbi Crutchfield (Broad City, MTV, VH1, Witsream), Jordan Carlos (cast member of Netflix's Friends From College; HBO's 2 Dope Queens and Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim), Shalewa Sharpe (Keith and the Girl; comedy album Stay Eating Cookies), and Chris Lamberth (AXS TV) hosted by Brandon Collins: Don't Think Once (7:30 pm; $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Wednesday 5/2: Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, national comedy treasure) hones material for a one-man show: Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals (7:00 pm, $5 plus 2-item food/drink min., West Village's The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street)

Wednesday 5/2: Comics and/or audience members play old video games while hosts Brian McGuinness (Playable Characters Podcast) & TJ Del Reno (Unlimited Lives Radio) and guests provide live commentary: Retro Bits (7:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)

Also, be sure to enjoy John Mulaney's brand new special on Netflix—Kid Gorgeous at Radio City:

Friday 5/4: In the wise words of media critic Cyndi Freeman: "The Star Wars Holiday Special was broadcast in its entirety only once, in the United States and Canada, on November 17, 1978, preempting Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk. It has never been rebroadcast or officially released on home video. David Hofstede called it 'the worst two hours of television ever.' George Lucas has reportedly said 'If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it.'" See it screened, dissected, and mercilessly savaged tonight by Christian Finnegan, Carolina Hidalgo, Jake Vevera, and FreddyG hosted by Chris Gersbeck (co-host of Everythign Is Dumbn, and Bunk Bed and Murray Povich open mics): Movies R Dumb: The Star Wars Holiday Special (7:30 pm, $8 if you use code STARWARS online (otherwise $10), Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue; followed, for optional additional charges, by a Star Wars Drawing Class and a Star Wars Laser Light Show)

Friday 5/4: "Do you ever leave a comedy show saying 'Hmm, that was pretty funny but not enough reading'? Literati is a night of comics in character performing hilarious readings—sometimes while wearing wigs," with comics Dylan Marron (Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite, Seriously.tv, Welcome to Night Vale podcast, Conversations with People Who Hate Me), Marcia Belsky (singing songs from Handmaids Tale: The Musical), Lucas Michael (TBS' Miracle Workers), and Alex Song (Netflix) hosted by Colin O'Brien & Michael Wolf: Literati: A Comedy Show About Books and the Idiots Who Write Them (9:00 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Friday 5/4: Brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (right; TruTV's The Chris Gethard Show; The Stepfathers) transforms into "filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host!" He's joined by talk show sidekick Griffin Newman (left; brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves), plus guests Jordan D. White (Editor of Marvel's X-Men, Wolverine, and Guardians of the Galaxy comics, and long-time editor of its Star Wars comics), Zach Cherry (HBO's Crashing), and Jackie Jennings (The Chris Gethard Show), "as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema:" The George Lucas Talk Show (Midnight, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)

Saturday 5/5: Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true...but one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber—and everyone who chooses correctly gets a free t-shirt! This evening's superb yarn-spinners are Brad Lawrence (Moth GrandSlam Champion), Marie Faustin (co-host of 99.5 FM's Tall Tales in the Big City and podcast The Unofficial Expert; former host of Oxygen's Very Real Talk; VH1, TruTV, MTV's Girl Code and Vidiots), Martin Dockery (five-time Moth GrandSlam finalist), and Rob Penty. Come let these storytellers and guest host Rory Scholl (Chicago City Limits, The Moth, BTK Band) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show (6:00 pm; $20, which includes one drink; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319; West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe at 29 Cornelia Street)

Sunday 5/6: Ashley Brooke Roberts (above; energetic, enormously likeable rising star stand-up, sketch comic, and actress; stellar co-host of Fresh Out and Camp; former writer for NatGeo Explorer and MTV's Guy Code; UCB Maude sketch groups The Prom and Absolutely), Josh Rabinowitz (writer for Comedy Central's Broad City; TruTV's Friends of the People), Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Ester Steinberg (co-star of Oxygen’s Funny Girls), Zach Sims, and Eli Yudin perform stand-up, produced by Kara Klenk and hosted by Robert Dean: If You Build It (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)

Monday 5/7: TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Sasheer Zamata (cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon’s Transparent, TBS’ People of Earth), Jimmy Webb (Trash and Vaudeville), and more perform and/or are interviewed by host Nat Towsen (VICE, College Humor)—who will also be doing a trivia contest with prizes for the audience to celebrate doing this show five years: Downtown Variety Hour: Fifth Anniversary Show (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)

Monday 5/7: Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, and The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for Comedy Central's The Daily Show and host of This is Not Happening), Jamie Lee (co-star of & writer for HBO's Crashing; TruTV, Conan O'Brien, MTV's Girl Code, The Pete Holmes Show), Brendan Eyre (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central), Kyle Ayers (Fuse's Uproarious; written for CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, BBC, The New York Times), Alingon Mitra (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Last Comic Standing), Robert Dean, and more perform for this seminal weekly stand-up show: Whiplash (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Tuesday 5/8: Nikki Glaser (host of You Up on SiriusXM Comedy Central Radio; star of former Comedy Central series Not Safe; films Trainwreck and I Feel Pretty; hour-long special Perfect; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight; NBC's America Ninja Warrior: Celebrity Edition; podcast You Had to Be There), Nick Thune (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, CBS, ABC, Comedy Central; comedy albums Thick Noon and Folk Hero, special Good Guy), Nimesh Patel (exceptionally sharp stand-up; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, TruTV; written for Chris Rock hosting the 2016 Oscars; co-host of Broken Comedy), Kerry Coddett (HBO's Wyatt Cenac: Problem Areas and Crashing, BET's The Rundown, Comedy Central's The Nightly Show, MTV's Joking Off), The PIN (UK sketch group visiting NYC), and more perform for host Seth Herzog's (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1) seminal weekly stand-up & variety show: Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)

Tuesday 5/8: John Hodgman (bestselling author of The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All; Humor Editor of The New York Times Magazine; former star correspondent of The Daily Show; former iconic personification of a PC in Apple Mac ads) and John Fugelsang (former host of America's Funniest Home Videos) discuss politics from a comedic perspective hosted by Negin Farsad: Fake the Nation (7:30 pm, $15, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Wednesday 5/9: Three pop culture lectures that each sound amazing: "Superman v. Wonderman: The Lawsuit that Saved the Man of Steel" by attorney Anderson Duff ("Without early copyright protection, Superman almost certainly would not have grown into the tights we recognize today. Without the Fair Use exception to copyright infringement, however, Superman would not have developed into an archetype. The lives of Superman’s creators are used as anecdotal evidence that copyright law does not benefit individuals. The truth, like Clark Kent, is more complicated than it first appears"); "How to Look Like a Murderer: A Guide to Killing your Tinder Profile" by David Piccolomini ("tips and tricks that make an amazing, match-tastic dating profile instead of an inadvertently terrible one"); and "Untold Stories from MTV’s Greatest Era" by Stephen Pitalo ("amazing untold stories from the set of videos by Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, and more"): Nerd Nite (8:20 pm; $10; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Thursday 5/10: This musical parody of Margaret Atwood's novel and the Hulu series is set in 2028 Brooklyn, "depicting modern millennials in a dystopian near future and the phoneless perils they endure," written by and co-starring Marcia Belsky & Melissa Stokoski: Handmaid’s Tale: The Musical (7:00 pm, $20, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Thursday 5/10: This monthly stand-up & music show is hosted by the lovely Reformed Whores (raunchy comedic singing duo Katy Frame & Marie Cecile Anderson), with guests Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, and The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Katie Hartman (brilliant, fearless dark comedy writer/performer; Netflix's "The Week Of," TBS' "Search Party;" sketch groups Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting and Hartman & Carl, ace improv group Gypsy Danger), Barry Ferns (Edinburgh Fringe), and Mark Seman (SiriusXM): Up N' Coming (9:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's The Cobra Club at 6 Wyckoff Avenue)

Thursday 5/10: This show focused on gender diversity features stand-ups Jacqueline Novak (above; exceptionally smart, fresh stand-up; Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO; comedy album Quality Notions; book How to Weep in Public), Brian Faas (Broad City), Eman El Husseini (opens for Patton Oswalt), Ayo Edebiri (The Rundown with Robin Thede), Victoria Hoffman, Marissa Goldman, and Darian Lusk: The ‘SUP Show: A Comedy Showcase for Female, Queer, and Gender Non-conforming Voices (9:30 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Friday 5/11: The acclaimed Hit The Lights Theater company brings Herman Melville’s Moby Dick to the stage using "shadow puppetry, the interplay between darkness and light, rock ballad sea shanties, and all the curiosity and terror of the sea" in this innovative musical theatre production: Whales (8:00 pm, $20, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street; also running May 14th & 18th)

Friday 5/11: This monthly storytelling, stand-up, and carny show brings the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, with storytelling from Gastor Almonte (above; Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of I'm Dead Comedy) and host Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life, Moth GrandSlam Champion, comedy album & show And I Am Not Lying), stand-up from Shane Torres (fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Rebecca O'Neal (Netflix's Easy; Vanity Fair, Gawker, Vulture; former host of local Chicago TV show One Night Stand-Up), and Chanel Ali, and burlesque by Le Grand Chaton: And I Am Not Lying (Midnight, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)

Friday 5/11: A game show that describes itself as follows: "Ever talk to a straight guy and think, 'Jesus Christ you're boring!' Join gay-ass hosts Matt Rogers & Dave Mizzoni as they gay up the straights—who tonight are Sebastian Conelli and Patrick Noth—through games and trivia. Life lines include one woke woman and a wise queer—who tonight are Sasheer Zamata and Brandon Scott Jones. Come witness the ultimate test of who Is honorarily Gay As Fuck:" GAYme Show (11:15 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Saturday 5/12: Via sketch, song, dance, song, and funny lectures, a landmark US Supreme Court case is re-tried by comics and a guest judge, with tonight's topic Guns asking "Is that the 2nd Amendment in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?", featuring the fabulous Pretty Sad White Girls and many more: All Rise: Law on Guns (7:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

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Sunday 5/13: Brothers Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; Netflix stand-up special Warn Your Relatives; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap in Das Racist) spontaneously interact with each other, sharing family stories, discussing current events, and more—plus "a very special guest" on Mother's Day—for this podcast recording: Kondabolu Brothers Podcast Live (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Monday 5/14: Mike Lawrence (razor-sharp rising star; winner of first Comedy Central Roast Battle; staff writer for HBO's stellar Crashing series and Comedy Central's Emmy-winning Inside Amy Schumer; was frequent highlight on @midnight; star of Comedy Central Snapchat series You're Wrong with Mike Lawrence; Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Joel Kim Booster (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special, Billy on the Street; for Joel's Conan set, please click here), Eliza Skinner (Conan O'Brien, AMC's Lifecoach, Showtime, MTV, TBS; head writer of TBS' Drop the Mic), Danny Jolles (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jess Salomon, and Nico Santos perform stand-up for guest hosts Joyelle Nicole Johnson & Alex English: Butterboy (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Monday 5/14: Stellar stand-up 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 albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot; podcast Hang Out With Me) hosts comics Liz Miele (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, animated webseries Damaged, comedy album Mind Over Melee), Robby Hoffman (writer for TruTV's The Chris Gethard Show, PBS' Odd Squad), Samantha Ruddy (College Humor, Reductress, Someecards), Nina Danielsand, and more: The Myq Kaplan Show (8:30 pm, $6, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)

Tuesday 5/15: Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, and The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Aasif Mandvi (HBO's The Brink, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, numerous films including The Last Airbender [above right]; former correspondent for The Daily Show), Adam Cayton-Holland (co-creator and co-star of truTV's Those Who Can't; Conan O'Brien, James Corden, ABC's Happy Endings; comedy albums I Don’t Know If I Happy, Backyards, and Signature Bits; upcoming book Tragedy Plus Time), and more perform for host Seth Herzog's (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1) seminal weekly stand-up & variety show: Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)

In this new gameshow of savage female verbal takedowns created by fab host Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!, co-host of Battle of the Divas and White Chocolate), superb comics Liza Treyger, Jessica Kirson, and Yamaneika Saunders judge which bad-ass will leave the stage victorious, with tonight's eight contestants Marie Faustin, Katie Hannigan, Dina Hashem, Sydnee Washington, Molly Austin, Rosebud Baker, Aminah Imani, and Annie Donley: F.E.U.D. (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)

Tuesday 5/15: UK comic Paul Wady, author of The Guerilla Aspies Handbook: A Neurotypical Society Infiltration Manual, invites you to join him on the autism spectrum: Guerilla Aspies (9:30 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Tuesday 5/15: Jacqueline Novak (above; exceptionally smart, fresh stand-up; Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO; comedy album Quality Notions; book How to Weep in Public), Sasheer Zamata (cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon’s Transparent, TBS’ People of Earth), Shane Torres (fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Chanel Ali, Catherine Cohen, and Kelsey Caine perform stand-up or sketch for hosts Kelsey Caine & Martin Urbano: Kelsey and Martin's Big Important Comedy Show (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Thursday 5/17: Eight comics, wearing period costumes, play historical figures—tonight including Jay Malsky as Elaine Stritch, Jonathan Braylock as Frederick Douglass, Meghan O'Malley as Maybelline Shadows, and Lauren Ireland as Mileva Einstein—while giving lectures on odd topics: DED Talks: TED Talks From Dead People (7:00 pm; $11.59 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Thursday 5/17: The greatest science fiction anthology radio show of all time was X Minus One. Improvisors who know their genre history created this 1940s-era radio show in which they make up scenes of awe, mystery, and wonder starring the highly talented and appealing Rachel Scherer (above). In all honesty, while Rachel is a gem, her cast rotates and isn't as consistent. But if you'd care to roll the dice, you'll at minimum enjoy Ms. Scherer...and if you're lucky, will be transported to other worlds: X Plus One (7:00 pm, $8, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)

Friday 5/18: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's; author of upcoming book How to be Alone) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are guests Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, co-star of feature film The Wrestler, star of delightful documentary The Crowd Work Tour, Netflix special Spicy Honey) and Jeff Hiller (30 Rock, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, musical improv group Rumpleteaser). This show consistently sells out, so I recommend nabbing tickets in advance online for Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Friday 5/18: Comics go deep on their weird obsessions with seemingly boring things (e.g., "The History of the Rubber Duck"), with tonight's information gifters Chris Duffy (staff writer for NatGeo Explorer; stellar host of You're the Expert and You Get a Spoon), Brian Parise (staff writer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), Katie Hannigan (MTV’s Inside Joke, College Humor), Samantha Ruddy (College Humor, Reductress, Someecards), Charles McBee (Comedy Central, MTV, host of Nerd is the New Black), and Jono Zelay (comedy album Snake Oil), all hosted by Raj Sivaraman (co-host of Universe City podcast): Monotony: A Smart Comedy Show about Stupid Stuff (9:00 pm, $8, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Saturday 5/19: Guests Justin Ellis (staff writer for HBO's Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas),Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV), and Tokyo Driftwood (band formed by Ryan Dieringer & Sam McDougle) perform stand-up, songs, characters, and/or more, then enthusiastically endorse some product they love...which will be handed out to lucky members of the audience! Hosted by the wonderful Chris Duffy (staff writer for NatGeo Explorer, host of You're the Expert), who makes this promise for one audience member per show: You Get A Spoon (4:00 pm; $13.71 online, $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Saturday 5/19: World-class singing improvisors Evan Kaufman & Rebecca Vigil 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). Tonight will be extra special, as the show is celebrating its Fourth Year Anniversary. I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (7:00 pm; $16.89 in advance online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Saturday 5/19: Star Tracy Morgan is interviewed by Vulture TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz, plus an episode of Tracy's new TBS show The Last O.G. is screened, sponsored by pop culture site Vulture as part of its two-day festival: Tracy Morgan in Conversation (8:00 pm, $32.66, Milk Studios AT&T Studio at 450 West 15th Street)

Saturday 5/19: In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of stand-ups Josh Gondelman, Hari Kondabolu, Kate Willett, Nore Davis, Molly Ruben-Long, and Nina Tarr to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don’t know what the animators will draw and the animators don’t know how the comics will react. Produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance: Picture This! (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Saturday 5/19: A live taping of the acclaimed Las Culturistas podcast hosted by Matt Rogers & Bowen Yang interviewing "a special guest" sponsored by pop culture site Vulture as part of its two-day festival: Las Culturistas Live (8:30 pm, $21.66, Milk Studios Penthouse at 450 West 15th Street)

Saturday 5/19: Comics offer oddball information on topics selected in alphabetical order, with tonight's subjects Betty Boop, Biological nightmares, and more, plus monthly game "Name That Demon," expounded upon by guests Lorelei Ramirez, Gary Pascal, Megan Henricks, Joanna Rothkopf, Shannon Odell, and Jordan Mendoza: Encyclopedia Commedia: Vol. II (Av-Br) (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

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Sunday 5/20: Killer lineup of Wyatt Cenac, Josh Gondelman, Julio Torres, John Reynolds, Ana Fabrega, Matteo Lane, Sasheer Zamata, and Emma Willmann perform stand-up for this event curated & sponsored by pop culture site Vulture as part of its two-day festival: Vulture Festival Comedy Show (7:30 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street—take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)

Monday 5/21: Emmy Blotnick (brilliant rising star stand-up who's performed on Stephen Colbert and stars in an upcoming Comedy Central Half Hour; Head Writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV, VH1), Ronny Chieng (correspondent for The Daily Show), Alison Leiby (writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, previously writer for The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story), Jordan Temple (staff writer for The Rundown with Robin Thede, previously writer for Showtime's SMIFL), and more are scheduled to perform stand-up for this free weekly show hosted by the multi-talented Morgan Miller (sharp improvisor, sketch comic, and stand-up): Dirty Laundry (11:00 pm, Free! (make reservation here), UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)

Tuesday 5/22: Dan Soder (above; stellar stand-up; irresistible as Dudley Mafee on Showtime's superb series Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1; hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Shane Torres (fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Pete Lee (Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, TruTV, VH1; moving soon to LA), Mike Brown (TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, TruTV, MTV, Adult Swim; co-host of Comedy Outliers), and more perform for host Seth Herzog's (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1) seminal weekly stand-up & variety show, which for this week only is at a different location—and free!: Sweet (9:00 pm, Free!, The Mailroom Bar at 110 Wall Street—take the 2/3 subway to Wall Street)

Tuesday 5/22: UK-based comic Barry Ferns (BBC) does a rare NYC stand-up performance, with openers Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, and The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America) and Caitlin Cook (singer/songwriter): Barry Ferns Loves You, Co-Starring Sean Patton and Caitlin Cook (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Wednesday 5/23: John Hodgman & Jean Grae have written topics on a carnival wheel. In this show they spin the wheel and then chat about whatever subject they land on, along with a surprise guest. What else do you need to know?: Jean and John (8:00 pm, $15, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)

Wednesday 5/23: Stellar storytellers Ophira Eisenberg (a rare combination of top storyteller & ace stand-up; 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!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; albums The Human Comedy and Live at the Magnet Theater; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), Mike Kelton (MTV, Logo; Executive Producer of Fusion's Shade: Queens of NYC; one-man show Yaz Hunni), and Neil Goldberg (performance artist whose works are exhibited in the permanent collection of MOMA) tell comedic tales on this month's theme Mothers for this live podast taping hosted by the wonderful David Martin: The Nights of Our Lives (8:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)

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Thursday 5/24: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street—take R subway to Union Street; please note previous performances of this show have consistently sold out, so nabbing tickets in advance ASAP is recommended)

Thursday 5/24: Superb storytellers Mindy Raf (brilliant solo show Not the One; MTV's Girl Code, College Humor; author of YA novel The Symptoms of My Insanity; often performs as singing alter ego Leibya Rogers), David Lawson (fresh, sharp, edgy storyteller; Solocom; host of The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show), Sam Dingman (host of podcast Family Ghosts), and Bill Chambers (Ten-Foot Rat Cabaret) perform for this free and gloriously oddball monthly storytelling show at the East Village's KGB Bar, featuring such treats as a trivia contest with alcoholic prizes, hosted by the wonderful Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic/pianist; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, Internet Action Force, star of The Real Housewives of Columbo): Sideshow Goshko (7:00 pm, Free!, KGB Bar at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)

Thursday 5/24: Comedic storytellers DC Benny, Ria Spencer, Mary Cyn, and Susan Kent join pioneering sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) at what's typically one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk! (9:30 pm, $15, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Friday 5/25: Highly talented hip-hop improv group North Coast attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (9:30 pm, $16.89 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Monday 5/28: Dan St. Germain (above left; enormously likeable rising star; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Crashing, @midnight, This is Not Happening, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; currently writing for Netflix's The Break with Michelle Wolf, previously staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts and TruTV's Ten Things), Simon Amstell (above right; UK TV star writer/performer who spent 3 years hosting pop quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 6 years hosting Popworld, and 2 years writing & starring in sitcom Grandma’s House; writer/director of 2017 movie Carnage; author of Help), Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit; TruTV, The Chris Gethard Show; Steve Martin's Comedy MasterClass; comedy album Good Year), Molly Austin (TruTV's Late Night Snack), Daniel Simonsen, Whitmer Thomas, and Xazmin Garza perform for this weekly Brooklyn stand-up show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Tuesday 5/29: Instructions on how to watch new movie Solo: A Star Wars Story is provided by guest JL Cauvin and hosts Pat Stango, Gregg Zehentner, Erin Rose Chan, and Clayton Gumbert for this live-on-stage version of their podcast: How to Watch Movies the Right Way (8:00 pm, $5, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)

Tuesday 5/29: Simon Amstell (UK TV star writer/performer who's gracing NYC with his presence in June to perform one-man show What Is This? at the East Village's Theatre 80 [see above]; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon; spent 3 years hosting pop quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 6 years hosting Popworld, and 2 years writing & starring in sitcom Grandma’s House; writer/director of 2017 movie Carnage; author of Help), TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Whitmer Thomas (visiting from LA; Comedy Central, ABC, AMC, FX), Julian Velard (singer/songwriter; pianist for NPR's Ask Me Another), and more perform for host Seth Herzog's (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1) seminal weekly stand-up & variety show: Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)

Wednesday 5/30-Wednesday 6/6: LES' Caveat venue has provided a wonderful new home for innovative stand-up, storytelling, and variety shows—and especially those that are in some way related to science. Making that connection explicit is this festival that covers 16 comedic science-related events, running from May 30th (with an opening night party) through June 6th. Notable shows includes Science Wake: Eulogies for Failed Theories (6/6 at 9:30 pm), The Story Collider: Abortion—Stories from Patients and Doctors (6/5 at 8:00 pm), The Matilda Effect: How Science Hides Women's Achievements (6/2 at 7:00 pm), and The Racist History of Math (6/6 at 7:00 pm). You can buy tickets to individual shows, or save a bundle with a $50 all-you-can-see pass: Underground Science Festival (week-long fest running 5/30-6/6; individual shows free or $12-$17, or pay $50 for all-you-can-see pass; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)

Wednesday 5/30: A dozen comics—including Jo Firestone, John Reynolds, Matt Barats, and Anthony Oberbeck—perform characters, songs, and a variety of other comedic bits: Yardsale Comedy Night (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Thursday 5/31: Comics who are parents vent by telling mean stories about their children, with tonight's cruel jokesters J.R. Havlan (Emmy-winning former staff writer for Jimmy Fallon and The Daily Show), Abbi Crutchfield (Broad City, MTV, VH1, Witsream), and Carole Montgomery (Comedy Central, ABC's Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Oprah, Showtime, MTV, VH1, A&E) hosted by the wonderful Ophira Eisenberg (one of the finest comedic storytellers and stand-ups in the country; host of weekly NPR/WNYC show Ask Me Another," author of bestselling book Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy," comedy album Bangs!; NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime) and Emily Flake (star cartoonist for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Forbes, etc.; author of books Mama Tried [above], Lulu Eightball, and These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves): Shitshow (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

Thursday 5/31: A glorious collection of hilarious film & TV clips and lectures by mass media experts hosted by super-fan Kevin Maher (Emmy-nominated writer whose work has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, and AMC; former host of AMC's The Sci-Fi Dept.), this month focusing on detectives (for a trailer, please click here), with scheduled guests Adam Howard (Associate Producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), Emily Intravia (co-host of The Feminine Critique podcast), Chico Leo (co-host of the Scream Squad podcast), Nick Nadel (host of the Movies My Friends Have Never Seen podcast), Gena Radcliffe (co-host of the Kill By Kill podcast), and Mike Schuster (writer-producer of Super Deluxe and Rifftrax): Kevin Geeks Out About Detectives (9:30 pm; $16—buying in advance is recommended, as this show crammed with rich imagery and fascinating ideas often sells out; Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema at 136 Metropolitan Avenue—take the L to Bedford)

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