NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 8/20/07
Hosted by Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City) and Tony Camin (The Marijuana-logues), with "bartender" Johnny Conroy (fearless, quick-witted, and wonderfully unpredictable).
Tonight's guests are John Oliver (news correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart),
Kurt Braunohler (Hot Tub Variety Show), Sam Bisbee, and Andrew WK.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Lizz Winstead and friend
Lizz Winstead is co-creator and former head writer of the original The Daily Show; former Executive VP of Air America Radio; and a performer on such shows as Comedy Central Presents and HBO's Women of the Night. (She's also a character; e.g., for a memorable anti-apology after canceling her appearance on the live NYC show Drink at Work, please click here.)
Tonight's scheduled guests are author Shelley Lewis and comedian Dean Obeidallah.
8:00 pm at Ace of Clubs, 9 Great Jones Street (3rd St. between Lafayette and Broadway);$10
This theatre is downstairs from the Acme restaurant. Nearest subway stops are
Bleecker Street on the #6 and Broadway-Lafayette on the F/V/D/B.
My Camel Was Born Without A Spine
In this new show, Sean Conroy (Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Comedy Central, legendary improv group The Swarm)
presents an evening of stand-up comedy.
Guests include Leo Allen (see previous UCBT show).
Aziz Ansari is in LA for a while with Paul and Rob shooting the second season of Human Giant. Substitute hosting is stellar comic John Mulaney (above); and guests are typically great stand-up comedians trying out new material. Tonight's scheduled lineup includes John Oliver, Greg Proops, Mike Birbiglia, and Jon Benjamin. This is often one of the funniest shows in New York.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 8/21/07
Carolyn Castiglia hosts a lineup of talented female comics.
Tonight's guests haven't been announced yet, but you can check for
a last-minute update by clicking here.
8:00 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); free
Undead Hawaiian singer Sanjaya Malakar,
who some say was the inspiration for Voodoo Luau
Scheduled comics are Jo Briley, Poppy Fields-Cerqueira, Cody Hess,
Kelly Nichols, Rob O'Reilly, Rahssan Payton, and Peter Strunsky.
8:00 pm at Otto's Shrunken Head, 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A and B); free
Stellar members of various UCBT improv teams are
mixed together to form new teams for just an evening.
Tonight's one-time-only troupes are:
Team 1: Tim Curcio, Fran Gillespie, Molly Lloyd, Doug Moe,
Shannon O'Neill, Amber Petty, Joe Wengert, and Zach Woods.
Team 2: Maggie Carey, Chelsea Clarke, Chris Gethard, Aaron Glaser,
Jesse Falcon, Nate Lang, Gil Ozeri, and Kate Spencer.
Come take advantage of this chance to see wonderful improvisers
who normally don't work together try to instantly form a group mind.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 8/22/07
Margot Leitman thinking of stories she could tell
Free and typically fine stand-up comedy
hosted by Jenny Rubin and Matt McCarthy.
Tonight's guests include world-class comedic storyteller Margot Leitman
(VH1, ESPN, monthly NYC live show Stripped Stories).
The rest of the lineup hasn't been posted, but you can check
for a last-minute update by clicking here.
To get a feel for the show overall, please click here.
8:00 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); free
Please Note: Margot Leitman is teaching a month-long storytelling class
on Saturdays in September (running 12:30pm-4:00pm each session).
If you're a comic seeking to develop personal material,
a performer creating a one-person show, an actor crafting
monologues, a public speaker, or even a seminar instructor,
this is a wonderful opportunity to learn from
one of the best comedic storytellers in the country.
For more information on Margot's class, please click here and here.
Hosted by comedy greats Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale (above).
The lineup—which is usually stellar—tends to be posted late afternoon
on the day of the show. To check whether the Web page
has been updated yet, please click here.
9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent varies wildly—
but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun.
Come to support the experimentation, and periodic delightful surprises,
that this free show makes possible.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 8/23/07
I Eat Pandas: Glennis McMurray & Eliza Skinner
KEMPAS: Ellie Kemper & Christina Gausas
I Eat Pandas and KEMPAS
I Eat Pandas—Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner—is a highly acclaimed duo
who are geniuses at creating hilarious instant musicals, and should not be missed.
The other half of this double-bill is KEMPAS, a superb long-form improv duo consisting of Ellie Kemper (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Onion, McSweeney's) and Christina Gausas (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report, The Stepfathers).
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Derrick consists of four enormously appealing young performers—Dominic Dierkes, Dan Eckman, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson—who make wildly popular YouTube videos, and will tonight be performing sketch comedy live.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
vs.
Cage Match: The Brothers Hines vs. Happy Kid
This delightful show pits two improv teams against each other while creating the
the atmosphere of a professional wrestling arena (and providing such side-shows
as a bout to the death between guys costumed as an alcoholic wolf and TV's Alf...).
Demonstrating that blood is thicker than names starting with the same letter, The Brothers Hines—Will Hines and Kevin Hines—trounced their seemingly unstoppable opponents, the terrific C, C + C Improv Factory (Chuck Dauble, Charlie Sanders, and Charlie Todd), via an audience vote of 61 to 18.
Tonight these new champions face Happy Kid: Marcy Jarreau, Peter McNerney, and Garrett Palm. There's no telling what will happen...which is one of the great pleasures of this show.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 8/24/07
Now That's What I Call Rogue Elephant
Sketch comedy group Rogue Elephant performs its best routines from the past three years.
For a sample, please click here. Cast members are Susannah Becket and Silvija Ozols of Working Girls, and Tim Curcio, Eddie Dunn, Jim Santangeli, Nate Smith, and Gavin Speiller.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Some of the best improv comics in NYC—Michael Delaney, Christina Gausas, Chris Gethard, Billy Merritt, Bobby Moynihan, Silvija Ozols, and Zach Woods—make stuff up, and make you laugh.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Death by Roo Roo: Your F*cked Up Family
Comedic powerhouses Jackie Clarke, Curtis Gwinn, Brett Gelman, Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, and John Gemberling interview an audience member about family and then act out his or her life story via improv scenes. Scary and funny.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
The ultimate in audience participation: any group can submit a sketch and perform it!
If all you want is to be entertained, this show probably isn't a good choice.
But if you'd like to act on the UCBT stage, and/or have your sketch writing judged by an exceptionally savvy audience, this is a golden opportunity.
Sign-up begins at 10:30 pm and runs till 11:45 pm; sketches will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's wise to arrive early. For a complete list of the rules, please click here.
Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 8/25/07
Anthony King and Chris Kula host a comedy mini-marathon
The UCBT End of Summer Blowout!
This two-hour show features a small army of comedic talents bidding adieu to summer.
Scheduled performers include Bob Acevedo, Jennifer Bartels, Jawnee Conroy, Eugene Cordero, John Frusciante, Aaron Glaser, Tricia McAlpin, Megan Neuringer, Eli Newell, Andy Rocco, Sara Schaefer, Ben Schwartz, and Steven Slate. Hosted by UCBT Artistic Director Anthony King and his fellow Reuben Williams member Chris Kula.
7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
The Magnet's instructors, plus stars of Mother: The Soundtrack (see below) Jason Mantzoukas, Tara Copeland, James Eason, Christine Walters, plus occasional special guests (such as superstar Mike Meyers), turn a tiny suggestion into larger-than-life improvised scenes.
7:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Jacob Brown, Jared Robinson, Michelle O'Connor, and Katie Goan
Want to buy a couch? Find a date? Complain about your roommate? This 90-minute play "explores the carnivalistic, cult-like phenomenon that is Craigslist. Combining actual postings from the New York Web site with scripted material and live music, the play tells the true stories that are locked inside an online community that has shaped and inspired today's Internet generation." Written by Katie Goan and Nitra Gutierrez, and directed by the brilliantly talented Kimmy Gatewood. For brief samples, please click here and here.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8
Jason Mantzoukas leads a vibrant team of improv comics—Scot Armstrong, Tara Copeland, Jon Daly, James Eason, Jesse Falcon, Doug Moe, and Christine Walters—who make up scenes based on CD tracks contributed by the audience. (Note: Jessica St. Clair will be appearing again later in August...and then, sadly for New Yorkers, moving to LA.) One of UCBT's most beloved shows.
9:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
The Harvard Sailing Team: On the Jitney
The highly inventive sketch troupe Harvard Sailing Team (which recently
appeared in SketchFest NYC) performs its newest show.
9:30 pm at at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8
Reuben Williams: As Seen on TV
Anthony King demonstrates that in addition to running UCBT-NY brilliantly, he's a formidable improv performer. Joining him are stellar talents Lennon Parham (see my review of her Showgirls parody), Chris Kula, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Kate Spencer, Charlie Todd, and Joe Wengert.
10:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8
Charlie Sanders and Eugene Cordero
Bobby Moynihan
Chris Gethard and Zach Woods
Five of UCBT's most talented and inventive stars—Eugene Cordero, Chris Gethard,
Bobby Moynihan, Charlie Sanders, and Zach Woods—join forces for some late night improvisation.
12:00 midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 8/26/07
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's signature show, which features a monologist telling stories based on audience suggestions and a group of top improvisers (sometimes including celebs such as SNL's Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz) creating scenes based on the stories. There are two shows every Sunday which share the same format, but are otherwise entirely different because everything is improvised. The 7:30 pm show is $8; tonight's advance tickets are sold out, but a limited number of seats may be available at the door for those who arrive early enough to nab 'em. The 9:30 show is free, with tickets distributed outside the theatre at 8:15 pm; but again, you may need to come early and wait on line to ensure getting into this first come, first served performance.
7:30 pm & 9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)
If you're looking for a good time, this might not be it.
But if you're interested in getting on the Mo Pitkin's stage and
performing stand-up—or any other kind of act—a mere $4 will buy you
a chance at being selected via the show's lottery system. The rules are:
Sign-up is at 9:00 pm sharp.
You get eight minutes maximum for your act.
You can do anything you'd like on stage, with two exceptions:
1. Don't damage the stage or equipment (respect the space).
2. Don't pick out people in the audience, even just to say something nice (respect the audience).
No online reservations available; simply pay at the door.
Again, this show isn't for everyone.
But if you're a performer, you've probably risked
a lot more that $4 to nab an NYC stage credit...
9:00 pm at Mo Pitkin's, 34 Avenue A (between East 2nd & 3rd Streets); tickets are $4
Alternatively, consider seeing a funny and/or musical
Broadway, off-Broadway, or off-off-Broadway show.
To learn how theatre tickets can be purchased for around 50% off—
or, in some cases, for as little as $3 each—
please read Hy on Theatre Discounts.
Finally, consider catching some of the wonderful shows
on this final day of the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival.
For comprehensive coverage of the festival, please click here.
Return to Previous NYC Comedy Picks
Copyright © 2007 Hy Bender
Email: hy@hyreviews.com
