NYC Comedy Picks for Week of October 24, 2011

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/24/11

Wonderful improvisors at UCB West (Gravid Water) and at the Cherry Lane Theatre (Naked in a Fishbowl)...

...plus top stand-ups Jessi Klein, Anthony Jeselnik, and Myq Kaplan will gesticulate wildly tonight at Whiplash

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: An open mic stand-up show running about 90 minutes at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with host Chris Gaynor: Open Mic Mondays

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): World-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of The Adam Wade Show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, 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 guests Erin Barker (2011 Moth GrandSlam Champion), Kyla McCracken, Kelli Porterfield, and "Uncle Frank Gauthier as Ed Sullivan:" Adam Wade's Whatever Happened to the Nerds?

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): My #1 pick for the 2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, Lauren Seikaly, and Molly Knefel, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they've all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title's Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest & nuanced improvised shows you'll ever see. The show returns tonight at the elegant Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street, near the #1 subway's Christopher Street stop): Naked in a Fishbowl

7:00 pm ($5): "There will be a show. It will be creepy. It will be scary. It will be in the basement. You can come, but you cannot leave..." with Sarah Nowak, Jeff Lepine, and many others performing at The PIT downstairs lounge for this pre-Halloween sketch spook-on: The Horror

[FREE] 7:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Adrienne Iapalucci, Jessica Collazo, Tim Thomson, Justin Murray, Taylor Clark, and Janine Brito performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:00 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4 minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2 hours—with an early show hosted by Sean Donnelly & Blaine Perry at 7:00 pm, and an entirely different group of stand-ups hosted by Dan Cartwright & Dave Greek at 9:00 pm—at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for John Morrison's Motel Luca

[FREE] 7:30 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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Film, and Broadway & off-Broadway stars Cristin Milioti (30 Rock; Coram Boy, Lieutenant of Inishmore on Broadway), Stephen Ruddy (Skype Duet, Chekhov's Gun), Sandy Rustin (Improv Everywhere; Fat Pig on Broadway), Julie Sharbutt (Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night, Maladies), and Amy Warren (Adding Machine, August Osage County on Broadway) mixing it up with some of the greatest improvisors in the world—Scott Adsit (30 Rock, Moral Orel, John & Scott), Michael Delaney (Conan O'Brien, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Stepfathers), Jackie Hoffman (The Second City; Hairspray, Xanadu, The Addams Family on Broadway), and John Lutz (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, John & Scott) as they crash improv into classic theatre scenes at UCB West for actor/director Stephen Ruddy's Gravid Water

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 in advance online or $8 at the door—but buy online because this show will sell out): A rare NYC stage performance from comedy superstar David Cross, plus Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien) and more at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) with sketches and more from a duo who between them won four 2011 ECNY Awards—including Best Variety Show and Best Hosts—Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler: Hot Tub Variety with Kurt & Kristen

8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups TBA performing at UCB East hosted by ace improvisor and aspiring stand-up Will Hines: Wheelhouse

8:00 pm ($5): The debut of a one-man show from Matt Dellapina at The PIT that "explores the illusion of success and the joy of lying:" No No No Yes

8:30 pm ($5): A Halloween show at The Magnet from Jason Blanche "featuring stand-up, sketch, dance, spooky ghosts, a fashionable zombie, and fabulous hair:" Halloween Hair-Flip; plus a one-woman show from Kelly Buttermore about how "everyone has defining moments in their lives; mine happened at a Shoney's restaurant in Richmond, Virginia at 6:00 am:" How Did I Get Here?

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central, AMC, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, movie star; host of Sweet), Andy Ross (Onion News Network), and Luca Molandes performing at Brooklyn's Freddy's Bar (627 Fifth Avenue; take R subway to Prospect Avenue) for this free biweekly show hosted by Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; TLC, blogger for trutV; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories)—and whose birthday is tomorrow!: Dive Comedy: Giulia Pre-Birthday Edition

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of UCB West's finest in-house sketch comedy troupes Fambly (spearheaded by rising star Mamrie Hart, who's snared over 185,000 visits to date with her Harry Potter YouTube viral video), plus in-house troupe Neighbor Boy (which isn't in the same league, but features such appealing performers as Kate Hess and Tim Dunn), trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: PIT owner Ali Farahnakian and razor-sharp PIT instructors perform improv at The PIT downstairs lounge in The Faculty Part 2: Electric Boogaloo; plus improv troupe Technicolor

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Long-form improv from troupe Casual Sex Offenders at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: CSO Improv Comedy

10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner & Chelsea Clarke hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

10:00 pm ($5): 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: We Might Just Kiss

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world performing at UCB West—who tonight are Anthony Jeselnik (one of my all-time favorite stand-ups; former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon; Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central Presents; debut comedy CD Shakespeare), Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; former staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Jon Benjamin (star of Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has a Van), Neal Brennan (HBO, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, co-creator of Chappelle's Show), , Prescott Tolk, and Nathan Fielder—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central): Whiplash

[FREE] 11:00 pm: If you're an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night (see listing above). 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 stand-up open mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Wolf and the hilarious Erin Lennox (for a sample of Erin's dynamite Seriously Sports show, please click here): Fresh

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/25/11

Laura Grey & Jennifer Grace spearhead a comedic revival of old timey radio terror tonight at Horrorgasm

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 ($10): Joe Moses became a YouTube star with A Very Potter Musical. In this show at The PIT, he uses sketch, improv, and music to "share his unique perspective on what it's like to be a young artist in NYC, and an online celebrity:" The Joe Moses One Man Showses

7:00 pm ($5): A workout at UCB West for a production I know nothing about but, based on its title, am guessing is a sketch show: This Is Not a Sketch Show

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Robert Dean: The Dean's List

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central; for video about crying while reading The Giving Tree, please click here), and more performing at UCB East for a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran on behalf of a great late actor: After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comics industry pros joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT downstairs lounge: Comic Book Club

8:00 pm-Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv at UCB West for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Creature, Grandma's Ashes, Still Mike, Sandino, and Mr. Crime—and at 11:00 pm advanced improv students perform improv scenes that are immediately great "for the attention-stingy audiences of today"—all at Harold Night

[FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly show features "a swarthy selection of fine stand-up comics and mildly entertaining recurring segments" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre, hosted by Jim Tews & Brendan Eyre: Chest Hair

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Christian Finnegan (co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), music from the delightful Camille Harris (sketch writer/comic on The Moon Show; writer of FringeNYC musical Muffin Man), musical guest Kenny Pickett , and HeavyW8bitChampionchip (creating music from Nintendos) performing at Brooklyn's Public Assembly (70th North 6th Street, by the L subway's Bedford Avenue stop) along with sketches from Moon regulars Jordan Clifford, James Beard, Bryan Condon, and Tim Whitney, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

8:30 pm ($5): In this double-bill, each of two of The Magnet's singing improv troupes will make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Rosencrantz and BEEES!

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and comedic storyteller; star of Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake and UCBT's The Chris Gethard Show; Magic Box of Stories, The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, author of book Weird New York; winner of 2011 ECNY Award for Best Tweeter), Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, 30 Rock, VH1): Sweet: Scary Halloween Edition

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A witty and, at its best, thoroughly delightful comedy horror podcast arrives at The PIT upstairs theatre tonight, with stellar talents Laura Grey (Klepper & Grey), Jennifer Grace, Jess Lacher, and more: Horrorgasm Episode #7: Dopplebangers

9:30 pm ($5): John Roy (Jay Leno), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Danny Solomon performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Joe DeRosa (HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents) and Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Kevin McCaffrey (writer for David Letterman), Jenna Jones (The Daily Show), Harrison Greenbaum (Mad Magazine), and Josh Spear performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by twins Adam & Todd Stone, who for this weekly show leave behind their trademark suits: Jackets Off

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Stand-up and sketch at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre, typically hosted by sketch troupes Savage Animal and/or Jerk Practice: Savage Animal

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Two of the most brilliant, fearless, and innovative comics in the biz, John Gemberling (Death by Roo Roo, Adult Swim, Comedy Central) and Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, The Nights of Our Lives), team up to create their own special version of a comedy variety show at UCB East. Tonight's guests are Julie Klausner (razor-sharp comic & storyteller, and author of I Don't Care About Your Band), Gabe Liedman (VH1, co-host of Big Terrific), and "a very special secret guest" riffing on theme of Friendship: The Tony and Johnny Show

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv troupe Rosencrantz to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer

[FREE] 11:00 pm: 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

[FREE] 11:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/26/11

True tales of young romance doomed to failure at the UCB West debut of My High School Boyfriend Was Gay...

...the opening night of a smart comedic sketch play starring Lauren Conlin Adams: Pig: A Restaurant;
and Mike Kaplan headlines at a show that tonight moves from Brooklyn to Queens: Too Cool for School

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 at The PIT's Super Free Wednesday

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing four minutes per comic, with "15 people chosen randomly through e-mail, and five walk-ins; and a guaranteed spot to anyone who performs in character as a famous explorer" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Comedic Exploration Club of Long Island City, West

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): Inspired by the popular blog My High School Boyfriend Was Gay, this new show "celebrates our most tragic, hilarious, and heinous teenage memories, full of chaste hugs, Grease sing-alongs, and trips to the stage door to accost the cast of Rent," with true stories from the witty John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives, host of Oh, Hey Guys), the delightful Camille Harris (sketch writer/comic on The Moon Show; writer of FringeNYC musical Muffin Man), and the ever young Amanda Duarte (sharp comedic writer/actress/director; HBO, NBC) at UCB West, hosted by Damian Bellino: My High School Boyfriend Was Gay; plus even though that's more than enough for $5, there's also the audition of a second show titled Aaron & Danny Love Sports

7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Ransom Family, Brick, Featherweight, The Kicks, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with The Kicks at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and another genius improv troupe consisting of trio Gavin Speiller of Death By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers of The Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm) performs as Outlook of the Poet

Be amused and chilled by terrifying comics Reggie Watts, Dave Hill...

...Eugene Mirman, and host Elna Baker: The Talent Show's Whore-o-ween Spooktacular

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7 at the door, or $8.44 in advance online—the latter is recommended because this show usually sells out): Genius storyteller Elna Baker and Kevin Townley host New York Magazine's 2011 pick for Best Variety Show, with tonight's all-star guests Reggie Watts, Dave Hill, Jessi Klein, Eugene Mirman, and more—not to mention ghosts and ghouls and things you dare not even dream about—at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) for this month's The Talent Show: Whore-o-ween Spooktacular

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Remember how your father totally screwed you up? Imagine if you were brought up by Doug Moe: Doug Moe is a Bad Dad; and in the other half of this UCB West double-bill, a sketch play about the opening of a trendy restaurant that serves nothing but raw pig, written with wit and bite by Leila Cohan-Miccio (Stone Cold Fox), directed with style by Caitlin Tegart (MTV, PBS, ESPN), and performed superbly by hot comedic actress Lauren Conlin Adams: Pig: A Restaurant

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Emma Willman (Get Out of Town), Adam Conover (host of UCB East's Fresh Out), Christian Polanco (Offstage podcast), and Scott Moran performing at the East Village's Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad's & Amy Albert's free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free beer!): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on most recent Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, hit comedy CD Vegan Mind Meld), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, E!), John Roy (Jay Leno), Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon), Barry Rothbart (Jay Leno), and Nick Prueher (Found Footage Festival) performing stand-up at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Nick Turner's & Jason Sáenz, who as of tonight move their Friday show in Brooklyn to Wednesdays in Queens: Too Cool for School

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Leslie Goshko (delightful & razor-sharp storyteller/comic; WNYC, Manhattan Monologue Slam Champ, host of Sideshow Goshko), musical duo The Reformed Whores, improv troupe Crimedog , and "the Shrink dancers" performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are first up as the fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger; and then UCBT Harold Night house troupes Very Good Kiss and Mr. Crime make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form "Harold" rules at Cheating on Harold

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): A dark comedy sketch group that includes beloved East Village performer Tanya O'Debra and ace singer/songwriter Ben Lerman tries to frighten you while making you laugh at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): Beaches 2 Scary!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of the finest comedic storytelling shows in the country, in which brilliant writer/performers—who tonight are Anthony Atamanuik, Christian Capazzoli, Jon Gabrus, Ryan Paulson, and wonderful host David Martin—tell tales that are brutally honest and utterly hilarious at UCB West, with tonight's highly promising theme Religion: The Nights of Our Lives

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: 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; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB West makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma's Ashes: The Improv Jam

[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

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 10/27/11

Spooky storytelling tonight from comedy warriors Dave Hill at Tom Shillue's FunnyStory.biz
and Kevin Allison at his award-winning monthly show Risk!...

...and a Halloween film is verbally annotated by Wyatt Cenac and hip-hopper Donwill
at the horror edition of their fun new show Shouting at the Screen

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: Weekly open mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East hosted by John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives) and tonight's guest host Megan Neuringer (Love Can Suck a Dick, Grandma's Ashes): Oh, Hey Guys!

6:00 pm ($5): The auditions of three comedic one-act plays hoping to get on the UCBT schedule, and about which I know nothing except they're titled Dog Fleet, Brandon Gulya Will Be Famous Soon, and The Spin. But at $1.66 per show, it's hard to go wrong at this frequently surprising and fun UCB West showcase: Spank

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics drawing names from a bucket, with each chosen one receiving three minutes at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Corby Haas

[FREE] 6:30 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Dunk to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Wonderful singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm (sketch troupe Fearsome, musical Grease 3: Threase), sketch duo Chris & Paul (The Chris and Paul Show), Ann Carr (Comedy Central, VH1), and Kevin Barnett (College Humor) join terrific sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (Leah Rudick and Katie Hartman) for a comedy variety show at The PIT basement lounge: Daddy's Basement: A Comedy Variety Freakshow

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; HBO, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, NPR, star of The King of Miami, band Diamondsnake, champion rapper; The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Dave Hill Explosion), Aasif Mandvi (correspondent for The Daily Show), Andy Ross (written for Mad Magazine, The Onion News Network), and Gavin McInnes (author of The Death of Cool) joining star storyteller & host Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller) performing for this monthly show at UCB East: Tom Shillue's FunnyStory.biz

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet co-owner helming The Armando Diaz Experience, plus house troupes Hello Laser, Junior Varsity, Dunk, and The Boss performing improv, followed by improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) with terrific troupe Friday Night Sh*w vs. The Washingtons at 11:00 pm: The Magnet's Night Out

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB West, a smart troupe consisting of writers for The Onion perform their best sketches: Pangea 3000: 12 Years of Hard Work...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, Joanna Bradley performs a one-woman show about how awful people are, directed by the wonderful Becky Drysdale: Everybody's Dumb and Boring

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (for tonight's lineup, please click here) performing at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City accompanied by banjo music from Doug Goldstein and hosted by Andy Kleinman: Happy Sounds Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash),Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), and Will Hines (The Stepfathers, host of Wheelhouse) performing UCB East with best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Typically terrific NYC stand-ups performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Top comics and comedic storytellers—eerily not announced this month—joining brilliant sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) at The PIT upstairs theatre to share tales revolving around the Halloween theme Spooky NYC at one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk!

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Murderfist (NYC's fearless heavy metal version of a sketch troupe; winner of the 2010 ECNY Award), James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer's Last Comic Standing), RG Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up), and Harry Terjanian (Sirius XM Radio) performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for Sean Crespo's & Carol Hartsell's weekly comedy show Lasers in the Jungle

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): If you're a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it on the UCB West stage—along with stand-ups Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, Chelsea Lately, host of The Party Machine; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), Gale Beggy, and David Drake—at CollegeHumor Live

9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) 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 ($7; or FREE COVER if you show up 30-60 minutes early and buy $7 worth of snacks/drinks): Mystery Science Theater 3000 goes live in this delightful new series by Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show) and Donwill (hip-hop group Tanya Morgan) in which the boys watch a cinema cult classic—tonight something with a Halloween/horror theme, with the details secret until the screening begins—and yell comments at it throughout. It all happens at Brooklyn's reRun (147 Front Street, between Pearl & Jay Streets): Shouting at the Screen

[$] 10:00 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Paul Mooney

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Vibrant improv troupes Fuck That Shit and The Beatles competing for audience laughs and votes at UCB West's raucous Cage Match

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly open mic stand-up show, with each comic given five minutes, at UCB East hosted by Rob Stern & Amber Nelson: Gutbucket

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/28/11

Comedy giants Horatio Sanz, Arden Myrin, Andy Blitz, and Leo Allen join Rob Lathan in
analyzing the amusingly terrible film Halloween: H20 at Stinson's Awesome Movie Night...

...and ace stand-ups Amy Schumer and Marina Franklin perform at the Eastville Comedy Club

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: An open mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups start at 5:30 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Morgan Venticinque (Jimmy Fallon; for set about cops and fast food, please click here), Nick Ruggia (A&E), and Justy Dodge (Comical Radio) performing at Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street) at this biweekly stand-up show hosted by Peter Ostrovski & Ilya Gofshteyn: Beautiful Comedy

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Some of The Magnet's finest comics—including the brilliant and delightful Lauren Olson (powerhouse one-woman show Our Condolences at last year's FringeNYC)—team up with Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz to deliver comedy as sketch troupe Good Morning, Ladies in this show charmingly titled Fuck You, I'm Reasonable

7:00 pm ($5): At this PIT double-bill, award-winning improv duo Lucas Kavner and Bradford Jordan make stuff up with "a celebrity guest improvisor' at Swords, while all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Comedy duo Nick Kocher & Brian McElhaney perform new sketches at UCB West, as well as host stand-up and improv guests: BriTANicK: The Monthly Mankerthon

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—tonight featuring guests Fran Gillespie (The Law Firm), Morgan Jarrett (Gramp's), Terry Withers (Still Mike), and Jaime Hazan—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion

8:00 pm ($10): A PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello; plus in the other half of this double-bill, troupe Epic Beards

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, is a cast member of the NBC sitcom Whitney (starring the wonderful Whitney Cummings), and has performed on Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy (to view his set, please click here) and TBS’ Glory Daze, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Chris D'Elia

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($20 [vs. $25] online or at the box office using discount code BOOK): Telly Savalas returns to life to entertain you and provide life guidance in this 50-minute show that was a hit at FringeNYC 2011 and is now enjoying an open-ended Friday night run at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club. The script is at times very smart, especially in its choices of hilarious video clips and music tracks from the real Savalas...who, in his more intense moments, apparently rivaled William Shatner at his silliest. But even when Hunter Nelson's writing isn't consistent, actor Tom DiMenna—who is a professional comic with great timing and skill at engaging an audience—will keep you entertained: Who Loves You, Baby?

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Eight small improv teams compete as part of a 32-team tournament at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by James Ferrarella: The Arena Small Team Tournament, Round 3

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): The winning team that created Pope!: An Epic Musical (a big hit at last year's FringeNYC) and The Spidey Project (a media sensation) is now honing a pirate musical at The Magnet about "the dashing young hero Declan as he seeks out the vicious Martin La Foe, the second most famous pirate ever," with book and lyrics by Justin Moran & Jon Roufaeal, and music by Adam & Matt Podd. See it for a mere seven bucks before it moves to theatrical houses for $18 and up: Nightfall on Mirango Island

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from UCB West's all-star members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Rob Lathan (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, ABC) as his cinema connoisseur character Stinson screens the highlights of a notoriously awful film—which tonight is Halloween: H20—at UCB East along with comedy geniuses Horatio Sanz, Andy Blitz, Arden Myrin, and Leo Allen: Stinson's Awesome Movie Night

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 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): Amy Schumer (red-hot rising star; Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, Jimmy Fallon), Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that's pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show, VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend), Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Very funny comics James Adomian, Henry Zebrowski & Murderfist, Jared Logan, Jeffery Joseph, Nick Vatterott, John Roy, and more performing spooky characters at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Gallery of Evil with Maximilian Blanc

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Jon Gabrus, Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors at UCB West making up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): Top Gun performed as if written by William Shakespeare. I haven't seen it, but am guessing this sketch-based parody at The PIT upstairs theatre is hilarious: Jester's Dead

11:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D'Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): 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, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[FREE] Midnight: 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

[FREE] Midnight: This show typically isn't much fun for audience members—which is why it hasn't been on the UCB West schedule for a long time—but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCBT stage. Hosted by Maude troupe Onassis: Liquid Courage

[$] 12:30 am ($31.25 & 2-drink min.) A provocative comedy star who's written for Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Saturday Night Live, and performed on Chappelle's Show and David Letterman, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Paul Mooney

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 10/29/11

Stand-up from stars Amy Schumer ( Eastville Comedy Club) and Chris D'Elia ( Carolines Comedy Club )...

...and a 2006 FringeNYC hit finally gets its well-deserved commercial run: The Fartiste

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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass—executed by a Broadway-caliber cast, and with several memorable show-stoppers—is playing at Sofia's Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by RG Daniels & Jared Fried: It Starts at 4

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Listen Kid!, Upstate, and The Bartender at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

7:00 pm ($5): PIT house troupe Tuscarora Fire Company Picnic celebrates Halloween with an Improvised Murder Mystery

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Joe Bill, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, Kay Cannon, Christina Gausas, and/or other stellar performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and legendary Chicago improv institutions performing at UCB West while joyously declaring Let's Have a Ball

7:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Mark Grenier, Louis Kornfeld, and Charlie Whitcroft at The Magnet making up a play on the spot: Theory of Everything

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, is a cast member of the NBC sitcom Whitney (starring the wonderful Whitney Cummings), and has performed on Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy (to view his set, please click here) and TBS’ Glory Daze, headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Chris D'Elia

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, NBC's My Name is Earl, Adult Swim, Comedy Central’s The Awkward Comedy Show; films Pluto Nash, End of Days, A Guy Thing), Adam Newman (College Humor), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon; co-host of Too Cool For School and If You Build It), Pat Stango (co-host of Don't Touch Me There), and Tony Zaret (upcoming film Zombies Ate My Heart Medication) performing stand-up at One and One (76 East 1st Street, corner of First Avenue), plus host Sean Donnelly & friends performing Halloween-related sketches and holding a costume contest, at Lil' Seany Boy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB West's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the most respected PIT improv troupes tonight requests original horror story titles from the audience and then uses them to make up three entire one-act plays in celebration of Halloween: The Baldwins: The Strange Box of Dr. Oddbody

9:00 pm ($10): NYC sketch comedy duo Jamaal Sedayao and Brian Lisi at The Magnet providing "unfamiliar, often absurd stories full of unexpected laughs:" Turboner Bigoté

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount code SBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come to the Soho Playhouse tonight to see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show at the Soho Playhouse —complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Ben Rodgers, Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, and/or other stellar improvisors at UCB West interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then create an entire show based on the mini-bio: The Curfew: Not From Around Here

10:30 pm ($7): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney as comedy duo Trike

Midnight ($5): In this fun pre-Halloween celebration, young UCB West improvisors make up scenes as Harry Potter characters: The Hogwarts Improvisation Society

[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form "rare and wonderful one-night-only teams," with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 10/30/11

Improv masters Horatio Sanz (Here to Help) and Ed Herbstman (Ed Herbstman & David Razowsky)

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] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 3:00 pm ($35 using discount code FTBBOX online or at the box office): One of my favorite FringeNYC shows (for my 2006 review, please click here) is finally enjoying a commercial run. The mostly-true tale of a man who became the toast of Paris by making music with his ass—executed by a Broadway-caliber cast, and with several memorable show-stoppers—is playing at Sofia's Downstairs Theater (221 West 46th Street): The Fartiste

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Horatio Sanz (improv genius; SNL, 30 Rock, ABC, Comedy Central), John Gemberling (improv genius; Comedy Central, Adult Swim, Death by Roo Roo, The Tony and Johnny Show), James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer's Last Comic Standing), and Jake Fogelnest (MTV, VH1, Sirius XMU Radio) participate in "a weekly podcast that assembles a new panel of comedians and weird characters to give funny advice, or at the very least relate to the people's problems with their own stories" at UCB East hosted by Andy Rocco: Here to Help

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Improv troupes & NYC stand-ups performing at The PIT downstairs lounge for a Halloween joining of two weekly shows, hosted by Chris Grace: Indie Road and Cold Soda Comedy

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB West's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000

7:30 pm ($5): Scary Doors music, a dead celebrity showcase, and stand-up with James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer's Last Comic Standing), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Rudi Macaggi (acrobat on America's Got Talent), and Sean Donnelly (XM Radio; host of Lil' Seany Boy and co-host of Ochi's Motel) performing at UCB East with hosts Kenji America & The Lizard Kings: Halloween Eve Comedy Cabaret

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce

[$] 8:00 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, is a cast member of the NBC sitcom Whitney (starring the wonderful Whitney Cummings), and has performed on Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy (to view his set, please click here) and TBS’ Glory Daze, headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Chris D'Elia

8:00 pm ($7): Jon Benjamin (star/creator of Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has a Van; FOX, Adult Swim, MTV's Human Giant), Andy Haynes (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), and Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, movie star; host of Sweet) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall for comedy giant Eugene Mirman's Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Morgan Venticinque (Jimmy Fallon; for set about cops and fast food, please click here), Jason Good (Howard Stern, Comedy Central), Doug Smith, and more performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Magnet sketch comics performing new material: Ripe Sketch Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Conan O'Brien writers Emily Heller, Josh Comers, Jesse Popp, Colin Jost, Zach Broussard, and Brian Kiley performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

9:30 pm ($5): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rob Stern: Vicious Cycle

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Two master improvisors: Ed Herbstman & David Razowsky

11:00 pm ($5): Improv, sketch, and more at UCB East for The Soul Glo Project

NYC Comedy Picks for Tonight

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