NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 5/29/17
Broadway, TV, and/or film stars Amy Rutberg (CBS' Bull, Netflix's Daredevil, HBO's Recount), Zoey Martinson (Ndebele Funeral, Are We There Yet?), Cristin Milioti (FX's Fargo, CBS' How I Met Your Mother, Broadway's Once (Tony nominated), Sarah Stiles (Broadway's On a Clear Day..., Hand to God (Tony nominated), and Mark Gagliardi (Thrilling Adventure Hour, Drunk History) steadfastly stick to the script of classic plays, while genius improvisors Scott Adsit, Neil Casey, Brian Stack, and Michael Delaney spontaneously react to being thrust into the scenes of these plays they've never seen or read, all mixing it up for actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water (8:00 pm, $7 (tickets still available as I write this; but even when the show sells out of seats, you can still get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing), UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation—including at 8:00 pm group Poor Melissa, which features superb comics Dana Shulman & Adrian Sexton—at The PIT Underground: Super Free Monday
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Terrific storytellers David Lawson (fresh, sharp, edgy storyteller; Solocom; host of The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show), Anna Roisman (MTV; co-host of You Probably Think This Song Is About You), Sean O'Brien (Moth GrandSlam Champion), and Andrew Collin tell tales set outside of NYC (e.g., in their home towns) at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Andre Medrano: The Town and the City
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 (second show at 10:30 pm) ($7): Improv is dominated by guys, so this is a rare treat—a dozen female improvisors "for an evening of comedy that will delight men, women, babies, and kittens," hosted by Megan Gray & Christina Dabney at The Magnet theatre: We Might Just Kiss
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts a stellar lineup of Sean Patton, Mark Normand, Rachel Feinstein, Roy Wood Jr., 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): Brilliant improvisors Langan Kingsley (briefly back in NYC), Aaron Jackson, and Josh Sharp make up scenes while being unusually thin at the UCB East theatre: Big Fat Fatties
8:00 pm ($10): A group of actors and improvisors attempt to duplicate the success of UCBT's Gravid Water by putting improvisors in the middle of classic theatre scenes at The PIT Mainstage. UCBT uses top Broadway and improv talent for its show, making it extraordinary. The participants of this show aren't quite at that level, but the format is so strong that this might work anyway, despite the awful title: The Actor's Worst Nightmare
[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
9:00 pm ($7): Improv from visiting San Francisco duo Mona Thompson & Shara Tonn, plus an opening improv set from Megan Gray, Chet Siegel, and Veslemøy Mørkrid, all performing at The Magnet theatre: Mona and Shara Do a Bunch of Scenes
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups 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) & Richard James: Ed Sullivan on Acid
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, sketch gals Becky Chicoine & Sam Reece are hilarious playing 13-year-old boys who are "the Internet's most viral, most teenage, and most white hip hop duo:" Famous Male Duo...
...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
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
9:30 pm ($7): Improvisors make up scenes about moms—springboarding off stories by a "mom-ologist"— at The PIT Mainstage: Ad Mom-orium
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Laurie Kilmartin (dynamite stand-up; writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Justin Silver (star of CBS' Dogs in the City), Annie Lederman (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, @midnight, This is Not Happening; MTV's Guy Code Vs. Girl Code; Chelsea Lately), Derek Gaines (host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), Graham Kay, Elon Altman, Ramy Youssef, and Justin Smith perform stand-up at one of best comedy clubs in NYC at absolutely no cost to you (feel encouraged to order food and//or drinks, but you don't have to) for The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—pushing boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Andy Sandford: Permission to Fail
10:30 pm ($7; see also 7:30 pm): Improv is dominated by guys, so this is a rare treat—a dozen female improvisors "for an evening of comedy that will delight men, women, babies, and kittens," hosted by Megan Gray & Christina Dabney at The Magnet theatre: We Might Just Kiss
[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 and and Netflix's Master of None; 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 & Situ Mel ton: 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 & 8:00 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
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Walk-in open mic for telling stories or jokes about sex, desire, and romance, with each performer getting 7 minutes at The Delancey (168 Delancey Street) produced by Ames Beckerman: Safe Word: The Sexiest Open Mic in NYC
[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 ($5): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT Mainstage hosted by John Field: The Power Exchange
[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
[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
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 5/30/17
An ace stand-up who's the star co-host of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update; a former correspondent for The Daily Show and staff writer for Saturday Night Live; has also performed on David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, The Today Show, and The View; and starred in a Comedy Central Half Hour and in Netflix special Michael Che Matters headlines for one night only in the West Village: Michael Che Secret Show (8:00 pm and 10:00 pm, $20 plus 2-drink min., Village Underground at 130 West 3rd Street)...
...or marvel at world-class singing improvisors Rebecca Vigil & Evan Kaufman interviewing an audience couple about their love life and then turning it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). Celebrating its Three Year Anniversary, I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (8:00 pm; $10, which is super cheap—;this show has regularly sold out at $18 at other venues; 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 $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 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-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 by a free improv jam at 6:00 pm that gives you a chance to perform with some of these sharp talents): Magnet Musical Megawatt
7:00 pm ($7): Kou Moshtael & Jeremy Pick perform duo sketch comedy at The PIT Underground: Moshpick Live
7:00 pm ($7): An improvisor delivers an exceptionally honest monologue based on an audience suggestion that launches the group's performing scenes—and at some point another improvisor braves an audience "dare"—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Truth + Dare
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
7:30 pm ($5): Jenn Welch, Melissa Rocha, Mary Houlihan, Phil Stamato, and Alon Elian perform music, characters, or stand-up, and then help ex-lover hosts Alicia Camden & Nate Waggoner provide romantic advice to anonymous audience questions for this taped podcast at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): Invitation to Love Live
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): A show focused on dance, movement, and physical comedy for "those of us who fall outside social binaries and the beauty standards of mainstream...dedicated to the weird, the beautiful, the gross, and, ultimately, the human" featuring the wonderful Tallie Medel (Cocoon Central Dance Team), Karolena Greenridge, Peter Smith, Alise Morales, and Alex English performing at UCB East hosted by Arti Gollapudi: Your Body Must Be Heard
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm [$] ($15): Shane Mauss (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Showtime, specials on Comedy Central and Netflix) performs a one-man show about psychedelics at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Shane Mauss Presents A Good Trip
[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
8:00 pm ($10): An autobiographical one-woman show by Stephanie Gould about growing up with cerebral palsy at The PIT Mainstage directed by Chris Booth: Walk with Me
8:00 pm ($5): UCB house groups By the Book and Some Kid make up scenes using the long improv form called The Harold at the UCB Chelsea theatre (see also 9:30 pm): Harold Night, Part 1
[FREE; plus FREE DRAFT BEER 8:00-8:30!] 8:00 pm: Krystyna Hutchinson (co-host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast, Carson Daly), Josh Rabinowitz (Broad City, TruTV), Wendi Starling (Jammerz podcast), and Dustin Chafin perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Two Boots Pizza Williamsburg (558 Driggs Avenue) hosted by Lucas Connolly, David Piccolomini, and Jake Fromm: Ambush Comedy
[FREE, plus "light refreshments;" register here] 8:00 pm: Becca Beberaggi hosts Liz Magee, Babe Parker, Nick Callas, Ester Steinberg, and Usama Siddiquee performing stand-up at Paste Magazine (350 West Seventh Avenue, Suite 500): Comedy Night at Paste Studio
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of podcasts Legion of Skanks and The SDR; stellar comedy album Live at Webster Hall), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing finalist), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), and Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) perform stand-up at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street) hosted by Mike Finoia (Producer for TruTV's Impractical Jokers; host of Jamcast): Hot Seat Comedy Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Jordan Temple (writer for MTV's Decoded), Brad Howe (Funny or Die), and Casey Jane Ellison perform stand-up hosted by Joe Pera (hilarious and genius 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), Charles Gould (Comedy Central), and Dan Licata (The Chris Gethard Show) at Brooklyn's NY Distilling Company (79 Richardson Street; take L subway to Lorimer Street): Dan + Joe + Charles' Show
[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
[TOP PICK] 9:00ish pm ($10): Jena Friedman (wry dark political stand-up; Stephen Colbert, @midnight, The New Yorker, Adult Swim, Netflix mockumentary Undecided; former staff writer for David Letterman, former producer for The Daily Show;), Bill Dawes (HBO’s Sex and the City and Oz, CBS’ Elementary and Criminal Minds, USA’s Royal Pains, TNT’s The Following and Rizzoli & Isles, ABC’s All My Children), sketch group Aunty Donna, musician Jack Dishel, and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) guest-hosted by Greg Barris (MTV's All That Rocks, host of Heart of Darkness): Sweet
9:00 pm ($6): Comics Maurice Licorish, Shanna Christmas, and Bobby Hankinson each tell a story about his or her favorite song, then perform a karaoke version of the song—while wearing pajamas—and so will three audience members (maybe you) at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jenn Wehrung, Coree Spencer, and/or Sharron Paul: The Jammy Jam
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): Producers and staff writers for The Daily Show come out from behind the scenes to perform stand-up at the UCB East theatre: The Daily Show Staff Stand-Up Show: An Evening of Political-ish Comedy
9:30 pm ($7): Sketch duo Two Fake Blondes (Eliza Kingsbury & Jewel Elizabeth) host an hour of character comedy at The PIT Underground: B*tches & Snitches: A Character Show
9:30 pm ($5): UCB house groups Flufty and Ice Cold Bev 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
9:30 pm ($7): A variety show that incorporates tarot cards—show up an hour early for a free reading—at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tamara's & Adrian's Tarot Variety Show
9:30 pm ($7): An improvised talk show, with one member playing a character suggested by the audience as the guest, and the other improvisors making up scenes springboarding off things said during the interview at The PIT Mainstage: Interview With A...
[FREE] 10:00 pm: LGBTQ-friendly stand-up at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Kaitlyn Holland, Elsa Waithe, and Sarah Kennedy: Rainbow Sprinkles
11:00 pm ($5): Lou Gonzalez, Chrissie Gruebel, and Brian Urreta of improv group The Mannequin Room chat with audience members about their day over beverages and then make up scenes about it at the UCB East theatre: Spill the T with The Mannequin Room
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
5:30 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 veteran musical improvisors 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 6 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre 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
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class: Slow Jam
[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
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 Underground hosted by Will Purpura: Bring It
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 5/31/17
Award-winning Australian sketch trio Aunty Donna—Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane—perform "surreal fast-paced little plays, clever dances, and goofy characters" (click for video samples) one night only in Brooklyn as part of its world tour: Aunty Donna: New Show (8:00 pm, $30, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)...
...and two exceptionally appealing comics, Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Today Show, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!) and Adira Amram (spectacular comedic singer & dancer; Funny or Die), perform and host 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), Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit; TruTV, The Chris Gethard Show; Steve Martin's Comedy MasterClass; comedy album Good Year), Matthew Holtzclaw (magician; Penn & Teller: Fool Us), and Maeve Higgins (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk, host of Maeve in America): Ophira & Adira (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[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 ($7): A guest monologist tells a story from his or her days in high school, and then improvisors springboard the tale's details into scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Improv High
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
7:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy group Nipsy tries out material at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Workout: Nipsy
7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Four hours of improv from eight groups at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): A one-man show by Luke Ward telling the story of how he and his wife adopted a baby at The PIT Underground directed by Kaitlin Fontana: Adapting
7:30 pm ($7): Storytellers Natasha Vaynblat (improv group What I Did For Love, sketch group Absolutely, one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), Jiji Lee, and Babe Parker & Leo Martin share tales of lost love, despair, and hopelessness at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Claire Burns & Jessie Jolles: No Such Thing as Love
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 Zaddy, seventeen, and Hotel Hotel also making up scenes via the long improv form called The Harold: Lloyd Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, "Becky Abrams is determined to go on a date with every boy she can, and you're damn right that she's going to enjoy it while she does:" A Date with Every Boy...
...and in the second half of this double-bill, comics who are moms "grab a glass of wine, strap on their nursing bras, and leave the babysitter $20 for pizza" to go out for an evening together and improvise scenes, featuring Leslie Meisel, Silvija Ozols, Ann Carr, Kate Zelensky, Cody Lindquist, and/or Karin Hammerberg: Mom's Night Out
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm pm ($10): A Shakespeare play is made up on the spot by Mona Thompson, Shara Tonn, Ben Johnson, and Jessia Hoffman at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Mona, Shara, Ben, and Jessia Do Improvised Shakespeare
8:00 pm ($8): Comics Melinda Taub, Alex Song, and Patti Harrison get drunk and then compete to present the best scientific dissertation on this month's rather dark subject of Tuberculosis to genuine scientist Dr. Ludovic Desvignes at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Joanna Rothkopf, Shannon Odell, and Jordan Mendoza: Drunk Science
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Young and/or struggling NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) produced by Meghan O'Malley, Adrian Davidson, and Erick Hellwig: Barely Making It
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($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
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: David Lawson (fresh, sharp, edgy storyteller; Solocom; host of The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show) shares odd tales of his days growing up in Washington DC—which include a murderer dressed in a bunny suit, a failed insensitive Disney theme park, and friendly next door neighbors who used slave labor—with opening stories by Gastor Almonte and Amy Dixon, all performing for this free show at Brooklyn's Halyards Bar (406 Third Avenue): David Lawson: What the Hell, DC
8:30 pm ($7): Comics screen their favorite movie clips as part of their sets, with tonight's stand-ups Emily Wilson, Connor Creagan, Patrick Holbert, Julia Branda, and Lance Pauker all performing at The PIT Underground hosted by Justin Angermeyer & Caitlin Mckee: Roll Credits
[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
9:00 pm ($7): A one-woman play by Becca Beberaggi (host of Comedy Night at Paste Studio) about coming of age in NYC while dealing with Craigslist and nuns at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): I Laugh to Keep From Crying
9:00 pm ($7): A play by sketch duo 21st Floor (Sean Perham & Andy Mavra) about when "two of the hardest working men in live adult entertainment find out their entire staff has walked off the job" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The VanZandt Brothers Gentlemen's Club
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups DC Benny, Michael Kayne, Kristin Manna, Nick Callas, and Kenny Warren perform for this free weekly 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
9:30 pm ($7): Dynamite comics Aaron Jackson, Brandon Scott Jones, Jeff Hiller, Josh Sharp, and Brian Faas promise "You are going to turn Gay, and you are going to love it" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: We Will Turn You Gay
10:00 pm ($7): Comics Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1, comedy album He Has Friends), Eman El Husseini, and Jess Salomon each make a case for why he or she would be a better President than our current one. You and your audience then votes on the winner...who is then sworn in on the spot at The PIT Underground by host Andrea Ilene Shapiro: #ThatsMyPresident
10:00 pm ($7): Improv group Big Kitten performs and hosts other indie improv groups at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Big Kitten's BIg Show
10:15 pm ($5): Randomly selected UCB students perform with UCB improv veterans at the UCB East theatre: The Lottery
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Jill Kargman (creator and star of Bravo 2015 TV series Odd Mom Out, which is based on her 2007 book Momzillas) has a talk show built around her and her friends for one night only at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Night Late
11:00 pm ($7): Monoscene improv group Crazy Legs performs and hosts other indie improv groups on this last day of May at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): May Day
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
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Monthly open mic for stand-up, characters, storytelling, improv, music, or anything else, providing 4 minutes per person—and a extra minute beyond that if the performer pays a compliment to a fellow performer in the room. Sign up via email by noon today at thecomplimentarymic@gmail.com for one of the 9 reserved spots, or try to nab one of the 5 walk-in spots tonight at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jenn Wehrung & Coree Spencer: The Complimentary 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] 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
7:00 pm ($7): Walk-in open mic at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Randy Reiman & Nikki Lowe: Open Mic's Hard Lemonade
[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 upstairs theatre hosted by Bernard Maynore and/or Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your chance to perform with veteran UCB improvisors on the UCB East stage: The Lottery Jam
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/1/17
Catch a fresh episode of one of the best shows on TV, Anthony Atamanuik's brilliant The President Show, at 11:30 pm on Comedy Central
Hilarious, quick-witted Norm MacDonald got the biggest laugh ever out of Conan O'Brien when he began by declaring that if Carrot Top is the star of the new movie of another guest, a good title for the film would be "Box Office Poison." Conan then asked the guest for the actual title, and she responded Chairman of the Board. Conan turned to Norm and said, "Do something with that, you freak." Without missing a beat, Norm replied, "I bet Board is spelled B-O-R-E-D." Conan, and the audience, went into hysterics. (Norm is also famous for telling this Moth joke on Conan.) Norm was a popular cast member of Saturday Night Live for five seasons and the anchor of Weekend Update for three seasons. In addition, Norm has written for Roseanne, acted on such prime-time sitcoms as ABC's The Drew Carey Show and NBC's NewsRadio, and even starred in his own ABC sitcom The Norm Show, which ran for three seasons. But what Norm may be proudest of is his stand-up, and this razor-sharp comic is well worth catching. Headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Norm Macdonald (7:30 pm & 9:30 pm, $57.25 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)...
...and superb singer & comic Julie A. Feltman (musical improv group Vern, musical parody series Unauthorized!) hosts a sketch & cabaret show as Judy Garland, joined by ace singer/impersonators Matt Giroveanu (Broadway's Next Hit Musical, Vern) as Frank Sinatra and Jay Malsky (above right; host of This Live Show; UCB sketch group Pretty Boys; PIT improv group Peaches Galore; FringeNYC solo show Elaine Stritch: Still Here; Solocom & UCB solo show Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend) as Elaine Stritch, with Jody Shelton (co-writer of hit parody 50 Shades: The Musical; renowned musical improv group Baby Wants Candy) on piano: The Judy Garland Show (9:00, $7, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
7:00 pm ($7): Suburban New Jersey sketch group Kiss on the Lips performs in this monthly show at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Kiss on the Lips
7:00 pm ($7): Improv group Rebel 5 performs and hosts other indie improv groups at The PIT Mainstage : Rebel 5 Indie Rally
[TOP PICK] [$] 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): Joel Kim Booster (Conan O'Brien, Billy on the Street), Kate Willett (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, VICE's Flophouse, comedy album Glass Gutter), Jordan Carlos (HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code, Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim), Gordon Baker-Bone, and Hannah Boone 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): Improv groups Coffee N Cream and Rebel 5 play a challenging Groundhog Day game: Perform a monoscene, then repeat it over and over with less time on the clock—specifically, first 5 minutes, then 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds, and finally 15 seconds. Team members switch roles and try to hit all the same beats and moments in each rendition of the same scene. It all happens at The PIT Underground, plus an opening set from stand-up Gregory W. Hall: Improv Groundhog Day
7:30 pm ($7): Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language, host of Frantic Mondays), Wendi Starling (Fuse.TV, Playboy Radio, co-produces GlamourPuss), Alia Janine, and this show's producer Kaytlin Bailey perform stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Ceyenne Doroshow, with ticket sales benefiting the Sex Worker Project at the Urban Justice Center: Sex Workers Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($30): Award-winning Australian sketch trio Aunty Donna—Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane—perform "surreal fast-paced little plays, clever dances, and goofy characters" (click for video samples) one last night in Brooklyn as part of its world tour:at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Aunty Donna: New Show
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): At the UCB Chelsea theatre, sketch gals Becky Chicoine & Sam Reece are hilarious playing 13-year-old boys who are "the Internet's most viral, most teenage, and most white hip hop duo:" Famous Male Duo...
...and in the second other of this double bill, gal duo Amanda Giobbi & Kelley Quinn perform a Top 40 music-driven sketch show: Power Hour
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A classic play by Pulitzer & Tony Award-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley is performed by Alexis Di Gregorio, Nicholas Thomas, and George Walsh with direction by Patrick McCartney at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Dreamer Examines His Pillow
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups, themed improv show Junk Food (embracing pure absurdity and silliness, making you laugh without thinking), and improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Stand-ups try to solve the world's problems, with tonight's sages 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), Noah Gardenswartz (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), and Mike Recine (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), plus regulars Josiah Madigan & Brock Mahan, all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Kevin McCaffrey: Serious Matters
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups perform at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Gideon Hambright and/or Patrick Hastie: Jackknife Comedy
8:00 pm ($7): Trio improv group Unicorn Women (Mary Bridget Welch, Virginia Hamilton, and Christine Lawless) host a show about embracing diversity at The PIT Mainstage: We Accept You: A Uni Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts a great lineup of Gary Gulman, Joe Machi, Liza Treyger, Nimesh Patel, and more trying out fresh stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Drew Michael (writer for Saturday Night Live), Ramy Youssef (Stephen Colbert), and Scott Dooley (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) perform stand-up at UCB East hosted by rising stars Jim Tews (Louie, Last Comic Standing, co-host of Fresh Out and Homeschooled, New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York) & Ashley Brooke Roberts (energetic, enormously likeable stand-up; writer for Nat Geo and MTV's Guy Code): Fresh Out
9:00 pm ($8): 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), Lauren Maul, Chewy May, and Suzanne Lea Shepherd perform stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Liz Simons & Jenn Wehrung: Laugh It Up, Astoria
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): Dynamite musical improvisors including Zack Willis, Aaron Jackson, Lauren Adams, Josh Sharp, Jeff Hiller, and/or more destroyed 10 improv groups in a row this year at Cage Match. Come see why audiences can't resist how these superb comics make up stories with songs at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Rumpleteaser: Musical Improv
[$] 9:30 pm ($15): Comics who are immigrants, naturalized citizens, or first generation Americans share their stories, and improvisors then use the tales as springboards to make up scenes at The PIT Mainstage: Undocumented: Immigrant Stories
10:00 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
[FREE] 10:00 pm: In between the sets of NYC stand-ups (not announced), host Abby Feldman (Netflix, Redacted Tonight) provides advice to audience members...while lounging in a bathtub! It all happens at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Moist
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7): Improv group Funky Hard Beats has indeed been hard to beat, having won five times in a row, including last week's 92-69 triumph against team Snapshirt. Tonight FHB defends against UCB Harold improv group Women & Men, competing for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Jena Friedman (wry dark political stand-up; Stephen Colbert, @midnight, The New Yorker, Adult Swim, Netflix mockumentary Undecided; former staff writer for David Letterman, former producer for The Daily Show;), Sudi Green (writer for Saturday Night Live), Rhonda Hansome (Louie), Carmen Christopher (Comedy Central), and William Martinez do stand-up or something else comedic for this show that encourages them to perform whatever they're most passionate about at the UCB East theatre hosted by Nicole Pasquale: WOKE AF: A Mind-Opening Variety Show
11:00 pm ($7): Improv with feedback at The PIT Mainstage hosted by Matthew Woods & Dan Miller: Improv MD
11:00 pm ($7): Improvisors make up scenes revolving around the fact there's a dead body in the story at The PIT Underground: Dead Body
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
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Stand-up open mic in which 15 walk-ins whose names are drawn from a bucket get to tell jokes on stage for 4 minutes each at UCB East hosted Brandon Scott Wolf & Paul Oddo: Thursday Night Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's 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 ($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
6:00 pm ($3): 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 ($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
7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Thursday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (34 Pell Street, 2nd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In
[FREE] 7:00 pm: 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 open mic that's mostly stand-up—but any act is welcome—with signup at 10:00 pm at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Jake Vevera & Amy Liszka: Jake & Amy's Golden Monkey 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 6/2/17
It's NYC night #2 of hilarious, quick-witted Norm MacDonald, who got the biggest laugh ever out of Conan O'Brien when he began by declaring that if Carrot Top is the star of the new movie of another guest, a good title for the film would be "Box Office Poison." Conan then asked the guest for the actual title, and she responded Chairman of the Board. Conan turned to Norm and said, "Do something with that, you freak." Without missing a beat, Norm replied, "I bet Board is spelled B-O-R-E-D." Conan, and the audience, went into hysterics. (Norm is also famous for telling this Moth joke on Conan.) Norm was a popular cast member of Saturday Night Live for five seasons and the anchor of Weekend Update for three seasons. In addition, Norm has written for Roseanne, acted on such prime-time sitcoms as ABC's The Drew Carey Show and NBC's NewsRadio, and even starred in his own ABC sitcom The Norm Show, which ran for three seasons. But what Norm may be proudest of is his stand-up, and this razor-sharp comic is well worth catching. Headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Norm Macdonald (7:30 pm & 10:00 pm tonight & Saturday, 7:30 pm at Sunday; $57.25 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)...
...and Chuck Nice (above left; co-host of Playing with Science and of Star Talk Radio with Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson; frequent guest on The Today Show; TED Talks; VH1's Best Week Ever, TruTV), Clara de Soto (above middle; co-founder of Reply.ai, editor at ChatbotsWeekly), TJ Allard (NBC Emmy Award winning producer), and Rebecca B. Carton (writer/producer/actor for Living Thru The Lens) discuss the latest technology trends with hosts David Ryan Polgar (above right; tech ethicist) & Joe Leonardo (ESPN, NPR): Funny As Tech (10:30 pm, $7, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th 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 ($10): A sketch comedy double-bill from Dinosaur Jones, a group that's "part adventure, part absurdity, and all comedy" and The Executives, a tie-wearing group that leverages physical comedy, all at The Magnet theatre: Dinosaur Jones and The Executives: CoasterVille, USA
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 ($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 7:30, 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
7:00 pm ($7): Improvisors make up a documentary based on an audience member's suggestion at The PIT Mainstage: Observer Effect: An Improvised Documentary
7:00 pm ($7): Improvisors Irene Carroll, Stephen Thornton, and Scotty Watson aim to create a story via "organic discovery and character work" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): 3.14 (pi)
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): 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 Dave Mizzoni & Matt Rogers as they gay up the straights through games and trivia. Life lines include one woke woman and a wise queer. Come witness the ultimate test of who Is honorarily Gay As Fuck!" at the UCB East theatre: GAYme Show
7:30 pm ($10): Married couple Jordan & Amanda Hirsch perform a comedic play about their everyday lives at The PIT Underground: Til Death
[$] 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): Eight New York comics—tonight including Clare O'Kane (Amazon's Budding Prospects, Viceland's Flophouse, webseries Semi-Famous; former writer for SpongeBob SquarePants)—tell stories of where they came from (San Francisco, Baltimore, Nebraska, etc.) and the journey that led them to NYC performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Katie Boyle (who's from Ireland): Transplants
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott perform with guest Chris Griggs (Big Black Car) at at The PIT Mainstage: Centralia
8:00 pm ($7): Improv duo Matt Vita & Megan Miles open during the encore of a music concert, obtain a song title suggestion from the audience, and then make up the song to kick off an evening that mixes musical improv and theatrical improv at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): One More Song
8:00 pm ($5): "Food sketches, street food interviews, and live cooking" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Late Night Snack
[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 ($12): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Silvija Ozols, Alexandra Dickson, and/or Michael Delaney forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($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
9:00 pm ($10): NYC sketch comedy groups High Noon and Candy Ass perform at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Boogie Manja
9:00 pm ($10): Stand-ups and improvisors performing at The PIT Underground hosted by Matt Catanzano & Richie Moriarty: Simply Unemployable Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): 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 at The PIT Mainstage: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera
[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 ($10): Kenny Warren invites comedians Petey Deabreu (host of Petey's World), Ayanna Dookie (co-host of King Hippo Comedy), Jatty Robinson, Reg Thomas, and KC Arora and to his "barbershop" to get their hair cut and talk comedy at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) co-hosted by Barry Ribs & Larry Beyah: Comics Cutting Comics
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): Superb improvisors James Dwyer, Craig Rowin, Connor O'Malley, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and Shaun Diston make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[$] 10:30 pm ($12): Drew Michael (writer for Saturday Night Live), Noah Gardenswartz (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), Jason Kanter (Travel Channel), and Rohan Padhye perform stand-up at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
10:30 pm ($7): Blair Socci (MTV's Girl Code and Ladylike), Sarah Tollemache (Adam Devine's House Party), Anthony Moore (Kevin Hart's Hart of the City), Tanael Joachim, and Justin Flanagan perform stand-up at The PIT Underground hosted by Derek Humphrey & Anne Victoria Clark: Up and Coming: Stand-Up Comics to Know
11:00 pm ($7): Improv groups who are independent (not affiliated with a particular theatre or school) Mashed Taters, Batteries Not Included, Destiny's Chili, and Gregory Hall make up scenes at The PIT Underground: Super Indie Takeover
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): Brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers) invites you to "join filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host! He'll be joined by his hilarious talk show sidekick sidekick (Griffin Newman) as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema," with guests TBA (they're usually terrific) at the UCB East theatre: The George Lucas Talk Show
Midnight ($7): Improv groups who are independent (not affiliated with a particular theatre or school) make up scenes at UCB Chelsea hosted by improv troupe The St. Louis Rams: Indie Improv Showcase
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
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 6/3/17
After a run in Brooklyn, award-winning Australian sketch trio Aunty Donna—Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane—is in the East Village one last night performing "surreal fast-paced little plays, clever dances, and goofy characters" (click for video samples) before leaving NYC for the next stop on its world tour: Aunty Donna: Big Boys (9:00 pm, $30.50, Theatre 80 St. Marks at 80 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue)
More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[$] 2:00 pm ($20): A kid-friendly 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
[TOP PICK] 4:00 pm ($15): Mass media journalists Camila Kerwin, Stacey Vanek Smith, and host Sally Herships tell stories "too silly, too dark, or too personal to make their way out to audiences of millions," plus songs by Carrie Ashley Hill, Golda Arthur, and The Chapin Sisters, all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall: Stories You Can't Tell on the Radio
[TOP PICK] [$] 6:00 pm ($10 cover plus $10 drink min.; reservations highly recommended by calling 212.989.9319): 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 yarn-spinners are Jim O'Grady (The New York Times, This American Life, WNYC Radio, Moth GrandSlam Champion), Ed Gavagan (TED Talks, Moth Grandslam champion, WNYC's Moth Radio Hour), Richard Greene (author of The Man Behind the Magic: The Walt Disney Story), and Robin Gelfenbien (host of storytelling show Yum's the Word; VH1, Sirius, FringeNYC). Come to the West Village's Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street) and let these storytellers and host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show
6:00 pm ($5): Solo improv by Dion Flynn (frequent sketch comic on Jimmy Fallon) at The PIT Mainstage: Works Well With Others
6:30 pm ($5): International improvisors use their native languages & diverse backgrounds to make up scenes in unique ways at The PIT Underground: Passport
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($12): Improv group Women and Men interview audience members about a weird and/or wild birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah, or other social gathering and then make up scenes based on those anecdotes at the UCB East theatre: Women and Men: Party Jumpin'
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
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 & 10:00 pm ($57.25 & 2-drink min.): Hilarious, quick-witted Norm MacDonald got the biggest laugh ever out of Conan O'Brien when he began by declaring that if Carrot Top is the star of the new movie of another guest, a good title for the film would be "Box Office Poison." Conan then asked the guest for the actual title, and she responded Chairman of the Board. Conan turned to Norm and said, "Do something with that, you freak." Without missing a beat, Norm replied, "I bet Board is spelled B-O-R-E-D." Conan, and the audience, went into hysterics. (Norm is also famous for telling this Moth joke on Conan.) Norm was a popular cast member of Saturday Night Live for five seasons and the anchor of Weekend Update for three seasons. In addition, Norm has written for Roseanne, acted on such prime-time sitcoms as ABC's The Drew Carey Show and NBC's NewsRadio, and even starred in his own ABC sitcom The Norm Show, which ran for three seasons. But what Norm may be proudest of is his stand-up, and this razor-sharp comic is well worth catching. Headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Norm Macdonald
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): "Created in 1995 at the iO Theater in Chicago, The Armando Diaz Experience is the longest running improv show ever. A guest monologist—who tonight is Sopan Deb—takes a suggestion from the audience and shares true personal tales. These stories are then brought to life by a rotating cast of improv all-stars—and occasionally Armando himself" at The Magnet theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($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 ($10): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot) and other comics TBA tell jokes, then enthusiastically endorse some product they love...which will be handed out to lucky members the audience! It all happens at The PIT Underground hosted by Chris Duffy (staff writer for NatGeo Explorer, host of You're the Expert): You Get A Spoon
[$] 7:30 pm ($15): This monthly gay-themed show celebrates four years of hosting stand-up, with Jessica Kirson (The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Matteo Lane (Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code,), Tim Dillon, Joel Kim Booster, Mehran Khaghani, Robb Coles, Michele Durante, and Exiene Lofgren at The Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher Street) hosted by Chrissie Mayr & Oscar Aydin: Comedy at Stonewall: Four Year Anniversary
7:30 pm ($8): Marc Maietta (Showtime), Anthony O'Connell (MTV), Carrie Gravenson, and Kevin Sean perform stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Charles McBee (MTV, VH1): Nerd is the New Black
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($25): Stand-up Greg Fitzsimmons (Emmy Award winning writer; Louie, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, @midnight, The Howard Stern Show, Chelsea Lately, VH1's Best Week Ever, IFC, TruTV; host of The Greg Fitzsimmons Show and podcast FitzDog Radio) headlines for one night only at at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street), with openers Jacqueline Novak (exceptionally smart, fresh stand-up; Comedy Central Half Hour; Inside Amy Schumer; comedy album Quality Notions; book How to Weep in Public) and Ian Edwards (Conan O'Brien, @midnight, Another Period; written for ABC's Blackish, Comedy Central's Chocolate News): Greg Fitzsimmons, plus Jacqueline Novak and Ian Edwards
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv group Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and improv group And Friends make stuff up at The PIT Mainstage: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and And Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): A one-woman show by Maria DeCotis in which she plays a variety of characters: "A lonely flight attendant seeks a worldly explanation for happiness aboard an empty airborne plane, exploring how thoughts and actions from childhood reveal present sense of purpose" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) directed by Ban Stanton: Unfaced
8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups perform at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Gideon Hambright and/or Patrick Hastie: Jackknife Comedy
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[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): Sharp improvisors Peter McNerney & guest Elena Skopetos make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
9:00 pm ($10): One storyteller tells the unvarnished truth, while three others tell carefully-crafted little white lies. You and the audience then get to question the yarn-spinners—who tonight are Robin Bady, Danny Artese, Joey Novick, and Melissa Aquiles—and determine who the one honest person is at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jude Treder-Wolff: (mostly) True Things Storytelling Show
[TOP PICK] 9:30 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"—with tonight's cast including the spectacular Dana Shulman (rising star; host of Student Driver, improv group Poor Melissa)—at The PIT Mainstage produced & directed by Jane Kehoe: Old School Sketch Show
9:30 pm ($10): Eli Olsberg, Chanel Ali, Christina Galston, and Bengt Washburn perform stand-up featuring "the dirtiest, most unsafe for prime-time jokes, bits, and riffs" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central's South Beach, host of The Secret Loft Show) & Ben Conrad: The Dirty Show
10:00 pm ($7): Beautiful Dreamers (Maggie Lalley & Jillian Vitko), Josh Krebs, Jamie Lerner, Kim Galan-Kaiser, Michelle Drozdick, and Nataly Mor perform a wide range of comedy forms at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Will Abeles: Just A Good Ol' Fashioned Variety Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Long form improv about the behavior of a theatrical troupe both on-stage and off-stage, revolving around a different show biz theme each week at The Magnet theatre: The Cast
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 ($7): Improv group Physically Bold Comedy performs, and hosts stand-up by Gary Richardson and characters by Eric Feuer, all at The PIT Underground: Physically Bold Comedy
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Stand-ups who are single each perform a set and then participate in a dating game show, choosing among three mystery contestants based on their online dating profiles at The PIT Mainstage: Tinderella
[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
11:00 pm ($7): Comedy group Dave's Friends performs sketch comedy at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Will Abeles: Dave's Friends: Midnight Cereal
[TOP PICK] 11:30 ($7): An enormously fun freestyle rap contest at UCB East with NYC comics (not announced), plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by superstar human beatbox Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central): Battlicious
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): In this acclaimed monthly show, six NYC stand-ups (not announced) each perform an 8-minute set while they "risk getting slapped by Satan himself. Actually, he hosts only bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne and Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man's shoes and put NYC's finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls? Come see for yourself" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: See You in Hell
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Pot stand-up from "highly talented comics who have been highly recommended from people who are thought highly of in the business. Oh, and they'll be high" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: High Five
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 6/4/17
The Book of Mormon, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Groundhog Day: The Musical
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More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 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 six 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
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 rock musical improv duo Richard Hollman & Keith Panzarella a.k.a. The Rock Factory, all at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Redshirts: Star Trek: TNG Musical Improv and The Rock Factory
6:00 pm ($7): Improv group Champagne Empire—which includes Jay Malsky (highly talented, super-charged improvisor & character comic; host of This Live Show; UCB sketch group Pretty Boys; PIT improv group Peaches Galore; FringeNYC solo show Elaine Stritch: Still Here; Solocom & UCB solo show Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend)—reunites after a long hiatus to make up scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Empire Reigns
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 Lou Gonzalez, Chrissie Gruebel, and Brian Urreta of improv group The Mannequin Room: Indie Cage Match
7:00 pm ($7): Two guests bring and talk about their personal treasures, and then improv group Trophy Wives springboards off those memories to make up scenes at The PIT Mainstage: Show & Tell Show
7:00 pm ($5): Carlos Delgado, Sophie Zucker, Alison Klemp, improv group Crown Tiger, and more in this variety show featuring stand-up, improv, and music at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kaity Reagle: The Dream Team Variety Hour
7:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy about an advertising agency that creates increasingly bizarre TV commercials at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Sellout! A Pflaster Com Showcase
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Nine-person improv group The Internet Disagrees makes stuff up at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): The Internet Disagrees
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($57.25 & 2-drink min.): Hilarious, quick-witted Norm MacDonald got the biggest laugh ever out of Conan O'Brien when he began by declaring that if Carrot Top is the star of the new movie of another guest, a good title for the film would be "Box Office Poison." Conan then asked the guest for the actual title, and she responded Chairman of the Board. Conan turned to Norm and said, "Do something with that, you freak." Without missing a beat, Norm replied, "I bet Board is spelled B-O-R-E-D." Conan, and the audience, went into hysterics. (Norm is also famous for telling this Moth joke on Conan.) Norm was a popular cast member of Saturday Night Live for five seasons and the anchor of Weekend Update for three seasons. In addition, Norm has written for Roseanne, acted on such prime-time sitcoms as ABC's The Drew Carey Show and NBC's NewsRadio, and even starred in his own ABC sitcom The Norm Show, which ran for three seasons. But what Norm may be proudest of is his stand-up, and this razor-sharp comic is well worth catching. Headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Norm Macdonald
[TOP PICK] [$] 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] 7:30 pm ($10): Duo improv from Louis Kornfeld & Rick Andrews at The Magnet theatre: Kornfeld & Andrews
7:30 pm ($7): Tony Deyo (Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, SiriusXM Radio), Greg Fitzsimmons (Chelsea Lately), Eli Olsberg (Chelsea Lately), Mehran Khaghani (Last Comic Standing), Ariel Elias (Somecards), Casey James Salengo, and Geoffrey Asmus perform stand-up at UCB East produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City) and hosted by Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing): If You Build It
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 ($7): "A former college liberal is the only one who can stop the evil Hillary Clinton from committing the world's most heinous crime" in this play at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Flouridians
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [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.): Michelle Wolf (star stand-up who's also a star writer/correspondent for The Daily Show; previously staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers), : Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, Seth Meyers, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), and possibly other comics who have written and/or performed for Seth Meyers do stand-up at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street) hosted by Ryan Reiss (Seth Meyers, MTV, FOX, Spike, WE, NICK): Comedians of Seth Meyers
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): Improvisors make up a brand new play in the style of William Shakespeare at The PIT Underground: As You Will: Shakespearean Improv
8:30 pm ($5): Musicians and/or comics perform and are interviewed about "that one song you'll never forget" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Patrick Cartelli & Evan Forde Barden: Repeater: A Little Show About Big Songs
9:00 pm ($7): Comics relatively new to stand-up try telling jokes in hopes of avoiding making the name of this show come true at The Magnet theatre hosted by Perri Gross (Reductress): Everyone is Sad
9:00 pm ($7): Typically solid stand-ups perform at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Clark Jones, and/or Kenny DeForest: Comedy Night at the Knit
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Suggestions for jokes are gathered from the audience and then pro stand-ups are forced to incorporate them into their sets at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Will Carey: You Can Use That
9:00 pm ($5): Indie improv groups make up scenes at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Ian Herrin: The Ian Herrin Improv Hour
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): Comics allow random music (offered up by the audience and friends before the show starts) to influence their performances at The PIT Mainstage: Mixtape
10:30 pm ($7): Jerry Burgos & Scott Benjamin perform magic, and then Improvisors make up scenes springboarding off the resultant wonder at The PIT Underground: The Magic Circle
Sunday Open Mics, Open Stages, and Jams
[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!
[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
5:30 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
