NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 9/12/11
Comedy genius Chris Gethard performs at new UCBeast stand-up show Wheelhouse; puppies are on parade at Hot Tub Variety...
...Kate McKinnon's stellar group Gramp's performs sketch on Maude Night; and more puppies at Hot Tub Variety
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] 6:30 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story...and if it's a good one, possibly be included in Kevin's popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Comedy duo Leah Rudick & Katie Hartman, back from their second year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they were proclaimed "biggest revelation" by the Guardian, performing a brand new sketch show: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting
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: NYC stand-ups (unusually, not yet announced) performing stand-up at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson: Case of the Mondays Comedy
[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 ($6.50 online or $8 at the door): 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), Jiwon Lee (Comedy Central), musical guest Franz Nicolay, and puppies being hugged 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: 2nd Annual 9/11 Memorial Puppy Hugging Parade
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Comedy genius Chris Gethard (world-class 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), plus stand-ups Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), Nick Vatterott, Katey Healy-Wurzburg, and Amber Nelson at this new weekly stand-up show at UCBeast (Upright Citizens Brigade East Village Theatre at 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) hosted by ace improvisor and aspiring stand-up Will Hines: Wheelhouse
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): One of UCBT'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
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: Confessions of a Mop-oholic
8:30 pm ($5): "A spectacular implosion of clown, medicine show, and sideshow theatrics" at The Magnet: Clown Baggage
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): UCBT has developed several terrific in-house sketch comedy troupes, but only two of them currently rival the finest sketch groups in the country. One is Stone Cold Fox (which now has a stellar show every Friday at 7:30 pm). The other is Gramp's, spearheaded by comedy genius Kate McKinnon, which is performing tonight. Kate's group will be trying out all-new bits this evening, but the chances are a bunch of them will be breathtakingly smart, inventive, and hilarious. Also on this double-bill is house troupe Onassis, which isn't in the same league, but includes such notable performers as Sue Galloway—all at Maude Night
9:30 pm ($5): From the producers of The Scene, improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at Act One
9:30 pm ($5): "A drama written by teen Jerome McDonough that teaches teens about the evils of alcohol abuse. A talented and twistedly funny group of adults (the Marumsco Valley Players) will present the hard-hitting play, stage directions and all—while under the influence!:" Alky
[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 a show with guest improvisors at UCBeast (Upright Citizens Brigade East Village Theatre at 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Improv Nerds
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest stand-ups in the world—who tonight include Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim) and Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (HBO, Saturday Night Live, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) at Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 9/13/11
Jessi Klein (MTV Comedy Showcase), Janeane Garofalo (Tell Your Friends and After Hours with Gene Hackman)...
...Wyatt Cenac (It Is It), and Rich Vos (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:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A one-man show by Justin Peters about—wait for it—condiments. "Mitch 'Packets' Franco has demonstrated condiments at groceries, farmers' markets, superstores, and gas stations in all 50 states; over the course of 25 minutes, he'll give you the inside squeeze on how all your favorite condiments are marketed, shipped, distributed, and sold; how to seduce a checkout girl; how to tell a supermarket by its odor; and other lessons learned during his wild life in America's grocery aisles" at The Magnet: Confessions of a Condiment Hustler
[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): Blowout line-up of TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), 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), "secret guests who cannot be named," plus musical guests Sean Bones and A Brief View of the Hudson, all performing at the Lolita Bar to celebrate the Sixth Anniversary of Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The debut of a comedy variety show produced by Sara Schaefer & Scott Moran on behalf of the late great Gene Hackman, with tonight's guests TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, stand-up Mike Lawrence (shrewdly funny curmudgeon; Comedy Central), sketch duo Team Submarine, singer Amy Miles, tweeter Alex Baze, and more performing at UCBeast (UCB East at 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Jessi Klein (fresh, unique, deliciously organic comic who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, VH1, NBC, CNN, Adult Swim), Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), James Adomian (talented impressionist; finalist on last summer's Last Comic Standing), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Dan Soder, Michael Che, Reese Waters, and host Andy Haynes performing at Webster Hall's Marlin Room (125 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues) for the one-night-only MTV Comedy Showcase
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Marc Bernardin (writer for SyFy Channel's Aphas) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT's downstairs lounge: Comic Book Club
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: At this unique show, comics play videos they've made about themselves and then perform sets, with tonight's guests musical duo The Reformed Whores, plus stand-ups RG Daniels, Andy Haynes, and Tom Sibley at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Anecdotal Evidence
8:00 pm to Midnight ($5): Four full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes Mr. Crime, American Cousin, Dance Break, Sandino, and Standard Oil—and at 11:00 pm advanced UCBT students making up movies—all at Harold Night
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): Hannibal Buress (staff writer for 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, Comedy Central), Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1), Colin Jost (writer for Saturday Night Live), and more performing at Ella (9 Avenue A) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) celebrate the birthdays of Harrison Greenberg and Baratunde Thurston at Bar 82 (136 Second Avenue, between 9th & St. Marks Streets): Happy Birthday Harrison & Baratunde
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5):
Rich Vos (stand-up star on
two seasons of Last Comic Standing and on Tough
Crowd with Colin Quinn, and currently on the Opie
& Anthony radio show), Bonnie MacFarlane (Comedy Central, Cheat),
Jane Borden (treasured Comedy Editor of Time Out New York,
author of I
Totally Meant to Do That), and Tim Dimond
9:30 pm ($5): This showcase for the wonderful Jen Nails' Do It Yourself class tonight features debuts of the one-person shows How I Learned to Love Getting Fired and And That Responsibility Is Overrated, both with the theme of Blown Jobs
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): A stellar stand-up show hosted by Adam Lowitt (Producer at The Daily Show) moves to UCBeast (UCB East at 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B), with tonight's guests Wyatt Cenac (star correspondent for The Daily Show), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on last summer's 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 Henry Phillips: It Is It
[FREE] 10:15 pm: In this free show, audience members can join in with veteran musical improv talents 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 hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 9/14/11
Sharp comics comment on
inept cinematic scenes of NYC being invaded by our neighbors from the red planet
at
Robbie Collier's
fun show at The Creek: Hey
We Live There!: Martians Take Manhattan
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($15): A comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) are shared by their original authors before total strangers at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson Street): Mortified
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street between Avenues A & B), 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
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 double-bill at UCB West (307 West 26th Street), two of the finest comedic actors in NYC, Amy Heidt and Jeff Hiller, perform sketches about love and murder that aren't nearly as good as they are (don't know how that happened, as Amy is also a brilliant writer), but come for the pleasure of seeing these two on stage at The Last Resort
8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and 10:00 pm ($7): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt
8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): Typically terrific NYC stand-ups (sadly, not announced this week) performing at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters
[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] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Some of the most inept movie scenes of New York City being invaded by aliens, with clips from Independence Day, The Day the Earth Stood Still (Keanu Reeves version 'natch), and lots more, guided by stand-ups Mark Normand, Phil Hanley, Anthony DeVito, and Greg Stone, plus stand-up sets from Kevin Barnett and Paul Hooper, all at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Robbie Collier: Hey We Live There!: Martians Take Manhattan
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street between Avenues A & B), Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are first up as the energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger; and then improv troupes Dance Break and Sandino make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form "Harold" rules at Cheating on Harold
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($15): Dylan Brody performs a funny and poignant one-man show about how the martial arts changed his life by bringing him "to a place where peace becomes possible, where confidence obviates conflict, where the sound of one’s own breath is all one needs in order to own any moment" at 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson Street): More Arts, Less Martial
[FREE] 9:00ish pm: NYC comics Sue Funke, Meghan O'Keefe, and Elihu Dietz, musical guest Marian Rosin, and more performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): "Thin Skin Jonny. They had it all. They were icons, legends, anti-folk superstars. However, tragedy struck and they broke up, citing an alleged statutory charge, gay porn addiction, and Four Loko abuse. Now, two months later, they're back to do one last show—a benefit! Can they find a way to get along long enough to raise the money needed to re-animate the corpse of Bea Arthur? Maybe, with your help!" Performers include Ari Scott, with direction from Pam Murphy at UCB West (307 West 26th Street): Thin Skin Jonny: Farewell Reunion Tour
[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 (307 West 26th Street) 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 UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street between Avenues A & B) stage with improv veterans, hosted by 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 9/15/11
Heather Lawless makes a rare appearance at Totally J/K, and Chris Gethard's at the new show Animated Stories
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 UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A and B) hosted by John Flynn: 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 show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with veteran improv talents to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Chris Gethard (brilliant improvisor and genius 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) headlines at a show that also lets audience members tell their stories, with the best tale turned into an animated premiering the following month. It all happens at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A and B), hosted by Todd Bieber: Animated Stories
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): A rotating cast of veteran improvisors make up scenes based on the improvised monologues of the co-owner of the Magnet Theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): 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] 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] 9:00 pm ($5): John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, VH1's Best Week Ever; for John's great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Julian McCullough (fiercely funny rising star; Comedy Central Presents, MTV, VH1), Heather Lawless (fresh, hilarious, unique stand-up; member of Variety SHAC), Gabe Delahaye (Senior Editor of Videogum.com), and a "secret special guest" performing at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A and B) with best bud hosts Noah Garfinkel & Joe Mande (author of Look At This F*cking Hipster) at Totally J/K
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): A fine storyteller who yesterday performed a funny and poignant one-man show about how the martial arts changed his life tonight tells a variety of personal anecdotes at The PIT (123 East 24th Street): Dylan Brody
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, 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 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's basement lounger for The Scene
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Stellar improv troupes Rogue Elephant and The Shucks compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB West (307 West 26th Street) for the raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): Magnet improv troupes Brick and The Kicks compete for audience laughs and votes—yes, like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component—at Inspirado
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly open mic stand-up show, with each comic given five minutes, at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A and B) hosted by Rob Stern & Amber Nelson: Gutbucket
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 9/16/11
The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival started as an inside joke, but
it's running strong after four years
as a fun Brooklyn gathering of top comedic talent. For the full
schedule, please click here.
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] 6:00 pm-midnight ($10-$20): Top comics from NYC and elsewhere gather tonight, via four different shows in Brooklyn's Bell House and Union Hall, for this weekend's Fourth Annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival
[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups start at 5:30 pm) at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Mike Recine and Annie Lederman: The Shinebox
7:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The Magnet from two friends who, by a wild coincidence, have the same name: We're Matt Weir
7:00 pm ($5): Kelli Porterfield performs a one-woman show about five residents of Joplin, MO: Mirror Mirror On The Wall
7:00 pm ($5): Young musical improv performers make up a song-and-dance show on the spot at The PIT's downstairs lounge: Hey You Guys
[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): Superb improvisors making up a musical on the spot at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Diamond Lion
8:00 pm ($10): An improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello
[FREE] 8:00 pm:Three sketch teams compete, with the winner decided by combining audience votes with that of a panel of judges. And while the votes are being tallied, a well-known sketch troupe outside of the competition will perform. Tonight's show is part of a 15-team sketch tournament at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Arena Sketch League Semi-Final, Round One
[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): One of the very finest stand-ups in the country who's performed on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and The View, starred in two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials, and frequently opens for Louis C.K., headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ted Alexandro
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): Storytellers Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life), Anna Sale (WNYC Reporter), Steve Zimmer (two-time Moth GrandSlam Champion), Bernie Somers (Moth GrandSlam Champion), and host Adam Wade 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) tell exceptionally fine comedic tales at The Magnet: Super Stories
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Ace storyteller John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives, host of Oh Hey Guys!), sketch dark wizard Henry Zebrowski (Murderfist), and stand-ups Matt Ruby (MTV, co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Sean Donnelly (host of The Lil' Seany Boy Show), Dustin D'Addato (NBC, MTV), Kate Berlant (Crime & Punishment), and Joe Pera & Dan Licata ("musical super duo") performing at Brooklyn's Red Star Bar (37 Greenpoint Avenue) to celebrate host's Jason Saenz's birthday and host's Nick Turner's TV debut tonight on Jimmy Fallon: Too Cool for School
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Top comics and writers sharing memorable tales of their material being turned down—tonight including Dan St. Germain (WWE rejections), Joe Mande (Twitter celebrity feud rejections), Brooke Van Poppelen (her mom's rejected Survivor audition tape) , and Jill Morris & Johnny McNulty (rejections from their book Please Fire Me)—all at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) for Jon Friedman's wonderful The Rejection Show
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from UCB West's all-star members of The Stepfathers
[$] [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): Dean Edwards, David Foster, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): An award-winning sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar situations & rituals on their head (for a video about how boys will be girls, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
[FREE] 10:00 pm:Three sketch teams compete, with the winner decided by combining audience votes with that of a panel of judges. And while the votes are being tallied, a well-known sketch troupe outside of the competition will perform. Tonight's show is part of a 15-team sketch tournament at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Arena Sketch League Semi-Final, Round Two
10:00 pm ($5): Aaron Glaser and Lee Rubenstein each perform a 30-minute stand-up set at The PIT's downstairs lounge, with guest host Danny Jolles, at The 30/30 Club
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Jon Gabrus, Nate Lang, Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Fran Gillespie Sue Galloway, and other superb improvisors make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at UCB West's The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Chris Gethard, Don Fanelli, and Michael Kayne as improv troupe Sabonis, plus stand-ups Nathan Barnatt, and Ben Kissel & Kevin Barnett, and more performing at UCBeast (UCB East, 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Gentrify
11:30 pm ($10): improvisers Bianca Casusöl as Madam Ant, Nina Klemow as Fanny Price, and Alex Marino as Larry Lazlo use burlesque dancing to tell a story "and titillate the audience with some seductively fun choreographed burlesque numbers" at The Magnet: Whisky Tango Foxtrot: Burlesque Improv Revue
[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show
[FREE] Midnight: This show typically isn't much fun for audience members—which is why it hasn't been on the UCBT schedule for a long time—but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB West stage. Hosted by Maude troupe Onassis: Liquid Courage
[$] 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 Carolines: Paul Mooney
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 9/17/11
Ted Alexandro headlines at Gotham; John Hodgman is among the stars at the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[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
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm-11:00 pm ($10-$20): Top comics from NYC and elsewhere gather tonight, via five different shows in Brooklyn's Bell House and Union Hall, for this weekend's Fourth Annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Joe Bill, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, Kay Cannon, Christina Gausas, and 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 making up a play on the spot at The Magnet: Theory of Everything
7:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): One of the very finest stand-ups in the country who's performed on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and The View, starred in two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials, and frequently opens for Louis C.K., headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Ted Alexandro
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Nick Vatterott, Michael Che, Jason Good, and a "super secret guest" (am not sure, but am guessing he's pale and his last name sort of rhymes with "Laugh-Again") performing stand-up at One and One (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) at the return of Sean Donnelly's Lil' Seany Boy
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Ben Lerman (sly, raunchy comedic singer/songwriter), 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), Pat O'Shea (host of Ed Sullivan on Acid), and George Gordon performing at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ray DeVito, Ben Kronberg, Nick Cobb, and Tim Dimond: Shoot the Shite
[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—UCBwest's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, wonderful comedic singer/songwriter Shayna Ferm, and stand-ups Dan Soder, Sheng Wang, and Damien Lemon performing at UCB East (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It
9:00 pm ($7): Sharp improvisors from a sharp comedy town beyond NYC and Chicago: ImprovBoston Mainstage
[$] [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): Dean Edwards, David Foster, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
9:30 pm ($10): "A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics," following sold out shows at Joe's Pub and now at The PIT: Political Subversities
[TOP PICK] [$] 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: Comedy from a duo that walks the line between sketch and stand-up, plus tonight's stand-up guest Danny Soloman, performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Team Submarine and Friends
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Ben Rodgers, Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, and other stellar improvisors interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then create an entire show based on the mini-bio at UCBwest's The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($7): A sharp musical improv troupe makes up stories with song and dance based on an audience suggestion at The Magnet's Choral Rage
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): "Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is on the ground in New York City, and he's assembled a team of investigative experts to uncover the biggest conspiracy yet. The New World Order might keep Conspiracy Theory off the air, but we take the action outside the ring and straight to the people...because the they can cancel a TV show, but they can't cancel the truth," with James Adomian as Jesse Ventura, Anthony Atamanuik as David Icke, John Gemberling as Sirhan Sirhan, plus Rob Lathan (Conan O'Brien), Henry Zebrowski (Murderfist), and Zach Broussard doing crazy shit at UCB East (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): Conspiracy Theory Live with Jesse Ventura
Midnight ($5): UCB West Harold Night house improv troupes Very Good Kiss and Mr. Crime making stuff up past their bedtime at Saturday Night Slumber Party
[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine, 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 9/18/11
Marc Maron and Michael Showalter are among the stars at this final night of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open mic stand-up show (for details, please click here) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Comedy Showcase
[FREE] 5:30 pm: Improv duo The Bedtime Brothers begin by making up scenes based on an audience member's horrible dating or break-up experience, and end with scenes springboarding off an audience-supplied movie quote; and in between invited stand-ups and sketch comics perform. It all happens at at The Creek in Queens' Long Island City: Love Sucks! Movies Rock!
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm-11:00 pm ($20): Top comics from NYC and elsewhere gather tonight, via two different shows in Brooklyn's Bell House, for the final day of the Fourth Annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Thoroughly brilliant comics James Adomian (Last Comic Standing), John Gemberling (Adult Swim, Death by Roo Roo), Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Death By Roo Roo, Two-Man Movie), and Craig Rowin (Please Give Me One Million Dollars) 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 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) hosted by Andy Rocco: Here to Help
[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
7:30 pm ($5): Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, VHI, High Times), Jordan Carlos (MTV), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon; host of Monsters, co-host of Too Cool For School and If You Build It), Nick Packard (Mystery Team), and Michael Antonnuci (sketch troupe Bleak Comedy) performing stand-up at UCB East 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B): The Most Fun Show Ever
[FREE] 7:30 pm: Sketch, improv, and more at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City from comedy troupe Froduce
[$] 8:00 pm ($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 at Carolines: Paul Mooney
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Louie Katz (HBO's Down and Dirty, Comedy Central Presents), Nick Vatterott (Jimmy Fallon), Dan Soder (Comedy Central), Matt Ruby (MTV, co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), and Chesley Calloway (co-host of Comedy as a Second Language) performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups East Village lounge: Sunday Night Stand-Up
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sketch troupes The Weirs, Jamaal Sedayao, Paul Barker, Russ Armstrong, and/or Good Morning Ladies performing new material at The Magnet: Ripe Sketch Comedy
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant stand-up, writer, and storyteller; blogger for trutV; TLC; co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Ben Kronberg, Phil Hanley, John F. O'Donnell, and Ken Reid celebrating Mark Normand's birthday at UCB East (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) hosted by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes, and/or David Cope: Hot Soup
9:30 pm ($5): A monthly screening of new short filmed sketch and comedy produced by members of The Magnet Theatre comedy community: Flick Video Showcase
11:00 pm ($5): A sketch show at UCB East 155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) describing itself as follows: "World's elite, please join us for this month's conference of The Order of the Owl. The Order's two leaders, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Jared from Subway, will oversee presentations from the secret rulers of our world order, the true Power behind the Throne. Learn how The Order of the Owl has been pulling strings of late and how we are planting seeds for future machinations. BYO wine and cheese:" Order of the Owl: Illuminati Conference to Rule the World
Copyright © 2011 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
