NYC Comedy Picks for Week of October 6, 2014

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/6/14

TV Alert: Aziz Ansari is on David Letterman;
Carol Burnett is on Jimmy Fallon;
Rachel Dratch is on Seth Meyers;
Baron Vaughn, Alice Wetterlund, and Dan Levy are on @midnight

 

Laurie Kilmartin  Mark Demayo

Laurie Kilmartin performs a 30-min. set for free through Thursday at The Creek in 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad, plus also does
The Stand's free Frantic Mondays; Mark Demayo blends stand-up and storytelling about his two decades in the NYPD in 20 & 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] 7:00 pm: Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1) hones her one-woman show 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Laurie Kilmartin

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): World-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 18-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of The Adam Wade Show; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), hosts a show at The Magnet that's "like watching the characters of The Wonder Years and Freaks & Geeks all grown up and telling coming-of-age tales of love, lost, regret, and redemption," with tonight's guest storytellers Michelle Levy, Brendan Jordan, Brian Rodriguez, and Gwen Lawson: Adam Wade's Whatever Happened to the Nerds?

[FREE] 7:00 pm to midnight: Five free hours of improvisation at The PIT downstairs lounge: Super Free Monday

[$] 7:45 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:15 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's comics include Ryan Hamilton, Robert Kelly, Lynne Koplitz, and Marina Franklin (hosting) at the 7:45 show; Nick Griffin, Lenny Marcus, and Zainab Johnson (hosting) at the 9:30 show; and Dave Attell, Big Jay Oakerson, Joe LIst, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 11:15 show, all performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Monday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, Christine Bullen performs a one-woman show about her adventures answering Craigslist ads: My Melonbasket...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, sketch about our national pastime: Baseball is America

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12): Mark DeMayo was an NYC cop for 20 years—who then retired to pursue his true passion, comedy. Mark blends stand-up and storytelling in this engaging and funny one-man show about his time on the force at The PIT upstairs theatre directed by Peter Michael Marino: 20 & Out

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman), Brooke Van Poppelen (co-host of TruTV's Hack My Life; writer and/or producer for a slew of MTV shows; also performed on HBO, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Dive Comedy), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Nate Fridson, and Alzo Slade performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) hosted by Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; albums Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person and upcoming Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn): Night Train

[TOP PICK] 8:00 ($5): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Aaron Glaser (Jimmy Fallon, Wolf of Wall Street; host of Midnight Stand-Up), and more performing stand-up and/or being interviewed at UCB East hosted by Nat Townsen (co-host of The Moon Show): Nat Townsen's Downtown Variety Hour

[FREE] 8:00 pm (FREE CAKE from the Momofuku Milk Bar if you show up at 7:30): A show featuring comics and their special someones, with tonight's guests Josh Gondelman and girlfriend Maris Kreizman, Seena Jon and his girlfriend Cosmo Fujiyama, Jonathan Morvay and his son Steven Morvay, and Ross Parsons and his roommate Sean P. McCarthy, all performing at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by comedy couple Omar Shaukat & Anna Suzuki: Couples Therapy

[FREE] 8:00 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

8:30 pm ($7): "Improvisers spiral deep into amazing situations, characters, and worlds" at The Magnet theatre: Spin Cycle

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch groups try out new material: Ripley (which includes brilliant comedic writer Marguerite Spellman) and Absolutely (which includes stellar comic Bridey Elliot): Maude Night: Ripley and Absolutely

9:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, Phillip Jackson, and/or Steve Theiss hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with guest improvisors: Improv Nerds

[$] 9:30 ($12): Oscar Montoya & Bowen Yang host guests and jokes at The PIT upstairs theatre: Ethnic Realness

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Charlie Kasov, Josh Carter Ken Schultz, and Neil Constantine performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Freddy's Backroom (627 5th Avenue) hosted by Pat O'Shea: Ed Sullivan on Acid

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Monroe Martin (finalist on this season's Last Comic Standing), Damien Lemon (Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Guy Court), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1), Subhah Agarwal, Graham Kay, Derek Gaines, and Crystian Ramirez performing stand-up for this free weekly show at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language): Frantic Mondays

10:00 pm ($7): Duo improv from groups Foxtrot, Genetic Freaks, Suli, Trick Baby, From Justin to Kelly, and host MegaLou (Megan Gray & Louis Kornfeld) at The Magnet theatre: The Duo Show

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the world—who aren't announced in advance, but it's usually a great lineup and often an extraordinary one—at UCB Chelsea hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen: Whiplash

Monday 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: Open mic stand-up show that provides each performer whose name is pulled from a bucket 5 minutes on stage—and also allows everyone play Bingo!—at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Julia Lundy & Veronica Elizabeth: Bingo 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

6:00 pm ($5 plus 1 drink min.): Booked open mic stand-up providing 7 minutes per comic for this 2-hour show at Klimat Lounge (77 East 7th Street) hosted by Gregory Joseph. To get on the performance list for future shows, email Gregory at evgigglepit@gmail.com: East Village Giggle Pit

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: Open-mic storytelling, with names drawn out of a bucket and 5 minutes per performer, at the Slake Bar (251 West 30th Street) hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Story Hour (Open-Mic Storytelling) with Julia Wiedeman

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 5 minutes for each comic who reserves a spot in advance (by emailing Dan Fox at danmaxfox@gmail.com) and 3 minutes for each comic who signs up on the spot (sign-up starts at 6:45 and ends at 8:30) at Brooklyn's Muchmore's (2 Havemeyer Street) hosted by Dan Fox: Muchmore's Stand-Up Open Mic

[FREE] 7:00 pm: An open-mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at Brooklyn's Colony (274 4th Avenue) hosted by Emily Winter: Sparky the Dog 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 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

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 Kat Toledo and/or Alan Shain: The Power Exchange

[FREE] 11:00 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

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$20)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

This Theater
(154 West 29th Street; new venue that, at its best, features shows comparable to UCB & PIT; free-$12)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/7/14

TV Alert: Maria Bamford, James Adomian, and
Eddie Pepitone are on @midnight;
Artie Lange is on Jimmy Fallon;
Jeffrey Tambor and The Impractical Jokers are on Seth Meyers

Chris Gethard Andy Kaufman Michael Kaufman

A comedy genius chats with the brother of comedy legend Andy: Chris Gethard Interviews Michael Kaufman

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] 7:00 pm: Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1) hones her blend of stand-up and storytelling titled 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Laurie Kilmartin

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight of The Magnet's improv groups make up musicals based on audience suggestion, creating epic stories on the spot using song and dance: Magnet Musical Megawatt

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club

7:00 pm ($5): A one-man show by James III at The PIT downstairs lounge: James III: 3rd Impressions

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Side Piece, Greg, and Women & Men at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A monthly show about obsessions with pop culture, tonight featuring a celebration of Little Shop of Horrors with Naomi Ekperigin (Broad City, Totally Biased), Hannah Rose DeFlemuri (Legally Blonde), Margaret Lyons (Entertainment Weekly, Vulture), and Chris Tyler (Total Rejects Live) performing at UCB East hosted by Damian Bellino & Anne Rodeman: So Into It: A Fanatic Variety Show

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($5 online using discount code NORTHERN; no min.): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, VH1), Sean Donnelly (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, MTV), and Bill Santiago performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Josh Carter & Ray DeVito: Janeane Garofalo, Nick DiPaolo, Adrienne Iapalucci, and More

8:00 pm ($10): A short one-man show by Alan Fox, and then a one-act play in which three guys each explain how a fire started in their apartment using different film genres, at The PIT downstairs lounge: Quarter Life: It Might Get Awkward

[$] 8:00 pm ($12): A one-man show from Marshall York at The PIT upstairs theatre: My Big Break From Reality

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central), Lynn Bixenspan, Maribeth Mooney, Sam Grittner, Eliana Horeczko, Julie Kottakis, and Cate Weinberg performing stand-up for this free weekly show at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Tim Ellis & Mo Fathelbab: Manifesto

[TOP PICK] [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 stand-up 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

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Dan Soder (smart, edgy rising star; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Kate Berlant (MTV, IFC, CNN, host of Crime & Punishment, notable hair), Livia Scott (magical comedic chameleon; Conan O'Brien, Law & Order, VH1, feature film National Lampoon's Dirty Movie; sketch groups Scrambled Legs and The Livia Scott Sketch Program), and more performing stand-up or sketch at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon long-time staff comic, Comedy Central, VH1, host of Nat Geo's Science of Stupid): Sweet

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Joe Pera (hilarious and genius deadpan stand-up; Adult Swim; for a very special one-minute set at Carolines, please click here; for Joe's latest Kaufman awards submissions, please click here and here), Brian Frange, Drew Michael, and Scott Chaplain performing at this free weekly show at Brooklyn's The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Robert Dean, Sachi Ezura, and/or Steve O'Brien: Comedy at Alligator Lounge

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Grammer, Smalls, and The Enemy at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Comedy genius Chris Gethard interviews the brother of legendary comedy genius Andy Kaufman at the UCB East theatre: Chris Gethard Interviews Michael Kaufman

9:30 pm ($5): A comedy variety show entirely in Spanish at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Aileen Clark, Maritza Montañez, and Kim Parker: Lo Que Quieras

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5; no min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, HBO's Down and Dirty, Comedy Central, National Lampoon, hour-long set Passive Aggressive), Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Dan Soder (smart, edgy rising star; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), and Danny Palmer performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Nick Dipaolo, Ari Shaffir, Laurie Kilmartin, Dan Soder, Christian Finnegan, and More

[FREE] 10:00 pm: "Diane runs the local Civilian Arts Committee in town and has given herself a night of artistic expression. She will perform My Husband's Dead, a play about the murder of her husband, Mike. Her husband isn't actually dead, though. He will be in attendance, unless he is late again. He's always late to things. Arthur Palace will be playing the role of her illicit lover," with support from comics Ben Kissel, Courtney Maginnis, Justin Grace, Stephen McCarthy, and Jacob Samuel, plus musical accompaniment by Henry Koperski, all performing at this this free weekly show at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Bret Davis (playing a new character at every show): The Tuesday Special

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), 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' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Aaron Glaser (Jimmy Fallon, Wolf of Wall Street; host of Midnight Stand-Up), Sue Smith, Doogie Horner, Anthony Collier, Brandon Collins, Cody Melcher, Corey Reppond, Matt Lieb, Ross Parsons, and Tyler Snodgrass performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Peggy O'Leary: Creek Cave Live

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Typically superb stand-ups (not announced) performing at this new free weekly stand-up show at UCB East hosted by Phil Hanley: Chemistry

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:45 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:15 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's first two shows are so-so, but the 11:15 show is a great lineup of Todd Barry, Dave Attell, Paul Mecurio, Greer Barnes, Marina Franklin, Andrew Schulz, and Wil Sylvince (hosting), with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Tuesday

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 (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

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at People's Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Dustin Drury: This Is Happening Open MIc

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale—and tonight features guests Myka Fox, Tim Warner, and Taylor Clark—at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jake Hart: The Dump

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Open mic stand-up that's first come, first serve (signup starts at 8:30) and provides each performer 5 minutes—or 4 minutes plus 2 minutes of feedback!—at the Producer's Club (358 West 44th Street): Train Wreck Open Mic Stand-Up

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

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for students at all levels to work on their skills at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Elke Reid and David Frasure: Study Hall

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$20)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/8/14

TV Alert: Matthew Broderick is on Seth Meyers;
Carol Burnett is on The Colbert Report;
Ira Glass is on Jimmy Fallon;
T.J. Miller, Sara Schaefer, and Cash Levy are on @midnight;
another genius episode of South Park at 10:00 pm on CC

Kevin Maher: Nerd Comedy

On this New York Comic Con week, a tribute to pop culture curated & hosted by the wonderful Kevin Maher: Nerd Comedy

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 at The PIT upstairs theatre: Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($15, $22, or $30 depending on seat selection): This science-based storytelling show tonight focuses on Science Fiction from storytellers and/or scientists Ryan Britt, Mark Gagliardi, Josh Elder, Ali Mattu, Amy Reeder, and Veronica Sanches at the 92nd Street Y's Kaufmann Concert Hall (1395 Lexington Avenue, between 91st and 92nd Streets) hosted by Ben Lillie: The Story Collider

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1) hones her blend of stand-up and storytelling titled 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Laurie Kilmartin

[TOP PICK] 7:00 ($5): Ace improvisors Shannon O'Neill and Tami Sagher team with guests Brandon Scott Jones, Chelsea Clarke, and Morgan Grace Jarret to brilliantly make up scenes on the spot at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Tami and Shannon Have Friends

7:00 pm to 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): A one-man show by James III at The PIT downstairs lounge: James III: 3rd Impressions

7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features house groups Rizzo, Witch, and Boombox: Lloyd Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Kevin Maher (creator of genius show Kevin Geeks Out) honors Comic Con Super Week via this comedy show for nerds and by nerds, starring Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic), Meghan O'Neill (The Story Pirates), Liam McEneaney (Comedy Central, VH1's Best Week Ever, Showtime), Manolo Blank (professional clown), Nick Nadel (writer for The Onion), and Rusty Ward (as redneck comic Jeff Balrogworthy), all performing at The Way Station (683 Washington Avenue), which is Brooklyn's only steampunk bar with a TARDIS bathroom: Nerd Comedy

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] [FREE] 8:00 pm (FREE at the door using discount code CENTRAL; no min.): Stand-ups perform their A-list material for this audition show for Comedy Central, including Nikki Glaser (former co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Sanding, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Michelle Buteau (FOX's Enlisted, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, VH1's Best Week Ever, @midnight), Nimesh Patel (Comedy Central, co-host of Broken Comedy), Monroe Martin (finalist on this season's Last Comic Standing), and more at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Comedy Central Auditions with Nikki Glaser, Michelle Buteau, Nimesh Patel, Monroe Martin, and More

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm, 9:45 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's comics include Judah Friedlander and Ryan Hamilton at the 8:00 show; Ryan Hamilton, Greer Barnes, Jessica Kirson, and Jon Fisch (hosting) at the 9:45 show; and Dave Attell, Kurt Metzger, Big Jay Oakerson, Joe List, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 11:30 show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Wednesday

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: A hodgepodge of art & comedy hosted by the wonderful and quick-witted Amanda Duarte (young), with Adira Amram (fresh, hilarious rising star singer/songwriter; winner of the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Musical Act), Katina Corrao (HBO, Comedy Central's Broad City, VH1, co-host of Lasers in the Jungle), Virginia Heffernan (The New York Times), Kristen Derek Rippe (illustrator for Nickelodeon), and Isaac Oliver (storyteller), all performing at Judson Memorial Church (239 Thompson Street): Dead Darlings: Pajama Party Edition

8:00 pm ($10): NYC comics (not announced) performing stand-up or sketch at "a variety show inspired by a poignant evening on NBC's The Voice in which a contestant found himself going through 'dark times' after dropping out of NYU's graduate program for music business to pursue his true calling: slightly faltering karaoke singing. His parents seemed very disappointed" at The PIT downstairs lounge produced by Melissa Somosky and hosted by Megan Lohne: Dark Times: A Comedic Variety Hour

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Regina DeCicco, Josh Gondelman, Susan Prekel, Del Harrison, Rob Santos, Adam Asher, and Mike Hollan performing at the Producer's Club (358 West 44th Street) produced by Henry Cruz & Keith Fuerstenberg and hosted by Chris Williams: Train Wreck Stand-Up

[FREE; plus FREE BACON] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups performing at this show that provides you with both free comedy and free bacon at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Kevin Berrey and/or Farah Brook: Free Bacon

8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a mini-play about two buddies that's so stupidly cartoonish I found it unwatchable and left after 10 minutes, but if you like super-dumb sketch aimed at drunk frat boys and four-year-olds then you might enjoy License to Chill...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, duo sketch from Keith Kingbay & Jesse Neil in The Keith & Jesse Show

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): Michelle Wolf (staff writer for and performer on Seth Meyers; MTV's Girl Code, IFC), Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), Nore Davis (Comedy Central), Noah Gardenswartz, and Betsy Carroll with host Scott Rogowsky (Running Late) performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Simeon Goodson, Anish Shah, Dan Frigolette, Kenji Lee, Mike Lebovitz, and Vince Phillips performing at 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?

[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, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show

9:15 pm ($8): Character comedy from Jillian Thomas, sketch comedy from groups Nerds On Fire, Soap, Positive Feedback, and Unisex, and new videos, all at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue) produced by KL Thomas and hosted by Zach Garner: October Sketch Block

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, a one-man show from Christian Capozzoli: Nutso Facto...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, one of the finest sketch groups in the country. Its writers include stellar comics Silvija Ozols and Brandon Gulya (Brandon also directed this show); and its cast is superb: Brandon Scott Jones, Leslie Meisel, John Murray, Molly Lloyd, Connor Ratliff, and Johnathan Fernandez. (If you're in show biz, hire them.) This new collection of sketches revolves around the mass shopping experience: Stone Cold Fox Goes to the Mall

[$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:30 pm (NO COVER online or by calling 212.757.4100 using code SKETCHY, but there's a 2-drink min.): Sketch comedy and musical parody from over a dozen comics at the Carolines Comedy Club: Laundry Day: A Sketch Show

9:30 pm ($10): Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents), Annie May, and Joe Rumrill performing stand-up at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Griffin Newman and/or Andrew Tavin: The Awooga Comedy Hour

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($10 online using discount code GRIFT no min.): Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, HBO's Down and Dirty, Comedy Central, National Lampoon, hour-long set Passive Aggressive), Rachel Feinstein (finalist on Last Comic Standing; Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, The Apprentice, opens for Sarah Silverman on tour), Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1), and Greg Stone performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Mike Finoia: Ari Shaffir, Rachel Feinstein, Liz Miele, 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' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show

10:15 pm ($5): "Improvisers and stand-ups do what they do best...and then switch places to try their hand at what the other does best. Performing to sold out crowds at UCBT-LA, this show is a cross-discipline Cage Match" at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin: Impro(vs)tandup

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Leslie Meisel & Kate Riley chose UCB comics to write sketches for the opposite sex, then cast and directed the scripts. Tonight's show is the result of this fun experiment at the UCB Chelsea theatre: He Said, She Said: A Sketch Show

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: 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' Long Island City hosted by Kaity Neagle & Irene Hartmann: Ragtag Team Open Mic Stand-Up

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic

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: Sign up at 5:45 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with veteran improvisors: Magnet Improv Mixer

6:30 pm (no cover, 1-drink min. for comics): Walk-in open mic providing 7 minutes per stand-up at the Phoenix Bar (447 East 13th Street) hosted by Lisa Harmon: Lisa's Clubhouse

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

[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

11:00 pm ($3): Open mic stand-up show, with its 90 minutes split evenly among the comics who throw their names into a bucket, at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Eagle Witt: Amateur Night At The Mercury

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

[FREE] 11:15 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house group Bucky and DJ Cipha Sounds: The Improv Jam

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$20)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 10/9/14

TV Alert: Chris Gethard is on Seth Meyers:
Steve Carell is on Jimmy Fallon;
Todd Glass is on Conan O'Brien (repeated from 8/7);
Grace Helbig & Henry Zebrowski are on @midnight

Anthony Jeselnik

Star stand-up Anthony Jeselnik headlines through Sunday at Carolines...

 

Jo Firestone Chris Gethard

...ace comics Jo Firestone (above), Aparna Nancherla & Amber Nelson participate in Bushwick's absurdly meaningless Trophy Awards;
and comedy giant Chris Gethard performs at Myrtle Comedy, and also appears tonight on NBC's Seth Meyers

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

[TOP PICK] 6:30 pm ($5): A small army of UCB performers—Brandon Scott Jones, Keisha Zollar, Veronica Osorio, John Early, Amanda Seales, and lots more—perform comedic characters before Comedy Central casting folk at the UCB East theatre: Comedy Central Character Showcase

6:30 pm-12:30 am ($8 per show or $60 for festival pass): Tonight kicks off a four-day sketch comedy festival playing at both the upstairs theatre and downstairs lounge of The PIT, with individual shows costing $8 and an all-you-can-see festival pass costing $60: New York City Sketch Festival

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1) hones her blend of stand-up and storytelling titled 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad one last night at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Laurie Kilmartin

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($41 & 2-drink min.) Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand-ups of all time, with a special gift for crafting dark and shocking short jokes, and a lightning-quick mind that allows him to play with any audience in the moment. This genius Emmy-nominated comic is the star of Comedy Central series The Jeselnik Offensive, former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon, and has also performed on Conan O'Brien, HBO, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and his great comedy CDs Shakespeare and Caligula. Anthony is headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: The Greatest: Anthony Jeselnik

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:45, 8:00, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's comics include Colin Quinn and Greer Barnes at the 7:45 show; Ryan Hamilton, Dan Soder, Greer Barnes, and Jessica Kirson at the 8:00 show; Todd Barry, Ryan Hamilton, Nick Griffin, Greer Barnes, Jessica Kirson, and Dan Soder (hosting) at the 9:30 show; and Kurt Metzger, Paul Mecurio, and Big Jay Oakerson at the 11:30 show, with three of the shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) and the 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Thursday

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Chris Gethard (comedy genius; Broad City, Conan O'Brien, The Office, IFC; star of The Chris Gethard Show; author of A Bad Idea I'm About to Do and Weird New York, plus My Comedy Album), Kate Berlant (MTV, IFC, CNN, host of Crime & Punishment, notable hair), John Early (30 Rock, Ars Nova's Showgasm), Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion), and Maeve Higgins (visiting from the UK) performing at this show for stand-up plus sketch at Brooklyn's Splitty (415 Myrtle Avenue) hosted by Larry Murphy (brilliant voiceover actor for FOX's Bob's Burgers, Comedy Central's Ugly Americans, Adult Swim's Assy McGee and Home Movies, and numerous other shows) and/or Greg Johnson (Sirius XM): Myrtle Comedy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): An absurd evening of awards for nothing, featuring superb comics Aparna Nancherla (delightfully wry, lightning-quick, and razor-sharp rising star; Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, former writer/performer for FX's Totally Biased), Jo Firestone (dynamic rising star; host of Punderdome 3000 and The Incredible Game Show Showcase), Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupes Murderfist and The Prom), sketch duo Good Cop Great Cop, and more, plus musical guest Guntit, at Brooklyn's Radio Bushwick (22 Wyckoff Avenue): The First Annual Bushwick Trophy Awards

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): On this opening day of New York Comic Con, hosts Justin Tyler (Comic Book Club) and Michael Hartney (Legs For Days) pay tribute to superheroes with the help of about a dozen sketch/improv performers—including Pat Baer, Abby Holland, Siobhan Thompson, Alan Starzinski, and Brian Faas—plus possibly guests fresh from the con floor, all at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The UCB 52 Now: A Comic Con Comedy Show

[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 How to Beat Up Anybody), Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language), Graham Kay, and Crystian Ramirez performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Laurie Kilmartin, Jessica Kirson, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-Midnight ($10 for the entire evening): The Magnet house improv groups Junior Varsity and The Boss performing improv for an hour, followed at 9:00 pm by The Senses (improv focused on the stimulation and deprivation of taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound), at 10:00 pm by veteran improvisors making up scenes based on improvised monologues from storyteller Chris Duffy at The Armando Diaz Experience, and finally at 11:00 by improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component): The Magnet's Night Out

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome. Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Brandon Scott Wolf (contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Sara Roan, Tonedeff, Leanne Linsky, Gastor Almonte, and Naomi Karavani performing stand-up, plus music from The Supreme Super Surprise Mystery Crew, all at Brooklyn's Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Deepak Ananthapadmanabha & Hiram Becker: AbeMixture

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Amanda Seales (VH1's Best Week Ever; co-host of Smart, Funny, and Black), Shakir Standley, Ahri FIndling, and KC Arora performing stand-up at Poco Restaurant & Bar (33 Avenue B at 3rd Street) produced by Jawann Carmona, Sooyah Jun, Cassidy Kirch, and Zardon Richardson: FTH Comedy

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) joking about their culture—Jewish, African-American, Asian, geek, whatever—at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City : The Black Bar Mitzvah

8:30 pm ($5): Barry Rothbart (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, MTV's Punk'd, IFC's Do Whatever), Selena Coppock (author of book The New Rules for Blondes, host of Connotation), Julio Julio ("tofu-based comedian"), Nick Flanagan, and more performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Ashley Brooke Roberts and/or Jim Tews: Fresh Out

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome. Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Brandon Scott Jones (possibly the finest male comedic character actor at UCBT; top improv group Grandma's Ashes, top sketch group Stone Cold Fox, and many other shows), Jamie Kilstein (Conan O'Brien, CNN, MSNBC, and Showtime, writes for The Huffington Post, and co-hosts Citizen Radio), and Darin Patterson perform stand-up and then discuss bad movies at Videology (308 Bedford Avenue) hosted by John Murray & Matt Fisher—tonight also featuring a "Low Key T-Shirt Costume Content:" Low Standards with John & Matt

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Andrew Schulz (MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (amazing human boombox; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme, co-host of Battlicious), plus stand-up from Kevin Iso, Liza Treyger, and Travon Free at the UCB Chelsea theatre hosted by a popular comedy site: College Humor Live

[TOP PICK] 10:00 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 How to Beat Up Anybody), Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Laurie Kilmartin (writer for Conan O'Brien; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central, VH1), Crystian Ramirez, and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Mike Lawrence, Laurie Kilmartin, and More

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Justin Williams & Akash Bhasin: Death Comedy Jam

10:30 pm ($5): Ben Kissel (MTV, Spike TV; Murderfist, The Last Podcast on the Left, Roundtable of Gentlemen), Shakir Standley (MTV's Wild N' Out), and Jason Burke performing stand-up at this weekly show hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera (for a very special one-minute set at Carolines, please click here), Charles Gould, and Dan Licata at the UCB East theatre: Dan + Joe + Charles' Show

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): After five victories Harold Night improv group The Enemy surrendered its crown last week to Lloyd team Rizzo, which won with an audience vote of 93-66. Tonight Rizzo faces UCB East Monday night group Improv Nerds, competing for your laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea in the raucous Cage Match

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] 5:30 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 Sarah Tollemache and/or Paul Oddo: Thursday Night Open Mic Stand-Up

[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

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] 7:00 pm: Weekly open mic that provides 5 minutes for each audience member whose name is pulled out of a bucket to perform a true story, sketch, or characters at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by JiJi Lee: Split Personality Open Mic Storytelling & Sketch

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 (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In

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

9:30 pm (free for audience members, $5 or 1 drink min. for stand-ups wanting to perform): Open mic stand-up providing 7 minutes per comic (and a free recording of your set!), with order determined raffle-style. Sign up by emailing info@oldmanhustle.com or calling (212) 253-7747, or just walk in and supply your name, to perform at the Old Man Hustle Bar (39 Essex Street) hosted by Solomon Chehebar: Peep Show Comedy Open Mic

[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3-5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Josh Alba: Mic and Cheese

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$20)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

This Theater
(154 West 29th Street; new venue that, at its best, features shows comparable to UCB & PIT; free-$12)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/10/14

TV Alert: Chelsea Handler is on David Letterman;
Nick Kroll is on Jimmy Fallon;
Martin Short is Jimmy Kimmel (repeated from 9/30);
Andy Samberg and Roy Wood Jr. are on Seth Meyers (repeated from 9/25)

Anthony Jeselnik  Morgan Murphy

Two of my all-time favorite stand-ups perform tonight: Anthony Jeselnik headlines at 7:30 and 10:00 at Carolines,
and Morgan Murphy performs at the 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm shows at The Stand

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

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm-12:45 am ($8 per show or $60 for festival pass): This second night of a four-day sketch comedy festival is playing at both the upstairs theatre and downstairs lounge of The PIT, with individual shows costing $8 and an all-you-can-see festival pass costing $60: New York City Sketch Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's comics include Colin Quinn, Greer Barnes, and Lenny Marcus at the 7:00 show; Colin Quinn, Ryan Hamilton, Greer Barnes, and Lenny Marcus at the 8:00 show; Colin Quinn, Greer Barnes, Lenny Marcus, and Mike Yard (hosting) at the 8:45 show; Ryan Hamilton, Keith Alberstadt, Russ Meneve, Nick Griffin, Greer Barnes, and Mike Yard (hosting) at the 10:30 show; and Todd Barry, Paul Mecurio, Ryan Hamilton, Keith Alberstadt, and Big Jay Oakerson at the 12:15 show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) except for the 8:00 pm show at Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Comedy Cellar Friday

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 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): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, co-star of feature film The Wrestler, star of delightful documentary The Crowd Work Tour), Andrew Schulz (MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

7:00 pm ($7): "Justin Peters & Kelly Buttermore present a night of sketch & improv comedy inspired by Joni Mitchell's acclaimed 1971 album Blue, one of the least funny albums of all time" at The Magnet theatre: From Justin to Kelly Ruin Joni Mitchell's Blue

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($41 & 2-drink min.) Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand-ups of all time, with a special gift for crafting dark and shocking short jokes, and a lightning-quick mind that allows him to play with any audience in the moment. This genius Emmy-nominated comic is the star of Comedy Central series The Jeselnik Offensive, former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon, and has also performed on Conan O'Brien, HBO, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and his great comedy CDs Shakespeare and Caligula. Anthony is headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: The Greatest: Anthony Jeselnik

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisor John Lutz (cast member of 30 Rock; staff writer for Seth Meyers, and previously six years as staff writer for Saturday Night Live; John and Scott) and Peter Grosz (staff writer for Seth Meyers, previously staff writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials) perform duo improv as 2 Square

[TOP PICK] 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—at the UCB East theatre: Bucky: Here and Now

[FREE] 7:30 pm: Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome. Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Barry Rothbart (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, MTV's Punk'd, IFC's Do Whatever), Josh Gondelman (HBO's Last Week Tonight), Mike Recine (Conan O'Brien), Luke Thayer (Tyra Banks; co-host of The Living Room), and Jonathan Randall performing stand-up at the One and One Bar's Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Jeff Cerulli: Industry Night: Myq Kaplan, Barry Rothbart, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($20; no min.): An all-star lineup of Morgan Murphy (fresh, brilliant, and fearlessly dark; The Comedians of Comedy; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon and CBS' Two Broke Girls; stellar comedy album Irish Goodbye), Al Madrigal (correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno), Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; Adult Swim; albums Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person and upcoming Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn; host of Night Train), Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Dan Soder (smart, edgy rising star; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), and Michelle Buteau (FOX's Enlisted, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, VH1's Best Week Ever, @midnight) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Morgan Murphy, Al Madrigal, Wyatt Cenac, Mike Lawrence, Dan Soder, Big Jay Oakerson, and Michelle Buteau

8:00 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome. Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupes Murderfist and The Prom), Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker, blogger for Comedy Central), Josh Gondelman (HBO's Last Week Tonight), Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), and Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up, plus music from DJ Jerry Emeka, at Rockbar NYC (185 Christopher Street) produced by Gary Levitt & Matt Schwartzer and hosted tonight by Chrissie Mayr: I Don't Get It Stand-Up: Myq Kaplan, Amber Nelson, Erik Bergstrom, and More

[FREE] 8:00 pm: A short comedic play in which "disgraced journalist Clay Fishman finds out our world is not what it seems and reptile aliens control every aspect of our society. With the help of his teenage daughter Tallie and crackpot conspiracy theorist J.J. Jones, Clay goes on an adventure spanning time and space to save mankind" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Terrible Them

[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 Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, improv troupe Salmon Diane, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, Natasha Rothwell, Brandon Gardner, Lydia Hensler, Christian Capozzoli, Abra Tabak, and/or Shaun Diston at the UCB East theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show

[FREE—plus FREE DRINKS! Reserve seats by emailing BRITPACKRENTALS@GMAIL.COM with subject COP THRILLER] 9:00 pm for free drinks & snacks, 9:30 pm for show: Stand-up from Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; host of WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; HBO, Comedy Central, NPR, bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake, author of Tasteful Nudes), Roger Hailes (Jimmy Fallon, Chappelle's Show, MTV; writer for VH1's Best Week Ever and FUSE's A Different Spins; Web series Mansome), Charles Gould, Lisa Sobin, and Brett Osinoff, and character comedy from Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives, The Tony and Johnny Show) at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Hoff Matthews & Lukas Kaiser: HP5000 Live Comedy: Dave Hill, Anthony Atamanuik, and More

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Adam Newman (David Letterman, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, host of Big Long Sets), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, Chelsea Lately, writer for MTV's Girl Code, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive Comedy and Stripped Stories), Emmy Blotnick (blogger for Jimmy Fallon, MTV's Nikki and Sara Live, VH1's Best Week Ever), and Dustin Wesley performing stand-up at this free weekly show at Brooklyn's The Cobra Club (6 Wyckoff Avenue) hosted by Erik Bergstrom, Ben Kronberg, and/or John F. O'Donnell: Live From Outer Space

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($20; no min.): The wonderful Morgan Murphy (fresh, brilliant, and fearlessly dark; The Comedians of Comedy; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon and CBS' Two Broke Girls; stellar comedy album Irish Goodbye), Al Madrigal (correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno), Wyatt Cenac (former star correspondent for The Daily Show; Adult Swim; albums Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person and upcoming Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn; host of Night Train), Dan Soder (smart, edgy rising star; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Michelle Buteau (FOX's Enlisted, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Craig Ferguson, VH1's Best Week Ever, @midnight), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Morgan Murphy, Al Madrigal, Wyatt Cenac, Dan Soder, Big Jay Oakerson, Michelle Buteau, and Sherrod Small

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Comedy trio Eli Sairs, Joel Walkowski, and Jeff Wesselschmidt performs at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Wildcats

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Matt Koff (writer for The Daily Show), Casey Jost (Head Writer of truTV's Impractical Jokers, former writer for Jimmy Fallon), Dan Koren (PBS), and Ian Fidance performing stand-up, sketch, storytelling, or improv at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D'Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Kelly Hudson, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Superb improvisors Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Dan Klein, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and/or Conner O'Malley—who this year defeated The Stepfathers and thoroughly crushed another troupe at Cage Match before losing by a single vote—make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): This monthly stand-up, storytelling, and carny show brings the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, with storytelling from host Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life) and Mara Wilson, stand-up from Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central; sketch troupes Murderfist and The Prom) and Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!), bullwhip/lasso tricks by Chris McDaniel, burlesque from Ruby Joule & Kendra Warmolt, and grindcore music from Vomit Fist (yes, seriously), all at the UCB East theatre: And I Am Not Lying

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Midnight: Pot stand-up from "highly talented comics who have been highly recommended from people who are thought highly of in the business. Oh, and they'll be high" at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre typically hosted by Clayton English & Noah Gardenswartz: High Five

Friday 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

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 with host Eli Sairs: The Orphanage

[FREE] 7:00 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 Sarah Tollemache and/or Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Open Mic

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open-mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

[FREE] 11:30 pm: In preparation for the Sixth Annual New York Musical Improv Festival, a full band helps audience members belt out tunes at The Magnet theatre: The 6th Annual NYMIF Live Band Karaoke

[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 hosted by members of Maude group Moriarty: Liquid Courage

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 10/11/14

TV Alert: Bill Hader hosts Saturday Night Live at 11:29 on NBC

MurderfistMurderfistMurderfist

A free panel on women in comedy at 1:00 pm, and Murderfist at 11:00 pm, are among the highlights of Day #3 of The PIT's Sketch Festival...

Loopy by Robert Sikoryak‎ & Todd Alcott Kevin Geeks Out About Comic Con

...and Kevin Maher presents an amazing array of pop culture SF/fantasy/comic book lectures
free if you present the admission image (above right) at the door—at Kevin Geeks Out About Comic Con

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] 1:00 pm-Midnight ($8 per show or $60 for festival pass): This third day of a four-day sketch comedy festival is playing at both the upstairs theatre and downstairs lounge of The PIT, with individual shows costing $8 and an all-you-can-see festival pass costing $60. Highlights include a free panel about Women In Comedy at 1:00 pm and ace sketch group Murderfist at 11:00: New York City Sketch Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 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): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, co-star of feature film The Wrestler, star of delightful documentary The Crowd Work Tour), Andrew Schulz (MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm, 8:45 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:15 pm, 12:15 am, and 1:15 am ($20-$24 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's comics include Colin Quinn, Ryan Hamilton, Lenny Marcus, and Jessica Kirson at the 7:00 show; Colin Quinn, Ryan Hamilton, Greer Barnes, and Jessica Kirson at the 7:15 show; Colin Quinn and Dane Cook at the 8:45 show; Colin Quinn, Dane Cook, Ryan Hamilton, and Greer Barnes at the 9:15 show; Dane Cook, Greer Barnes, Lenny Marcus, Jessica Kirson, and Mike Yard (hosting) at the 10:30 show; Dane Cook, Greer Barnes, Big Jay Oakerson, and Lenny Marcus at the 11:15 show; and Ryan Hamilton, Nick Griffin, Greer Barnes, Big Jay Oakerson, Jessica Kirson, Sam Morril, and Mike Yard (hosting) at the 12:15 show, with four of the 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

[FREE] 7:00 pm: A short comedic play in which "disgraced journalist Clay Fishman finds out our world is not what it seems and reptile aliens control every aspect of our society. With the help of his teenage daughter Tallie and crackpot conspiracy theorist J.J. Jones, Clay goes on an adventure spanning time and space to save mankind" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: The Terrible Them

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ($41 & 2-drink min.) Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand-ups of all time, with a special gift for crafting dark and shocking short jokes, and a lightning-quick mind that allows him to play with any audience in the moment. This genius Emmy-nominated comic is the star of Comedy Central series The Jeselnik Offensive, former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon, and has also performed on Conan O'Brien, HBO, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and his great comedy CDs Shakespeare and Caligula. Anthony is headlining tonight through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: The Greatest: Anthony Jeselnik

7:30 pm ($10): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, and more at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here

7:30 pm ($10): Sharp Magnet improvisors "perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:" The Weave

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm (FREE when you present the image in the upper right of this page): Kevin Maher brings back his genius show Kevin Geeks Out in homage to Comic Con, with pop culture guests R. Sikoryak (writer/illustrator of brilliant book series Masterpiece Comics), Nick Nadel (writer for The Onion), Rusty Ward (YouTube's Science Friction, redneck comic Jeff Balrogworthy), screenwriter M. Sweeney-Lawless, Professor Geoff Klock, and more performing at The Studio at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues): Kevin Geeks Out About Comic Con

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12): Choice film clips and live performances pay homage to Wonder Woman, featuring Cyndi Freeman, Geoff Klock, Ariel Italic, and host Tom Blunt, all at Brooklyn's Union Hall: Bullets and Bracelets: A Tribute to Wonder Woman

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20; 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 How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Big Jay Oakerson, Jessica Kirson, and More

[FREE] 8:00 pm: This show-and-tell event encourages you to "bring your weird family photos, demonstrate how many flips you can do in a row, reveal the tattoo your uncle gave you at last year's family retreat—share anything crazy, kooky, strange or insane; the best of the best will win prizes and bragging rights," plus stand-up from Sue Smith, Correy Reppond, the show's producer Lukas Kaiser, and more, all at Brooklyn's Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Ian Fidance & Lizzie Martinez: Showcasey Jones

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Improv group Airwolf—which includes such talents as Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, John Frusciante, and Emily Axford, and in 2012 crushed 15 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let's Go Back to Your Place

[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

9:00 pm ($10): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Brendan Eyre, Evan Davis, Luke Thayer, Justin Williams, Naomi Karavani, Noah Savage, and Trey Galyon performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre guest-hosted (while Peggy O'Leary's out of town) by Lucas Connolly: Hard, Lonely, and Vicious

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Langan Kingsley (rising star; sketch group Beige, one-woman show The Dicewoman Cometh), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Aaron Jackson (Fuck That Shit, Newsadoozies), Tracey Wigfield (former writer for 30 Rock), Nate Dern (News Editor for Funny or Die), and more form an ace improv group at UCB East that won last year's prestigious Cage Match championship by springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20; no min.): T.J. Miller (red-hot comedic actor & hilarious sketch comic; David Letterman, co-star of HBO's Silicon Valley and former ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-star of numerous movies including Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Cloverfield, and Get Him to the Greek; for video samples, please click here), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): T.J. Miller, Big Jay Oakerson, Jessica Kirson, and More

[$] 10:00 pm ($20): 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] 10:30 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

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors Nick Kanellis & Elana Fishbein make up scenes at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: "Starting in 1982, the city of Atlanta threw an annual party called Freaknik which essentially became the largest black spring break party in the country. The party became so big and wild that the city shut it down for good in 1996. But comedians Andy Sandford and Noah Gardenswartz are bringing Freaknik back...to Long Island City. 'Comedy Freaknik' will be a lot like the original Freaknik, except it’s going to happen once a month, and it will be a comedy show hosted by three white guys. That’s basically the only difference" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Freaknik

11:30 pm ($5): Jim Santangeli and Charles Gould are guests, while Anthony Apruzzese and a mob of other comics perform sketch at this hybrid variety/talk show co-hosted by Josh Sharp (GUMP) at the UCB East theatre: Showtime with Anthony Apruzzese

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Genius storytelling from Elna Baker (bestselling author of comedic book The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance; NPR's This American Life; writer for Glamour, Elle; for sample tales, please click here), stand-up from Mike Drucker (Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney's) and Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central), and characters from David Ebert (sketch group Alamo), all performing at UCB Chelsea with hosts Andy Rocco & Steven Slate: Underground Americana

Saturday Open Mics and Jams

[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"), with sign-up at 3:30 pm, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Raj Sivaraman & Sam Evanshost: The Amateur Hour

[FREE] 5:30 pm: Walk-in open mic comedy show—stand-up, character, or funny story—providing 5 minutes per comic at The Fifth Estate Bar (506 5th Avenue, off 12th Street) hosted by Meghan O'Keefe: Open Mic-hael Douglas

5:30 pm ($5): Walk-in open mic, with sign-up at 5:15 pm and each stand-up performing for 5 minutes, at the Comedy Village Comedy Club (107 MacDougal Street): Comedy Village

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 10/12/14

Andy Kaufman Andy Kaufman Andy Kaufman

Chris Gethard and UCB East celebrate a legendary comic at the Andy Kaufman Festival and The Andy Kaufman Award

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] 2:00 pm-11:30 pm ($8 per show): This final day of a four-day sketch comedy festival is playing at both the upstairs theatre and downstairs lounge of The PIT, with each show costing $8: New York City Sketch Festival

[TOP PICK] [$] 4:00 pm ($15): Comedy genius Chris Gethard honors Andy Kaufman, and hosts performers who he believes are in some way carrying on Andy's tradition of subversive comedy—including Jo Firestone, Brett Davis, Dan Crossley, Brian Hubble, and Marcus Monroe—at the UCB East theatre: Andy Kaufman Festival

[FREE] 5:30 pm: A mix of longform, shortform, and musical improv from five groups, typically including Mishmash, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Michael Venzor: The Long and Short of It

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm ($5; no min.): Liz Miele (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Damaged) tapes her stand-up comedy CD—preserving your laughs for eternity—with warm-up comics Adrienne Iapalucci (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, VH1) and Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, Totally Biased), all performing at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Liz Miele Comedy Album Taping at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 10:30 pm and 12:15 pm ($14 per show, plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight's comics include a great lineup of Colin Quinn, Ryan Hamilton, and Greer Barnes at the 7:00 show; Colin Quinn, Ryan Hamilton, Nick Griffin, Greer Barnes, Colin Jost, Lynne Koplitz, and Gina Yashere (hosting) at the 8:45 show; Dane Cook, Keith Alberstadt, Greer Barnes, and Lynne Koplitz at the 10:30 show; and Nikki Glaser, Sam Morril, Joe List, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 12:15 show, with all shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Sunday

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Ben Kissel (MTV, Spike TV; Murderfist, The Last Podcast on the Left, Roundtable of Gentlemen) hones a long stand-up set every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Ben Kissel

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($41 & 2-drink min.) Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand-ups of all time, with a special gift for crafting dark and shocking short jokes, and a lightning-quick mind that allows him to play with any audience in the moment. This genius Emmy-nominated comic is the star of Comedy Central series The Jeselnik Offensive, former writer/performer for Jimmy Fallon, and has also performed on Conan O'Brien, HBO, a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, and his great comedy CDs Shakespeare and Caligula. Anthony is headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: The Greatest: Anthony Jeselnik

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($15): Comedy genius Chris Gethard hosts this annual show in which finalists for The Andy Kaufman Award perform and a winner is chosen. In past years the judges have often been imbeciles, ignoring such perfect choices as Joe Pera from even being allowed into the competition. That said, Chris' presence is reason enough to attend; plus TV & movie star T.J. Miller will also be performing, along with the 2014 contestants (in alphabetical order) Lucy Cottrell, Killy Dwyer, Amir Gollan, Alana Johnston, Dru Johnston, Nathan Min, and Pam Murphy. This show is officially sold out, but you can probably get in if you arrive early and are okay with standing at the UCB East theatre: The Andy Kaufman Award

[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 Chris Gethard, and occasionally network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSSCAT 3000

7:30 pm ($7): Sketch comedy groups Baby Shoes and Wendigo perform new material at The Magnet theatre: Magnet Sketch Teams

[FREE] 7:30 pm: This monthly show gathers comics that are all from the same New York location, with tonight's borough The Bronx, and the stand-ups Jawann Carmona, Maribeth Mooney, Debbie Bazza, and Ajani Thompson—plus "token" non-Bronx resident Jeffrey Joseph (Jay Leno, HBO, FOX's In Living Color, Comedy Central)—performing at the HiFi Bar (169 Avenue A) hosted by Calvin S. Cato & Jackie Jax: The Natives Are Friendly

8:00 pm ($5): Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy, and rapidly rising star; finalist on Last Comic Standing; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, comedy CDs Small, Dork, and Handsome. Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot), Jeff Maurer, Brad Austin, Ryan Reiss, Kristin Rand, Tyson Karrasch, and Julia Johns performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It

8:00 pm ($5): Stand-up from Andy Fiori: (Sirius XO's Comedy by Request), Dava Krause (The Ghost Shrink), Emily Fleming, and Jillian Green, characters from Michael Delisle and Rosie Guarino, sketch from Kokomo, and comedic counseling from Viviana Cortez, all performing at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ali Levin: Sunday Sessions

9:00 pm ($7): An all-gal improv group creates visceral scenes on the spot at the Magnet theatre: The Stank

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups attempt to "out-filth each other in this show where no punches are pulled and no topics are off limits" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Luis J. Gomez: The Dirt

[TOP PICK] [$] 11:00 pm ($15; no min.): Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up, comedy album Sadamantium), Barry Rothbart (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, MTV's Punk'd, IFC's Do Whatever), Nate Bargatze (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents), Pete Lee (Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Damien Lemon (Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Guy Court), and Mike Vecchione (Jay Leno, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Gary Gulman, Mike Lawrence, Barry Rothbart, Nate Bargatze, 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 at 3:45), providing 3 minutes or more per comic at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by James Ferrarella: Face-Plant Comedy Open Mic

6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic's 5-minute set at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet hosted by Sebastian Conelli. Everyone who signs up—at 9:45 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress

[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' Long Island City hosted by Christi Chiello: Lance Bass Space Mic

[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

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Comic Strip Live
(1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Stand Up NY
(236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

 

 

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