NYC Comedy Picks for Week of October 3, 2011

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/3/11

Jared Logan hosts stand-up TV auditions for Comedy Central; The Sklar Brothers perform 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

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Sean Donnelly (host of Lil' Seany Boy), Ariel Carson (Pillow Talk), Ray Marshall (Funny Side Up podcast), Emma Willmann, and Adam Lucidi performing stand-up 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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Top NYC stand-ups audition at UCB East for spots in a new Comedy Central series, with the participants 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), Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Mike Recine (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham), Streeter Seidell (College Humor), Adam Newman (College Humor), Ben Kronberg (Carson Daly), Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing), and Lucas Melondes, hosted by Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill): Comedy Central Stand-Up TV Auditions

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): Stand-up Emily Heller (Rooftop Comedy), "surprise guest from LA," and musical guest Eden & John's East River String Band performing 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): In this double-bill at UCB West, first Leah Gotcsik & Marty Johnson perform their sketch show Somebody's in the Doghouse; and then a mini-play that pleased the college-age audience I saw it with, but that I wish wasn't written to be so calculating and by-the-numbers (e.g., the ending was dead obvious within the first few minutes)...but is probably worth seeing if only for the genuinely fresh & funny tailor scene: Brad Sacks Gets a Handjob

8:00 pm ($10): The PIT hosts two one-woman shows: "When small town girl Karen Sklaire gets placed in a South Bronx elementary school to teach drama, she faces the wild challenge with a little wink to Michelle Pfeiffer, Sidney Poitier, and Michael Jackson:" Drama at the Point; and "Becky Flaum thinks she's Julia Roberts. And Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, even Katherine Heigel. But she isn't. Her high cinematic hopes for her love life start to get in the way of reality on her quest for the perfect co-star:" Hopeless Romantic Comedy

8:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show debuting at The Magnet from Katie East about "being a medical freak show, enduring rare and bizarre illnesses, surgical mishaps, and cancer, all before graduating from college. Growing up in and out of hospitals she has found that people with diseases aren't the only ones who are sick. Her obliviously egocentric characters will grow on you. Benignly, of course:" Sick Girl

[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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): One of UCB West's very finest in-house sketch comedy troupes Dweeb (spearheaded by the razor-sharp Amy Heidt and Stephen Soroka), plus in-house troupe Thunder Gulch (which isn't what it used to be, but features such appealing talents as Leslie Meisel, Ari Scott, and Amber Nelson), trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:30 pm: Typically stellar comics in a show "where improv and stand-up bleeds in and out of each other. One comedian starts with stand-up. Soon he or she is joined by a second comedian—and the two improvise scenes inspired by the first comic's stand-up. Eventually the first comic leaves and the second comedian performs stand-up. When that set is over, her or she's joined by the first comedian and a third comedian. The three improvise scenes inspired by the second comedian's set. Then comedians one and two exit, and the third comedian performs his/her set until being joined by comedians one, two and a new fourth comedian...and so on. The process continues till we run out of comedians stashed backstage." It's all the brainchild of Nick Vatterott, who hosts this bold & messy format at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Klusterphuk

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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—The Sklar Brothers (stars of MTV's Apartment 2F; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; Emmy-winning episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm; ABC's Grey's Anatomy; FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; four seasons of ESPN's Cheap Seats), Kumail Nanjiani (David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel, writer/performer for Comedy Central's Michael & Michael Have Issues; winner of the 2009 ECNY Awards for Best Male Stand-Up), and Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1, host of Sweet)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) at UCB West's 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 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 10/4/11

30 Rock actress Jenn Schatz and other wonderful stars join in for the debut of a weekly variety show at UCB East
hosted by disturbing comedy geniuses Anthony Atamanuik & John Gemberling: The Tony and Johnny Show...

....the Sklar Brothers perform at Sweet, and Hannibal Buress headlines Righteous Kill

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 ($5): Jonathan Desley & Leslie Collins—and guests—improvise a suburban dinner party in 1978 "so wear your bell bottoms, and get ready to sip some sherbet punch with the Sheinbachs and their friends" at The PIT: The Dinner Party

[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): Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon), Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, podcast You Had to Be There), and more performing stand-up 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 ($8): At The PIT, the worlds of "magic, mind-reading, and mutilation" are explored by Matthew Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru: Strange Things

8:00 pm-11:00 pm ($5): Three full hours of improv at UCB West for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Dance Break, Very Good Kiss, Mr. Crime, Sandino, and Grandma's Ashes: 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

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: Mint Condition and Rosencrantz

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): The Sklar Brothers (stars of MTV's Apartment 2F; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; Emmy-winning episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm; ABC's Grey's Anatomy; FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; co-creators & stars of four seasons of ESPN's Cheap Seats), Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon), Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, podcast You Had to Be There), Seaton Smith (Just for Laughs Festival, A&O Virus Tour), Justin Bartha (The Hangover movies, the National Treasure movies), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), and Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central) 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): Righteous Kill

9:30 pm ($5): The debut of two one-person shows at The PIT: Sakina Jaffrey tells tales as a Trinidadian nanny and a Japanese pearl diver in What We Left; and Andy Hendrickson explores how his life has been enriched by a particular beverage in Thank You Beer

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Stand-up, sketch, videos, and more at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre with Jeffrey Joseph and hosts Ron Krasnow & Joel Walkowski: The Short Bus

[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. Celebrating tonight's debut are Chris Gethard (genius 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), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Funny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), and Jenn Schatz (30 Rock, Splinterheads): The Tony and Johnny Show

[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv troupe Mint Condition 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 10/5/11

Joey Mazzarino, the head writer of Sesame Street, is among the guests of new UCB West show Employee of the Month;
Cyndi Freeman mixes storytelling, burlesque, stand-up, and sword swallowing at And I Am Not Lying...

...Nick Thune performs in LIC at The Creek's Monsters, and The Cowmen sing in a Brooklyn bowling alley at Get Loose

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 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] 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

[$] 7:30 pm ($16.50, plus 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's performed on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, MTV, and AMC headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Nick Cobb

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): The Sklar Brothers (stars of MTV's Apartment 2F; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; Emmy-winning episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm; ABC's Grey's Anatomy; FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; co-creators & stars of four seasons of ESPN's Cheap Seats), Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Jason Good (Comedy Central, Howard Stern), and Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, Minute to Win It) performing at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The debut at UCB West of this talk show about people with dream jobs and how they got them. Tonight's guests are Rachel Dratch (cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 through 2006), Joey Mazzarino (head writer of Sesame Street), Murray (cast member of Sesame Street), and Tillie (Dog/Artist/Mother/Daughter) and her assistant F. Bowman Hastie; plus music from EOTM Band of the Month & Scott Adsit, an awards ceremony, and sheetcake—all hosted by Catie Lazarus: Employee of the Month

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Storytelling, stand-up, and carny join forces to bring the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, hosted by stellar storyteller & burlesque performer Cyndi Freeman, and with fully clothed storytellers Jeff Simmermon (This American Life, The Moth) and Brad Lawrence (FringeNYC, The Moth), stand-up Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, Comedy Central, FOX), sword swallower Adam the First Real Man, and second artistic stripper Runaround Sue, all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall: And I Am Not Lying Live

8:00 pm ($8 at the door, $6.84 online with discount code Supermango): Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Vic Henley (Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, Bruno), Erin Judge (Comedy Central; for hilarious short bit on men vs. women, please click here), Mike Trainor (TruTv's Smoking Gun), and "a secret guest" performing at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, off Bleecker Street) with host Dan Allen: Sacapuntas!

[FREE] 8:00 pm: This monthly show at Brooklyn's The Gutter (200 North 14th Street) tonight features The Cowmen, a jaw-dropping dark comedy musical group, with members of Murderfist; and seeing these guys sing their songs of death in a bowling alley is all the reason needed to attend. Also performing will be stand-ups Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing, VH1, College Humor), Travis Irvine (Troma Films), Jason Saenz (co-host of Too Cool For School), Jared Fried , and Mookie Thompson, with hosts Aaron Glaser & Lee Rubenstein (Lee's last show before moving to LA!): Get Loose

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mark Giordano (MadMan, FoxNews.com), Mike Trainor (TruTV's World's Dumbest), Alison Leiby, and Joe Larson performing at the East Village's Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad's & Amy Albert's free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes The Kicks, The Imposters, Featherweight, Phooka, Brick, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Brick at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Open mic stand-up (with sign-up starting at 8:00) at Brooklyn's Belleville (330 5th Street) hosted by Josh Guarino: The Belleville Mic

[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

[FREE—plus FREE CUPCAKES and "maybe strippers"] 9:00ish pm: Host Sharon Spell's birthday show, with stand-ups James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer's Last Comic Standing), Sue Funke (adorable), and Carrie Gravenson, music from comics Pat O'Shea and Colin Dempsey, cupcakes from Damn Queer Cupcakes...and "maybe strippers"—at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

9:00 pm ($7): The Second Anniversary of this monthly show at Under St. Marks, with host Christian Polanco performing a 30-minute stand-up set, plus guests Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Phoebe Robinson (host of Case of the Mondays Comedy), Thomas Dale (MTV), and Jonathan Morvay, and guest host Chris DiStefano: And Then What Happened: Two-Year Anniversary Show

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Razor-sharp stand-up Rory Scovel (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central) and his friends, including Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; Comedy Central special; Jimmy Fallon; Electric Company; Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited tour; for video samples, please click here), Nick Thune (Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon), Andy Haynes (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), Scott Moran, and Kate Berlant, performing at UCB West in celebration of Rory's new comedy CD: Dilation Album Release Show

10:00 pm ($10): Carla Rhodes, "Rock 'n' Roll Ventriloquist," performing a show that blends ventriloquism, comedic storytelling, and rock music (with the aid of her band The Extravaganzas). Carla's dummies include Mick Jagger & Keith Richards; Herschel Ragbottoms, a pigeon living under old newspapers in Tompkins Square Park; the fear-mongering Under Bed Alligator; and cantankerous salt-water-taffy-obsessed 1920's gentleman Cecil Sinclaire. It all happens at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, off Bleecker Street): The Continuing Story of Carla Rhodes

[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 10/6/11

Storyteller Cyndi Freeman chronicles her journey to burlesque in Wonder Woman: A How To Guide For Little Jewish Girls,
John Hodgman reads from his upcoming new book at Lollygaggin' with David Rees...

...David Cross and brand new mom Andrea Rosen are at Variety SHAC ...

...and stand-ups Jessi Klein and Ali Wong perform at Totally J/K

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight

(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

6:00 pm ($5): The auditions of two comedic one-act plays hoping to get on the UCB West schedule, and about which I know nothing except they have cool titles: Kate Riley is Not a Lady and Minnesota Bitch

[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 Jon Gabrus (Conan O'Brien, Best Week Ever, The Law Firm, The Nights of Our Lives; co-creator & co-star of Spike TV's Mocap, LLC): Oh, Hey Guys!

[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 The Boss to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): John Hodgman (Daily Show commentator, bestselling author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require, and the underrated PC in Apple Computer ads), Todd Hanson (head writer for The Onion; Adult Swim's Squidbillies and Aqua Teen Hunger Force; The Aristocrats), and more performing at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) with cartoonist host David Rees: Lollygaggin' with David Rees

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Sharp NYC comics tell tales of "the role that got away" in these behind-the-scenes audience of broken dreams at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok: Role Call

7:00 pm ($5): "No sweeps, no tag outs, no Baldwins. Inspired by Chicago's JTS Brown, this improv troupe formlessly flows from moment to moment. Each entrance and exit starts a new scene, while performers use devices ranging from monologues to in-scene questions in order to break into characters and relationships quicker and deeper" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Scoresby

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): A one-hour monthly show at UCB East featuring "a compilation of my favorite stories and home videos that I've been working on for the past two years" from storytelling giant Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 17-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Real Tales of College and The Adam Wade show; for Adam's award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O'Brien, please click here): Adam Wade's Big Heart

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($20): Delightful storyteller & burlesque performer Cyndi Freeman (MothSlam champion, two-time FringeNYC award winner) performs a one-woman show that "traces her journey from a little suburban Jewish girl obsessed with Wonder Woman to a fabulous burlesque queen in NYC, recounting tales of personal heroics while joyfully spewing trivia about America’s first and favorite female superhero. Join her on a crusade to right wrongs while wearing fabulous outfits, directed by Obie Award winner David Drake" at Stage Left Studios (214 West 30th Street, 6th floor): Wonder Woman: A How To Guide For Little Jewish Girls

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comedic storyteller Cameron Esposito performing her acclaimed hour-long solo show at UCB West for one night only: Side Mullet Nation

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Bridgid Ryan (Chester) and Ted McAdams (1001 Nights) tell tales revolving this month's theme, Bad Jobs, at The PIT downstairs lounge along with young hosts Michelle Markowitz & Bryan Rucker, who say they're Failing Our Twenties

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($30 & 2-drink min.): A TV & movie star who created & hosted Last Comic Standing, was a cast member of CBS' Gary Unmarried and Ghost Whisperer, has done extensive sports broadcasting for ESPN, and has appeared in such feature films as Jerry MacGuire, Pay It Forward, and Hereafter (opposite Matt Damon) headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jay Mohr

8:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes The Boss (with special guest Armando Diaz), Hello Laser, The Boss, Dunk, and Junior Varsity performing improv, followed by improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) with last week's winner pitted against Hello Laser at 11:00 pm: The Magnet's Night Out

8:00 pm ($5): Any show ballsy enough to begin its description with "Have you ever loved a mop? Susan-Kate Heaney has..." is worth exploring. This one-woman show is happening at The PIT upstairs theatre: Confessions of a Mop-oholic

[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

[$] 8:00 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's been called "The African King of Comedy," and has performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, BET's ComedyView, and the feature film Next Friday headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): 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), Ali Wong (fearless, razor-sharp, hilarious comedy dynamo; Jay Leno, FOX, cast member of upcoming NBC sitcom Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea; upcoming Oliver Stone film Savages; headlining this weekend at Carolines), and Baron Vaughn (co-star of USA's Facing Kate and Comedy Central's The Awkward Comedy Show; MTV, VH1) performing at UCB East with best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster): 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 ($5): TV & movie star David Cross (HBO's Mr. Show, FOX's Arrested Development, Comedy Central's Freak Show, Adult Swim's Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric Awesome Show...and scores of other TV and feature film roles), star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), and Edmond Hawkins (animator for Jimmy Fallon, Wonder Showzen, Superjail!) performing at UCB West with delightful hosts Shonali Bhowmik and brand new mom Andrea Rosen: Variety SHAC

9:30 pm ($8): "A 17-person middle school talent show created and performed by two people—Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron—who like themselves more now that they're older. A comedic tribute to the best three years of our lives, and a comedic play for anyone who ever thought it couldn't get any better than prank calls and slow-dancing" at The PIT: Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), John Knefel (Huffington Post; co-host of John & Molly Get Along), Neil Charles, and John Moses performing stand-up at Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) for Sean Crespo's & Carol Hartsell's weekly comedy show Lasers in the Jungle

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

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Sharp improvisors from UCBT, The Magnet, The PIT, and/or more try their hand at stand-up at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: Improvisers Standing Up

[$] 10:00 pm ($22 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's performed on Conan O'Brien and starred in his own Comedy Central Presents half-hour special headlining for one night only at the Carolines Comedy Club: Nate Bargatze

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Stellar improv troupe Rogue Elephant competing with challenger Dog Court for audience laughs and votes at UCB West's raucous Cage Match

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

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/7/11

Star stand-up Jay Mohr headlines at the Gotham Comedy Club, Ali Wong headlines at the Carolines Comedy Club...

...breathtaking improv genius Joe Bill is slated to put on one of the finest shows you'll ever see at Lights Out, Shirley!,
and comedy troupe Stone Cold Fox delivers one of the finest sketch shows to grace NYC this year in This is Not Art

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

7:00 pm ($7): "Strange, mysterious, beautiful, and disgusting, this show will dazzle you with sketch comedy... and magic!" at The Magnet from witchy duo Angela DeManti & Emily Shapiro: The Weird Sisters

7:00 pm ($5): A PIT musical improv troupe with a military theme: 10 Pound Ally

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): In one of the best scripted ensemble shows to grace UCB West for some time, troupe Stone Cold Fox performs hilarious parodies of off-off-Broadway theatre, as well as some of the very best sketches it's crafted over the years, in a tight hour-long show directed by comedy genius Neil Casey (who, after also recently directing stellar one-person shows by Kate McKinnon and Mike Still, apparently can do no wrong), featuring delightful performances by Fran Gillespie, Molly Lloyd, D'Arcy Carden (watch for these three gals playing existential Truth or Dare), John Murray, Nate Smith, Brandon Scott Jones, and Jonathan Fernandez, and the writing of Leila Cohan-Miccio, Evan Greenspoon, Brandon Gulya, Matt Hunziker, Owen Parsons, and Michael Trapp: Stone Cold Fox: This Is Not Art

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—tonight featuring guests Sue Galloway (improv troupe The Law Firm) and John Flynn (storytelling shows Oh, Hey Guys! and The Nights of Our Lives)—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

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($22.25 [vs. $27.25] using Friday $5 discount code ALIWONG online or at the door, plus 2-drink min.) A petite comedy dynamo, this razor-sharp rising star who recently performed on Jay Leno and FOX, and is a cast member of the upcoming NBC sitcom Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea and the upcoming Oliver Stone film Savages, will shock you and make you roar with laughter thanks to a fearlessness that's won her acclaim in San Francisco and, over the past two years, a devoted following in NYC. Headlining tonight and Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club, treat yourself to Ali Wong

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Eight small improv teams compete as part of a 32-team tournament starting tonight at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by James Ferrarella: The Arena Small Team Tournament, Round 1

[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 ($5 at the door or $7.63 online): Arden Myrin (Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here) and Lisa deLarios (Comedy Central) host this delightful monthly mix of stand-up and sketch, with tonight's guests Adira Amram (fresh, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter; winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act), Baron Vaughn (Jimmy Fallon; co-star of USA's Facing Kate and Comedy Central's The Awkward Comedy Show, MTV, VH1), Leo Allen (former writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Presents, Conan O'Brien, HBO's Funny or Die, director/co-writer of Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has a Van, host of top NYC comedy show Whiplash), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, movie star; host of Sweet), Jacqueline Novak (Comedy Central, College Humor, host of Spirit of Comedy; for "response to heckler" video, please click here)., and Bridey Elliott (David Letterman) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall: The Party Machine

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($30 & 2-drink min.): A TV & movie star who created & hosted Last Comic Standing, was a cast member of CBS' Gary Unmarried and Ghost Whisperer, has done extensive sports broadcasting for ESPN, and has appeared in such feature films as Jerry MacGuire, Pay It Forward, and Hereafter (opposite Matt Damon) headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Jay Mohr

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!), Stuckey & Murray (terrific comedic singing duo; Chelsea Handler, NBC, VH1, Fuse), Adam Conover (host of UCB East's Fresh Out), Jeff Mauer, and Yannis Pappas performing at Brooklyn's Red Star Bar (37 Greenpoint Avenue) for hosts Nick Turner's & Jason Sáenz's Too Cool for School

8:30 pm ($7): Veteran Magnet improvisors Megan Gray & Louis Kornfeld team up to perform as improv duo MegaLou

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

9:00 pm ($10): This show claims it "will test your limits of good taste and push the boundaries of what you consider funny. Nothing is off limits and no punchline is 'too soon.'" I'm not sure how that makes it different from any other downtown comedy show...but time will tell. Tonight's guests are sketch troupe Thunder Gulch, and stand-ups Nikki Glaser (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, podcast You Had to Be There), Dan Allen (UK comic), Patrick Waldo (a.k.a. The Mustache Man), Ryan Connor, and Jeff Wesselschmidt performing at UCB East hosted by Chris Wilkes (member of Thunder Gulch): After Dark

[$] [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): 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), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central Presents), 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] 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 ($5): 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), and groups Fuck That Shit and Buckwheat Groats performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D'Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify

[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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): One of the finest improvisors alive, Joe Bill (Bassprov, iO, co-founder of the Annoyance Theatre) spearheads a breathtakingly brilliant group of improvisors from Chicago and New York who will blow the roof off The Magnet with lightning-quick dark comedy unlike anything else in NYC. The other superb players are Jordan Klepper (Klepper & Grey, iO, ), Jodi Lennon (Comedy Central's Exit 57), Ari Voukydis (UCB instructor, VH!'s Best Week Ever), Doug Stoley (Conan O'Brien, UCB), Rick Andrews (Magnet performer), Mark Grenier (Magnet instructor), Jen Sanders (Magnet performer), and Chet Siegel (Magnet performer), all declaring Lights Out, Shirley!

[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

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 10/8/11

Ali Wong headlines one last night at Carolines, Janeane Garofalo performs at comedy club Eastville...

...Chris Gethard first performs stand-up at Lil' Seany Boy and then improv at Couples Skate...

...the ghost of an 1850s Southern debutante inhabits a gay man's body in Miss Magnolia Beaumont Goes to Provincetown,
and NYC's darkest comedy troupe performs unsettling sketches as the award-winning Murderfist

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] 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!, Sneaky Beatings, and Old Timey Radio Show at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[FREE] 6:00 pm: A "sacrificial" improv team performs a quick set, then is split up among three other waiting improv troupes, each of which then performs a full set. This ritual letting go for the good of the whole takes place at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Sacrifice

7:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Cake-Fest tries to recreate the tone and themes of an animated cartoon live on stage at The PIT upstairs theatre in AdventureProv

[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, at UCB West all 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

7:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.) A petite comedy dynamo, this razor-sharp rising star who recently performed on Jay Leno and FOX, and is a cast member of the upcoming NBC sitcom Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea and the upcoming Oliver Stone film Savages, will shock you and make you roar with laughter thanks to a fearlessness that's won her acclaim in San Francisco and, over the past two years, a devoted following in NYC. Headlining at the Carolines Comedy Club, treat yourself to Ali Wong

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: 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), Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Greg Johnson (Sirius Radio host), Susan Prekel (Comedy Central), and Dan Shaki performing stand-up at One and One (76 East 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) at Sean Donnelly's Lil' Seany Boy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, TruTV, Tyra Banks), Amber Nelson (sketch troupe Thunder Gulch, co-host of Gutbucket), and Andy Sandford (Adult Swim, The Beards of Comedy) 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

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Pat O'Shea (host of Ed Sullivan on Acid), Liz Simons, Stephanie Acevedo, Dan Hirshon, J-L Cauvin, Bryan Bruner, and Teresa DeGaetano performing at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Evan Morgenstern: SNC: Hot Blooded

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill—and occasionally with comedy giants Kristen Schaal and/or Kurt Braunohler participating: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

[$] 8:00 pm ($10 plus 2-drink min.): Joe Hutcheson scored a hit at last year's FringeNYC with his one-man show about a gay New Yorker having this body inhabited by the ghost of a pre-Civil War Southern debutante. Joe's bringing the show back for a brief revival tonight, and next Friday & Saturday, at the Times Square Arts Center's Roy Arias Cabaret, 300 West 43rd Street (off 8th Avenue), 5th Floor: Miss Magnolia Beaumont Goes to Provincetown

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($8): NYC's heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and won last year's ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing this monthly show at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist

[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): 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), Nate Bargatze (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents, Jimmy Kimmel), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), Sean Donnelly (host of Lil' Seany Boy), and Jono Zalay performing stand-up at UCB East, hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

[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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, 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), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central Presents), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

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

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Sketch duo Chris O'Neill and Paul Valenti describe themselves as "vaudeville gold for a 2011 crowd." Whatever. They're funny. Especially the bit with the nose. Come catch their latest material tonight at The PIT: The Chris and Paul Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): 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 Complete Performer

[FREE] 10:00 pm: A sketch & interview show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Zach Sims: Too Late With Zachary Sims

[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

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($10): A comedic panel show debuting at The PIT, with tonight's guests Jeff Caldwell (David Letterman), Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), and Maureen Langan (Joy Behar) "breaking down the week's weakest, from politics to pop culture," hosted by Brian Joyce: The Weak in Review

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer's Last Comic Standing), Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon), John Milhiser (sketch troupes Dweeb and Serious Lunch), and Amber Nelson (sketch troupe Thunder Gulch, co-host of Gutbucket), and musical guest Adnan Sabir performing at UCB East with host Andy Rocco at Underground Americana

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Top improvisors pair up for one night only at UCB West: Chris Gethard (comedy genius) & Laura Wilcox, John Gemberling (comedy genius) & Don Fanelli, Fran Gillespie (rising risk-taker) & random audience member, and Dyna Moe & Phil Jackson, hosted by Don Fanelli: Couples Skate

[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

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups in a late-night talk show format at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Michael Che: Michael Che's Community Service

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 10/9/11

Michael Showalter performs at Pretty Good Friends; stellar writers & comics are at Kevin Maher's Sexy Nerds & Dirty Words...

...and Tom Shillue & The Bandana Splits deliver hilarious storytelling & songs at The Moon Show

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] 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

[FREE] 6:00 pm: "Short-form improv teams battle it out for the most points and a prize. C’mon, admit it! You miss the quick-witted fun and audience involvement of short-form improv. A different short-form team joins Mishmash! each month and struts their stuff for a panel of judges (including one judge chosen from the audience) until a winner emerges. There will be a series of completely improvised scenes, stories and musicals all based on your suggestions. Come ready to shout out suggestions, and even shout at the judges," at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Scrimmage

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Advanced Magnet students performing improv as couples directed by Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz: Dynamic Duos

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Justin Shanes (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Streeter Seidell (College Humor), and Dan Gurewitch (College Humor) 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

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A one-time-only event "where erotica meets neurotica, where the obscene meets the obscure, with geeks providing comedy for geeks" from Kevin Maher (creator of the smash hit Kevin Geeks Out shows; HBO, Comedy Central, AMC). Performers include Web superstar Mark Douglas (The Key of Awesome) doing stand-up, Mike Edison (author of Dirty! Dirty! DIrty!) chronicling the history of America's greatest girlie magazines, M. Sweeney Lawless revealing a secret conspiracy in comic book covers, and Iris Explosion doing burlesque dancing; plus Geek Bingo! It all happens at Under St. Marks: Sexy Nerds & Dirty Words

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBwest'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

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), utterly adorable comedic singers The Bandana Splits (for video samples, please click here and here), delightful comedic singer Camille Harris, and more performing at UCB East along with sketches from Moon regulars Camille Harris, Jordan Clifford, Stephanie Fagan, Bryan Condon, and Tim Skinner, and hosts Nat Towsen & Bob Walles: The Moon Show

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

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($7): Michael Showalter (MTV's The State, comedy troupe Stella, writer/star of feature films The Baxter and Wet Hot American Summer and Comedy Central's Michael & MIchael Have Issues; author of bestselling new book Mr. Funny Pants), 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 (quick-witted rising star; Jimmy Fallon, MTV, VH1; for reenactment of Dan's breakup, please click here), and Cameron Esposito (acclaimed storyteller; one-woman show Side Mullet Nation; Logo TV) performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall for comedy giant Eugene Mirman's Pretty Good Friends

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Seaton Smith, Tess Barker, Frank Liotti, and Reid Taylor performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up

[FREE] 8:00 pm: From the producers of The Scene, improvisors at The PIT downstairs lounge make up one-act plays on the spot: Act One

8:00 pm ($5): A troupe that performs a sketch show with an improv segment at the end directed by Magnet co-owner Armando Diaz: Dumbrowsky

8:00 pm ($5): PIT improvisors Nate Starkey & Chris Grace makes stuff up in Two-Prov with Starkey & Grace

[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), Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central Presents), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, host of Monsters), and Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central; co-host of The Party Machine) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup

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

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Maureen Langan (Jay Leno, Joy Behar), Emily Epstein, and Adam Lehman performing at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

11:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes not associated with a particular comedy theatre at UCB East, hosted by Thank You Robot: Indie Improv Showcase

NYC Comedy Picks for Tonight

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