NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 9/18/17
The final show of the spectacular 10th Anniversary Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival for which tickets are still available (Tuesday night's finale is sold out) consists of hosts Eugene Mirman & Neil deGrasse Tyson interviewing star guests Whoopi Goldberg and Michael Ian Black: StarTalk LIve! (8:00 pm, $35-$55, Brooklyn's Kings Theatre at 1027 Flatbush Avenue)...
...or come see Josie Long, a witty, honest, irresistible UK star who The New York Times has called "a gem," and Time Out NY lauded for "her blend of sunny enthusiasm and intellect"—I once saw Josie advise "If you're ever short on funds and have to choose between food and a book, always buy the book." Josie is briefly visiting NYC, and tonight both performs stand-up and hosts other comics she likes, including Maeve Higgins, Jonny Donahoe, Patti Harrison, and Alex Edelman: Josie Long and Some Friends (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Other notable shows this Monday include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation—including at 8:00 pm the groups Thunderbuster (with ace comics Chris Booth and Jen Clark) and The Department (with the superb Dana Shulman)—all at The PIT Underground: Super Free Monday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): A monthly event that showcases physical comedy and "the weird, the beautiful, the gross, and, ultimately, the human" tonight features comics Nika Lomazzo, Suraiyah Ortiz, Ruby Mccollister, Reggie Conquest, and Katie Fay Behrmann at UCB East hosted by hosted by Arti Gollapudi: Yourself, Your Body
7:30 pm ($7): Talented comedy groups The Nitro GIrls and Chico Splits perform sketch comedy at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Sketch Teams
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code), Bassem Youssef ("the Jon Stewart of the Arab World"), Ali Macofsky (Kill Tony podcast), Joanna Briley, and Ahir Shah perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by the wonderful Wyatt Cenac (star of TBS' Friends of Earth; former star correspondent for The Daily Show; writer for South Park; albums Comedy Person, Brooklyn, and Furry Dumb Fighter): Night Train
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($8 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime) hosts Sean Patton, Dan Soder, Jon Fisch, Matt Ruby, and more trying out new stand-up material at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): New Joke Night
8:00 pm ($10): A raunchy musical about high school seniors and aliens from outer space plotting to harvest our genitals begins a 10-show run tonight through September 18th at The PIT Mainstage from writer Joe Kelly, musical director Jonathan Evans, and director Griffin Osborne: Aliens Coming: The Musical
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Terrific character comics perform solo bits demonstrating their impressive talent at UCB East hosted & directed by Michael Hartney plus a co-host TBA. This is one of my favorite shows, and I especially recommend checking it out if you're a producer, casting director, or other industry pro in search of sharp comedy actors: Characters Welcome
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Matt Koff (staff writer for The Daily Show) performs 30 minutes of stand-up, with a 30-minute opener by Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; album "The Human Comedy;" for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), all at The Magnet theatre: Matt Koff & Adam Wade
9:30 ($7): House sketch groups Pretty Boys and Cha-Cha try out new material at UCB Chelsea for Maude Night
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Dan Soder (cast member on Showtime's Billions; film Trainwreck; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Pete Lee (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), and more perform stand-up for this free weekly show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays
10:00 pm ($15): Stand-ups who call Texas home perform to raise funds for recovery efforts at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by San Antonio's Melissa Rocha: Texas Forever: A Benefit For Those Affected by Hurricane Harvey
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—push boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Andy Sandford: Permission to Fail
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE; reservations go quickly, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea typically hosted by Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Master of None; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There): Whiplash
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 9/19/17
Melissa Villaseñor (star cast member of Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live; force-of-nature voiceover artist who's performed characters for Family Guy, Scooby Doo, and many other shows), Julio Torres (marvelously nuanced, outside-the-box stand-up; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Billy on the Street, HBO's High Maintenance, Louis C.K.’s Horace and Pete), Ali Macofsky (Kill Tony podcast; host of weekly LA stand-up show My Brother's House), Greg Barris (MTV's All That Rocks, host of Heart of Darkness), and more perform in the Lower East Side hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, @midnight, CBS, VH1): Sweet (9:00 pm, $10, LES' The Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street)...
...or see Dulcé Sloan (powerhouse comic who's the newest correspondent of The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, @midnight), Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic), Corinne Fisher (co-host of popular podcast Guys We Fucked), and Kevin Barnett (NBC's The Carmichael Show, MTV's Guy Code, #FAIL Comedy Central, TruTV's Friends of the People, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor) perform stand-up for this free weekly show at a Brooklyn pizza shop hosted by Lucas Connolly, David Piccolomini, and/or Jake Fromm: Ambush Comedy (8:00 pm; Free!, plus Free Draft Beer 8:00-8:30 pm!; Brooklyn's Two Boots Pizza Williamsburg at 558 Driggs Avenue)...
...or enjoy a semi-scripted insider's look at a New England elite intellectual women's college, with a great cast of Ana Fabrega (Portlandia, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Chris Gethard Show, host of Sundays with Ana), Patti Harrison (Jimmy Fallon, Broad City, TBS' Search Party), Natasha Vaynblat (improv group What I Did For Love, sketch group Absolutely, one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), Joanna Hausmann (Bill Nye Saves the World), Kady Ruth Ashcraft (Funny or Die), and Lorelei Ramirez at the UCB East theatre hosted by Becky Chicoine, Sudi Green, and/or Sam Reece: Theme Party: Women's College (9:00 pm, $7, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Other notable shows this Tuesday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups—all typically led by the best improv pianist in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions: Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7; SOLD OUT, but you might be able to get in if you arrive early on the stand-by line and are okay with standing): Matthew Broussard, Blair Socci, Girls with Brown Hair, and more perform a roast of Harry Potter in which "Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, Voldemort, and more hit the dais to roast, burn, and incendio each other with brutal jokes so tasteless, they'd make a Dementor blush. Muggles welcome" at the UCB East theatre hosted by Eddie Furth & Ryan Pigg: Corporate Retreat: Harry Potter and the Fictional Roast
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Tuesday
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): A live taping of a terrific weekly Sirius XM Radio comedy show, with stand-ups Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; @midnight, Inside Amy Schumer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, This American Life; host for HBO and Cinemax; host of WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake; books Tasteful Nudes and Dave Hill Doesn't Live Here Anymore; comedy album Let Me Turn You On), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, The Apprentice, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple, opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Judy Gold (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, The View), Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane), and Dan Naturman (David Letterman, Jay Leno), plus music from Helio Alves and the Come to Papa Trio, hosted by Tom Papa (host of Jerry Seinfeld-produced NBC comedy The Marriage Ref; numerous appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno; three Comedy Central specials): Come to Papa
8:00 pm ($10): Jill Kargman (author of Momzillas, which became her Bravo series Odd Mom Out) is interviewed on this podcast taping at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Rachel Wenitsky & Nicole Silverberg (editors of Reductress): Reductress Presents Mouth Time
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Jessica Kirson (The Tonight Show, The View, Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone) and Frank Liotti (HBO's High Maintenance, FOX's Gotham and Blue Bloods; voiceovers for Wendy's, State Farm,Grand Theft Auto V; copywriter for Manhattan Mini) do their podcast about food addiction (closet eating, binging, diets, shame, etc.) live on stage at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Fat Pig Podcast Live
[FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
9:00 pm ($7): Improvisors make up a Jane Austin novel on the spot based on an audience suggestion at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Being Jane Austin
[FREE] 10:00 pm: A monthly stand-up show that books comics from the same original area (i.e., outside of NYC) to perform long sets at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Trey Galyon: I'm Not From Here
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:30 pm (Free! using online code COMP; no min.): Stand-ups pair up to brutally insult each other and then be judged for the effectiveness of their viciousness by veteran comics such as Big Jay Oakerson, Rich Vos, and Michael Che at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Luis J. Gomez: The RoastMasters
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 9/20/17
Do you know about the new make-up-a-musical-on-the-spot podcast Off Book? Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino are brilliant at wordplay, high concepts, storytelling, comedy, music, picking up cues from their superb pianist Scott Passarella, and every other aspect of musical improv, Just as impressive, even though they have a different comic join in every episode—ranging from Paul F. Tompkins to Paul Scheer to Jamie Denbo—their teamwork is so seamless that every guest comes off as an old-time partner who regularly mind melds with them. I was instantly hooked when seeing them live at the recent Now Here This Podcast Festival (with stellar guests Griffin Newman & Michael Cruz Kayne and NYC improv pianist Dan Reitz). But since they're based in LA, listening to Jess' & Zach's podcast is the next best thing to being in the same room with them. The Off Book podcast is entirely free, exceptionally joyful, and highly recommended.
Meanwhile, if you want to go out tonight...
The UK's renowned Cambridge University is known for great scholarly achievement...but also a comedy troupe named The Footlights that helped launch the careers of John Cleese (Monty Python), Hugh Laurie (House), Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), and more. The 2017 edition of this group performs tonight in NYC as part of a world tour: The Cambridge Footlights: Dream Sequence (8:00 pm, $7, UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)...
...or join Blair Socci (MTV, Fuse), who "wrote a letter to Owen Wilson in 2007 after his suicide attempt telling him how much she loved him and appreciated him and that she hoped he would feel better soon. (A breakup with Jennifer Aniston could truly shatter anyone...)" Tonight Blair interviews SNL's Michael Che, Melissa Villaseñor, Sasheer Zamata, and more, each first sharing a 1-2 minute letter to a celebrity who's had an impact on his or her life: Dear Owen Wilson (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street;—take R subway to Union Street)
Other notable shows this Wednesday include:
[FREE] 6:00 pm-midnight: Six hours of free improvisation—including dynamite comics Adrian Sexton and Jay Malsky in The Community Players at 7:00 pm, musical improv from group Vern (which includes superb singer & comic Julie A. Feltman) at 7:30 pm, such stellar improvisors as Pat Swearingen and Langston Belton in Hero Complex at 8:30 pm, and star instructors such as Dana Shulman, Adrian Sexton, Chris Booth, and sometimes even PIT owner Ali Reza Farahnakian at The Faculty at 10:30 pm, all at The PIT Mainstage: Super Free Wednesday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Hosts Melissa Slaughter, Alex Chester, and Rachel Liu, and guest Becky Yamamoto, discuss Disney film Mulan from an Asian perspective for this live-on-stage recording of podcast We're Not All Ninjas at The PIT Underground: We're Not All Ninjas Live: Mulan
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Wednesday
8:00 pm ($10): A musical improv and stand-up show that features a live band providing musical accompaniment to jokes, with guests Sasheer Zamata, Janelle James, Jordan Temple, Mike Cannon, Robby Hoffman, Nick Naney, and Carmen Christopher performing stand-up or music at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by Yedoye Travis & Farah Brook: Rent Party
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Come enjoy an intimate evening, and no drink minimum, with Gianmarco Soresi (Seeso; sketch group Uncle Function; acclaimed FringeNYC play <50%) as he practices a long stand-up set for his headlining show on 9/27 at Carolines; plus an opening set by Chris Cafero (HBO's The Night Of, Showtime's Billions, CBS' As the World Turns, The Awesome 80's Prom), all at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Gianmarco Soresi: Is This Funny?
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; stellar new comedy album Live at Webster Hall), Dave Smith, Luis J. Gomez, and other NYC comics "discussing the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this weekly podcast taping at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Legion of Skanks
9:00 pm ($10): Gianmarco Soresi (Seeso; sketch group Uncle Function; acclaimed FringeNYC play <50%), Gary Levitt, Billy Procida, Johnny MacDonald, Dylan Palladino, and Anoush Froundjian tell tales about losing their virginity at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) guest-hosted by Wilson McDermut: My First Time: A Stand-Up and Storytelling Show
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Storytellers share true tales hosted by Jenna Marucci & Aileen Clark at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Jenna & Aileen Think You're Great
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 9/21/17
A spectacular collection of hilarious film & TV clips and guest pop culture experts hosted by super-fan Kevin Maher and friends focusing, for a second round, on one of the greatest horror writers of all time (for a video teaser, please click here): Kevin Geeks Out About Stephen King, Vol. 2 (9:30 pm, $16 [buying in advance is recommended, as this show crammed with rich imagery and ideas often sells out], Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema at 136 Metropolitan Avenue; take the L to Bedford)...
...or join a pop culture debate on one of the weightiest issues of the 2000s—Lindsay Lohan vs. Hilary Duff—featuring comics Brian McIntyre (arguing for Lindsay) and Marcia Belsky (arguing for Hilary), plus diva drag performances by Elizabeth James and music from DJ Molly Austin, with fabulous hosts Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV) & Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code): Battle of the Divas: Lindsay Lohan vs. Hilary Duff (7:30 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Other notable shows this Thursday include:
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors James Dwyer & Jackie Jennings perform their vision of a Church of Scientology "audit" ("'The Church of Scientology provides free Audits at our NYC location for anyone interested in going clear.' Once you are clear you will never see the ones you love again."), with James as L. Ron Hubbard and Jackie as new potential member David Miscavige at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Audit
[$] 7:00 pm ($20): Peter Michael Marino plays around with the audience in a mix of improv and scripted comedy (with staging by stellar director Michole Biancosino), and then attempts to pull off the very difficult feat of creating an entertaining one-man improv show inspired by what he's learned about the audience at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue), running Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through 9/30: Show Up
7:00 pm ($7): Magicians do improv and improvisors perform magic in this collision of mildly popular art forms starring Rich Kameda, Scott Benjamin, Lee Barrett, and David Frasure at The PIT Mainstage: The League of Magical Improvisers
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Superb improvisors Adrian Sexton (Unauthorized: The Musical series, improv groups Ouiser & Clairee, George/Martha, and The Darklings; host of Pet Prov), Jay Malsky (highly talented, super-charged improvisor & character comic; host of This Live Show; UCB sketch group Pretty Boys; FringeNYC solo show Elaine Stritch: Still Here; Solocom & UCB solo show Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend), and other members of PIT Wednesday improv group The Community Players make up a play on the spot at The PIT Underground: The Community Players Present Theatre/Theater/Theatah
7:30 pm ($7): Alex English (writer for BET's The Rundown with Robin Thede), Sagar Bhatt (Last Comic Standing), Jules Posner, Rebecca Shortall, and more perform stand-up at UCB East produced by Carol Hartsell and hosted by Sean Crespo & Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): World-class singing improvisors Evan Kaufman & Rebecca Vigil interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). Playing at The PIT Mainstage for a mere 10 bucks (this show has sold out at other venues for twice the price), I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($30): Stand-up, TV writer, and bestselling author Jen Kirkman headlines at the Highline Ballroom (431 West 16th Street), with an opening set by Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central, MTV, comedy album True Love): Jen Kirkman: The All New Material Girl Tour
8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups starting at 8:00 pm, themed improv show The Setup at 10:00 pm, and improv competition Inspirado at 11:00 pm, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Alison Leiby (writer for The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story), Brendan Fitzgibbons (MTV's Guy Code, The Onion, co-host of Gandhi, Is That You?), Jules Posner (SF Sketchfest), Billy Prinsell, and Loyiso Gola perform stand-up at UCB East hosted by rising stars Jim Tews (Louie, Last Comic Standing, host of Homeschooled, New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York) and/or Ashley Brooke Roberts (energetic, enormously likeable stand-up; writer for Nat Geo and MTV's Guy Code blog): Fresh Out
9:00 pm ($8): Clare O'Kane (Amazon's Budding Prospects, Viceland's Flophouse, webseries Semi-Famous; former writer for SpongeBob SquarePants), Jen Kwok (ABC's Quantico. HBO’s High Maintenance, Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, MTV, PBS), Lawrence DeLoach, Jodi Coyote, Jill Weiner, and Taffy Jaffe perform stand-up or storytelling at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Sue Funke & Katie Compa: Happy Place Comedy
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): The Emmy-winning writers of The Daily Show gather on the UCB Chelsea stage to perform an all-improvised Non-Daily Show
[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC magicians (and maybe some visiting wizards) try out new material, with some stand-up thrown in, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by mind reader Eric Dittelman (America’s Got Talent, Ellen): Amazeballs
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7): Improv duo 2 Puerto Ricans (Taylor Gonzalez & Will Martinez) won its third victory in a row last week, beating former Lloyd Night team Slingshot by 56 votes to 37. Tonight 2PR faces UCB East Friday night improv group Take It Personal, competing for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show), Michael Kayne (The Chris Gethard Show), Scott Sharp, Rosebud Baker, and Tron Alan perform stand-up at the UCB East theatre hosted by Brendan Fitzgibbons & Lance Weiss: Gandhi, Is That You?
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 9/22/17
A play co-written & performed by Elana Fishbein & Elena Skopetos, and co-written & directed by Peter McNerney, about a family’s reluctant reunion received a rave from The New York Times' Elise Czajkowski, and tonight is the final performance of its current run at The Magnet theatre: Sisters Three (7:00 pm; $15, The Magnet at 254 West 29th Street)...
...or experience a superb solo show by Jamie Aderski that provides exceptionally honest and funny tales of what it was like for Jamie to become a mom (for a trailer, place click here): Cry Baby: My (Reluctant) Journey Into Motherhood (7:00 pm; $7, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)
Other notable shows this Friday include:
6:00 pm ($5): At this Spank, two new 30-minute shows with intriguing titles audition for a spot on the UCB Chelsea schedule: A High School Production of Seussical: The Musical and Branded Content Will Set You Free
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($15 cover for FBPL shows, $24 cover for CC & VU shows, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Friday
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Noah Forman & Kristen Acimovic host this new version of game show Jeopardy!, "which already totally rocks. New rules, tweaks, and surprises make it rock even harder, leading three money-grubbing contestants through a gut-busting gauntlet of tough trivia, confounding clues, and emotional soul-searching," with guest comics Shannon O'Neill (UCB-NY Artistic Director...and breathtakingly innovative, lighting-quick, and fearless improvisor/sketch comic; The Chris Gethard Show, The Stepfathers, ASSSSCAT 3000, The Lady Jam), Mike Kelton (MTV, Logo), and Robby Hoffman (writer for The Chris Gethard Show) at the UCB Chelsea theatre (307 West 26th Street): Better Jeopardy
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7; see also 11:00 pm at The Magnet): Improvisors take an audience suggestion for a title of a new Broadway musical and then perform a staged reading of that musical, making up on the spot the story, songs, and music (via improv pianist & musical director Adrien Pellerin) at The PIT Underground: Staged: An Improvised Staged Reading of a Musical
7:30 pm ($10): Short political plays from across the country are performed at at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Raucous Caucus
7:30 pm ($10): A live version of the popular podcast Tinder Tales that provides stories of Tinder dates, dating advice, and fun games, with guests Courtney Fearrington, Hannah Boone, and Jake Hart at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by David Piccolomini: Tinder Tales Live
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Phoebe Tyers and Sebastian Conelli: The Friday Night Sh*w
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Alexandra Dickson, Michael Delaney, and/or Silvija Ozols forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] [$] 9:00 pm ($12): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): "When a very famous New York Times theatre critic writes a scathing review of New Team Honeybear's latest play, calling it, "Not a play at all," Jeff and Anthony are forced to question everything. Is it a play? Can they work together to prove the critic wrong? Will their friendship survive?" by sketch duo Jeff Mondoro & Anthony Jackson directed by Kevin Laibson at The PIT Underground: That's Not a Play: A Play by New Team Honeybear
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Groundbreaking and highly acclaimed improvisors Patrick McCartney, Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott make up scenes at The PIT Mainstage: Centralia
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which typically features the best improv piano player in the biz, Frank Spitznagel—springboards off an audience suggestion to create a complete story with song and dance at The Magnet theatre: Premiere: The Improvised Musical
10:00 pm ($5): A 90-minute variety show featuring stand-up, sketch, improv, and music at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Tom Brink & Keele Howard-Stone: Wolf Spirit with Tom and Keele
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): Superb improvisors James Dwyer, Craig Rowin, Connor O'Malley, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and Shaun Diston make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
10:30 pm ($7): New episodes of Saved by the Bell and more are made up on the spot by improvisors wearing the costumes for these shows at The PIT Mainstage: '90s Night
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($7; see also 7:30 at The PIT): Improvisors take an audience suggestion for a title of a new Broadway musical and then perform a staged reading of that musical, making up on the spot the story, songs, and music (via improv pianist & musical director Adrien Pellerin) at The Magnet theatre: Staged: An Improvised Staged Reading of a Musical
[TOP PICK] Midnight ($7): Each comic is assigned the track of a classic comedy album and asked to perform his or her own version, working with only the title of the track and the persona of the celebrity stand-up. Tonight's album is Dane Cook's Isolated Incident, and the comics are Morgan Miller, James III, Alise Morales, Dan Glaser, Alyssa Limperis, Manolo M, and Bardia Salimi, all performing at the UCB Chelsea theatre hosted by Keaton Patti: Laugh Tracks—Live Comedy Cover Album
Midnight ($7): Molly Thomas & Caitlin Puckett host a show in which nearly a dozen comics are asked to peform bits focused on the theme on Joy ("Puppies! Rainbows! Home Runs! Fireworks! Dance Parties!" etc.) at the UCB East theatre: Cool Shit / Weird Shit: Joy!!!
[FREE] Midnight: Comics present "sure-fire, can’t miss, get-in-on-the-ground-floor, knock your socks off ideas that will not only make a lot of money but will make lives better across the board" and then request your money (whether you give is entirely up to you) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Ben Conrad & Dan King: Snake Oil
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 9/23/17
David Carl (hilarious, charismatic co-star of Point Break Live) is best known for his solo show Gary Busey's One Man Hamlet (As Performed by David Carl), which nabbed raves and awards during its debut in the 2014 FringeNYC Festival and subsequent international tour (for my review, please click here).
Three years later, Carl has created this second solo show as a weird sort of meta-sequel. Titled Trump Lear, you might at first think it's Donald Trump's One Man King Lear (As Performed by David Carl); but it's actually more complicated.
In this play, a character named "Carl David" has achieved acclaim performing Lear as Trump—and it's attracted The Donald's attention. Trump has Carl David kidnapped to perform the play in front of him...and also his social media audience. If Trump decides he doesn't like what he sees, or if the show fails to maintain the interest of POTUS' Internet followers, he'll have the actor executed.
What follows is a complex blend of Carl's impersonation of Trump, unusual performances of scenes from King Lear (involving toys, paper puppets, and impersonations of a host of characters ranging from Ronald Reagan to Miss Piggy), and frequent conversations between Carl David as struggling artist and Trump as supremely successful showman.
The key power of this production is actually in the latter. Carl David is played as a poor, bumbling artist who makes most of his living from Trump impersonations, yet has devoted his life to achieving and conveying truth. In contrast, Trump has won the greatest power in the world—President of the United States—by embracing and perpetually dispensing lies. The tension between those two extremes is sometimes electric. Plus there are moments when Carl makes himself so vulnerable that this play achieves a feeling of realness managed by few productions, be they comedy or drama.
And on top of all that, where else are you going to see a Shakespearean actor eat a McDonald's burger and fries in under 60 seconds? (About halfway through, Carl rolls the fries into a giant greasy white ball he then stuffs whole into his mouth, which is nearly worth the price of admission by itself...)
One extra spin to this meta-show is knowing that, in real life, it's rumored there was some sort of blowback from Gary Busey's people about Carl's first show—because the original brilliant title Gary Busey's One Man Hamlet (As Performed by David Carl) was changed about a year ago to David Carl's Celebrity One-Man Hamlet. But even if a brush with Busey's reps was the seed that led to the creation of this second show, Trump is both far more and far less than a stand-in for Busey.
A major difference is that Carl appears to loathe Trump, but I believe he continues to adore Busey. For example, after the production I asked Carl why Busey isn't among any of the dozens of impersonations he performs in Trump Lear. "Oh, I couldn't let him in," Carl replied. "I'd love to, but then I wouldn't be able to keep myself from making his role bigger and bigger until he took over."
David Carl is a special comic, and this is a show worth experiencing. Trump Lear is running for just two more performances, this Saturday and next Saturday at 2:00 pm at Under St. Marks at 94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue. Tickets are an extremely reasonable $20...and typically include free brownies baked by the multi-talented Carl himself.
Other notable shows this Saturday include:
6:00 pm ($7): Springboarding off the Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen, this show pits three improv groups against each other by making them meet multiple challenges while encouraging them to try to sabotage each other at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Harry Marker: Cutthroat Improv
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar Saturday
7:00 pm ($7): Reveal a deep secret so improvisors—including improv puppets by Josh Cohen & Tamra Malaga—can make up scenes about it at The PIT Mainstage directed & hosted by Liz Magee: Shhhh
7:00 pm ($7): Political activists and pundits mix with comics at this political comedy show that makes fun of the news at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Electoral Dysfunction
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jeff Hiller, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, and John Timothy at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here
7:30 pm ($10): May Wilkerson, Brian Parise, Martin Urbano, and Conrad Roth share with you things they feel you really ought to know at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Colum Tyrrell & Lev Fer: Sh*t You Should Know: An Educational Comedy Show
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Improv groups Gypsy Danger (which includes brilliant comics Katie Hartman and Evan Kaufman, and which will make up a feature film on the spot) and The Baldwins (which includes brilliant comics Micah Sherman and Sarah Nowak) make stuff up at The PIT Mainstage: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Hosts Catherine Cohen & Patti Harrison "are three gals who just don't get 'guy stuff.' They've invited comics to give them lectures on guy stuff so that they can finally fit in," with tonight's bearers of wisdom Katie Hartman, Sudi Green, Sydnee Washington, Steven Phillips-Horst, and Ruby McCollister, all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street): It's a Guy Thing
8:00 pm ($10): Short political plays from across the country are performed at at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Raucous Caucus
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($12): Improv group Airwolf—with big talents Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, Eddie Dunn, Ben Rameaka, and Adam Fruccie—make up scenes about terrible audience experiences related to a home at UCB East: Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
9:30 pm ($10): Improvisors make up scenes of a relationship springboarding off an audience-supplied wedding announcement in The New York Times at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Forever: Improv Inspired by NYT Wedding Announcements
9:30 pm ($10): Springboarding off "a trend in Hollywood where instead of writing original stories with female protagonists, lady actors are given dusty scripts that men already used," in this sketch show female comics perform their versions of all-gal reboots of popular movies at The PIT Mainstage directed & hosted by Liz Magee: Al Female Reboot
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12): A powerhouse group of improvisors—Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Natasha Vaynblat (one-woman show United Federation of Teachers), Casey Jost (former writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and TruTV's Impractical Jokers), and Lui Vega—springboard scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life at the UCB East theatre: What I Did For Love
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Long form improv about the behavior of a theatrical troupe both on-stage and off-stage, revolving around a different show biz theme each week at The Magnet theatre: The Cast
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($12): At UCB Chelsea, improv group Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—takes your written secrets and turns them into very funny improv scenes: Grandma's Ashes: We Won't Tell
10:30 pm ($7): Storytellers whose names start with "A"—Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; album "The Human Comedy;" for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), Amy Dixon (Cinema Stories), Andrea Jones-Rooy, and Alex Murray—tell tales set outside of NYC (e.g., in their home towns) at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Andre Medrano: The Town and the City
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Jo Firestone (star), Josh Rabinowitz (Broad City), Anthony Devito (Stephen Colbert), Jordan Temple (Showtime), and Raanan Hershberg share true-life longish funny tales at this UCB East mashup of stand-up and storytelling hosted by superb comic Alison Leiby (writer for The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog): It's a Long Story
Midnight ($7): Sketch groups Uncle Function and Kiss on the Lips compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea hosted by Alden Ford & Justin Tyler: Backyard Brawl
[FREE] Midnight: "Mother Oslo (a.k.a. Oslo The Gay Black Metal Southerner) will host and read scriptures from the most unholy book of all eternity. The Black Metal Bible. Come for the damnation, stay for the sacrifice" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Black Metal Chvrch
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 9/24/17
Terrific lineup of Emmy Blotnick (brilliant rising star stand-up; staff writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up and staff writer for The President Show; previously wrote for Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Bill Nye Saves the World, The Onion, McSweeney's), Paul Mecurio (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, HBO), Matt Goldich (staff writer for Seth Meyers; Comedy Central, VH1), Michelle Biloon (Craig Ferguson, Chelsea Lately, Comedy Central), and Logan Guntzelman performing stand-up produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City) and hosted by Robert Dean (Comedy Central): If You Build It (7:30 pm, $7, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)...
...and there's nothing more unpredictable on a stage than an animal. In this endearing monthly show, improvisors perform along with their real-life pets—tonight featuring Bella-Carolina Zinca & her dog Henry, plus other improvisors including Dana Shulman (rising star; host of Student Driver, improv group Poor Melissa), and wonderfully humane host Adrian Sexton (superb Unauthorized: The Musical series, improv groups The Community Players, Ouiser & Clairee, George/Martha, and The Darklings), all making up scenes for Pet Prov (7:00 pm, $7, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Other notable shows this Sunday include:
[TOP PICK] [$] 1:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among five shows, with four shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Sunday
4:30 pm ($10): Short political plays from across the country are performed at at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Raucous Caucus
[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($6): Dulcé Sloan (powerhouse comic who's the newest correspondent of The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, @midnight), Django Gold (writer for Stephen Colbert; The New Yorker, The Onion), Caroline Yost, Michael Svetich, Jessy Morner-Ritt, and Eric Dadourian perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Sunnyvale (1031 Grand Street) hosted by Harris Mayersohn: Just a Show
6:00 pm ($7): Eight improvisors "imbue each other with a variety of different traits, talents, or issues that will range from the completely mundane to the wildly absurd. Then see how these characters interact with each other, as well as get a peek of the people in their everyday lives. They're all great. But not all the same: at The Magnet theatre: Gifted
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Help Aasif Mandvi (former correspondent for The Daily Show; appearances in numerous movies & TV shows) try out a new one-man show at The PIT Mainstage: New Material Night: Come See How the Sausage is Made
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($12) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Shannon O'Neill and Anthony Atamanuik, and sometimes network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): SNL's Sasheer Zamata hosts comics Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, @midnight; former writer & correspondent for FX's Totally Biased), Kevin Barnett (NBC's The Carmichael Show, MTV's Guy Code, #FAIL Comedy Central, TruTV's Friends of the People, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), Sonia Denis, and Grey Reverend performing at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Sasheer Zamata Party Time
8:00 pm ($10): Jordan Temple (writer for MTV's Decoded), Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life, Moth GrandSlam Champion, comedy album & show And I Am Not Lying), Veronica Garza (host of Albatross Bar Open Mic & The PIT Presents), Julia Claire, and Brandon Collins perform stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street) hosted by Mike Brown (co-host of Comedy Outliers): The Resistance Comedy
8:00 pm ($7): Hosts Peter & Connor, and a guest, discuss how a new movie could've been made way better for this podcast recording at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Fix-A-Flick Live
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Comics who were on staff and/or performed on Seth Meyers, including Michelle Wolf (star stand-up who's also a star writer/correspondent for The Daily Show; previously staff writer & performer for Seth Meyers) and Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show), perform stand-up at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street) hosted by Ryan Reiss: Comedians From the Seth Meyers Show
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Casey James Salengo (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents), Joel Kim Booster (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special, Billy on the Street; for Joel's Conan set, please click here), Shalewa Sharpe (Keith and the Girl; comedy album Stay Eating Cookies), Petey Deabreu (host of Petey's World), Loyiso Gola, and Mike Joyce perform stand-up for this free weekly show at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Clark Jones, and/or Kenny DeForest: Comedy Night at the Knit
9:00 pm ($7): Musicals are paired with wines at this live podcast recording at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tannins and Tunes Live
Copyright © 2017 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
>
>