NYC Comedy Picks for Week of June 27, 2016

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/27/16

The wonderful Wyatt Cenac hosts a special edition of his weekly show to raise funds for WhyHunger (a nonprofit battling global hunger) with Quincy Jones (above right), Sasheer Zamata (SNL), Michelle Wolf (The Daily Show), Hari Kondabolu (Letterman, Conan), and Maeve Higgins (Letterman): Night Train (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 622 Degraw Street; take R subway to Union Street)

More 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 downstairs lounge: Super Free Monday

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck) hones material for his one-man shows at the Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: New York Story

[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

7:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy from a variety of comics at The Magnet theatre: Ringers

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Stand-ups perform—until the audience decides they're done!—at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Mark Reiss: Slaughter House Live

8:00 pm ($10): A group of actors and improvisors attempt to duplicate the success of UCBT's Gravid Water by putting improvisors in the middle of classic theatre scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre. UCBT uses top Broadway and improv talent for its show, making it extraordinary. The participants of this show aren't quite at that level, but the format is so strong that this might work anyway, despite the awful title: The Actor's Worst Nightmare

8:00 pm ($8): "Join Joel Kim Booster as he bravely holds a preemptive wake for himself, only to be interrupted by his guardian angel (Carly Rae Jepsen), who through the power of song will try to convince him that love is waiting for him. There will be comedy. There will be music. There will be special guests. There will be tears (probably, can’t guarantee it). Just come to this weird thing, okay?" at Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street): Joel Kim Booster Will Die Alone

8:30 pm ($5): Comedy writers showcase spec scripts, with tonight's theme Broad City, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): Spectacular

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Acclaimed sketch duo Chris O'Neill & Paul Valenti perform their classic bits, plus some new ones, at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Chris & Paul Show

9:00 pm ($7): At The Magnet theatre, a sketch show written & directed by Jesse Acini, and performed by Jesse and five other comics, about "the Yankees, Amish country, a weird boss, parallel parking. cats, and more:" Iron Horses: The Luckiest Sketch Show On The Face of the Earth...

...plus in the second half of this double-bill, duo sketch comedy from Kate Emswiler & Rob Webber: The Various Ways in Which We've Been Wronged

[$] 9:30 pm ($20): This Harry Potter parody is crippled by a mediocre script, but is spared from being an utter waste of time by inventive direction from the highly talented Kristin McCarthy Parker (Hold On To Your Butts), and a large and mostly likeable cast (including the wonderful Langston Belton...who doesn't get to do nearly enough) at The PIT upstairs theatre: Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Improvisors & stand-ups perform a show based entirely around the oddball Twitter comments of superstar musician Kanye West at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Brian Mitchell & Jose Acevedo: Kanye Confidential: Improvised Kanye Tweets

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Ari Shaffir, Monroe Martin, Pete Lee, Sarah Tollemache, and more performing stand-up at one of best comedy clubs in NYC at absolutely no cost to you (feel encouraged to order food and//or drinks, but you don't have to) for 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

10:30 pm ($7): Improv is dominated by guys, so this is a rare treat—a dozen female improvisors "for an evening of comedy that will delight men, women, babies, and kittens," hosted by Megan Gray at The Magnet theatre: We Might Just Kiss

10:30 pm ($5): "A mix of sketch, solo pieces, action, adventure, and the audience" from Jimmy Martin, Chris Migliaccio, and Nick Tonery at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): A Bit Much

Monday Open Mics & Jams

4:30 pm-7:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min., with drinks as low as $2): Walk-in stand-up open mic with two rounds, the first providing 5-6 minutes per set and the second 2-3 minutes per set, at The Grisly Pear (107 MacDougal Street) hosted by Tuval Mor: Kickin It Open Mic

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 3 minutes on stage. Arrive at around 5:45 to sign up, or wait for the late bucket at 6:15, to perform at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Matt Anderson: First Stop Open Mic

6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

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 The Parkside Lounge (317 East Houston Street, off Avenue B) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint

[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 & Langston Belton: Base Jam

11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up, with each comic getting 5 minutes and room for 15 comics who sign up per show, at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by John Field: The Power Exchange

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 4 minutes on stage at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Joseph Robert: PBR & Scrap Paper Open Mic Stand-Up

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/28/16

Two of the world's finest curators of terrible videos & films, Found Footage Festival and Trash Can Cinema, combine their archives tonight for what's likely to be a mind-blowing evening of fun, hosted by FFF's Joe Pickett (The Onion) & Nick Prueher (David Letterman) and TCC's Robert Austin (Comedy Central, Adult Swim): Found Trash (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 622 Degraw Street; take R subway to Union Street)

More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions: Magnet Musical Megawatt

7:00 pm ($10): Comics JiJi Lee, Rory Scholl, Asher Novek, Mark Pagan, and host Brad Lawrence try to solve the problems of audience members even though they're highly unqualified to do so at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): Dear Show

7:00 pm ($5): A weekly showcase for brand new shows—sketch, solo, readings, what have you—this time focused on Math, Science and Humanities at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by the wonderful Ronny Pascale: Pilot Season

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:30 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 (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club

7:30 pm ($5): Gibran Saleem (MTV) Matt Pavich (MTV), Justin Williams (FOX), and Justin Flanagan 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

7:30 pm & 9:15 pm ($5 per show): House groups at UCB Chelsea perform the classic improv form The Harold at Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12): Great lineup of Michael Che (co-anchor of SNL's Weekend Update), Ilana Glazer (co-star of Broad City), Sasheer Zamata (SNL), Liza Treyger (Comedy Central Half Hour), Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for The Daily Show), and host Aparna Nancherla (staff writer for Seth Meyers) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's The Bell House (149 7th Street): Whiplash

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): From the team that created the amazing Hold On To Your Butts: Kyle Schaefer, Nick Abeel, Matt Zambrano, and foley artist Blair Busbee create live on stage "a 'shot for shot' parody of the first chapter in the most epic fantasy trilogy of all time" directed by the highly talented Kristin McCarthy Parker at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Fly, You Fools!

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At this monthly game show, comics—who tonight are Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's), Matt Goldich (staff writer for Seth Meyers; Comedy Central, VH1), Emily Tarver (Orange Is the New Black), and Mehran Khaghani (Last Comic Standing)—compete to see who can perform the best celebrity impressions at the UCB East theatre, with guest judge Amber Nelson (Murderfist), and hosted by Andy Beckerman (host of podcast Beginnings, co-host of Two Comics One Stage) & Ramsey Ess: Snap Impression Live

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15; no min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United), Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, host of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, HBO's Down and Dirty, National Lampoon, Comedy Central special Passive Aggressive), Monroe Martin (finalist on Last Comic Standing), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and Joe Bartnick performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): The Stand Tuesday: Judah Friedlander, Ari Shaffir, and More

8:00 pm ($10): Kevin Avery (staff writer for HBO's Last Week With John Oliver), Janelle James (SeeSo's Night Train with Wyatt Cenac), and Doug Smith (co-host of See You In Hell) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall hosted by Joe Zimmerman (Comedy Central Half Hour): Deep-er-ness

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Anna Drezen (superb stand-up who blends jokes with characters & movement, sketch; author of How May We Hate You; Editor-at-Large for Reductress), Chelsea Hood, Lauren Maul, and Ben Wasserman performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Local 61 (61 Bergen Street) hosted by Emily Winter, John Payne, and Larry Mancini: BackFat Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 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

[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

8:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors and guest improv groups join host Skycopter (which includes the incredible David Carl) to make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One

9:00ish pm ($7): Jared Logan (Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, CNN, TBS), Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central's The Half Hour, MTV, Second City), Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City; Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike, Nickelodeon; host of If You Bring It), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) guest-hosted by NIck Stevens (host of AMC's Action Park and Discovery's Money on the Menu; VH1, ESPN): Sweet

9:00 pm ($5): A one-man show by Ben Seeder in which he "presents a series of sketches and monologues. Playing a variety of characters, he focuses on the absurdity, awkward tension, and emotion that drive uncomfortable and explosive situations. Friends, family, strangers, teachers, potential lovers, actual lovers, and co-workers all get really, really weird" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Ben Seeder Presents

9:00 pm ($7): A monthly stand-up & storytelling show in which comics Robin Gelfenbien Sooyah, Jun Eman, El Husseini, Jess Salomon, and May Wilkerson are encouraged to hold nothing back at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Caitlin Brodnick & May Wilkerson: Brutally Honest with Caitlin Brodnick

9:00 pm ($5): Julio Torres (inventive experimental stand-up/sketch comic), Kevin McCaffrey (former warm-up comic for David Letterman; TruTV), Chloe Hilliard (The Nightly Show), and Kendra Cunningham (Last Comic Standing) performing at Threes Brewing (333 Douglas Street) hosted by Claudia Cogan & Brendan McLaughlin: Soft Spot

9:00 pm ($5): Skilled improvisors David Rysdahl & Paul Gutkowski make up a play on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge as improv duo True East

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($18): Kyle Schaefer, Nick Abeel, and foley artist Kelsey Didion perform a spectacular live shot for shot stage version of Jurassic Park at The PIT upstairs theatre directed by the exceptional Kristin McCarthy Parker: Hold On To Your Butts...Jurassik Parc

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Character comics celebrate the First Year Anniversary of this show with a "vow renewal" at the UCB East theatre hosted by Becky Chicoine & Sudi Green: Theme Party

10:00 pm ($5): Duo improv from Trevor Livingston & Kiley Fitzgerald at The PIT downstairs lounge: Hoagie

[FREE] 10:15 pm: Stand-ups (not announced) pair up to brutally insult each other and then be judged for the effectiveness of their viciousness by comic judges at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street) hosted by Luis J. Gomez: The RoastMasters

[FREE] 11:00 pm: A mix of superb and up-and-coming stand-ups performing at this free weekly show at UCB East hosted by Matteo Lane (Comedy Central): Chemistry

Tuesday Open Mics & Jams

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

6:00 pm ($5): A chance for writers and actors to walk in and try out sketches on stage (casting begins at 5:45 pm) at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Kristen O'Brien: Cold Cream

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 6 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jake Hart and a guest co-host: The Dump

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Weekly open mic for any kind of act (with sign-up starting at 7:30) at Brooklyn's Goodbye Blue Monday (1087 Broadway) hosted by Joe Crow Ryan: Goodbye Blue Monday

[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class Jam

11:00 pm ($3): 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: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 6/29/16

Stellar stand-up Dan Soder (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) hosts this takeoff on a talk show for one evening only: Night Late (11:00 pm, $5, UCB Chelsea at 307 West 26th Street)

More 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-midnight: Six free hours of improvisation—including an open-to-all improv jam at 6:00 pm; group Lovers, which includes the spectacular Dana Shulman and Tracy Mull at 7:00 pm; and PIT owner Ali Farahnakian & friends at 10:25 pm—at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Sasheer Zamata (cast member of Saturday Night Live), Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of Punderdome 3000, The Unexpectashow, and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for The Daily Show; David Letterman, HBO'S Def Comedy Jam, TBS' Sullivan & Son, Comedy Central), Emma Willmann (Bravo, Oxygen, AxisTV’s Live at Gotham), and Alingon Mitra (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) performing at the only stand-up show at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Chris Duffy: The Sensible Show

7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Four hours of improv from eight groups—plus a free improv jam at 6:00 pm—at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Megawatt

7:00 pm ($5): Comedic storytellers tell tales accompanied by videos, with tonight's guests Susie Felber (MTV, Cosmo), Vanessa Valero (The Moth), and Michele Carlo (author of Fish Out of Agua; The Moth) performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Harmon Leon: Videotale

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 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 an 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Wednesday

7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which features three house groups making up scenes on the spot: Lloyd Night

7:30 pm ($5): Duo female improv on the premise "two lifelong friends meet on a park bench every Tuesday afternoon and make their own happy hour (via tall cans of Budweiser beer)" at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Two Girls, Tall Boys

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At the UCB Chelsea theatre,"Bob Eimicke, a 62 year old lawyer and father who has zero comedy experience, converted from Catholicism to Judaism in order to marry his Jewish wife...and his son is making him talk about it on stage. Everyone's going to have a great time, except for Bob:" My Dad Dumped Jesus...

...and in the other half of this double-bill, a musical sketch comedy show: Pop Roulette's Amazing Earth

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Young and/or struggling NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) produced by Meghan O'Malley, Adrian Davidson, and Erick Hellwig: Barely Making It

8:30 pm ($10): A one-woman show by Laura Oberbeck at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Laura

8:30 pm ($5): Chris Roberti hosts sketch, improv, and/or more at The PIT downstairs lounge: Chris Roberti Presents

[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), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Legion of Skanks

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of Punderdome 3000, The Unexpectashow, and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), Greg Stone (America’s Got Talent), Lukas Kaiser (Comedy Central), Alex Pavone (MTV’s Cocktales), Ayanna Dookie, and Joe Vecse performing for this free weekly stand-up show at Lucky Jack's Pub (129 Orchard Street) produced by Kyle Fincham, Lance Weiss, and Brendon Fitzgibbons: Gandhi, Is That You?

9:00 pm ($5): Stand-ups Kristin Manna and Keele Howard-Stone each perform a 30-minute set at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): Kristin & Keele Co-headline

9:00 pm ($5): A four-gal group performs characters & improv at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Lady Jay

[TOP PICK] 9:15 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 hosted by Doug Mo and/or Ben Rameaka: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Top improvisors Connor Ratliff, Shannon O'Neill, Brandon Scott Jones, and Shaun Diston "talk to one person for less than 10 minutes and let them know how they die 45 minutes later" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: We Know How You Die

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5; no min.): Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It; opens for Amy Schumer), Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, host of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, HBO's Down and Dirty, National Lampoon, Comedy Central special Passive Aggressive), Joe List (HBO, David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1), and Jourdain Fisher performing stand-up for this super-affordable weekly club show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): Mark Normand, Ari Shaffir, Joe List, and More

[FREE] 10:00 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' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue), hosted by Chris Laker: The Show

10:15 pm ($5): Randomly selected UCBT students perform with UCBT improv veterans at the UCB East theatre: The Lottery

10:30 pm ($5): Julie Sharbutt (stellar actress and comic; The Colbert Report, The Good Wife; improv shows include Gravid Water, Coyote, Chairs, Act One) tackles the rare form of solo improv at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Only Child

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Stellar stand-up Dan Soder (smart, edgy rising star; 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), hosts this takeoff on a talk show at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Night Late

Wednesday Open Mics & Jams

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Walk-in open mic storytelling show, with each yarn-spinner (selected via names from a bucket) getting up to 8 minutes to tell a true and funny tale at Astoria Queens comedy venue QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Vincent Chang: Flynn's Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Kaity Neagle & Irene Hartmann: Ragtag Team Open Mic Stand-Up

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Your chance to improvise on stage at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Anthony Velez & Parker Denton: Recess

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Sign up at 5:45 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with veteran improvisors: Magnet Mixer Wednesday

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Four booked NYC stand-ups, plus one open spot for an audience member whose name is pulled from a bucket, plus drop-in spots for up to five TV-credited comics who care to walk in! Spots are at least 5 minutes each, but go up by a minute per comic for every TV-credited drop-in spot that isn't filled (e.g., if no drop-ins appear, every comic will receive up to 10 minutes per set). It all happens at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Daniel Ahrens: Drop-In/The Bucket

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open mic stand-up providing 4 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com to sign up, or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45, at Brooklyn's Halyards Bar (406 Third Avenue) hosted by Lukas Kaiser: Comics Phoning It In

11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up show, with each comic whose name is selected from a bucket getting on stage for 3-5 minutes (depending on the number of comics) at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Camel Butt

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket (but no actual punch or pie, that's just a lure to entice you to come) at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs theatre hosted by Matthew Tenenbaum: Punch & Pie

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Bernard Maynore and/or Patrick Cucuta: Improdome

[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your chance to perform with veteran UCB improvisors on the UCB East stage: The Lottery Jam

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/30/16

Colin Quinn (iconic TV, film, and Broadway comedy star; SNL, Tough Crowd, HBO, NBC, Amy's dad in Trainwreck), Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and The Incredible Game Show Showcase, co-author of Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Julio Torres (inventive experimental stand-up/sketch comic), and Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit) performing stand-up hosted by Kristen Buckels & Lacey Jeka: Summer Fling (9:30 pm $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)

More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:30 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 an 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday

7:30 pm ($5): Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1, comedy album He Has Friends), Sarah Tollemache (Last Comic Standing), Will Miles (co-host of Comedy Night at the Knit), Anthony P. DeVito (Comedy Central), and Liz Barrett performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle

7:30 pm ($5): Sketch comedy from group ¿Lizard Police?, plus an opening set from improv group Nice Spaceship, at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): ¿Lizard Police?

[$] 7:30 pm ($42 & 2-drink min.) A comic who's performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, Showtime at Harlem, BET's ComicView, and the feature film Next Friday headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

7:30 pm ($5): "Watch as seven comics connect their stand-up sets together into one giant mutant set. It will be nothing like the movie. Probably." at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Molly Horan: Human Centipede Comedy Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a sketch show about the NYC subway: BEENG BOONG: The Great & Powerful MTA...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, a hospital drama parody: Dr. Brothers

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): Four veteran house improv groups, themed improv show Object Work (long-form improv revolving around physical objects on stage), and improv competition Inspirado, all for just $10 at The Magnet theatre: The Magnet's Thursday Night Out

[FREE] 8:00 pm: "Comics compete with on-the-spot tweets...and you decide the winner in real time using your smart phone" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Shelby Taylor: Like Me

8:00 pm ($5): Two improv house groups make up scenes for an hour at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Detention + Gun Club

8:30 pm ($5): Comics try out "their newest, most committed, bizarre pieces" at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Rich Templeton: A Night To Experiment

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A four-person comedic play in which "Attendees of this mandatory interactive theatrical seminar will learn valuable office skills that will optimize their performance in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Refreshments will be not provided. You will come" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Dingleberry Theater Foundation Presents Mandatory Seminar

9:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at UCB East hosted by Ashley Brooke Roberts and/or Jim Tews: Fresh Out

9:00 pm ($10): LGBTQ-themed comedy from stand-ups Carolyn Bergier, Marisol Brady, Calvin Cato, Bobby Hankinson, Sarah Kennedy, and Elsa Waithe performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kaitlyn Holland & Chelsea Condren: Gays On Stage

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The writers of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert gather on the UCB Chelsea stage to perform an all-improvised Alfredo: Late Show Writers Improv

9:30 pm ($5): A one-woman show in which "Consuelo is down on her luck, determined to finish Catholic high school and earn money to go to college. A flyer she finds for 'Girls Who Code' changes her life, making her determined to be the first girl in her family to get a scholarship and study Computer Science" at The PIT upstairs theatre: Consuelo Explains It All

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Four comics "go over the weirdest things that happened over the past week. Drunk guys getting arrested for stealing street sweepers? A naked woman throwing cell phones at cars in traffic? A prison break in Brazil orchestrated by three scantily clad women?" An Internet-fueled mix of panel discussion and stand-up at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Jarret Berenstein (Current Events): Live Clickbait

[FREE] 10:30 pm: "A curated hour of eclectic comedic material written in a week with no rehearsals" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour

[FREE] 10:30 pm: Liz Simons (Broad City), Chris Gersbeck (host of Everythign is Dumbn), Jenn Welch (host of Stand-Up Showdown), Lauren Hope Krass (host of Ladies' Open Mic & Clothing Swap), Semantha Bednarz, and Peter Bandyk performing stand-up at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Chris Gersbeck, Lauren Hope Krass, and/or Peter Bandyk: Casual Sets

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): UCB weekend improv groups The Curfew and Bucky compete for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea's raucous Cage Match

11:00 pm ($5): I have no idea what this show is about, but it's hosted by Gary Richardson, John Reynolds, Carmen Christopher, and Joey Dundale at the UCB East theatre: $$$

Thursday Open Mics & Jams

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: All-gal stand-up open mic at UCB East hosted by Anna Drezen & Sue Smith: Open Michelle: Ladies Open Mic

6:00 pm ($3): If you're a gal who'd like to try stand-up but are wary of being vulnerable in a tough male-dominated room, this show may be the perfect opportunity for you—an all-female open mic, with the first 15 comics to sign up (starting at 5:50 pm) getting 3 minutes each on stage at The PIT downstairs lounge: Ladies Night Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving 2 minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for which the number of participants on stage is determined by a roll of the dice at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street) hosted by Jon Monje, Glorillis Tavarez, Trumane Alston, and Julien Darmon: Chance Encounters Jam

7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Thursday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (34 Pell Street, 2nd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In

[FREE] 7:00 pm: A weekly improv jam hosted by group Salt at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Blender

[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with a veteran improv group to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer Thursday

[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Thursday After Class Jam

[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Patrick Hastie: Beer, Booze, and Bits

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 7/1/16

A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics, following sold out shows at Joe's Pub and now back at The PIT through July: Political Subversities (8:00 pm, $20, The PIT Upstairs Theatre at 123 East 24th Street)

More recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Stellar comics Langston Belton & Julie Sharbutt, who used to perform as improv duo Coyote before Julie moved to LA, reunite while Julie's back in town and invite some other fine improvisors to join them at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Coyote and Friends

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:30 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) and the 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Friday

7:00 pm ($7): "Rob had always thought he was a nice guy who was inept with women. But, looking back on a life of Catholicism, very special episodes, and hitting puberty at sixteen, he's realized that he might not have been that inept or, unfortunately, particularly nice. He was just a little late" at The Magnet theatre: Late Bloomer

7:00 pm ($5): Three improv teams compete in this cutthroat battle for laughs. What's different about this cage match is it's determined by a human judge, the audience...and a dog. If there's a tie between the votes of the judge and audience, the guest canine will decide the fates of everyone based on which bowl this dog goes to first. It all happens at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Dog Fight

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): One of the funniest duo sketch show you're likely to see from Dylan Marron (Welcome to Nightvale, 2015 Drama Desk Nominee) and Jo Firestone (exceptionally inventive and irresistible rising star; The Chris Gethard Show, radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of Punderdome 3000 and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), who give you "a real-time middle school talent show performed by two grown adults" at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite

7:30 pm ($10): Two improv groups each make up a musical on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: [title of team] and Royals

7:30 pm ($10): Improv group Bucky makes up one long scene in the same location (a winning form that's helped such teams as Death by Roo Roo win a whole lot of Cage Match victories)—and, when SNL is on break, sometimes includes star Sasheer Zamata (whenever that happens, consider this a TOP PICK)—at the UCB East theatre: Bucky: Thank F#@% It's Friday!

7:30 pm ($5): A monthly sketch comedy show, with tonight's theme Movies, at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Terrorbird: At the Movies

7:30 pm ($5): Seven New York comics telling stories of where they came from—including (Kelly Fastucaone from Australia)—and the journey that led them to NYC performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Katie Boyle: Transplants

[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($42 & 2-drink min.) A comic who's performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, Showtime at Harlem, BET's ComicView, and the feature film Next Friday headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10):A comedic play about the US government in 1991 forming a secret agency charged with monitoring and eliminating online internet threats, the Headquarters for Authorizing Computerized Knowledge, at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): USA_HACK

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm, 10:00 pm, and Midnight ($15-$20; no min.): Big Jay Oakerson, Mike Lawrence, Ari Shaffir, Ben Bailey, Damien Lemon, Adrienne Iapalucci, and more performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): The Stand Friday

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Giulia Rozzi (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening and The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Stripped Stories, comedy album True Love), Peggy O'Leary (host of Hard Lonely and Vicious), Kenny Warren, Chris Hamilton, and Alex Simmons performing stand-up at the HiFi Bar (169 Avenue A) hosted produced by Gary Levitt & Matt Schwartzer and hosted by Scotty Levell: I Don't Get It Stand-Up: Myq Kaplan, Giulia Rozzi, Peggy O'Leary, and More

8:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups and musicians drink and perform at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Justin Peele: Party & Bullshit

[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 Sebastian Conelli (2014 Cage Match Champion The Enemy): The Friday Night Sh*w

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in the country from brilliant comics Connor Ratliff, Jordan Klepper, Silvija Ozols, Shannon O'Neill, Alexandra Dickson, and/or Michael Delaney forming a seamless and hilarious group mind at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers

9:00 pm ($5): Seven improvisors make up scenes at the UCB East theatre: An Improv Show

9:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Boogie Manja

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($15): Groundbreaking and acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott performing as group Centralia, joined tonight by Chris Griggs (The Baldwins), at The PIT upstairs theatre: Centralia

9:30 pm ($10): Langston Belton, Jay Malsky, Kirsten O'Brien, and other ace improvisors use clips from classic TV shows as springboards for scenes made up on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: TGIF-Prov: Improv Based on Classic TV

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): "A love letter to beloved shows such as Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Lamb Chop’s Play-Along, comedians Joe Rumrill and Mary Houlihan invite you to a cavalcade of original costumed characters, animations, and sketches from both real humans and puppet humans" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Cartoon Monsoon

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Musical improv group Premiere—which 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): "Food sketches, street food interviews, and live cooking" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Late Night Snack

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): 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 ($10): Brandon Scott Wolf (contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Nimesh Patel (Comedy Central), and Coker & Stratton performing stand-up, sketch, or improv at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, Justin Tyler, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify

10:30 pm ($5): Ginny Leise & Soojeong Son aim to teach you the secrets for career success at The PIT downstairs lounge: Great Gig: A Corporate Training For Business

11:00 pm ($5): A rotating pool of improvisors perform in groups of five at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Singles Motel

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Fredric Goldstein: Last Stop Laughs

11:30 pm ($7): Veteran house improv group Hello Laser, plus musical improv group The Bastard Society, make up scenes at the Magnet theatre: Hello Laser and The Bastard Society

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): A raucous laboratory for wacky ideas, in which comics Jo Firestone, Michael Wolf, Dan Glaser, and Cory Palmer create absurd game shows that they try out using audience members. "After we've attempted to create all the game shows, the audience votes on which idea gets to go straight to TV (not really)" at UCB Chelsea hosted by the fabulous Jo Firestone, whose delighted facial expressions in response to the ridiculousness are typically the highlights of the evening: The Incredible Game Show Showcase

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): "Join filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host! He'll be joined by his hilarious talk show sidekick, Jar-Jar Binks, as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema," with guests TBD at the UCB East theatre hosted by brilliant improvisor Connor Ratliff (The Stepfathers) & Shaun Diston: The George Lucas Talk Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Comics perform stand-up sets and then go on dates with each other as part of the live show at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Rob Harper & Rachel Coleman: We're Getting Laid

Friday Open Mics & Jams

[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in open mic (signup at 4:30 pm), with 5 minutes per comic, storyteller, poet, or singer, at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Kimberly Sparkle Stewart & Sydney Beveridge: Queens Open Mic Fridays

5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

5:45 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 1 hour. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open-mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Shalewa Sharpe & Courtney Fearrington: Thug Passion

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Walk-in open mic that allows everyone to get on stage at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): $1 Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): PIT improv veterans mix with improv novices on-stage at the downstairs lounge for Happy Hour

7:00 pm ($5): Show up at 6:45 pm to place your name in a dog bowl for the chance to get called up on stage and jam with veteran improvisors at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Dog Fight

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-up starts at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Seena Jon: Mic and Cheese

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 7/2/16

Starting tonight, Comedy Cellar expands to a third venue (in addition to Comedy Cellar at 117 MacDougal Street and Village Underground at 130 West 3rd Street): The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge at 130 West 3rd Street. At 6:45 pm, TV, movie & Broadway star Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central's Tough Crowd, Trainwreck) tries out material for his show New York Story; and at 8:15 pm, top comics (not announced) are interviewed on Inside Joke ($5 cover for Colin, $15 cover for Inside Joke, plus 2-item min.)

More 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: Ben Conrad, Lizzy Mazzucchelli, Will Carey, and Will Watkins each perform a different 10-minute stand-up every Saturday in April at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Grant Lindahl: The 8

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): An all-gal improv group swap personal stories and then use them as springboards for improv scenes at the UCB East theatre: The Living Room

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the country's finest stand-ups spread among the 7:00, 8:45, 10:30, and 12:15 shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane), and the 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Saturday

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($10): Improv group Big Black Car 2, plus improv group The Quitters—tonight including Julie Sharbutt (her last show before returning to LA)—make up scenes at The PIT upstairs theatre: BBC2 and The Quitters

7:00 pm ($5): Two improv groups performing at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Form + Suburbia

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): 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

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): "Created in 1995 at the iO Theater in Chicago, The Armando Diaz Experience is the longest running improv show ever. A guest monologist—who tonight is Abby Lovett—takes a suggestion from the audience and shares true personal tales. These stories are then brought to life by a rotating cast of improv all-stars—and occasionally Armando himself" at The Magnet theatre: The Armando Diaz Experience

7:30 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

[$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($42 & 2-drink min.) A comic who's performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, Showtime at Harlem, BET's ComicView, and the feature film Next Friday headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

7:30 pm ($8): NYC stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Charles McBee: Nerd is the New Black

7:30 pm ($10): A one-woman show about "the 39 men Maddie Gibba has been in love with, mad about, encompassed by, infatuated with, totally head over heels for—for about a week or less. A partially scripted and partially improvised musical adventure into the moments things went horribly wrong" at The PIT downstairs theatre: Boy Crazy

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm, 10:00 pm, and Midnight ($15-$25; no min.): Big Jay Oakerson, Laurie Kilmartin, Jermaine Fowler, Ari Shaffir, Pete Lee, Derek Gaines, and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue, off 20th Street): The Stand Saturday

[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 upstairs theatre: Gypsy Danger: The Improvised Movie and The Baldwins

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): In this acclaimed monthly show, NYC stand-ups "risk getting slapped by Satan himself. Actually, he hosts only bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne and Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man's shoes and put NYC's finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls? Come see for yourself in this monthly showcase" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Matt Wayne & Doug Smith: See You in Hell

8:00 pm ($10): A four-person musical written and co-starring Rachel Kaly & Sophie Zuckerby in which "Anne Iowa (from Kansas City, Missouri, Illinois County) travels to Nervosa, a special place for special people who hate their bodies. Her new friend Clarissa (a self-identified fat Samantha) shows her around, but is Nervosa the right fit for Anne? Or is she too fat?" at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Nervosa: The Musical

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): 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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): An improvised apocalypse from superb comics John Murray, Chad Carter, Sean Casey, Jackie Jennings, Glenn Boozen, Joanna Bradley, and/or Caroline Cotter at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Goat

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): A freestyle rapping long-form improv group that includes such talents as Evan Kaufman (Your Love Our Musical) takes the stage for nearly an hour at The PIT downstairs lounge: North Coast

9:00 pm ($10): Improvisors Nick Kanellis & Branson Reese make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

9:00 pm ($10): NYC stand-ups performing for this weekly show at Brooklyn's The Experiment Comedy Gallery (20 Broadway) hosted by Camille Harris, Camille Theobald, Michael Lewis, and/or Mo Fathelb: The Weekend Drop

9:00 pm ($5): NYC stand-ups performing at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Elise Edwards: Discount Disco

9:30 pm ($10):Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Today Show, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!), Ben Kissel (FOX, co-host of Last Podcast On The Left), Jon Laster (BET's Comic View), and Adam Sokol performing stand-up featuring "the dirtiest, most unsafe for prime-time jokes, bits, and riffs" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) produced by Ben Conrad & Lucas Connolly: The Dirty Show

9:30 pm ($10): Stand-up from Kurtis Conner, Jacob Sharpe, and Dean Hebscher at The PIT upstairs theatre: Kurtis Conner & Friends

9:30 pm ($5): Long-form improv with a playful title directed by Conner O'Malley at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Michael Jordan Steakhouse

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Henry Zebrowski, Ben Kissel, and Marcus Parks of Cave Comedy Radio's Last Podcast On The Left "explore the dark recesses of humanity, both real and imagined, via short films, clips from favorite features, and audio spookiness" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Last Podcast on the Left Live

10:00 pm ($10): Members of UCBT house improv groups get scrambled together into new one-night-only teams at the UCB East theatre: The Blender

[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—which tonight is 90s Sitcom—at The Magnet theatre: The Cast: 90s Sitcom Edition

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): 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 ($10): Annoyance Artistic Director Philip Markle performs sketch, cabaret, and more with friends at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): The Sparkle Zone

10:30 pm ($5): An improvised show based on the premise that "in the middle of a live news broadcast the signal goes down, leaving the anchors and crew with nothing to do but wait until it goes back up" at The PIT downstairs theatre: The Signal Is Down

[FREE] 11:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Tommy Kang: Last Stop Laughs

[TOP PICK] 11:30 ($5): An enormously fun freestyle rap contest at UCB East with NYC comics (not announced), plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by superstar human beatbox Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central): Battlicious

11:30 pm ($5): A comedic play that proclaims "Love is patient, love is blind. Love is deaf and dumb. Love is a burden dressed in a top hat and spats, tearing the pulse from the blood. Love is closing your eyes to come, baby, split yourself in nine. Love is a jerk-off partner and a sad meal. Love ain’t never gonna..." at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street): Love Ain't Never Gonna: Freedom

Midnight ($5): Sam Morril (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Blair Socci (MTV), and more TBD performing stand-up at UCB Chelsea hosted by Aaron Glaser: Midnight Stand-Up

[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

Saturday Open Mics and Jams

4:00 pm ($5; your ticket provides $3 off a drink at nearby Pioneers Bar): Walk-in lottery style open mic (sign-up starting at 3:45 pm) at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Swing Riders Open Mic

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show, with names drawn out of a bucket, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Rachel Coleman: Let's Be Friends

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Put your name in a bucket for this open mic for stand-up, sketch, music, or anything else you want to work out on stage at Brooklyn's The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Avenue; take J/M/Z to Marcy Avenue or L to Lorimer Street) hosted by Josh Bates & Brian Pisano: Make Out Party: An Open Mic

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Walk-in open mic for character bits, stand-up, etc. at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Elise Edwards: Discount Disco

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 7/3/16

Stellar lineup of Ben Bailey (Emmy Award-winning host of Cash Cab and NBC's Who's Still Standing?; Comedy Central Presents, Jay Leno), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United), Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; staff writer for Emmy-winning Inside Amy Schumer; frequently invited lightning wit on @midnight; star of upcoming Comedy Central Snapchat series You're Wrong with Mike Lawrence; Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Pete Lee (Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club for a discounted cover and no min.: The Stand Sunday: Judah Friedlander, Mike Lawrence, Ben Bailey, and More (11:30 pm, $8.45 online using discount code FOURTH, with no minimums; The Stand Comedy Club at 239 Third Avenue off 20th Street)

More 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] 5:00 pm: Improv groups perform long form, short form, and/or musical forms at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Michael Venzor: Mishmash: The Long and Short of It

6:00 pm ($5): An improvised game of Dungeons & Dragons at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): The Campaign

6:30 pm ($5): Three NYC improv groups that are independent (i.e., not a house team of any particular improv school/theatre) compete for audience member laughs and votes at UCB East hosted by superb improvisors Amey Goerlich & Ryan Karels (half of revered improv group Krompf): Indie Cage Match

[TOP PICK] [$] 6:45 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck) hones material for his one-man shows at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: New York Story

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, and 12:15 pm ($24 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 7:15, 9:15, and 11:15 pm shows at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Sunday

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7 for the entire evening): Improv with duos at 7:00 pm and at 8:00 pm, followed by veteran improv duo Kornfeld & Andrews (see 9:00 pm) at The Magnet theatre: The Duo Show

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Nine-person improv group The Internet Disagrees makes stuff up at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): The Internet Disagrees

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) 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] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($8.45 online using discount code FOURTH; no min.): Laurie Kilmartin, Ari Shaffir, Quincy Jones, Damien Lemon, and Derek Gaines performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue off 20th Street): The Stand Sunday: Laurie Kilmartin, Ari Shaffir, Quincy Jones, Damien Lemon, and More

[$] 7:30 pm ($42 & 2-drink min.) A comic who's performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy, Showtime at Harlem, BET's ComicView, and the feature film Next Friday headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Michael Blackson

7:30 pm ($5): Dana Shulman and friends are improv group Student Driver, which hosts two indie improv troupes making up scenes and then performs itself, all at The PIT downstairs lounge: Student Driver Indie Road

7:30 pm ($5): An autobiographical one-man show by Jason Blanche about NYC and his roots at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Vintage Blanche

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Micah Sherman (brilliant improvisor; half of musical duo Myq & Micah), Joe Zimmerman (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Lauren Mall, and Ayanna Dookie "expose their bleeding-heart adolescent artifacts (journal entries, poetry, original songs, and art), then laugh at and with their own flaws" at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by storyteller Lyssa Mandel: The Bitch Seat

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Kenny DeForest & Will Miles (co-hosts of Comedy Night at the Knit), Mike Lebovitz, Eli Yudin, Andy Ostroff, and Eman El-Husseini performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It

[FREE] 8:00 pm: "When a washed-up reality TV producer is fresh out of ideas of how to get back in the game, he decides to reunite the horrible reality TV family that originally brought him fame, and to extract the secret that split them all apart years ago. He decides to get them to confess the only way he knows how: under duress. After reuniting the family for what they think is a one-night special, the producer stages an attack on Beverly Hills by the world's most notorious death cult: ISIS" at The PIT upstairs theatre (123 East 24th Street): Reunion: A New Family Musical

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:15 pm ($15 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Top comics (not announced) are interviewed at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Inside Joke

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Duo improv from Louis Kornfeld & Rick Andrews at The Magnet theatre: Kornfeld & Andrews

9:00 pm ($5): Six short plays at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Stories

9:00 pm ($7): Typically solid stand-ups perform at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Will Miles, Clark Jones, and/or Kenny DeForest: Comedy Night at the Knit

[TOP PICK] [FREE—plus FREE FOOD!] 9:30 pm to grab a seat and eat, 10:00 pm for screening: Come watch a new episode of The Jim Gaffigan Show with an audience—and tonight with Christian Finnegan, and whoever else drops by, for an episode with scenes shot at QED—plus, free food! ("Yes. Free. Food. It's what Jim would want.") It all happens at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue): The Jim Gaffigan Show Official Watch Party

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm ($8.45 online using discount code FOURTH; no min.): Mike Lawrence, Laurie Kilmartin, Ben Bailey, Ari Shaffir, Derek Gaines, and Gibran Saleem performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue off 20th Street): The Stand Sunday: Mike Lawrence, Laurie Kilmartin, Ben Bailey, and More

Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open-mic stand-up show (put your name in the bucket, drawings every half hour), providing 4 minutes per comic at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Intestinal Fortitude

[FREE] 5:00 pm: Walk-in stand-up lottery style open mic that provides 4 minutes per comic at Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue) hosted by Andrea Shapiro & Chris Gersbeck: Bunk Bed Time Open Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 5:00 pm ($1): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam

5:15ish pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Weekly open mic stand-up, with comics selected from names tossed into a bucket starting at 4:55 pm, at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Aaron Glaser, Irene Hartmann, and/or Carlos Delgado: Sunday Open Mic

9:30 pm ($3): Open-mic comedy, with 3-5 minutes per walk-in performer who signs up (first come, first serve) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Will Neville: Amateur Night At The Gemini

[FREE] 10:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show (sign up is at 9:45 pm) providing 5 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from the bucket at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue) hosted by Ian Kitchen: The Grandstand

[FREE] 10:00 pm: 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

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