NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 12/3/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
an on-strike live edition of Comedy Central's beloved pseudo-news show The Colbert Report (6:30 pm),
another strike-based show, with stellar comedy writers from The Daily Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Late Show with David Letterman, and SNL; sponsored by Time Out New York, it's Strike Night! (7:30 pm),
hilarious stand-ups including AD Miles and Chelsea Peretti at The Gabe & Jenny Show (8:15ish pm),
and what's typically one of the most hilarious stand-up comedy shows in NYC—
but just happens to be free—Cavalcade! (11:00 pm).
The Colbert Report: On Strike!
The TV version of Comedy Central's acclaimed The Colbert Report
is on hold right now because of the Writers Guild strike.
The cast and writers have therefore decided to perform
their show live tonight at UCBT!
Advance reservations rapidly sold out; but if you're willing to wait
on a standby line, you can probably get in regardless
(though you may need to watch from the "standing room only' section).
6:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $20
Andy Secunda, John Oliver, and John Mulaney...
...and Maggie Carey and Liz Cackowski
Time Out New York's Strike Night!
Since the Writers Guild strike is keeping comedy writers from getting their material
on the air, Time Out New York had the lovely idea of hosting an event that
allows some of the best TV writer/performers in NYC to perform their stuff on stage.
Tonight's scheduled guests are
John Oliver (brilliant stand-up comic, wonderful news correspondent for
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, co-writer/star of The Department for BBC Radio 4),
Andy Secunda (writer/performer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien, member of
genius improv group The Swarm, creator/writer of UPN sitcom Love, Inc.),
John Mulaney (razor-sharp stand-up who's a hit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien;
VH1's Best Week Ever; for video samples, please click here and here),
Liz Cackowski (writer for Saturday Night Live, MTV Music Video Awards,
and writer/star of the delightful YouTube video series The Jeannie Tate Show),
Maggie Carey (freelance writer for Late Show with David Letterman, co-director
of Ladyporn, writer/director of acclaimed YouTube hit The Jeannie Tate Show),
and Joe Grossman (writer for Late Show with David Letterman).
To buy tickets online ($8 plus $3 service charge), please click here.
7:30 pm at Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery (at Spring Street); tickets are $8
Sketch comedy from Karl Greenberg and friends covering such topics as "a burger chain that flash cooks its burgers with nuclear weapons; a TV exec battling stiff competition from The Meat Channel; a car dealer in Tallahassee who faces mutiny from his own swimming pool; and a hospital patient who will die if he doesn't watch TV."
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
AD Miles, Gabe & Jenny, and Chelsea Peretti
Hosted by the adorable and foul-mouthed Gabe Liedman & Jenny Slate.
Expect the unexpected; and to be entertained by this sly, funny pair.
For a hilarious video starring the very sexy Jenny, please click here.
Tonight's terrific stand-up comic guests include
AD Miles (Human Giant, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Dog Bites Man,
Reno 911, TV Funhouse, legendary comedy troupe Stella);
Chelsea Peretti (member of superb comedy troupe Variety Shac; writer for Village Voice,
Details, Playgirl, Jest, blackpeopleloveus.com, and Rejection Line: 212/479-7990),
Sean O'Connor (co-host of the weekly show Smiletime with Sean and Shawn;
VH1; New York Post's Top 20 Entertainers to Watch For in 2006; upcoming album
Shmeat is Shmurder; for stand-up samples, please click here and here),
and Adam Cole-Kelly ("If your friend ever calls and says, 'Hey, wanna come over
and watch Cinderella Man?', it's important to determine whether or not
there is a comma between Cinderella and Man.").
8:15ish pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Jim Walsh's oral history of rock band The Replacements, and 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 Jim Walsh, author of the new interview-based
rock book The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting.
To get a feel for STM, view a fun interview with cartoonist David Rees by clicking here.
To buy tickets online (each $10 plus $2.50 service charge), please click here.
8:30 pm at Ace of Clubs, 9 Great Jones Street (3rd St. between Lafayette and Broadway); $10
This theatre is downstairs from the Acme restaurant. Nearest subway stops are
Bleecker Street on the #6 and Broadway-Lafayette on the F/V/D/B.
Igor on Strike and Up Late and Incarnate
Two sketch shows for five bucks.
Igor on Strike is written by Grace Randolph and
directed by the wonderful DC Pierson.
Its players are Drew Ammirati, Ed Brawley, Joey Burns,
Rob Goodman, Christine Nangle, and the author, Grace Randolph.
The second half of this double-bill is Up Late and Incarnate,
about which no information is available (but it sounds fun).
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Esther Silberstein: Pickled and Andrea Marshall-Money: I Was a Middle-Aged Teenager
Singles Night: Solo Performances
Two one-woman shows for five bucks.
First up is Esther Silberstein in Pickled.
You can get a feel for Silberstein playing multiple characters
via her video Tea Talk with Henrietta Hungski by clicking here.
Then on stage is character actress Andrea Marshall-Money
in I Was a Middle-Aged Teenager.
For Marshall-Money's commercial demo, please click here.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
This hip, quick extravaganza is no place for the innocent.
However, it's lots of fun.
Tonight's lineup hasn't been announced,
but Cavalcade! typically plays host to some of the
sharpest & funniest stand-up comics in the business...
and is among the finest comedy shows in NYC.
And it's free.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 12/4/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
stellar comics Jessi Klein, John Mulaney, Hot Sauce, Heather Fink, and Rob Lathan,
hosted by comedy greats Bobby Tisdale & Reggie Watts, at Llama Toe with Bobby and Friends (8:15ish),
a sharp group of comedic storytellers at Speakeasy (8:30),
and some of the best stand-ups in the country, including John Oliver (The Daily Show),
John Mulaney (Late Night with Conan O'Brien), and Pete Holmes (VH1) at Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm).
Rena Zager, Jess Wood, and Carolyn Castiglia
Carolyn Castiglia hosts a lineup of talented female stand-up comics.
Tonight's scheduled guests are:
Jess Wood (very funny stand-up; HBO's Def Jam Comedy;
for documentary about her, please click here),
Rena Zager (VH1, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, NBC's Late Friday,
for a video stand-up sample, please click here).
Jen Dziura (VH1's Can't Get a Date, writer for McSweeney's, one-woman show
What Philosophy Majors Do After College, producer of Brooklyn's live shows
Monday Evening Stand-Up and Williamsburg Spelling Bee),
Lisa Kaplan (Carolines, The LOL Tour),
Becky Ciletti, and Adrienne Iapalucci.
8:00 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)
Alex Robinson, and Rick Spears' comics series The Pirates of Coney Island
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's guests are writer/artist Alex Robinson (Box Office Poison, Tricked)
and writer Rick Spears (Black Metal, The Pirates of Coney Island,
publisher of Gigantic Graphic Novels).
And everyone who attends is promised a free comics-related goodie!
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—
DeCoster, T.R.U.C.K.S., Bastian, fwand, and Beverly Hills
—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
Heather Fink, Jessi Klein, and John Mulaney...
...and Rob Nathan and Hot Sauce
Llama Toe with Bobby and Friends
Hosted by comedy greats Bobby Tisdale and Reggie Watts.
Tonight's stellar guests are
Jessi Klein (winner of 2003 ECNY Best Female Stand-Up award; Director
of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend
and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;
NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;
voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;
for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save
the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here).
John Mulaney (razor-sharp stand-up; Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
VH1's Best Week Ever; for stand-up samples, please click here and here),
star sketch/improv troupe Hot Sauce: Gil Ozeri (host of E!'s Starveillance), Adam Pally (UCBT's The Nights of Our Lives), and Ben Schwartz (freelance writer for SNL and Late Show with David Letterman); for video samples of their work, please click here and here,
Heather Fink (host of monthly NYC live comedy show Street Meat), and
Rob Lathan (plays comedic characters such as Lanny Lathan and "Quick Lips" Lathan,
stars in the UCBT show Get Psyched!; for Rob's reel, please click here).
8:15ish pm at Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow Street (between Rivington & Stanton); tickets are $5
SpeakEasy: Stories from the Back Room
There is little as satisfying as a well-told funny story...
that is, unless you can have an entire evening packed with them.
Sherry Weaver hosts this lovely show, which she says she created because
"she couldn't convince people to climb into bed with her at night and tell her stories."
Tonight's guests are
Andy Christie (writer for The New York Times; host of his own superb
NYC storytelling extravaganza, The Liar Show),
Mike Daisey (called "the master storyteller" by The New York Times),
Jean-Michele Gregory (writer/producer/director),
Greg Walloch (writer and performing artist who's toured the world),
Tracy Rowland, and Michele Carlo (aka Carmen Mofongo).
8:30 pm at Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (between West 4th Street and Bleecker);
$10 ticket plus one item (food or drink) minimum
Pete Holmes, John Mulaney, and John Oliver...
...and Seth Herzog and John F. O'Donnell
Hosted by the razor-sharp & witty Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).
Tonight's John-centric guests are
John Oliver (brilliant stand-up comic, wonderful news correspondent for
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, co-writer/star of The Department for BBC Radio 4),
John Mulaney (razor-sharp stand-up; Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
VH1's Best Week Ever; for stand-up samples, please click here and here),
Pete Holmes (brilliant, lightning-fast stand-up; VH1's Best Week Ever,
Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Motherload; writer for CollegeHumor.com;
cartoonist for mags ranging from The New Yorker to Cosmo Girl;
host of UCBT's monthly open-mic stand-up show Gutbucket),
John F. O'Donnell (wild man who will make you love him; Comedy Central's Fresh Faces;
host of biweekly Long Island City comedy show The Kingdom of Heaven), and
Johnny Roberts (finalist at the 2007 Comedy Competition in London; Vegas Comedy Festival).
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
Three couples, three situations, six degrees of separation—all improvised.
Starring Megan Gray, Mark Grenier, Corey Grimes,
Louis Kornfeld, Leanne Linsky, and Charles Whitcroft.
9:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 12/5/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
a hilarious one-woman show from the luminous Eileen Kelly, and another from acclaimed
stand-up comic/actress Vijai Nathan, at Asbestos for Breakfast: Tales of Surviving Childhood (8:00 pm),
true stories that may make you reconsider dating, delivered by seven skilled performers and
hosted by the enormously funny Jackie Clarke: Worst Laid Plans—True Stories of Terrible Sex (8:00 pm),
some of the finest comics in NYC, including Sara Schaefer, Dave Hill, and Margot Leitman
at hosts Jenny Rubin's & Matt McCarthy's Max! (8:00 pm),
Bobby Tisdale's & Eugene Mirman's typically star-studded stand-up show Invite Them Up (9:00 pm),
the delightful Kate Hess & Shelly Stover dancing and singing for laughs,
and Lance Rubin & Ray Munoz delivering their own brand of sketch silliness,
in We Kate Shelly and The Lance & Ray Show (9:30 pm),
and a laid-back free show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
Eileen Kelly and Vijai Nathan
Asbestos for Breakfast: Tales of Surviving Childhood
Two one-woman shows—at least one of which I can promise is superb—for an absurdly low $5.
The show for which I can vouch is from the gorgeous and brilliant Eileen Kelly,
who will be relating tales from her childhood when asthmatic-inducing second-hand smoke, electrocution from wall sockets, and encounters with child molesters were merely rites of passage. Eileen's writing for her show is elegant and hilarious, and so is her irresistible performance.
The other half of this double-bill is from Vijai Nathan, a writer/performer who Backstage called one of the top 10 stand-up comics of 2003 (for a very funny video sample, please click here). She'll be discussing "facing death at Chuck E. Cheese, her dad's addiction to Three's Company, and meeting Jesus." How can you go wrong?
8:00 pm at The Tank, 279 Church Street (bet. Franklin & White Streets); tickets are $5
Worst Laid Plans: True Stories of Terrible Sex
If ever there was a show begging to be a double-bill with John Flynn...
The official description: "When bad sex happens to good people, there is no recourse like disclosure. Six unholy vagina monologues are imparted by the ladies who lived to tell. From The Clump to How I Slept My Way to the Lower Middle to Farting Rapist."
The talented performers imparting their shocking tales are Tymberlee Chanel, Laura Kindred, Alexandra Lydon, Matt McConkey, Erin Pineda, June Diane Raphael, and Casey Wilson.
And hosting the affair is the hilariously acerbic Jackie Clarke.
For a rave review of the show when it played at UCBT-LA, please click here.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Margot Leitman, Dave Hill, and Sara Schaefer...
...and Jenny Rubin, Ann Carr, and Matt McCarthy
Stand-up comedy hosted by the very funny Jenny Rubin and Matt McCarthy.
Tonight's wonderful guests include the always delightful
Sara Schaefer (VH1's Best Week Ever, E! Network's Rise of the Geeks, UCBT's Video Gaga),
Dave Hill (written for The New York Times, Salon, HBO, and the eerie
Web site Black Metal Dialogues; written and performed for VH1, Spike TV,
The Learning Channel, and the fabulous Smoking Gun TV series; hosts monthly
UCBT extravaganza The Dave Hill Explosion—to learn more, please click here),
Margot Leitman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, VH1, ESPN;
co-host of red-hot NYC live comedy show Stripped Stories;
for Margot's fun reel, please click here),
Ann Carr (Comedy Central Motherload's Honesty Wedding), and Brian Braumley.
To get a feel for the show overall, please click here.
8:00 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)
Ready to tackle your holiday anxieties are Paul Downs, Alan Fessenden,
Elana Fishbein, Marcy Jarreau, Leslie Korein, Louis Kornfeld, and Peter McNerney,
who improvise a show based on "an audience member's confession."
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Hosted by comedy greats Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale (above).
The lineup—which is usually stellar—tends to be posted late afternoon
on the day of the show. To check whether the Web page
has been updated yet, please click here.
9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Kate Hess & Shelly Stover, and Lance Rubin & Ray Munoz
We Kate Shelly and The Lance & Ray Show
This comedy duo extravaganza kicks off with We Kate Shelly,
a lively sketch show featuring singing, dancing, and crying,
written and starring the irresistible Kate Hess & Shelly Stover,
and directed by comedic genius Andy Secunda (The Swarm).
The double-bill then continues with Lance Rubin & Ray Munoz,
who perform sketch comedy as The Lance & Ray Show.
Tonight's bits reportedly include "a spin-off of The West Wing,
a visit to Seal World, Lance's work with an acting coach on a monologue
for a big audition, an interpretive ballet to the soulful sounds of Nick Lachey,
and a super-huge fight between Lance and Ray! On stage! Seriously!"
Plus DVD commentary.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent 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 12/6/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
true stories that may make you reconsider dating, delivered by seven skilled performers, and
hosted by luminous movie & TV star Amy Poehler: Worst Laid Plans—True Stories of Terrible Sex (8:00 pm),
the brilliantly inventive, sexy, and hilarious gals of Variety Shac (9:30),
and two of the finest improv troupes in NYC competing for audience votes:
Reuben Williams vs. Jawnee Conroy Allstarz at Cage Match (11:00 pm).
Worst Laid Plans: True Stories of Terrible Sex
If ever there was a show begging to be a double-bill with John Flynn...
The official description: "When bad sex happens to good people, there is no recourse like disclosure. Six unholy vagina monologues are imparted by the ladies who lived to tell. From The Clump to How I Slept My Way to the Lower Middle to Farting Rapist."
The talented performers imparting their shocking tales are Tymberlee Chanel, Laura Kindred, Alexandra Lydon, Matt McConkey, Erin Pineda, June Diane Raphael, and Casey Wilson.
And hosting the affair tonight is thoroughly wonderful Saturday Night Live anchor and movie star Amy Poehler.
For a rave review of the show when it played at UCBT-LA, please click here.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
The hard-to-resist members of this popular group are musical host Shonali Bhowmik, and uniformly brilliant comics Andrea Rosen, Chelsea Peretti, and Heather Lawless. The show features songs, sketches, and some of the freshest stand-up comedy in NYC. It also includes short films made by the foursome; for samples, please click here and here.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
