NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 11/4/13
Wonderful storyteller Leslie Goshko is among the talents at a special East Village edition of The Liar Show;
Hannibal Buress is part of a star-packed lineup at the 10:00 pm Comedy Cellar
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): World-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 18-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Tales of the Cosmos and The Adam Wade Show; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), hosts a show at The Magnet that's "like watching the characters of The Wonder Years and Freaks & Geeks all grown up and telling coming-of-age tales of love, lost, regret, and redemption," with tonight's guest storytellers Nelson Lugo, Steve Whyte, Carolyn Miller, and Athalie Paynting: Adam Wade's Whatever Happened to the Nerds?
[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Mike Brown, Molly Austin, and/or Shakir Standley: Big Pony Show
7:00 pm ($8): Samantha Martin & Matthew Robert Gehring perform duo sketch comedy with a Twitter theme at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Tweet Show: 140-Character Comedy
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Veteran improvisors will be touring as representatives of The PIT, and practicing tonight at The PIT downstairs lounge: The PIT TourCo
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Joe Zimmerman (Comedy Central, The Beards of Comedy) tries out material for his upcoming stand-up album at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Joe Zimmerman for the Hour
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1), and Matt Wayne (Huffington Post) performing stand-up, plus musical guest Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show, Comedy Central hour-long special, Adult Swim): Night Train
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, unique comedy talent Brandon Gulya performs a witty and surreal one-man show: Who Are You People and Why Are You Watching Me?...
..and in the second half of this double-bill, a three-person mini-play that lets you know you're not in a great place in its first five minutes, when a real estate guy strangles an elderly Mayor and then gives himself ownership of the city by signing a document using the Mayor's dead hand—as if an elected Mayor had the power to hand over a city with a signature; or as if a dead hand would somehow replicate the Mayor's signature! Silly is wonderful element of comedy, but it's not a substitute for smart or funny; and this show simply lacks sufficient charms to merit spending time on Greasy Lake: Key to the City
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Gina Yashere (Showtime one-hour special, Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), and Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): John Mulaney, Greer Barnes, Ryan Hamilton, Gina Yashere, and More
8:00 pm ($8): Kirsten O'Brien & Evan Zelnick perform duo sketch comedy that may include a bold, memorable bit with toilets at The PIT upstairs theatre: On the Pot
8:00 pm ($5): Making great use of UCB East's previous incarnation as an indie movie theatre, tonight features screenings of select films running five minutes or less—most of them funny—crafted in the style of TV pilots. The shorts receiving the most audience votes get to continue with additional episodes, while the others are "canceled" at Channel 101
8:00 pm ($5): Storytellers Selena Coppock (author of book The New Rules for Blondes, host of Connotation), Michelle Onufrak, and Mike Bael, plus stand-up from Julie Threlkeld, and an open mic, at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Talk Therapy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Four improvisers form teams with comics they've never performed with before at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Kaleidoscope
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($15): 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 does gets a free t-shirt! This evening's yarn-spinners are Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, host of Sideshow Goshko), Andy Ross (Mad Magazine, host of Real Characters), Tara Clancy (The New York TImes, The Paris Review), and Micaela Blei (Moth GrandSlam Champion). Come to the East Village's Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue) and let host Andy Christie (The New York Times, NPR, Moth GrandSlam champion, exceptionally nice guy) attempt to mislead you at The Liar Show
8:30 pm ($5): "The Bible is kind of a crazy book. It's full of violence, rape, slaves, and glaring continuity errors. Some people think it's the word of God. David Tuchman thinks it's hilarious. That's why he went back to the original Hebrew of the Old Testament and wrote a brand new translation of the whole darn thing. David is joined by a guest who tries to read as many chapters of his translation as possible while David makes fun of it. It's kind of like Hebrew school, but with a lot more cussing" at The Magnet theatre: OMGWTFBIBLE
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Justin Williams (host of Death Comedy Jam), Paul Oddo (co-host of Friday Night Open Mic), Emma Willmann, Angela Cobb, Jo Firestone, and Hannah Hogan performing stand-up, sketch, storytelling, and/or music at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Charla Lauriston, Sue Smith, and Liza Dye: Free Cable
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch groups try out new material: Ripley (which includes brilliant comedic writer Marguerite Spellman and Death By Roo Roo member Dan Black) and Absolutely (which includes stellar comic Bridey Elliot): Maude Night: Ripley and Absolutely
9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phillip Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry stand-up; Conan O'Brien; writer for FX's Totally Biased), Ken Shultz, Naomi Karavani, Jeff Kreisler, and Richard James performing at Brooklyn's Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue) with host Pat O'Shea: Ed Sullivan on Acid
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set, and then the headliner closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: On the Road
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Strong lineup of Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), 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, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show, host of Comedy Night, one-hour Comedy Central special Animal Furnace), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code and Wildn Out, Comedy Central, Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show), Dan Soder (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Dave Attell, Todd Barry, Hannibal Buress, Nick Griffin, and More
10:00 pm ($5): Duo improv from groups Megalou, The Best, Shacottha & Jarreau, Matt & Matt, and Big Fat Liars at The Magnet theatre: The Duo Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by someone wonderful: Whiplash
Monday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Abigoliah Schamaun & Peggy O'Leary: Dicks Open Mic
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: Open-mic storytelling, with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room"), hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling with Julia Wiedeman
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 Monday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Tim Duffy: Comics Phoning It In
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 One and One Bar's Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
10:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): If you're an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night. If you're a comic who couldn't get booked on UCBT's all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this exceptionally supportive stand-up open-mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jarrid Reed: Fresh
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 11/5/13
Camille Harris celebrates the release of her first music album Silly Jazz;
Ted Alexandro performs at both Hot Soup and Sweet
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show) hones stand-up material at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Keith Robinson for the Hour
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, five of The Magnet's singing improv groups make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion, followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with a musical improv group to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club
7:00 pm ($5): Scott Bateman's live show about "fact-like facts" spinning off his book Disalmanac and website Disalmanac.com, with guests TBD at The PIT downstairs lounge: Disalmanac
7:00 pm ($5): A sketch comedy show including "a very patient 411 Operator, one really committed Annie, a gay son who has a mother unlike any other, and many other victims wondering 'What did I do to deserve this?'" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Victims of Circumstance
7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Graceland, Sherlock & Cookies, and The Regulars at this first half of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Camille Harris ((irresistible rising star singer/sketch comic/cutie; featured player on The Moon Show) celebrates the release of her first music album, with stand-up, storytelling, and/or musical guests Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CDs Vegan Mind Meld and Meat Robot), Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic; WNYC, Sirius XM, Huffington Post, host of Sideshow Goshko), Ben Lerman (nuanced raunchy comedic singer/songwriter; Logo TV's NewNowNext, Sirius Radio's Frank DeCaro Show), Carolyn Castiglia (Last Comic Standing, VH1; for sample of Carolyn as white rapper, please click here), Nat Townsen (co-host of The Moon Show), and Kenny Effin Pickett performing at Brooklyn's Union Pool (484 Union Avenue): Camille Harris' Silly Jazz Album Release Party
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Strong lineup of John Mulaney (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Gina Yashere (Showtime one-hour special, Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), and Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show): John Mulaney, Tom Papa, Gregg Rogell, Gina Yashere, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Wonderful sketch/stand-up Amber Nelson and stand-up/sketch comic Ashley Brooke Roberts host a free variety show featuring stand-up, character acts, music, and who knows what else, with tonight's guests Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), Nimesh Patel, Neal Stastny, Lukas Kaiser, Nick Maritato, and Ryan Beck performing at Brooklyn's Pete's Candy Store (709 Lorimer Street): The Dream Show
8:00 pm ($8): Sketch comedy from an upbeat group at The PIT upstairs theatre: Totally, Yes
8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Marianne Schaberg with a nod to Marie-Antoinette: Let Them Eat Jokes
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera, plus Charles Gould and Dan Licata: Dan + Joe + Charles' Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, upcoming Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Nate Bargatze (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Anthony DeVito (Conan O'Brien, VH1, FX), Matt Ruby (MTV; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here, blog Sandpaper Suit), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), and Randy Liedtke (Bone Zone) performing stand-up 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: Ted Alexandro, Sean Patton, Nate Bargatze, and More
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, upcoming Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), sketch duo Templeton Philharmonic, a "very special guest from LA," and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups & sketch comics Anna Drezen, Dan Goodman, Natalie Shure, and Adam Burke performing at this weekly show at Brooklyn's The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Kevin McCaffrey, Robert Dean, and/or Steve O'Brien: Comedy at Alligator Lounge
9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Big Margaret, GoodGirl, and Bucky at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night
9:30 pm ($8): NYC storytellers Mallory Schlossberg, Ginny Leise, Gabe Furman, and Katie Weinberg tell tales of erotic encounters gone awry at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Natalie Wall: Awkward Sex...and the City
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, The Nights of Our Lives) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv, tonight hosting as Judge Judy (with help from producer Andy Rocco and Jesse VandenBergh); plus stand-up from performers TBA, all at the UCB East theatre: The Tony Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): 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, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Meghan Hanley, Danny Solomon, Omid Singh, and Justin Berkman performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club: ComedyJuice: Todd Barry, Dan St. Germain, Gary Gulman, and More
9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors play outside their comfort zones at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Dan Pozmanter: Fear Corner
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Strong lineup of Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, FOX, NBC's Are You There Chelsea?, film Savages), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), James Smith (Australian comic; HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Comedy Central; for stand-up video on what it's like to be Australian in New York, please click here), Dan Soder (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), and Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show): Dave Attell, Ali Wong, Nikki Glaser, and More
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks
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
[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open-mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT downstairs lounge, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT "sketch-perts:" Pens & Pencils
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:15 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 Jay Dean and Tynan DeLong: Two Nice Guys Open MIc
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Dustin Drury: This Is Happening 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 Tuesday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open-mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge, with tonight's guest host Lisa Kirchner and host Jake Hart: The Dump
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:15: Sign up at 9:30 pm for the opportunity to make up a musical on the spot with The Magnet improv group The Jezebelles: Magnet Musical Improv Mixer
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): An improv jam for students at all levels to work on their skills at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Elke Reid and David Frasure: Study Hall
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 11/6/13
TV star Dick Cavett and New Yorker writer Andy Borowitz are interviewed at
Running Late With Scott Rogowsky;
UCB Chelsea helps kick off the New York Comedy Festival with an hour of stand-up from Jackie Kashian
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] The New York Comedy Festival features some of the best stand-ups in the world doing headlining sets in major NYC theatres such as the Beacon, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall during November 6-11. Among the stars performing this year are Stephen Colbert, Maria Bamford, Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Anthony Jeselnik, Whitney Cummings, Bill Maher, Chris Gethard, Hannibal Buress, Michael Che, Nikki & Sara, Julian McCullough, Baron Vaughn, Kathy Griffin, Wanda Sykes, Charlie Murphy, Jim Jefferies, Jackie Kashian, W. Kamau Bell, Moshe Kasher, Vanessa Bayer, and Nick Swardson; plus such giants as Larry David, David Cross, and Nick Kroll will be interviewed. To explore the entire schedule, please click New York Comedy Festival
[FREE] 6:00 pm: "A community event for any and all NYC-based comedy ladies—stand-ups, storytellers, sketch performers, improvisers, character actresses, bookers, producers, podcasters, etc.—for cookie decorating and hang time" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Rebecca Trent & Selena Coppock: Lady Gathering at the Creek
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Mike Birbiglia's Dream is both a reference to Mike's hit play & film Sleepwalk With Me, and to the group of improvisors he's gathered being a "dream team" for making up scenes springboarding off his stories. Tonight at UCB Chelsea Mike spins tales for SNL's Mike O'Brien, Chris Gethard, Christina Gausas, Tami Sagher, and/or Aidy Bryant: Mike Birbiglia's Dream
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, 9:45 pm, and 11:30 pm ($10-$14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Colin Quinn and Rich Vos at 9:00, SNL's John Mulaney and Hannibal Buress at 9:45, and Paul Mecurio and Nikki Glaser at 11:30, plus unannounced drop-ins from the New York Comedy Festival, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) except for the 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
[FREE] 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm: Four free hours of improvisation at The PIT downstairs lounge: Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show) hones stand-up material at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Keith Robinson for the Hour
7:00 pm to 12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Five and a half hours of improv from eight groups at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features house groups Hotspur and Never Never: Lloyd Night
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15): Jackie Kashian (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, Last Comic Standing, The Dork Forest podcast; for hilarious animated bit about pet owners, please click here) performs for about an hour at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: Jackie Kashian
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($12 at the door or by calling 212.864.5400 using code SCOTT, otherwise $15): TV star Dick Cavett, New Yorker writer & comic Andy Borowitz, and more being interviewed at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, off 95th Street): Running Late With Scott Rogowsky
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors—and actual brothers—Will Hines and Kevin Hines make use of their intimate knowledge of each other to gracefully invent scenes (hopefully without any squabbling) at UCB East performing as duo The Brothers Hines
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Al Jackson (Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, Upload with Shaq, MTV), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX's In Living Color, Comedy Central), Nathan Macintosh, Cory Jarvis, Tracie Jayne, and Emma Willmann performing at this free weekly comedy show at Antler Beer & Wine Dispensary (123 Allen Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Matt Braunger (Comedy Central) and friends perform stand-up at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: Matt Braunger
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[FREE] 10:00: NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City as part of the Reddit.com online community, hosted by Adam Lash (HBO, Showtime, The Daily Show) and/or Nathan Anderson (Uncoolio): /r/standup
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: The wonderful Sasheer Zamata (rapidly rising star; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, FX's Totally Biased, MTV's Hey Girl, Apple Computer commercials; improv groups Doppelganger and Bucky) and Charla Lauriston (host of Free Cable) host as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun; plus Sasheer is going to be a huge star, so catch her in this intimate setting while you can. (Tonight's scheduled guests include Veronica Osorio and Aaron Glaser; for the complete list, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
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] 5:30 pm: A character-based open-mic happening weekly at UCB East hosted by Sean Hart: Don't Be Yourself: Character Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open mic for both stand-up and sketch, with sign-up starting at 5:30 and ending at 5:55, at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Brian Frange & Rob Stern: Frange & Stern’s Stand-Up and Sketch Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up providing 5 minutes per comic at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Benel Germosen: Cracking It
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
6:30 pm (no cover, $5 min. for both comics and audience members): Walk-in open mic stand-up at the Bamifyan Afghan Restaurant (358 Third Avenue at 26th Street) hosted by Lisa Harmon: Lisa's Clubhouse
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 Wednesday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Lizzie Martinez: Comics Phoning It In
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): Biweekly open mic stand-up, with each comic getting an unusually long 6-10 minutes, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by James III & Jamie LeeLo: Hump Day
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house group Bucky and DJ Cipha Sounds: The Improv Jam
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Bernard Maynore & Patrick Cucuta: Improdome
[FREE] 11:30: Sign up at 11:00 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with group Brick: Magnet Improv Mixer
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 11/7/13
Paul Provenza provides set lists that Jim Norton, Nick Swardson, and more perform on the spot at Village Underground;
David Cross (above), Mike Drucker, and more perform stand-up at UCB East's Fresh Out
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $12 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] The New York Comedy Festival features some of the best stand-ups in the world doing headlining sets in major NYC theatres such as the Beacon, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall during November 6-11. Among the stars performing this year are Stephen Colbert, Maria Bamford, Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Anthony Jeselnik, Whitney Cummings, Bill Maher, Chris Gethard, Hannibal Buress, Michael Che, Nikki & Sara, Julian McCullough, Baron Vaughn, Kathy Griffin, Wanda Sykes, Charlie Murphy, Jim Jefferies, Jackie Kashian, W. Kamau Bell, Moshe Kasher, Vanessa Bayer, and Nick Swardson; plus such giants as Larry David, David Cross, and Nick Kroll will be interviewed. To explore the entire schedule, please click New York Comedy Festival
6:30 pm ($5): "Experts and historical figures discuss the most important topics of the day in this comedy panel show" at UCB East hosted by Erik Tanouye and/or Will Hines: What's All This Then, America?
7:00 pm ($8): Improv spinning off the mythic TV series The Golden Girls at The PIT upstairs theatre: Four Broads and Cheesecake: Golden Girls Improv
7:00 pm ($8): The show title pretty much says it all—improvisors make up an action movie on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Boom! An Improvised Action Movie
7:30 pm ($10): Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry stand-up; Conan O'Brien; writer for FX's Totally Biased), Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Erin Markey, and more performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Time Out New Your Comedy Editor Matthew Love: Time Out Live
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comedy genius Chris Gethard has put together a lineup of comics he admires for their innovation: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CDs Vegan Mind Meld and Meat Robot), Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives, The Tony and Johnny Show), Conner O'Malley (The Law Firm, The Chris Gethard Show), Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, host of Crime & Punishment, notable hair), and Joe Machi performing stand-up and/or characters at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Chris Gethard and Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): The best sketches from UCB Chelsea house groups and more: Stone Cold Fox, Murderfist, Spoiler Alert, Beige, Bellevue, Supereasy, Small Men, (212), and Boat: Best of NY Sketch
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm, 10:00 pm, and midnight ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Tom Papa at 8:00, and Dave Attell and Ali Wong at midnight, plus unannounced drop-ins from the New York Comedy Festival, at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), plus Jim Norton, Nick Swardson, and more performing set lists on the spot provided by Paul Provenza at 8:00 pm at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
8:00 pm ($8): Ora Fruchter & Christopher Scheer provide you with improvised psychological healing via a hand puppet at The PIT upstairs theatre: Shrink: Puppet Therapy
8:00 pm-10:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house improv groups Junior Varsity and Hello Laser performing improv for an hour, followed at 9:00 pm by The Wake (long form improv inspired by the name of someone recently deceased that invokes the details and relationships of that person, bringing him or her to life for one last hurrah), at 10:00 pm by veteran improvisors making up scenes based on improvised monologues from storyteller Adam Rubin at The Armando Diaz Experience, and finally at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) pitting the previous winner against Weekend of Regret: The Magnet's Night Out
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): TV star David Cross (Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family), Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's), Andy Haynes (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), Jim Tews ("clawing his way to the middle for nearly a decade"), Roger Hailes (Jimmy Fallon, Chappelle's Show, VH1, MTV; writer for FUSE's A Different Spins; Web series Mansome), and "a special guest" performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Heller and/or Adam Conover: Fresh Out
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and/or comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET's Comic View), Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Julian McCullough (fiercely funny star; Comedy Central Presents, Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1, TBS, NPR's This American Life; for Julian's set on Fallon, please click here) performs an hour of stand-up at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Julian McCullough for the Hour
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge, produced by Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman: The Scene
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5 at the door or $6.17 in advance online): Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), Sue Costello (Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central, star of 1998 FOX sitcom Costello), Alex Grubard (MTVU), and Lucas Connolly performing stand-up at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Leah Bonnema & and Tim Warner: Modern Day Philosophers
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($5 & 2-item food/drink min.) Comics heckle a genre feature film—with tonight's victim the 1936 cautionary classic Marihuana ("contains 1930s nudity and a REALLY IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT DRUGS;" for the trailer, please click here) at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Devil Science Theater 3000
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): The first round of a beloved annual November tradition at UCB Chelsea hosted by Pat Baer: 3-on-3 Improv Tournament
11:00 pm ($5): A variety of NYC comics (not announced) performing at UCB East with hosts Zach Broussard (Fambly, Sirius XM), Nick Maritato (Meatsteak, This American Life), and Nate Fernald (Team Submarine), directed by Randy Foreman: Special Presentation
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] 5:30 pm: All-gal open-mic at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Anna Drezen & Sue Smith: Open Michelle: Ladies Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT musical improv veterans mix with musical improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Pitch
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
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 (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd 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 improv group Junior Varsity to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer
9:30 pm (free for audience members, $5 or 1 drink min. for stand-ups wanting to perform): Open mic stand-up providing 7 minutes per comic (and a free recording of your set!), with order determined raffle-style. Sign up by emailing info@oldmanhustle.com or calling (212) 253-7747, or just walk in and supply your name, to perform at the Old Man Hustle Bar (39 Essex Street) hosted by Solomon Chehebar: Peep Show Comedy Open Mic
[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3-5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Josh Alba: Mic and Cheese
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): An open stage for indie improv groups—and if you're not in a group, that's also fine, you'll simply be added to one—at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Darcy Burke & Donna Lobello: New Team Lunacy
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 11/8/13
Bill Burr (The Beacon) and Whitney Cummings (Town Hall) perform tonight as part of the New York Comedy Festival
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] The New York Comedy Festival features some of the best stand-ups in the world doing headlining sets in major NYC theatres such as the Beacon, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall during November 6-11. Among the stars performing tonight are Maria Bamford (sold out), Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Kathy Griffin, Charlie Murphy, NIck Swardson, plus an interview with David Cross (sold out, but see directly below). To explore the entire schedule, please click New York Comedy Festival
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: The New York Comedy Festival interview with TV star David Cross (Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) at the Museum of Television and Radio is sold out. However, you can watch the live stream from the comfort of your home for free by clicking here at 6:30 pm: An Evening With David Cross
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include SNL's Darrell Hammond at the 7:00 and 8:00 shows, Ali Wong at the 7:00, 8:00, 10:30, and 12:15 shows, Dave Attell at the 8:00 and 8:45 shows, and Julian McCullough at the 10:30 show (CC bookers, more Julian McCullough, please), with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) except for the 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Friday
7:00 pm ($8): Dan Hodapp & Natasha Rothwell "bring more than five years of improv collaboration to stage for an evening of bold, committed characters and probably a fart joke for good measure," and are joined by friends (not announced) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hodapp & Rothwell
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET's Comic View), Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), and more—hopefully including surprise New York Comedy Festival drop-ins to make up for this weekend's lack of advertised headliners— performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($15): Stone Cold Fox is the only sketch group (vs. improv group) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCB Chelsea weekend schedule. It’s earned this slot because its writers (who include stellar comics Brandon Gulya and Silvija Ozols) are terrific, and its cast is superb: Brandon Scott Jones, Molly Lloyd, John Murray, Leslie Meisel, Connor Ratliff, and Johnathan Fernandez. Tonight is the kick-off of a collection of the very best sketches the team has performed since it began in 2011: Stone Cold Fox: The Best of 75 Years
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman, host of Entertaining the Bartender), Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV's Pranked), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Sue Smith, and Justin Grace performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Halle Kiefer: Splitsider and Tumblr's Dog and Pony Show
[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Jim Dodge (Comedy Central), Jay Nog (MTV, AMC), Carrie Gravenson (Pink Collar Comedy), and Tracie Jayne performing at this monthly stand-up show at the One and One Bar (12 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Jeff Cerulli and the delightful Chelsea White (MTV, VH1, TLC, co-host of Call Us Crazy): What Else? Comedy
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($16.52 in advance online, $20 at the door): A top-notch theatrical troupe that's equally fine at compelling acting and split-second comedy uses actual material on the Web, performed verbatim, to craft laugh-out-loud scenes. This 15th edition of the series (begun in 2011) focuses on Fame at the LES' COW Theatre (21-A Clinton Street): Blogologues: Fame – Show Us Your Tweets. #twerkingtothetop
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10; 2-for-1 tickets): Fearless, innovative dark comedy gal duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, FringeNYC) return to The PIT upstairs theatre to create fresh sketch comedy every month, with tonight's guest Mark Douglas (Web phenom The Key of Awesome): Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, improv troupe Salmon Diane, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Chris Gethard, Anthony Atamanuik, Brandon Gardner, Phil Jackson, and Abra Tabak at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): Chatting about dumb things they and/or their friends have done are hosts Dan St. Germain (enormously likeable and rapidly rising star who has several shows in the works; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half-Hour Special, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1) and Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, MTV), who tonight hang out with friends Baron Vaughn (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour; co-star of USA's Fairly Legal and Comedy Central's The Awkward Comedy Show, MTV, VH1) and Andy Haynes (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing) at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: My Dumb Friends
9:30 pm ($10): Two PIT upstairs theatre improv groups making up a musical on the spot, one with sharpness and the other with a friendly greeting: Dagger and Hello
9:30 pm ($8): "Each month the Buttski & Glasscock Talent Agency brings you the best of the worst this small town has to offer. As only two career-savvy former showgirls can, they comb through Craigslist ad after Craigslist ad; but you will determine which act gets a one-year contract." Tonight's lucky hopefuls are Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupe The Prom, co-host of The Dream Show), Cara Kilduff, Lauren Maul, Elke TeeVee Reid, and Kelly Fitzpatrick, all performing comedic characters at The PIT downstairs lounge with host Jenn Dodd: Buttski & Glasscock's New Talent Blowout
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: A "competitive talk show" to determine the best talk show guest in "a hybrid of two of America’s least respected television genres, talks shows and games show," at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Guy Branum: Talk Show: The Game Show
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($15): Baron Vaughn (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour; co-star of USA's Fairly Legal and Comedy Central's The Awkward Comedy Show, MTV, VH1) performs stand-up at UCB Chelsea as part of the New York Comedy Festival: Baron Vaughn for the Hour
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($15): Michelle Wolf (super-likeable dark comic rising star; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), Samantha Martin (haven't seen Sam yet but am hearing good things), Ben Kissel (Last Podcast on the Left), and Jim Tews ("clawing his way to the middle for nearly a decade") performing at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D'Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Kelly Hudson, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): A rotating cast drawing from over a dozen of the talented gal improvisors and sketch comics at The Magnet—including Artistic Director Megan Gray, Lauren Olson, Elena Fishbein, Kimberly Ferguson, and Beth Newell—aim to "give you a dark and twisted late night explosion:" The Clubhouse
Midnight ($5): "A live monthly comedy game show in which three contestants participate in a battle of wits and knowledge for the chance to win a grand prize of 20 American dollars" at UCB East hosted by Ryan Simmons: Everyone's Favorite Game Show
Friday Open Mics
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
5:45 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 1 hour. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Erin Lennox and/or Eli Sairs: The Orphanage
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Nate Dern, Sarah Tollemache, and/or Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Open Mic
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese
[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage hosted by members of Maude troupe Moriarty: Liquid Courage
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 11/9/13
As part of NYCF, Nick Kroll and his executive producers are interviewed by Seth Meyers about Kroll Show;
The PIT offers an alternative to the great New York Comedy Festival via dozens of $5 one-person shows: Solocom
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] The New York Comedy Festival features some of the best stand-ups in the world doing headlining sets in major NYC theatres such as the Beacon, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall during November 6-11. Among the stars performing tonight are John Mulaney (sold out), Anthony Jeselnik (sold out), Bill Maher (sold out), Charley Murphy (sold out tonight, tickets still available for Sunday), Jim Jefferies at Carnegie Hall, and Rhys Darby at Gotham, plus an interview with Nick Kroll (sold out, but see directly below). To explore the entire schedule, please click New York Comedy Festival
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 4:00 pm: SNL's Seth Meyers interviews Nick Kroll, star of Comedy Central's Kroll Show, plus Nick's executive producers and co-writers John Levenstein & Jonathan Krisel (who also directs the episodes) at the Museum of Television and Radio. Tickets in the theatre with Nick are sold out. However, you can watch from a screening room for $15, or watch the live stream from the comfort of your home for free by clicking here at 4:30 pm (and if you think you're hearing my laugh, you probably are, as I'll be attending this): Seth Meyers Interviews Nick Kroll and Exec Producers of Kroll Show
[TOP PICK] 3:00 pm-Midnight ($5 per show): In the midst of the stand-up and sketch explosion that is the New York Comedy Festival, The PIT is hosting two days of solo performances. Honestly, I wish this event, titled Solocom, was scheduled for some other weekend when it wouldn't be competing with so many other comedy events; but if you like one-person shows from folks who aren't yet stars, this is an alternative to what NYCF is offering, with notable performers tonight including Ali Farahnakian, Katie Hartman, Keisha Zollar, Maranda Sarrow, and Brad Lawrence, running at both the upstairs and downstairs PIT theatres for just $5 per show: Solocom
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include TV star Dave Attell at the 7:30, 8:45, and 9:15 shows, Emmy winner Paul Mecurio at the 9:15 show, Julian McCullough at the 10:30 and 12:15 shows, and Mark Normand at the 12:15 show, with four of the shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 7:30 pm and 9:15 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Saturday
[FREE] 7:00 pm: Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX's In Living Color, Comedy Central), Anthony P. DeVito, Julia Solomon, Ron Krasnow, Sam Evans, and Rojo Perez performing stand-up, improv troupe Butts, and more at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Peggy O'Leary: Hard, Lonely, and Vicious
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET's Comic View), Maddog Mattern (Sirius Radio, Howard Stern TV; to see Maddog handle a heckler, please click here), and more—hopefully including surprise New York Comedy Festival drop-ins to make up for this weekend's lack of advertised headliners— performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
7:30 pm ($10): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, and more 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
7:30 pm ($10): Sharp Magnet improvisors "perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:" The Weave
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($16.52 in advance online, $20 at the door): A top-notch theatrical troupe that's equally fine at compelling acting and split-second comedy uses actual material on the Web, performed verbatim, to craft laugh-out-loud scenes. This 15th edition of the series (begun in 2011) focuses on Fame at the LES' COW Theatre (21-A Clinton Street). Tonight is your last chance to catch Blogologues: Fame – Show Us Your Tweets. #twerkingtothetop
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A New Zealand stand-up who's performed on HBO's Flight of the Conchords, and is acclaimed for his characters and sound, headlines tonight at the Gotham Comedy Club (with openers includig Michelle Buteau): Rhys Darby
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and last year crushed 15 improv groups in Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
[FREE] 8:30 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) hosted by Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here): Comedy at Irish Exit
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): The comics who train, teach, and perform at UCB-NY are among the finest improvisors in the world. The UCB Touring Company consists of the cream of the crop, with the mission of showing audiences beyond those visiting UCB's theatres in NYC and LA what improv is all about. For just this evening, however, the traveling troupe will be strutting its stuff on the UCB Chelsea stage: UCB TourCo All-Stars
9:00 pm ($10): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern, Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Tracey Wigfield (writer for 30 Rock), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Aaron Jackson (Newsadoozies), and more form an improv troupe at UCB East that won this year's prestigious Cage Match championship by springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: "Starting in 1982, the city of Atlanta threw an annual party called Freaknik which essentially became the largest black spring break party in the country. The party became so big and wild that the city shut it down for good in 1996. But comedians Andy Sandford, Noah Gardenswartz, and Steve Forrest are bringing Freaknik back...to Long Island City. 'Comedy Freaknik' will be a lot like the original Freaknik, except it’s going to happen once a month, and it will be a comedy show hosted by three white guys. That’s basically the only difference" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Freaknik
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at the West Village's Soho Playhouse: The Complete Performer
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($15): Comedic writers, storytellers, and stand-ups sharing their tales of failure, with tonight's guests Patrick Borelli (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, and previously for Conan O'Brien; Adult Swim, ESPN; author of book Holy Headshot!), Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Aparna Nancherla (writer for Totally Biased), Michelle Collins (FOX, MTV, VH1), and Jordan Carlos (The Colbert Report, MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Guy Court, VH1) performing at UCB Chelsea at Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform sharp improv at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:30 pm: Stand-up from Becky Yamamoto (rave reviews from The New York Times and The New Yorker; former beard-wearing member of band Stickerbook) and musical improv from Lady Zoo at this free monthly variety show at UCB East that's hosted by Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger) and Poupak Sepehri, and features improv jams led Yom Kippurpants, James III, and more: The Soul Glo Jam
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Songs from the delightful Camille Harris ((irresistible rising star singer/sketch comic/cutie; featured player on The Moon Show, new music album Silly Jazz), plus stand-up from Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, MTV), and Jarret Berenstein at UCB Chelsea with hosts Andy Rocco & Steven Slate: Underground Americana
Saturday Open Mics and Jams
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show ("starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one") at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Walk-in open mic comedy show—stand-up, character, or funny story—providing 5 minutes per comic at The Fifth Estate Bar (506 5th Avenue, off 12th Street) hosted by Meghan O'Keefe: Open Mic-hael Douglas
5:30 pm ($5): Walk-in open mic, with sign-up at 5:15 pm and each stand-up performing for 5 minutes, at the Comedy Village Comedy Club (107 MacDougal Street): Comedy Village
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 11/10/13
A comedy legend is interviewed by David Steinberg at Town Hall: Larry David;
UCB East hosts an hour with visiting LA stand-up Moshe Kasher;
RG Daniels celebrates his show's Five Year Anniversary, plus the release of his first book, at Sunday Night Stand-Up...
...and the smartest & funniest comedy improv troupe in the
world will perform tonight through Tuesday
at NYC's Theatre 80 St.
Marks for a spectacular run that must not be missed: The
Improvised Shakespeare Company
Recommendations for the best in New York
City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows
over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [$] On this final day of this year's spectacular New York Comedy Festival, the stars including Charlie Murphy headlining at Carolines, Larry David being interviewed by David Steinberg at Town Hall, Moshe Kasher headlining at UCB East, and the genius members of The Improvised Shakespeare Company at Theatre 80 St. Marks. To explore the entire schedule, please click New York Comedy Festival
[TOP PICK] 2:00 pm-10:00 pm ($5 per show): The second of two days of solo performances, with notable performers today including Julia Wiedeman at 2:30 and Harmon Leon at 8:50, plus a panel about solo shows at 4:00 pm, running at both the upstairs and downstairs PIT theatres for just $5 per show: Solocom
[FREE] 5:00 pm: A mix of longform, shortform, and musical improv from five groups, typically including Mishmosh, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Michael Venzor: The Long and Short of It
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm ($25 with discount code IRCDEAL; this show is SOLD OUT but there'll be a waiting list if you show up early; you can also nab tickets for Tuesday in advance here): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you'll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight is the first of a three-night NYC run at at Theatre 80 St. Marks (80 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue), with every evening utterly different from the last. Both performances are SOLD OUT, but if you show up early you might find a few seats opened up via last minute cancellations or no-shows, or nab a standing-room spot. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Chris Gethard, and occasionally network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
7:30 pm ($7): New groups Party. and The Misses perform sketch comedy at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Sketch Teams
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Joe Pera (hilarious deadpan Andy Kaufman-like stand-up; one time I saw Joe sing beautifully and then smash three dozen plates to pieces; another time he ended his set by slicing milk; and when headlining at Carolines he had a first date on stage with a random member of the audience; for Joe's latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet), Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, host of Crime & Punishment, notable hair), and more performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Caroline Creaghead: Creaghead & Company
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Paul Mecurio (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Baron Vaughn (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour; co-star of USA's Fairly Legal and Comedy Central's The Awkward Comedy Show, MTV, VH1), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Rob O’Reilly, Nate Fridson, and Kate Hendricks performing at UCB East with host Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Host RG Daniels celebrates the release of his first book Ten Shows along with the Five Year Anniversary of his Sunday night show, aided by stellar comedic music performers Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan and The Cowmen, plus stand-up from Anthony Devito, Greg Stone, Matt Wayne, and Doug Smith, all performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm, 9:45 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's lineups include Tom Papa and Gary Gulman at the 8:00 pm show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Sunday
[FREE] 8:00 pm: "A TV show that airs so late at night, it's technically the first morning show of the next day on Queens Public Television and streaming on Vimeo.com, anchored by Kevin McCaffrey & Elizabeth Kuchta, with weatherman Jon Daly, and additional help from Jaimie Hughes, Shane Heimann, and guests" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Technically Tomorrow
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Myka Fox, and Noah Gardenswartz performing stand-up in the East Village's Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at Beauty Bar
9:00 pm ($5): A one-woman show by Ruby Marez about ADD, OCD, and more at The Magnet theatre: Excessively, Obsessively
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), and Joey Gay performing sets and then being interviewed about their personal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand (who says "all these guys were hand-picked because they're funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you're gonna be like 'oh yeah, that guy is a mess'"): We're All Friends Here
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Stand-up Moshe Kasher (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Lately, Comedy Central, Showtime, MTV, writer for NBC's The New Normal) headlines at the UCB East theatre: Moshe Kasher for the Hour
Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (put your name in the bucket at 3:45), providing 3 minutes or more per comic at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Open Mic
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer
6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic's 5-minute set at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop
[FREE] 10:00 pm: The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam
[FREE] 10:15 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet hosted by Sebastian Conelli. Everyone who signs up—at 9:45 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)
The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)
The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)
The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)
The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)
Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)
Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)
Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)
Copyright © 2013 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
