NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 6/16/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
the perfect 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),
razor-sharp comics Joe Mande, Chris Gethard, and Jenny Slate recreating on stage
Joe's experiences interning for The Maury Povich Show, plus smartly silly sketch comedy
from Sidecar, in Workdays with Maury and This One's for the Losers (8:00 pm),
fine stand-ups Scott Jacobson (writer for The Daily Show, SNL, Adult Swim), Jamie Kilstein
(Montreal Comedy Festival), and more at Liam McEneaney's free Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),
stand-ups Sharon "Mama" Spell, Kelli Dunham, and Brad Loekle joining delightful hosts
Jackie Monahan, Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, & Gloria Bigelow at Dykes on Mics (8:00 pm),
political sketch comedy, plus an interview with Daily Show writer Rob Kutner about his helpful
book on meeting the world's end Apocalypse How, at Liz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger (8:00 pm),
an entirely improvised musical from genius duo Glennis McMurray & Eliza Skinner, plus a clever
improvised soap opera, in the double-bill I Eat Pandas and Hot Lather: As the Diamond Burns (9:30 pm),
and some of the best improvisors in NYC performing in pairs at Couples Skate (11:00 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 (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Joe Mande creates a mini-play about his internship on The Maury Povich Show...
...and Matt Fisher, Alden Ford, and Justin Tyler create major silliness with their troupe Sidecar
Mande, Gethard & Slate: Workdays with Maury and Sidecar: This One's for the Losers
Two terrific sketch shows for a mere five bucks.
Kicking off the evening is Workdays with Maury, a comedic memoir about an unpaid internship on The Maury Povich Show. If you've ever wondered what it's like to work on a seedy talk show, don't miss this true-life tale written and starring Joe Mande (winner of the 2008 ECNY Award winner for Best Emerging Comic; co-host of superb weekly NYC show Totally J/K).
The mini-play also co-stars these two hilarious and razor-sharp comedic actors:
Chris Gethard (one of the most talented and brilliant storytellers and improvisors in New York; The Stepfathers, The Nights of Our Lives, Happy Hour, author of book Weird New York), and
Jenny Slate (VH1; co-host of Brooklyn live comedy show A New Experience with Gabe & Jenny;
for very funny video, please click here).
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.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Jamie Kilstein, Scott Jacobson, and Liam McEneaney
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 guests include
Scott Jacobson (Emmy Award-winning writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; also writes for The Academy Awards, SNL's/Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse, and Adult Swim's Squidbillies) and
Jamie Kilstein (2007 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival; has opened for Lewis Black,
Dave Chappelle, Dave Attel, and Marc Maron).
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 guests
Sharon "Mama" Spell, Kelli Dunham, and Brad Loekle.
8:00 pm at RubyFruit Bar & Grill, 531 Hudson Street (between West 10th & Charles);
no cover, one item (food or drink) minimum
Rob Kutner and his new book Apocalypse How, 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 NYC show Drink at Work, please click here.)
Tonight's guest is Rob Kutner, who's a writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and author of the new book Apocalypse How: Turn the End-Times into the Best of Times! about how to cheerily meet the inevitable upcoming End of Days.
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.
Glennis & Eliza: I Eat Pandas and Hot Lather: As the Diamond Burns
Two unique improvisation shows for a mere five bucks.
Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner are simply geniuses
at taking a suggestion from the audience and creating
an entire musical based around it, using only their imaginations,
immense talent, and the aid of their wonderful improv pianist
Frank Spitznagel. Each of these gals is a powerhouse performer;
what they manage to create together tends to be sheer magic.
You don't have to take my word for it, either;
the duo won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group.
Don't miss any chance to enjoy these comedic wizards at play.
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
Matt DeCoster, Charlie Sanders, and Charlie Rodgers
In this new show, some of the best improvisors in NYC are paired up
and perform, often for the first time, as duos.
Hosted by Sean Clements (30 Rock) & Brandon Gardner (for sample sketch, please click here).
Tonight's fine lineup consists of
Charlie Sanders & Matt DeCoster,
Ben Rodgers & Brian Barrett, and
Risa Sang-urai & Shannon O'Neill.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 6/17/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
comedians Helen Hong (TLC, E!, Little Ethnic Girls), Eliza Faria-Santos (Comedy Central), Dan Goodman,
Charlie Gaeta, plus five comics randomly selected from the audience, battling it out on stage
for your vote in the biweekly stand-up competition Eric I's Comedy Showdown (7:15ish pm)
typically fine stand-ups performing deliciously long sets at Ken Zimlinghaus' Fat Tuesday (8:00 pm),
Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort (overseer of such titles as Fantastic Four and New Avengers)
joining in on a lively & fun discussion about comic books at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
three full hours of improv for only five bucks at Harold Night (8:00 pm),
what appears to be a fun sketch show parodying college graduation speeches at Achievement (8:00 pm),
brilliant star comic Todd Barry (HBO, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Comedy Central, Adult Swim),
musical improv comedy genius Reggie Watts (2007 Andy Kaufman Award, Electric Company),
and stand-ups Craig Baldo (Conan O'Brien), Melinda Hill (Sarah Silverman Program), and Susanna Spies
at one of the finest & funniest shows in NYC, the wonderful Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm),
occasionally uncomfortable comedy at Blaine Perry's & Pat Stango's Don't Touch Me There (9:00 pm),
Chicago-style improv, with such talents as Thomas Middleditch, from improv troupe Broad Shoulders (9:30 pm),
and delightful comedic actress Ellie Kemper (Conan O'Brien, The Onion) performing a new one-woman show,
plus charmers Phaea Crede & Becca Jones doing sketch, at Ellie Kemper and Delusions of Spandex (11:00 pm).
Eliza Faria-Santos, Dan Goodman, and Helen Hong
This biweekly extravaganza is a comedy competition hosted by Eric I.
Four established NYC comics, plus five up-and-coming comics selected at the show's start
from the audience, each performs a set. The audience then votes on who it believes
was most hilarious. The winner receives an additional 5 minutes of stage time
to make comedic fun of the losers; and also moves on to a semi-final round on July 1st to determine a season champion (with a prize of $500, and bragging rights).
Tonight's four battling veteran comics are
Helen Hong (TLC's What Not to Wear; E!'s Exposed: 25 Most Notorious Fashion Week Moments; co-host of biweekly NYC live comedy show Little Ethnic Girls and Friends;
Helen says " I love it when people ask me 'Where are you from?' and I say 'New York' and they say 'No, where are you really from???' I know they want me to name some Asian country like Japan or Korea. Instead I just stab them in the eye with a chopstick and scream 'I'm from the Land of Deadly Chopsticks, you evil Round Eye!' And then I shuffle away like a dainty geisha...;"
for hilarious stand-up video about assumptions and misunderstandings, please click here),
Eliza Faria-Santos (Comedy Central's Fresh Faces of Comedy, MTV's Stand-Up Showcase, NBC's Stand Up for Diversity; co-host of NYC live comedy show Don't Touch Me There; for sketch about stalking celebrities, please click here),
Dan Goodman (for stand-up video on making sports more lively, please click here), and
Charlie Gaeta (for stand-up video about having a gay dad in North Carolina, please click here).
Plus to further spice things up, also visiting tonight is sketch troupe
The Impending Moustache (Katie Hartman, Daniel Kelley, Gabriel Pacheco, and Leah Rudick: "We attack our material with a joyous and infectious theatricality. We send our audiences home shaken with laughter so constant, it gives them nightmares. Beautiful, vivid nightmares").
7:15ish pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Ken Zimlinghaus
This weekly show allows a few talented comics to perform long comedy sets, just as if they —and you—were in a swanky comedy club. It's hosted by Ken Zimlinghaus, who can be heard regularly on Sirius Satellite Radio's Wake Up With Cosmo; and the best bits from this evening will probably end up getting broadcast on Sirius as well.
Tonight's lineup hasn't been announced. But if you're feeling adventurous...
8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's powerhouse industry guest is
Tom Brevoort, Executive Editor of Marvel Comics and
overseer of such titles as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four.
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.
(And for my current fave, a delightful show with Kevin "Batman" Conroy, please click 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—
The F*cking Kennedys, DeCoster, Whorenado, Bastian, and Bangs—
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
It's hard to be sure, but this sounds like a fun sketch show parodying college graduation speeches.
Judge for yourself based on the following official description:
"Melanie Hoopes, Rachel Hamilton, and Jean Villepique have put together another evening of essays! We've achieved that much, and have even chosen achievement as a theme so please come and join us and you will have achieved something by making a commitment.
Achieve. Bless you."
8:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Todd Barry and Reggie Watts...
...and Seth Herzog and Craig Baldo
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's thoroughly wonderful guests are
Todd Barry (wryly brilliant stand-up who's one of the very best in the biz;
Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Comedy Central Presents; HBO's Flight of the Conchords, Lucky Louie, and Sex in the City;
Comedy Central's Freak Show, Dr. Katz, and Shorties Watching Shorties;
Adult Swim's Space Ghost, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Tom Goes To The Mayor;
recently acted in the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film The Wrestler;
check out Todd's newest comedy CD From Heaven),
Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; winner of 2007 Andy Kaufman Award;
cast member of the new Electric Company; scary talented vocalist, beatboxer, and musician whose unique skills will likely amaze you; to learn more, please visit ReggieWatts.com; for video samples of what Reggie does, please click here and here and here; and keep an eye out Reggie's upcoming new album),
Craig Baldo (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Comic Remix; VH1, Bravo, The Onion;
for Craig's recent stand-up set on Conan O'Brien, please click here),
Melinda Hill (Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program; UK's World Stands Up;
CBS' Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson; FOX, VH1, E!; The Groundlings;
for Melinda as adorable and thoroughly hilarious tooth fairy, please click here), and
Susanna Spies (founder of Comedy Playground and Laughlinks.org;
former producer of LA's acclaimed Comedy Store Character Show;
for stand-up video about stoners and slackers, please click here).
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
Blaine Perry and Pat Stango (above) host this comedy show that doesn't mind being unsettling.
A typical Stango bit: "It creeps me out when I visit my parents' house and listen to them
say what a great sex life they still have. It especially freaks me out because
they died in a car accident 10 years ago."
If that made you laugh, you're a Don't Touch Me There kind of person.
Tonight's guests haven't been announced; for a last-minute update, please click here.
9:00 pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
Broad Shoulders: Chicago Improv
The six members of improv troupe Broad Shoulders met while performing at the
famed I.O. Theater and The Second City in Chicago, and they'll be showing off their stuff at this one-night-only NYC performance. The group consists of the acclaimed Thomas Middleditch, Mackenzie Condon, Mary Grill, James Harris, Scott Markman, and Steve Pasieka.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Ellie Kemper; and Becca Jones & Phaea Crede of Delusions of Spandex
Ellie Kemper and Delusions of Spandex
Two new all-woman comedy shows for five bucks.
First up is terrific comedic actress Ellie Kemper (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Onion, McSweeney's; two-woman improv troupe KEMPAS and popular improv troupe fwand) performing a one-woman extravaganza.
The double-bill then continues with Delusions of Spandex (adorable female duo Phaea Crede & Becca Jones), who will attempt to make you laugh with their sketch comedy. For videos of the gals goofing around, please click here and here.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 6/18/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
comedy writing juxtaposed with improv jazz music in Liam McEneaney's Writings with Music (7:00 pm),
open-mic stand-up in Queens' LIC at John F. O'Donnell's The Kingdom of Heaven (8:30 pm),
a blow-out final show—before comedic chameleon Brett Gelman (Conan O'Brien, Colbert Report)
leaves NYC to pursue even greater fame and fortune in LA—featuring Wyatt Cenac (newest
correspondent for The Daily Show), A.D. Miles (Comedy Central), Bobby Tisdale (Invite Them Up),
Chelsea Peretti (Variety SHAC), Anthony Antamanuik (30 Rock), and Joe Mande (Totally J/K) at a show mixing
superb stand-up comics with hilarious sketch comedy (that's mostly improvised!): Gelmania (9:00 pm),
comics, writers, and others telling tales of their worst NYC experiences in New York Sh*tty (9:00 pm),
two ace Chicago-trained improvisors, Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report) and John Lutz
(writer/actor for Saturday Night Live since 2004; 30 Rock), making up scenes as 2 Square (9:30 pm),
and a laid-back free variety show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
Liam McEneaney's Writings with Music
According to the official description, "Every musician secretly wants to be a comedian.
All comedians have a secret yearning to play music. On the third Wednesday each month,
these worlds collide in a music/comedy experiment, as some of New York's best comedy writers read pieces, creating a rhythm that a jazz band will use to create
a live, improvised musical background."
Sounds tough to pull off; but an interesting experiment. There's no cover charge at Ochi's
so, if you're at all curious, poke your head in and see if the show grabs you.
Hosted by Liam McEneaney (VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Premium Blend).
7:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$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
John F. O'Donnell and Brent Sullivan
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 is Brent Sullivan (for video about crying
while reading The Giving Tree, please click here).
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.
This weekly show is hosted by Brett Gelman, a comedic chameleon
who's currently ubiquitous as the Little Bit of Luck guy in New York Lottery ads.
Brett's numerous credits include Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report,
and ace improv troupe Death by Roo Roo. For a recent interview with Brett, please click here.
For samples of Brett's mind-blowing work with partner Jon Daly, please click here and here;
please also explore their hip-hop parody album Fleetwood Cracked...and keep an eye out
for their recently-completed Cracked Out pilot for Comedy Central.
Tonight is a blow-out goodbye party for Brett, who's moving to pursue even greater adventures and soul-corrupting fame & riches in LA. And the guest list is spectacular:
Bobby Tisdale (comedy great who for five years hosted the wonderful
NYC weekly live comedy show Invite Them Up that's the spiritual father of Gelmania;
Comedy Central album; film Junebug; HBO's Hysterical Blindness; show on SuperDeluxe.com),
Wyatt Cenac (newest correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;
for a blacks vs. gays competition, please click here),
AD Miles (Human Giant, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Dog Bites Man,
Reno 911, TV Funhouse, legendary comedy troupe Stella),
Chelsea Peretti (exceptionally fresh, smart stand-up comic; member of superb
comedy troupe Variety Shac; writer for Village Voice, Details, Playgirl, Jest,
blackpeopleloveus.com, and Rejection Line: 212/479-7990),
Joe Mande (2008 ECNY Award winner for Best Emerging Comic;
writer/co-star of new autobiographical comedic play Workdays with Maury at UCBT;
co-host of weekly NYC live comedy show Totally J/K), and
Anthony Atamanuik (actor on NBC's 30 Rock; hilarious reporter who recently covered the New Hampshire primaries for The Huffington Post; ace storyteller on NYC monthly comedy show
The Nights of Our Lives; member of great NYC Friday night improv show Death by Roo Roo...and the wonderful comic who'll be taking over the show after this week!).
9:00 pm (doors open at 8:00) at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); $5
Ilana & Eliot Glazer
Honestly, if I didn't love New York, I wouldn't be running a Web site mostly focused on NYC.
Nonetheless, this show is intriguing. The official description:
"The traditional 'New York experience' is all but a mirage now, replaced by chipotles, cosmotinis, and management companies starving for horizontal space. Although it's become a cliche to romanticize Ed Koch's New York—one rampant with drugs, crime, and bankruptcy—you have to honor the city's two-faced ability to enthrall and excite you one day and wring you dry the next. Simply put, New York can suck—hard—and brother-sister duo Eliot & Ilana Glazer invite comedians, writers, bloggers, and performers to share their worst experiences in this new cathartic storytelling series."
Tonight's lineup hasn't been announced; but with the right storytellers, this could be great.
9:00 pm at Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)
John Lutz and Peter Grosz
Superb comics Peter Grosz (writer for The Colbert Report, star of over 100 Sonic fast-food commercials, co-writer & co-star of UCBT sketch show The Steve Miller Band and Other Annoying Monsters) and John Lutz (writer & occasional actor on SNL since 2004; recurring character on 30 Rock) perform a two-man improv show (a version of their previous long-running and acclaimed Chicago show 4 Square, which also included Dan Bakkedahl and Rob Janas).
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
Justin Purnell
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); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 6/19/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
world-class storyteller Kambri Crews, award-winning comedic actress Leslie Goshko, and
razor-sharp stand-up comics Matt Goldich, Robin Gelfenbien, Maysoon Zayid, and more
telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives—plus,
addictively delicious free cookies!—at the gorgeous 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 laugh-packed musical: The Apple Sisters (8:00 pm),
musical improv comedy genius Reggie Watts (2007 Andy Kaufman Award, Electric Company),
brilliant comedic storyteller Chris Gethard (Weird New York, The Nights of Our Lives), Lucas Held,
and Billy Conohan at the hilarious Joe Mande's & Noah Garfinkel's Totally J/K (8:30 pm),
acclaimed stand-ups Becky Donohue (Comedy Central, TLC), Leah Dubie (co-host of
Dykes on Mics), and more at a gay-themed show hosted by Jenny Rubin: The Back Room (9:00 pm),
TV and book writers Laura Krafft (The Colbert Report), Tami Sagher (30 Rock), and David Rakoff
(Fraud; Don't Get Too Comfortable) performing improvised monologues at Three-Piece! (9:30 pm),
and energetic & inventive improv troupes Death by Roo Roo and RAGNARÖCK
competing for audience laughs & votes at the raucous Cage Match (11:00 pm).
"Auntie" Sara Benincasa and Robin Gelfenbien...
...and Leslie Goshko, Matt Goldich, and Kambri Crews
In this unique weekly comedy show, everyone tells jokes and/or stories related to
their family. It's hosted by comic/actress Sara Benincasa, whose many credits include correspondent for MTV's Choose or Lose Campaign and host of Tub Talk with Sara B. on Nerve.com. (For a video sample, please click here.)
Plus expect some of the most delicious free cookies you'll ever taste,
courtesy of stand-up comic H. Alan Scott.
Tonight's superb guests are
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),