NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 4/7/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
the perfect comedy show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set
and around 30 comics crammed into 2½ hours—at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),
superb stand-up comics Victor Varnado, Leo Allen, Marjorie Malpass, and Ritch Duncan
at Liam McEneaney's free show Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),
political sketch comedy, plus an interview with bestselling author Luc Sante
(Kill All Your Darlings) at Liz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger (8:00 pm),
the magical Livia Scott delivering a brilliant performance in her one-woman show about OJ Simpson fans,
and smartly silly sketch comedy from Sidecar, in Goodnight, O.J. and This One's for the Losers (9:30 pm),
and a great free show featuring guests Gabe & Jenny, Matt McCarthy, Chris O'Connor of Fearsome,
Aaron Glaser of Blitzkrieg!, sketch troupe Old Rich People, and film director Peter Jackson (sorta)
joining hilarious sketch comedy troupe A Week of Kindness (10:00 pm).
Lottery-style open mic for stand-up comics trying out material,
with 4½ minutes per performer...in return for a $5 contribution to the weekly prize kitty.
(In addition, Ochi's 1-item food or drink minimum applies to everyone.)
A breathtaking 30+ comics perform in this 2½ hour show; producer
John Morrison (above) has described it as "comedy on crack."
If you're seeking consistent laughs, this might not be the best way to spend
your evening. But if you're patient and adventurous, it's a potentially wild ride.
And if you're a performer looking for some stage time, it's a nice opportunity.
Plus if you stick around till the show's end to support your fellow comics,
you have a chance at winning the cash from the kitty, along with smaller prizes.
Ochi's Motel is hosted & booked by Sean Donnelly and Joe Powers.
To be entered into the weekly random drawing for performers,
please send email to ochismotel[at]gmail.com.
There are two shows tonight, at 6:30 and 9:00 pm (with entirely different sets of comics).
6:30 pm & 9:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Victor Varnado, Leo Allen, and Marjorie Malpass
This free weekly comedy show is produced by Liam McEneaney (VH1's Best Week Ever,
Comedy Central's Premium Blend, former writer for Standup Nation with Greg Giraldo).
Tonight's host is Ritch Duncan (co-founder of humor magazine Jest; former writer for Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update and Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn).
And the superb stand-up comedy guests are
Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City).
Victor Varnado (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NBC's My Name is Earl, Chicago City Limits; wrote and directed the movie Twist the Cap, starring Charlie Murphy; for a stand-up sample, please click here), and
Marjorie Malpass (award-winning stand-up, improvisor, theatre performer; voiceover actress for such animated series as Dragon Tales, First Gundam, and Tonka Town).
8:00ish pm at Lolita Bar, 226 Broome Street (between Allen and Orchard Streets); free
Nearest subway stops are Delancey Street via the F or Delancey-Essex via the J/M/Z.
Amy Beckerman, Gloria Bigelow, Jackie Monahan, and Leah Dubie
Free gay-themed stand-up comedy show featuring the gals above
as regulars/hosts, plus tonight's fine guests:
Jenny Rubin, Rachel Parenta, H. Alan Scott, and Chris Sifflet.
8:00 pm at RubyFruit Bar & Grill, 531 Hudson Street (between West 10th & Charles);
no cover, one item (food or drink) minimum
Luc Sante, author of Kill All Your Darlings; and STM host Lizz Winstead
Lizz Winstead is co-creator and former head writer of the original The Daily Show; former Executive VP of Air America Radio; and a performer on such shows as Comedy Central Presents and HBO's Women of the Night. (She's also a character; e.g., for a memorable anti-apology after canceling her appearance on the live NYC show Drink at Work, please click here.)
Tonight's guest is bestselling author Luc Sante. His latest essay & reviews collection is Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces, 1990-2005, which Booklist described as follows: "Creative social critic Sante has electrifying things to say about intriguing subjects, ranging from New Year's to Walker Evans, but it is his feint-and-jab prose that makes him noteworthy. At once tough in his thinking, empathic in his analysis, and liberated in expression, Sante selects barbed details, tunes in to danger and suspense, and dispenses wry humor and sure insight. In a memoirist mode, he chronicles a precollege stint in a small and brutal plastic factory in New Jersey, and writes evocatively about living in New York during its decline in the 1970s and 1980s and under Giuliani. His passion for music inspires a fresh look at the blues, a sharp assessment of Bob Dylan, and a caustic takedown of the Woodstock myth. Revisiting Victor Hugo and Rene Magritte yields unexpected results, as does an inquiry into the many meanings of dope."
To get a feel for STM, please view a fun interview with cartoonist David Rees by clicking here
and read a March 2008 New York Times article about the show by clicking here.
8:00 pm at The Green Room, 45 Bleecker Street (off Lafayette); tickets are $12.50
Nearest subway stop is Bleecker Street on the #6 (which brings you virtually to the door of the theatre)
and Broadway-Lafayette on the F/V/D/B.
Livia Scott in Goodnight, OJ; and Matt Fisher, Alden Ford, and Justin Tyler of Sidecar
Livia Scott: Goodnight, O.J. and Sidecar: This One's for the Losers
Two wonderful sketch shows for a mere five bucks.
Brilliant comedic chameleon Livia Scott (Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
world-class sketch group Meat, Livia's Castle of Enchantment), wrote and performs
this superb ECNY Award-nominated one-woman show, described as follows:
"In 1994, while he was in prison and on trial for murder, O.J. Simpson received
over 300,000 letters. To help pay for his defense and gain public support,
he had them published in a book called I Want to Tell You by O.J. Simpson: My Response
to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions. Alternately humorous, disturbing,
and poignant, Goodnight, O.J. explores the minds of the people who wrote him."
The idea is clever; but Livia's thoughtful choices and hilarious performance make this truly special...and recommended. For a video sample, please click here. Directed by
Baron Vaughn (MTV's The Gamekillers, VH1's Best Week Ever, Shoot the Messenger).
The double-bill then continues with absurdly fun sketch/improv troupe Sidecar,
which consists of very talented & brave comedic trio Alden Ford, Matt Fisher, and Justin Tyler.
The official description: "A lot of sketch shows are for guys like David Beckham and George Clooney, but not this one. This one's for the rest of us, this one's for you, This One's For The Losers." For a sample sketch about their interrogation technique, please click here.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Dan Hopper, Mike Still, and Nate Kushner
Hilarious sketch troupe A Week of Kindness—consisting of Dan Hopper, Nate Kushner, and Mike Still—host this new monthly comedy extravaganza. To understand why these guys richly deserve their own show, please check out their videos on tiny folk The Thumblettes, a gripping science fiction saga, and Purple People Eater implants by clicking here, here, and here. Also consider Mike Still's motto: "When Oprah gives me opportunities, I call them Oprah-tunities.
And life is the greatest Oprah-tunity of all."
Tonight "famous director Peter Jackson will tell you some things you didn't know about the movies in his master film seminar." Joining the fun are these marvelous guests:
adorable and foul-mouthed Gabe Liedman & Jenny Slate (co-hosts of monthly Brooklyn live comedy show At Night with Gabe & Jenny; for hilarious Jenny video, please click here),
Matt McCarthy (razor-sharp comic; Comedy Central's Live at Gotham),
Chris O'Connor (member of world-class sketch troupe Fearsome, and thoroughly loveable chaotic force of nature who makes anything he appears in special),
Aaron Glaser (member of sketch troupe Blitzkrieg! and improv troupe Raynard),
and sketch troupe Old Rich People.
Why miss this Oprah-tunity to catch this terrific free show?
10:00 pm at Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street at Stanton; free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 4/8/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
lively & fun discussions about comic books, with guest Farel Dalrymple, at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
genius world-class comics Zach Galifianakis, Victor Varnado, and Jon Daly, and more,
at one of the finest comedy shows in NYC—and which you shouldn't miss, because afterwards
wonderful host Seth Herzog will be away for a few weeks entertaining troops in Iraq—Sweet (9:00 pm),
five women performing an improvised, and possibly tipsy, parody of The View at Focus (9:30 pm),
and two of the most hilarious improv troupes in the country: C, C + C Improv Factory and Derrick (11:00 pm).
Comics creator Farel Dalrymple
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's guest is comics creator Farel Dalrymple, whose both wrote & drew Pop Gun War, and has illustrated such series as Jud Winick's Caper and Matt Wagner's Grendel.
To get a feel for the smart, playful vibe of Comic Book Club, please check out its podcasts—
that is, audio recordings of previous shows in their entirety—by clicking here.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
The Harold is longform improv, pioneered by Del Close.
Tonight, five improv troupes—
Tantrum, Bastian, fwand, 1985, and Raynard—
each give it a go for 30 minutes, with
short breaks in between, for a total of 3 hours.
Some of the groups are great; some are less so. And this show
is designed more for students of improv than the general public.
But if you're interested, and patient, a mere $5 will buy you
a full evening's education...and periodic solid laughs.
8:00-11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
A new sketch comedy show by Lizzie Goldberg-Redner, Dave Maulbeck,
Lauren Olson, and Jana Schmieding. The official description:
"Inept characters and human folly give rise to this original compilation of sketches.
Employing witty transitions and the occasional dance number, Les Encompentent
is a fresh reminder of how silly sketch can become. "
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
genius world-class comics Zach Galifianakis, Victor Varnado, and Jon Daly, and more,
at one of the finest comedy shows in NYC—and which you shouldn't miss, because afterwards
wonderful host Seth Herzog will be away for a few weeks entertaining troops in Iraq—Sweet (9:00 pm),
Zach Galifianakis and Victor Varnado...
...and Nato Green, Seth Herzog, and Jon Daly
Hosted by the razor-sharp, dynamic, and hilarious Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).
Seth is one of the finest hosts around—and this is one of the best comedy shows in NYC.
Tonight will be Seth's last Sweet for several weeks because
he's headed to Iraq to entertain our troops. (Seriously.)
If you haven't been to this extravaganza for a while,
don't miss this special bon voyage party.
(If it wasn't for my Tuesday screenwriters workshop, I'd be there myself...)
Tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests include
Zach Galifianakis (flat-out comedy genius, and one of the giants of the biz;
numerous credits include Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
ABC's Jimmy Kimmel; film & tour Comedians of Comedy; Comedy Central's Dog Bites Man,
Reno 911!, and The Sarah Silverman Program; Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show
and Tom Goes to the Mayor; FOX's Boston Common and Tru Calling; upcoming
feature films What Happens in Vegas..., G-Force, and Little Fish, Strange Pond),
Victor Varnado (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NBC's My Name is Earl, Chicago City Limits; wrote and directed the movie Twist the Cap, starring Charlie Murphy; for a stand-up sample, please click here),
Jon Daly (member of superstar improv group Mother; recently wrapped acting in feature comedy films College Road Trip and Stick It Detroit; for samples of Jon's unique work with partner Brett Gelman, please click here and here, and also check out their hip-hop
parody album Fleetwood Cracked...and keep an eye out for their just-completed
Cracked Out pilot for Comedy Central), and
Nato Green (San Francisco comic who bills himself as "brainy, liberal, and Jewish;"
for a stand-up video about politics, please click here).
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
This new weekly comedy show is a parody of The View that's mostly improvised by performers
Brigid Boyle, Emily Bryan, Nicole Cascio, Caroline Ficksman, and Alexis Saarela.
The official description:
"Hey, Darlings! Come sit down with a cup of coffee (or perhaps a martini) and join the panel
of five of New York's most talkative and opinionated women as they discuss the week's events,
and interview alluring guests from the worlds of literature, politics, comedy, and more.
This show will keep you in Focus. Let's talk about issues, over drinks!"
9:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
and 
C, C + C Improv Factory and Derrick
Two brilliant improv troupes for a mere five bucks.
The hilarious C, C + C Improv Factory—consisting of Chuck Dauble (Chuck D. & Jawnee Show), Charlie Sanders (Conan O'Brien, Reuben Williams), and Charlie Todd (Improv Everywhere, Reuben Williams)—was the 2008 winner of Cage Match, a weekly event that's one of the most entertaining comedy shows in NYC. Cage Match is super-competitive, with almost every NYC improv troupe of note participating over the course of the year. That Charlie, Charlie, and Chuck came out on top says volumes about their witty inventiveness, talent, and determination.
Derrick is a star sketch & improv comedy troupe—consisting of Dominic Dierkes, Donald Glover, and DC Pierson—that last year won a breathtaking 11 improv battles in a row at Cage Match...and broke several all-time records while at it. These three young performers have amazing careers ahead of them. To sample their wildly popular YouTube videos, please click here and here and here.
These are two of the best improv groups in the country.
Expect a show that's special and memorable.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 4/9/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
exceptionally talented writers and performers telling very funny tales of woe about their television
rejections—with video clips from Survivor, American Idol, The Tyra Banks Show, and more—
at the wonderful Jon Friedman's The Rejection Show (8:00 pm),
NYC political comics offering the lighter side of the news in Laughing Liberally (8:30 pm),
open-mic stand-up in Queens' LIC at John F. O'Donnell's The Kingdom of Heaven (8:30 pm),
delicious comics Margaret Champagne, Joselyn Hughes, and Brooke Van Poppelen inviting
some of the coolest gals and guys they know for stand-up comedy fun at their Slumber Party (9:00 pm),
an unsettling sketch troupe and a soap opera improv troupe in the double-bill
Pangea 3000 Recommends the Beatles and Hot Lather (9:30 pm),
and a laid-back free show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
As Sparks Fly Upward: Stories->Improv->Sketch
This comedy troupe tells stories off the top of their heads, then improvises
scenes based on the tales...which may later turn into scripted sketches.
It's a clever way of crafting a sketch show organically, week by week—and you can
watch the whole process, at no charge. The group consists of Kevin Allison,
Chris Caniglia, Scott Eckert, Sarah Nowak, Nate Starkey, and Shelly Stover.
6:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Jon Friedman
Jon Friedman hosts a delightful parade of rejected material
by exceptional writers and performers.
Tonight's theme is "On-Air Television Rejections, Volume 1,"
featuring rejections, humiliations, eliminations, and failed footage, with
live tales and video clips from Survivor, American Idol, VH1, The Tyra Banks Show, and more.
There'll also be music from fabulous comedic rockabilly band The Defibulators.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Big Black Car and Fancy Dragon
This free weekly show features the two PIT improv teams above,
each of which performs for about 30 minutes. For a video sample of Big Black Car,
please click here; and for a video sample of Fancy Dragon, please click here.
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Laughing Liberally: The Iraq War 5th Anniversary Comedy Hour
Political humor, New York style, tonight focused on the 5th Anniversary
of the war in Iraq. And "while wood is the traditional gift,
we're delivering laughter instead...We laugh liberally to keep from crying."
Scheduled comics are Lee Camp, Nato Green (visiting from San Francisco),
Katie Halper, Jamie Kilstein, Baratunde Thurston, and Roger Weaver.
Hosted by and Elon James White.
8:30 pm at The Tank, 279 Church Street (bet. Franklin & White Streets); tickets are $10
John F. O'Donnell
Free open-mic stand-up comedy show in Queens' Long Island City
(just one stop from Manhattan on the #7 train).
Hosted by John F. O'Donnell (Comedy Central's Fresh Faces; for stand-up video, please click here),
a wild man who will make you love him...and who genuinely loves comedy and fellow comics.
If you're looking for stage time, John makes this a very friendly place to perform.
Sign-up for the open mic is at 7:30.
Tonight's guest headliner hasn't been announced, but it's usually a well-respected stand-up comic.
8:30 pm at The Creek and The Cave, 10-93 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens; free
From Manhattan, take the #7 subway to the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop (one stop after Grand Central);
exit on Jackson Avenue and walk one block north to 49th Avenue.
Your hosts Margaret Champagne, Joselyn Hughes, and Brooke Van Poppelen at...
This twice-monthly event is "the sort of variety show that happens when three girls
are delirious from staying up all night boozing and slap-happy from crank-calling!"
How can you resist? The lovely & hilarious hosts are
Margaret Champagne (Carolines, UCBT; for acting reel, please click here),
Joselyn Hughes (for video questioning the effectiveness of rape whistles, please click here), and
Brooke Van Poppelen (Carolines, Laugh Factory; for a video sample, please click here).
Tonight's stand-up comedy guests haven't been announced, but they're typically superb.
9:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Pangea 3000 Recommends the Beatles and Hot Lather
Two intriguing comedy shows for five bucks.
First up is sketch group Pangea 3000 performing a new set of routines that promise to at least partially (and oddly) involve the Beatles. The troupe consists of Andrew Cleary, Sam Kemmis, Dan Klein, Arthur Meyer, and Seth Reiss. To view two of their surreal tales of games guys play, involving whoopee cushions and tag, please click here and here.
The double-bill then continues with Hot Lather, an improv group that specializes
in the soap opera format. Its members include some powerhouse performers:
Mike Cavanaugh, Matt Fisher, Jon Gutierrez, Molly Lloyd, Anna Rubanova, Achilles Stamatelaky, Mike Still, Abra Tabak, Andree Vermeulen, and Paul Welsh,
with direction by Rob Webber.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood
The Faculty and The Baldwins and Sid Viscous
Some of the PIT's instructors—who include such talents as Ali Farahnakian,
Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Jen Nails, Pat Shay, Matt Donnelly, Kevin Scott,
Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood—perform improv for around 30 minutes.
And opening for them will be house improv troupes The Baldwins and Sid Viscous.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly—
but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun.
Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises,
that this free show makes possible.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 4/10/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
world-class storytellers Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Wade, and Kambri Crews, and superb stand-up comics
Claudia Cogan, Adam Newman, Becky Donohue, and John F. O'Donnell, telling funny
and sometimes poignant tales about their relatives at Sara Benincasa's Family Hour (7:30 pm),
one of the most charming & entertaining groups in NYC, recently off a sold-out three-city tour and winning
the ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act, performing a show about April Fools: The Apple Sisters (8:00 pm),
Jessica Chaffin & Jamie Denbo bringing their hit UCBT-LA show to NY: Ronna & Beverly's All Jew Revue (8:00 pm),
world-class stand-up John Mulaney, brilliant storyteller Chris Gethard, and others who might include
a comedy celeb, at the hilarious Joe Mande's & Noah Garfinkel's Totally J/K (8:30 pm),
guest comics Wendy Ho and MC Chris, and some of the freshest comedy, and finest timing,
in NYC from exceptional writers/performers duo Julie & Jackie (9:30 pm),
and brilliant improv troupe The Stepfathers competing tonight against UCBT Harold team Bastian
for audience laughs and votes at Cage Match (11:00 pm).
Adam Wade and happy children with "Aunt" Sara Benincasa...
...and Claudia Cogan, Kambri Crews, and Kumail Nanjiani...
...and Adam Newman, John F. O'Donnell, and Becky Donohue
A stand-up comedy show in which everyone tells jokes and/or stories related to
their family. Hosted by comic/actress Sara Benincasa (MTV's Choose or Lose Campaign;
host of Tub Talk with Sara B. on Nerve.com; for video sample, please click here).
Tonight's superb guests include
Kumail Nanjiani (rising stand-up comedy star; recently premiered terrific one-man show
about his being an atheist—for my review, please click here; to get a feel for Kumail's style,
please check out his very funny stand-up about the dark side of video games, odd memories,
and the many ways cell phones are eliminated in horror films by clicking here),
Adam Wade (stellar storyteller who's an 8-time StorySLAM champ
and 2006 GrandSLAM champ at The Moth),
Kambri Crews (luminous performer, stellar publicist & producer, and one of the most sharp, charming, and heartfelt comedic storytellers working in NYC; for Kambri's correspondence with her deaf dad, who's in a Texas prison for trying to stab his wife to death, please visit Web site LoveDaddy.org; for a video of Kambri reading her jailed dad's wedding toast, please click here),
Claudia Cogan (ECNY Award nominee for Best Female Stand-Up;
Logo Network, Sirius OutQ; for stand-up video about Claudia's aspirations to be
a stripper, please click here; for video about her being unemployed, please click here),
Adam Newman (CMT's Prankville'd, VH1's Best Week Ever blog, co-host of
NYC live comedy extravaganzas Street Meat and Faux Show;
host of weekly NYC live open-mic comedy show Blowtorch Slaughter;
half of musical comedy duo Uber Luber Death Metal),
Becky Donohue (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and
Shorties Watchin' Shorties; TLC's Trading Spaces; Fashion Police writer for US Weekly), and
John F. O'Donnell (wild man who will make you love him; Comedy Central's Fresh Faces;
host of biweekly Queens open-mic stand-up comedy show The Kingdom of Heaven;
for stand-up video, please click here).
7:30 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)