NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 9/3/12
A beast who dined on over 400 people, set to song
and dance: Maneater:
The True Story of the Champawat Tigress;
and Broadway stars are among tonight's guests at
My High School Boyfriend Was Gay
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 hour-long open mic storytelling show, with audience members chosen from a bucket of names getting to tell tales for 8 minutes each at The PIT downstairs lounge along with host Jake Hart: The Dump
6:00 pm ($5 cover & $5 drink min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4 1/2 minutes per set and 20 comics crammed into 2 hours—at the Greenwich Village Comedy Club (99 MacDougal Street) for John Morrison's Village Motel
[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] 7:30 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
7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at One and One Bar's Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Inspired by the popular blog My High School Boyfriend Was Gay, this superb show at UCB East "celebrates our most tragic, hilarious, and heinous teenage memories, full of chaste hugs, Grease sing-alongs, and trips to the stage door to accost the cast of Rent," with true stories tonight from Annaleigh Ashford (Broadway's Wicked, Kinky Boots), Natalie Joy Johnson (Broadway's Legally Blonde), Nicole Byer (30 Rock, Doppelganger), John Flynn (The Nights of Our Lives, host of Oh Hey Guys), and Chris Doucette (The Advocate stand-up fave), with hosts Damian Bellino, and the super-delightful Camille Harris whose piano playing and singing will make you grin and dance in your seat: My High School Boyfriend Was Gay
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): UCBT stars Neil Casey (Death by Roo Roo) and Will Hines (The Stepfathers) in a two-man sketch show at UCB Chelsea directed by Michael Delaney: Small Men
8:00 pm ($8): Gal improvisors—including Doppleganger's Keisha Zollar—get together to make stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: Badass Girl Team Mash-Up
[FREE] 8:30 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at this weekly show at Brooklyn's Matchless (557 Manhattan Avenue) hosted by Mike Denny, Michael Che, and/or Nimesh Patel: Broken Comedy
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Mamrie Hart is a rising star who somehow manages to be razor-sharp and immensely warm & accessible at the same time—and is always worth catching. Mamrie and her superb comedy partner Stephen Soroka are at UCB Chelsea tonight performing puns, wild facial expressions, dance, rock trivia, audience pranks, murder reenactments, and more as sketch duo BoF: Friends Without Benefits...
...plus in the other half of this double-bill, "This two-person sketch comedy show will transport you to India in the early 1900s to witness the true story of a tigress that killed 436 people before being gunned down by a legendary hunter of man-eating beasts. Through song, dance, and stage magic, Matt Dennie & Josh Sharp will show you that no one is safe from the tiger's claws. The events in this show are 100% true, even the insane ones:" Maneater: The True Story of the Champawat Tigress
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set, and then a seasoned headliner closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: On the Road
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Becky Yamamoto (rave reviews from The New York Times and The New Yorker; former beard-wearing member of band Stickerbook), Richard James, Brendan Fitzgibbons, Kyle Bostic, Jason Kantner, and Alexander Fossena performing stand-up at Pat O'Shea's free biweekly Brooklyn showcase at Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue): Ed Sullivan on Acid
9:30 pm ($5): The debut of the only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam
10:00 pm ($8): In this unique show, the audience texts the improvisers on stage their lines—i.e., it's "the only show that won’t tell you to put away your cell phones—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Text Me My Line
[FREE] 10:30 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Keith Huang: Base Jam
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who are no longer being announced in advance, but it's virtually always a great lineup—at UCB Chelsea hosted by someone wonderful (while usual wonderful host Leo Allen is in LA): 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 exceptionally supportive stand-up open mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jarrid Reed: Fresh
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 9/4/12
World-class stand-up Sean Patton headlines at ComedyJuice; Emily Heller's at both ComedyJuice and The AfterLife
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: Open-mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT downstairs lounge, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT "sketch-perts:" Pen & Pencils
[FREE] 6:30 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 Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Nick Lowe (Senior Editor in charge of Marvel's X-Men titles) and Tom Brevoort (Executive Editor in charge of Marvel's Avengers titles) joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, each of four of The Magnet's singing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Legend and Atticus at 7:00 and The Montels and BEEES! at 8:30; followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with musical improv troupe BEEES! to make up stories in song on the spot: Magnet Tuesday Musical Megawatt
7:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe 1-800-LONDON will make up scenes tonight based on the stand-up and storytelling of one its members who has an accent and somehow got into the US without a visa at The PIT downstairs lounge: 1-800-LONDON Goes Salsa Dancing
7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Creature, The Pox, and Good Girl at this first half (see 9:15 pm for more) of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Jamie Lee, Selena Coppock, Adam Conover, and Josh Gondelman share true-life longish funny tales at this UCB East mashup of stand-up and storytelling: It's a Long Story
[TOP PICK] 8:00ish pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Andy Haynes (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), Emily Heller (Comedy Central; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Hadiyah Robinson (The Mo’Nique Show), Roger Hailes (Chappelle's Show, VH1, MTV; writer for FUSE's A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus), and Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon) performing on this week's topic Haunted at Sidewalk NYC (94 Avenue A) produced by Chenoa Estrada, Emily Heller, and George Gordon and hosted tonight by George Gordon: The Afterlife: Haunted
8:00 pm ($10): Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), Dave Thunder (2011 Andy Kaufman Award finalist), and Mollie Merkel (2011 Andy Kaufman Award semi-finalist) performing stand-up at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Andy Kaufman Fun House
8:00 pm ($8): A house sketch troupe performs at The PIT downstairs lounge: National Scandal
[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
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment
9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Johnny Romance, Bucky, and The Regulars—plus advanced improv students mash up forms LaRonde and Montage by starting with a series of unlikely pairings and then ending "somewhere deep inside a pile of hilarious character" for a hybrid form called LaRONTAGE—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Shannon O'Neill (comedy genius), Morgan Grace Jarrett (wonderful comedic actress), Lydia Hensler (member of red-hot improv troupe Grandma's Ashes), and/or Brandon Scott Jones (top sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox, red-hot improv troupe Grandma's Ashes, top comedic play Death Wears Stilettos) host a showcase of female comics at UCB East who tonight include Melanie Hamlett (storytelling), Candy Slice (sketch), Emily Tarver (stand-up), and Emily Axford (musical performance): Ladies Night: Men Welcome
9:30 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Chris Grace: Cold Soda Comedy
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Emily Heller (Comedy Central; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Stephanie Simbari (Joe Rogan Podcast), and more performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central): ComedyJuice
[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] 11:00 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 9/5/12
Red-hot rising star Mamrie Hart shows off her sugary sweet side
in
The Honeymen: A Salute to Honey;
improv genius John Lutz (above right)
teams with fellow genius Scott Adsit as
John & Scott
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 upstairs theatre for PIT 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
7:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes The Wrath, Indigo, Featherweight, Plaid, Chet Watkins, Egg White, Horses, and Rose Petal performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet's Megawatt
7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features troupes Graceland and Spooky Ghost: Lloyd Night
[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-writer/director/producer & cast member of Adult Swim's awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) teaming up with fellow 30 Rock actor John Lutz (who previously spent six years as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live) to form a super-smart and hilarious star improv duo that's become one of the very best attractions at UCB Chelsea and should not be missed: John & Scott
8:00 pm ($5): Paul Mecurio (HBO, Comedy Central, writer for The Daily Show), Erin Conroy (XM/Sirius Radio), Trey Galyon (from Austin TX), and Pete Bladell (from DC) performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Ryan Conner (freelance writer for SNL, BBC): Free Healthcare
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically terrific NYC comics (not announced) performing at this free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn's Cameo (behind Lovin' Cup) typically hosted by Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and/or Max Silvestri: Big Terrific
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film at UCB East as The Two-Man Movie
[FREE] 9:00 pm: Jermaine Fowler (FOX’s new In Living Color), Bill Dawes (Broadway’s Lombardi), Scott Moran (producer of weekly documentary Web series Modern Comedian), Chris Distefano, Sagar Bhatt, and Josh Gondelman performing stand-up at this free weekly comedy show at Lucky Jack's Bar (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Red-hot rising star Mamrie Hart, plus a bunch of guys, perform a variety show extolling the wonders of nectar at UCB Chelsea written by & starring Colin Elzie, Pat O'Brien, and Ben Wietmarschen: The Honeymen: A Salute to Honey...
...plus in the second half of this double-bill, sketch troupe Fambly performs material with no relevance to current events whatsoever: Fambly's Rusty Bucket
9:30 pm ($5): Website Laughcake.com allows you to hire professional comedians to make personalized video "roasts” for friends and family to celebrate special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, engagements). This show at The PIT downstairs lounge features stand-ups who work for the site, plus topical videos addressed to celebrities. "Audience members beware: The person with best laugh will win a free Laugh cake video:" Laughcake Live
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this new weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show
[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. (Tonight's scheduled guests include Dan St. Germain, Julia Weideman, and Ashley Brooke Roberts; for the full lineup, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night
[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 9/6/12
A mob of comics bring you the next Dark Knight sequel at Left Handed Radio; Brooke Van Poppelen performs at Fresh Out
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: The adorable Megan Neuringer (HBO's Flight Of The Conchords, Comedy Central's Strangers With Candy, FOX's Fringe, VH1's Best Week Ever, MTV; freelance writer for Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, Bravo, VH1, MTV, Spike) and Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV) co-host tonight's edition of this weekly open mic storytelling show, with each performer given a whopping eight minutes to captivate & impress, at UCB East (while regular host John Flynn is out of town): Oh, Hey Guys!
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Veteran musical improvisors at The PIT mix with novices on the downstairs lounge stage at Pitch
[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen one receiving three minutes at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Corby Haas
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($20): 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
7:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hot Diner and THEM
[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv troupe Hello Laser to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): This show has 25 comics write a screenplay in round-robin one-page-at-a-time fashion (a ala Exquisite Corpse) and then perform it via a staged reading at UCB East. Tonight's sequel promises to be a blockbuster: Left Handed Radio: Dark Knight 4
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Brent Sullivan presents fake profiles he used to communicate via social networks with people he'd normally be terrified to contact at Profiles in Cowardice...
...and in the other half of this UCB Chelsea double-bill, a sketch show about one of the sadder aspects of the human condition: Lonely People
8:00 pm ($5): Two singing improv troupes make up entire musicals on the spot in this double-bill at The PIT downstairs lounge: The East Side Orphan Riot and Harvey
[$] 8:00 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings
8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house troupes The Boss, Hello Laser, Brick, and Junior Varsity performing improv for two hours, followed at 10:00 pm by Neil McNamara directing Deep Dish (long-form improv interspersed with character monologues), and then at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component): The Magnet's Night Out
[FREE] 8:00 pm: "A stand-up comedy showcase and baking competition—come to eat or come to compete" at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Cody Hess & Jessica Gross: Cookies!
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Brooke Van Poppelen (writer for MTV's Epic Fall; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy; for stand-up videos about overindulging at 30 and impersonating Morrisey, please click here and here), Andy Haynes (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), and David Smithyman performing at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover: Fresh Out
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced by 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway: Comedy as a Second Language
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Scott Rogowsky (writer for The Onion, co-host of 12 Angry Mascots) returns to The PIT upstairs theatre to host "a unique talk show experience that needs to be experienced to be experienced. There will be plenty of bits, skits, chits and chats, and maybe that pretty girl you saw on the 6 train last night will be in the audience! It's a big city, but you run into people," with tonight's guests Mark Douglas (The Key of Awesome), Dominique DiCaprio (model/actress), Chris Baron (The Spin Doctors), and stand-up Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special): Running Late with Scott Rogowsky
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Improvisors (not announced) make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge for The Scene
9:30 pm ($5): If you're a fan of CollegeHumor.com, you can see the folks behind it on the UCB Chelsea stage—along with stand-ups Dan Gurewitch, The Lucas Brothers, Michelle Wolf, Barry Rothbart, and more—at CollegeHumor Live
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC comics perform original characters and short sketches at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, with tonight's lineup Matthew Robert Gehring (The Story Pirates, Political Subversities), Emma Tattenbaum (Political Subversities), Jon Bander (What's To Get?, Animated Stories), Natasha Rothwell (UCBT), Jeremy Bent (Harold Night improv troupe Bucky), Angel Yau (Philly SketchFest), and Boat Comedy (The PIT, SF SketchFest) hosted by Melissa Gordon: Little Bits
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Improv troupe Good Dad, comprised of such superstars as Neil Casey, Fran Gillespie, and Jon Gabrus, triumphed over Greasy Lake last week but by a slim margin of 98-74. Tonight it faces an even bigger challenge, from stellar musical improv group Diamond Lion. Don't miss these titans compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea for the raucous Cage Match
11:00 pm ($5): The debut of improv meets B-movies in this monthly double-feature of genre film monoscenes (one long continous scene that tells a complete story), "complete with a music soundtrack and opening titles." Tonight's genres are The Romantic Comedy and The Horror Film at The PIT downstairs lounge performed by troupe Guru: The Double Bill
11:00 pm ($5): The world debut of a new comedy Web series screened at UCB East and with comments from its stars: Meet Norma St. Cleod
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 9/7/12
Donnell Rawlings headlines at Carolines; Shannon O'Neill interviews the audience at Strangers Wanted
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 happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Erin Lennox and Eli Sairs: The Orphanage
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): Jeff Simmermon (NPR's The American Life, Moth StorySlam Champion, host of And I Am Not Lying), Steve Zimmer (two-time Moth GrandSlam Champion), Ben Lillie (host of The Story Collider, Moth StorySlam Champion), and Carolita Johnson (cartoonist, writes blog NewYorkette.com) telling comedic tales at The Magnet with host Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 18-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas The Adam Wade Show, Tales of the Cosmos, and Whatever Happened to the Nerds?; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here): Super Stories
7:00 pm ($5): Hip hop musical improv at The PIT downstairs lounge from Nick Brown, Don Romaniello, and Michael Short pretending to be NYC police officers: Rap Crimes Division
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Comedy genius Shannon O'Neill (breathtakingly innovative, lighting-quick, and fearless improvisor/sketch comic and rising star; The Stepfathers, Diamond Lion) does a monthly show at UCB Chelsea based on nothing but interviews with the audience and sheer guts: Strangers Wanted with Shannon O'Neill
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern, Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Tracey Wigfield (writer for 30 Rock), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), and more perform improv at UCB East springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings
8:00 pm ($5): "It may be made up on the spot, but there is a method to the madness. In this show players explore the structure of improv by performing unique forms provided by the community and abroad" at The PIT downstairs lounge: True to Form
[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 in Queens' Long Island City downstairs lounge: Mic and Cheese
[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($7): Two of the most respected improvisors in the country, Magnet co-owner Armando DIaz and Christina Gausas team up as Diaz & Gausas
[$] 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm ($20 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who's performed on NBC's 30 Rock, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, VH1, BET; in films including Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane, and Johnson Family Vacation; and was the spokesman for the 7 Up Yours campaign, headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Godfrey
[FREE] 8:30ish pm: Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Josh Rabinowitz (Comedy Central, MTV), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon), Jake Young, and more performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Red Star (37 Greenpoint Avenue) hosted by Annie Lederman, followed by wild Karaoke: Pirate Party
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from comedy geniuses Chris Gethard and Shannon O'Neill, plus stellar comics Silvija Ozols, Zach Woods, Michael Delaney, Will Hines, and Connor Ratliff, performing at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors at UCB East—Michael Kayne, Amber Petty, Ashley Ward, Morgan Phillips, and Winston Noel—making up a musical on the spot: Diamond Lion
9:00 pm: Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Reid Faylor (co-host of hilarious Creek show Underbelly), Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Annie Lederman (Comedy Central, co-host of Pirate Party), Andrew Clark, and Narinder Singh performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Fort Useless (36 Ditmars Street) hosted by George Flanagan: Spit Take Friday
9:00 pm ($5): Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, VHI, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Nore Davis (Russell Simons Presents: The Ruckus), and Team Submarine performing stand-up, plus others doing sketch, improv, and who knows what else, at The PIT downstairs lounge with host Jeremy Wein: Undefined
9:30 pm ($10): A PIT improv troupe making up a musical on the spot after a friendly greeting: Hello
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Formerly titled Now That’s What I Call Musical Comedy—until a "cease and desist" order arrived from the attorneys at EMI Music—this show marches on with terrific comedic musical performers at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ben Lerman and Tim Dimond: Radio Shack: A Comedy Musical Showcase
10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical
10:00 pm ($5): Stand-ups, improvisors, and more gather to discuss the Presidential election in, with luck, a funny way at The PIT downstairs lounge: Electoral Dysfunction 2012
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Fran Gillespie, Jon Gabrus, Sue Galloway, Matt Fisher, Craig Rowin, Nate Lang, and other superb improvisors at UCB Chelsea making up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder
10:30 pm ($5): NYC comics (not announced) performing at UCB East hosted by Emily Axford, D'Arcy Carden, Alden Ford, Brandon Scott Jones, and/or Justin Tyler: Gentrify
11:00 pm ($5): Sketch host Meredith Hackman and her many friends promise "Despair. Pride. Heartbreak. Comedy." at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Saddest Sketch Show
11:00 pm ($5): Where else can you find a late-night improvised exorcism besides The PIT downstairs lounge?: The Exorcism of Lucas Hazlett
11:00 pm ($5): Improvisors Brandon Gardner (The Curfew) & Natasha Vaynblat (Surfing) and sketch comics James Coker (1-800-LONDON) & Marshall Stratton (The Awesome 80's Prom) performing at the Richmond Shephard Theatre (309 East 26th Street) hosted by Caitlin Bitzegaio and friends: The Gadget Hour
[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, top Maude sketch troupe Gramp's, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w
[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups—sometimes stellar ones—pushing boundaries for a show designed for looseness and experimentation at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Jacqueline Novak and Chris Laker: Permission to Fail
Midnight ($5): A three-person improv competition at UCB East hosted by Brian Glidewell, Josh Patten, and Ben Rameaka: Three for All
[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage. Plus it's hosted by members of Maude troupe Fambly, typically including such wonderful talents as Nicole Byer and Veronica Osorio: Liquid Courage
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 9/8/12
Janeane Garofalo performs at the Eastville Comedy Club; Godfrey headlines at the Gotham Comedy Club
Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show ("starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one") at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour
6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Warren, Wando, and Orange Augustus at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A comedy quiz show full of heavily researched quirky facts in which sharp contestants—who tonight are Silvija Ozols, Michelle Wolf, Corey Brown, and Phil Jackson—receive points if their answers are correct but get more points if their answers are "quite interesting" at UCB East created & hosted by Katey Healy-Wurzburg: The Fascinator...
...and in the other half of this double-bill, UCBT house manager and tech guy supreme Pat Baer hosts a show about the very medium you're using to read this: 404ing It: Breaking (Down) the Internet
7:00 pm ($8): At this PIT double-bill, Dan Hodapp & Natasha Rothwell "bring more than five years of improv collaboration to stage for an evening of bold, committed characters and probably a fart joke for good measure" as Hodapp & Rothwell, and then all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($7): Two of the most respected improvisors in the country, Magnet co-owner Armando DIaz and Christina Gausas, team up as Diaz & Gausas
7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors 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
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Mad Dog Mattern, Jono Zalay, and "a special guest" performing sets and then being interviewed about their personal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand (who says "all these guys were hand-picked because they're funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you're gonna be like 'oh yeah, that guy is a mess'"): We're All Friends Here
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Drawing from his ongoing series of podcasts, Sam Dingman performs a one-man storytelling show at The PIT downstairs lounge offering "true tales from his days as a taxi driver in New York City, complete with toothless convicts, frozen embryos, murderous city buses, mobbed-up body shops, and much more. Along the way, he finds that no matter how many insane things he sees on the pothole-ridden streets of New York, the craziest one of all may be himself:" The Taxi Tapes
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings
[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($20 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who's performed on NBC's 30 Rock, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, VH1, BET; in films including Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane, and Johnson Family Vacation; and was the spokesman for the 7 Up Yours campaign, headlining tonight and Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Godfrey
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
8:30 pm ($10): Sheng Wang (Comedy Central Presents), Emily Heller (Comedy Central; staff writer for Rooftop Comedy; for ruminations on pregnancy, please click here), Stuckey & Murray (stellar singing duo), Greg Johnson (Sirius Radio host), Nato Green, and Steve O’Brien performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] [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 (9:00 pm only), Mike Yard (Comedy Central), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Aaron Berg, and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem
[TOP PICK] [$] 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
[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($11.34 online; or $10 at the door—but this show usually sells out in advance): Jermaine Fowler, Micah Sherman, Ashley Brooke Roberts, Kara Klenk, Françoise Gordon, Michael Che, Greg Johnson, Dave Waite, Matt Fulchiron, Ron Krasnow, Taylor Clark, and Doug Smith performing for this show in which stand-up and burlesque are weirdly blended together based on the reasoning "The nude female form is truly a work of art. That's why people the world over like to jerk off to it. Who are we to disagree with the world?"at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents): Pat Dixon's (Nearly) Naked Lady Hour: Now with Bacon Bar
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Improv troupe Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to "take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter" at this newest UCB Chelsea show to be honored with a weekend time slot—and which is currently kicking ass at Cage Match: Grandma's Ashes Gets Dark
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and this year crushed 12 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place
10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
Midnight ($5): Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon), Matt Ruby (MTV; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here, blog Sandpaper Suit), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), and musical guest Shonali Bhowmik (Variety SHAC, Ultrababy) performing at UCB Chelsea with hosts Andy Rocco & Steve Slate: Underground Americana
Midnight ($5): "A scandalous night of down-right-sexy improv at at The PIT downstairs lounge. Incorrigible performers team up to turn down the lights, slip into something a little more comfortable, and spend the good part of an hour tickling your funny boners. Beware of partial nudity, strong sexual themes, and the possibility to be dragged on stage for a not-so-wholesome game of Truth or Dare: Yes, Yes, Yes...And
[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form "rare and wonderful one-night-only teams," with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 9/9/12
New Yorkers tell comedic tales about sharing apartments at
Roommate
for Rent;
Donnell Rawlings concludes his headlining run at Carolines
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: Magnet sketch comics performing new material: Ripe Sketch Comedy
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer
[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea'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): Improv troupes not affiliated with any comedy school compete at UCB East for audience laughs and votes—and the privilege to go on to perform at the primary Cage Match show at UCB Chelsea—in this show hosted by the delightful Amey Goerlich & R an Karels (Krompf): Indie Cage Match
[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 ($5): "Have you ever had a roommate? At camp, in college, on vacation or in NYC? Based on the blog RoommateForRent.com, this show tells the funny stories of what happens when people share spaces. Featuring 10 different roommate adventures, from 'Stood Up By Almost Roommate' to 'My Summer of Bulgarian Television' to the audience’s most memorable roommate experience" at The PIT's downstairs lounge, hosted by Julia Levy: Roommate For Rent
[$] 8:00 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): A cast member of the much-missed Chappelle's Show headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Donnell Rawlings
8:00 pm ($5): "The Marmalade Puppet Players perform a fur-covered, felt-lined improv set with a very special human guest; and then Marmalade (Jason Specland & Kathryn Dunn, of 1-800-LONDON) cleanses your palate with some tasty, toast-topping two-prov" at The PIT's upstairs theatre: Fur in the Marmalade: Puppet-Prov & Two-Prov
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Matt McCarthy (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death, host of AMC's Action Pack, Comedy Central, hilarious shorts with Pete Holmes for Front Page Films, national TV ads as Verizon FIOS guy, feature film The Other Guys, host of Marking Out), Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX's In Living Color, Comedy Central), Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon), Jared Freid (BroBible.com), and more performing at RG Daniels' free weekly show at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street): Sunday Night Stand-Up
[TOP PICK] 8:30 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
9:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups may or may not be performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue); for an update, please click Comedy Night
9:30 pm ($5): At The Magnet, sketch comedy from The Weird Sisters, Listen Kid!, We're Matt Weir, Darth Vader Ginsberg!, Beth Newell, Christian Paluck, and Nick Kanellis: Sketch Sundays
[FREE] 9:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with four minutes per comic, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Molly Austin & Mike Brown: Vicious Cycle
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Helen Hong (VH1, Logo’s Setup Squad), Corinne Fisher, and Graham Nolan performing stand-up at this free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour
10:00 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam
Copyright © 2012 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
