NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 3/31/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
stellar comics & actors—including brilliant improvisors Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Christina Gausas,
Anthony King, and more—crashing improv into classic theatre scenes at Gravid Water (8:00 pm),
stand-up comics Nick DiPaolo, Todd Levin, John Morrison, and Josh Comers
at Liam McEneaney's free show Tell Your Friends (8:00ish pm),
political sketch comedy, plus an interview with popular radio talk show host
Ed Schultz, at Liz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger (8:00 pm),
Zach Galifianakis, one of the most fascinating and hilarious comics alive, showing home movies
and other videos, along with brother-sister duo Eliot & Ilana Glazer, at Baby Steps (9:30 pm),
and wonderful star comics Tim Minchin, Dave Hill, and more at one of the finest
comedy shows in NYC—which just happens to be free—Cavalcade! (11:00 pm).
For details, please click here.
For NYC comedy club discounts and comedic theatre discounts, please click here.
Currently available are discounts for select Comix shows;
$10 off an acclaimed one-man show by star musical comic Tim Minchin;
and a 50% discount on all tickets for the Broadway Comedy Club.
Human Giant is back with Season 2!
And it's great.
Be sure to watch one of the funniest sketch shows in TV history.
New episodes air Tuesdays at 11:00 pm on MTV.
And if you missed the first three—or, for that matter, any episodes
from Season 1—you can catch these comedy gems online by clicking here.
(Alternatively, you can buy Season 1 on DVD, and get a bunch of extra features, by clicking here.)
Shayna Ferm is an enormously talented comedic singer/songwriter.
To learn more about the sexy and hilarious Shayna, please click here.
To hear sample tracks from and/or order Shay's debut CD Blonde, please click for her MySpace page.
One of the funniest men on the planet, Todd Barry is a stand-up master.
For a recent interview with Todd, please click here.
To order his new comedy CD From Heaven, please click here.
Acclaimed Australian musical comic Tim Minchin is working his magic
at New World Stages from March 3rd through April 12th.
A New York Times review by Neil Genzlinger has described the show as "refreshing" and
"dazzlingly daffy." It goes on, "Minchin, an Australian who looks like a character out of Sweeney Todd,
alternates between absurd, low-key monologues and incongruously comic songs,
accompanying himself with gleeful piano pyrotechnics. A love song starts, 'You grew on me
like a tumor' and later adds, 'Should have had you removed back when you were benign.'"
To access videos that provide a feel for Minchin's work, please visit his MySpace page.
For info on how to get $10 off tickets (except Monday and Saturday performances),
please click here.
Becky Drysdale, Christina Gausas, and Shelly Stover...
...and Anthony King, Tara Copeland, and Jeff Hiller
Classic theatre scenes performed by professional actors who stay on book—
and an improv comic who hasn't read the play and has to make up lines on the fly.
Starring world-class improvisers (in alphabetical order):
Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-director & cast member
of Adult Swim's brilliant & Emmy-winning Moral Orel),
Tara Copeland (always-inventive star at both UCBT and The Magnet; weekly shows include Mother: The Soundtrack, The Tiny Spectacular, Ms. Jackson, and The Made-Up Musical),
Becky Drysdale (stellar & charismatic performer; acclaimed one-woman show
One Woman in Several Pieces, Web video series Time Traveling Lesbian),
Christina Gausas (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Stepfathers, Dorff & Gausas),
Anthony King (brilliant UCBT-NY Artistic Director; Reuben Williams, Happy Hour,
Let's Have a Ball, off-Broadway show Gutenberg! The Musical), and
Shelly Stover (We Kate Shelly, As Sparks Fly Upward).
And also starring are some of NYC's top theatre actors: Jeff Hiller (Silence!), Jonathan Kaplan (Tony nominee for Falsettos), Steve Rosen (Spamalot, The Farnsworth Invention), and Amy Rutberg (The Jazz Age) .
Gravid Water is directed, hosted, and co-stars Stephen Ruddy...
and is one of the finest comedy productions in New York.
If you want to introduce an actor friend to the world of improv, start with this show.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Nick DiPaolo, Todd Levin, and John Morrison
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 Josh Comers (writes topical humor on his blog Jokes That Won't Matter Tomorrow).
And the guests are
Nick DiPaolo (three Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO's Lucky Louie and The Sopranos, former writer for The Chris Rock Show,
creates periodic Web-based free audio shows for Blog Talk Radio),
John Morrison (host of monthly NYC live comedy show The Morrison Motel and producer of weekly NYC open-mic show Ochi's Motel; for a stand-up video, please click here), and
Todd Levin (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, The Onion, popular blog Tremble,
host of NYC live comedy show Todd Levin's TV Book Club).
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:
Giulia Rozzi, Jamie Lee, Anne Neczypor, and Selena Coppack.
8:00 pm at RubyFruit Bar & Grill, 531 Hudson Street (between West 10th & Charles);
no cover, one item (food or drink) minimum
Nationally syndicated radio host Ed Schultz, 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 Ed Schultz, host of the nationally syndicated radio program The Ed Schultz Show, which airs on over 100 affiliate stations across the country, including nine of the top 10 largest markets. According to his bio, "In an industry where the conservative voice is king, Ed Schultz's popularity, talent and progressive political bent has helped him become the dominant progressive radio voice of the nation." His show promises "straight talk from the heartland" from a "gun-totin', red meat-eatin' lefty."
To get a feel for STM, view a fun interview with cartoonist David Rees 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.
Zach Galifianakis, and Ilana & Eliot Glazer
Baby Steps and Friends of Mine
Two comedy shows for a mere five bucks.
Baby Steps lets comics show videos—including home movies—they were in
or made themselves. Tonight's wonderful auteurs are
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), and
Eliot & Ilana Glazer (brother-sister duo whose credits include the popular
UCBT extravaganza High School Talent Show).
The other half of this double-bill is a show titled Friends of Mine.
I have no idea what it is; but come and see whose friends join in to create fun.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Cheryl Smallman: Dreamless and Rob Lenihan: Breathe with Me
Solo Performances: Breathe With Me and Dreamlesss
Two thoughtful one-person shows for five bucks.
The top half of this double-bill is Rob Lenihan performing
his sobering one-man show Breathe With Me. It begins:
"I dreamed one night that my father was still alive...
As I guided him into the bathroom to give him his shower,
like I had so many times before, I felt confused rather than elated at seeing
my father among the living. I thought I didn't have to do this anymore,
I said to myself. I thought I was free..."
Cheryl Smallman then performs her one-woman show Dreamless about when
she "unexpectedly became someone's mother, and she got three choices:
A) Corporate mommy
B) Stay at home mommy
C) None of the above."
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Concerned citizens, Tim Minchin, and Dave Hill
This razor-sharp stand-up extravaganza is no place for the innocent.
However, it's enormous fun.
Tonight's wonderful guests include
Tim Minchin (acclaimed Australian musical comic who's doing a show at New World Stages
through April 12th. A New York Times review by Neil Genzlinger described it as "refreshing" and "dazzlingly daffy," saying "Minchin, an Australian who looks like a character out of Sweeney Todd, alternates between absurd, low-key monologues and incongruously comic songs, accompanying himself with gleeful piano pyrotechnics. A love song starts, 'You grew on me like a tumor' and later adds, 'Should have had you removed back when you were benign.'" To access videos that provide a feel for Minchin's work, please visit his MySpace page. For info on how to get $10 off tickets (except Monday and Saturday performances), please click here), and
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).
Tonight's show is likely to be one of the funniest in NYC.
And it's free.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 4/1/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
the stars of MTV hit comedy series Human Giant performing on stage, being interviewed
by Eugene Mirman, and being joined by special guests, at Human Giant Live (6:00 pm),
lively & fun discussions about comic books, with four creators whose work runs the gamut from
lively & fun discussions about comic books, with four creators whose work runs the gamut from
writing a history of the period when comic books were demonized (The Ten-Cent Plague) to reviving
an obscure and very silly comic strip (The Laugh-Out-Loud-Cats), at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
superb storytellers, including Martin Dockery (five-time Moth GrandSLAM finalist), at SpeakEasy (8:30 pm),
stellar comics Demetri Martin, Pete Holmes, Heather Lawless, and John Roberts
at one of the finest comedy shows in NYC, the fabulous Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm),
the final two rounds of an annual contest in which stand-up comics compete for
audience votes at Carolines' March Comedy Madness 2008 (9:30 pm),
and a free East Village show featuring fine stand-up comics Matt McCarthy, Jesse Popp,
Jamie Lee, and more at Matt Ruby's Flying Carpet (10:00 pm).
For details, please click here.
For NYC comedy club discounts and comedic theatre discounts, please click here.
Currently available are discounts for select Comix shows;
$10 off an acclaimed one-man show by star musical comic Tim Minchin;
and a 50% discount on all tickets for the Broadway Comedy Club.
Human Giant is back with Season 2!
And it's great.
Be sure to watch one of the funniest sketch shows in TV history.
New episodes air Tuesdays at 11:00 pm on MTV.
And if you missed the first three—or, for that matter, any episodes
from Season 1—you can catch these comedy gems online by clicking here.
(Alternatively, you can buy Season 1 on DVD, and get a bunch of extra features, by clicking here.)
It's notoriously difficult to make pure stage improv work on film.
That's why this ASSSSCAT! DVD is so special...and exhilarating.
As far as I know, it's the best state-of-the-art improv comedy
ever captured by a camera and available for enjoyment & scrutiny at your leisure.
The direction is so unobtrusive that you almost feel like
you're there in the theatre watching it happen live.
It was performed in 2007 by the comedy geniuses of the Upright Citizens Brigade—
Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh—
along with some friends at the UCB Theatre in LA.
If you've ever wondered why there's so much interest in improv—
or, conversely, have tried to explain the appeal to a friend or loved one—
this DVD is the answer.
For further details and/or to purchase a copy, please
click here
To learn more about the Upright Citizens Brigade—
as well as about its newest cool Web site—please click here.
MTV hit comedy series Human Giant is one of the best sketch comedy shows in TV history.
But the gang—Aziz Ansari , Rob Huebel, and Paul Scheer—are equally brilliant live on stage.
They'll be demonstrating precisely that this evening, accompanied by
their phenomenal director Jason Woliner.
If that's not enough, the moderator is another comedy giant: Eugene Mirman.
Plus, "special guests."
Season 2 episodes are currently premiering Tuesdays at 11:00 pm on MTV.
You can watch the comedy gems that have aired to date—
as well as all the episodes from Season 1—by clicking here.
Then again, if you'd like to own Season 1, you can buy the DVD by clicking here.
Seats in the room where the guys are performing this evening appear to be sold out,
but you can nab a "closed circuit viewing room" seat for only $5.
To do so online (for additional $1.50 service charge), please click here.
6:00 pm at The Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street (off Sixth Avenue);
"closed circuit" tickets are $5
Pseudo-resurrection of a comic strip: Meet the Laugh-Out-Loud-Cats; and a look back at an unsettling time: The Ten-Cent Plague
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's guests are Adam Koford (Laugh Out Loud Cats, a strip Adam creates but pretends is an obscure series he rediscovered), Andrew W.K. (The Wolf), Mike Oeming (Powers, Mice Templar), and David Hadju (The Ten-Cent Plague).
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—
Raynard, DeCoster, fwand, 1985, and Twelve Thousand Dollars—
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
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 yarn-spinners are Sara Barron, Martin Dockery, Cyndi Freeman,
Mark Katz, Michaela Murphy, and Emily Epstein.
For performer bios, please click here.
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, Demetri Martin, and Heather Lawless
Hosted by the razor-sharp, dynamic, and hilarious Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).
This is one of the finest comedy shows in NYC.
Tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests include
Demetri Martin (immensely popular stand-up star with his own segment, Trendspotting,
on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart [13 appearances]; Late Night with Conan O'Brien
[4 appearances]; Comedy Central Presents 30-minute special; Comedy Central 2007 one-hour special Demetri Martin. Person. [both specials now available on DVD]; These Are Jokes CD/DVD),
Pete Holmes (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 extravaganza Gutbucket),
Heather Lawless (winner of the 2005 ECNY Award for Best Female Stand-Up; Comedy Central's Premium Blend, MTV2's Wonder Showzen, 2007 feature film Be Kind Rewind; member of superb female comedy group Variety Shac), and
John Roberts (member of acclaimed comedy troupe Pu-Pu Platter, and half of sketch troupe The Dregs...which was recently nominated for a broadband Emmy;
for video samples from this YouTube star, please click here and here and here).
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
In this annual event, stand-up comics compete for audience votes.
The first four rounds were on March 11th (with 64 comics getting 1 minute each),
March 18th (with the surviving 32 comics getting 2 minutes each),
and March 25th (with the remaining 16 comics getting 3 minutes each,
and then the eight surviving comics getting 4 minutes each).
The final two rounds are tonight, featuring four comics at 7 minutes each,
and then two comics going head to head at 10 minutes each.
It's sort of like Last Comic Standing without the intrigue.
Hosted by Bryan Kennedy and Josh Filipowski.
9:30 pm at Carolines, 1626 Broadway (between 49th and 50th Streets);
$16.25 cover charge, plus two-drink minimum (with tip, figure an additional $12 or up)
Matt Ruby's free monthly comedy show tonight stars
Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham),
Jesse Popp (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, co-producer of the
weekly NYC live Beauty Bar Comedy Show for 6 years running),
Jamie Lee (VH1's Best Night Ever, Archers of Ha),
Joe Powers (co-host of weekly NYC open-mic comedy show Ochi's Motel),
Phil O'Reilly, and Luke Thayer.
10:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 4/2/08
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
comedy legend David Cross, comedic music genius Reggie Watts, sharp stand-ups,
plus sketch comedy fun & surprises at Andres du Bouchet Has Been Expecting You (8:00 pm),
brilliant stand-up comics including Eugene Mirman, Jon Glaser, Laurie Kilmartin, and Lee Camp,
plus top comedy videos from Web site 236.com, at 23/6: Starved for Attention (8:00 pm),
an entirely improvised musical from magical duo Glennis McMurray & Eliza Skinner as I Eat Pandas (9:30 pm),
and a laid-back free show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
David Cross, Andres du Bouchet, and Reggie Watts
Andres du Bouchet Has Been Expecting You
Comedy show playing on the first Wednesday of each month, hosted by
Andres du Bouchet (writer for & performer on FOX's Talkshow with Spike Feresten;
Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn, Cheap Seats;
live NYC comedy show Giant Tuesday; comedy videos).
Tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests are
David Cross (comedy genius, and one of the most respected guys in the biz;
credits as writer, actor, and comic include HBO's Mr. Show, FOX's Arrested Development, Comedy Central's Freak Show, Adult Swim's Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric Awesome Show...and scores of other TV and feature film roles),
Reggie Watts (musical improv comedy genius; winner of 3rd Annual Andy Kaufman Award; scary talented vocalist, beatboxer, and musician whose unique skills will likely amaze you; to learn more, please visit ReggieWatts.com), and
Lisa deLarios (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham;
for stand-up video about clothing, 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)
Eugene Mirman and Jon Glaser
Popular comedy Web site 236.com extends to a live stage tonight, showing off
some of its favorite videos and performers. Tonight's stellar comics include:
Eugene Mirman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents half-hour special,
Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Jump Cuts, HBO's Flight of the Conchords, VH1,
The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman and En Garde, Society! comedy albums,
co-host of acclaimed weekly Brooklyn live comedy show Tearing the Veil of Maya),
Jon Glaser (long-time writer & sketch performer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien;
writer/performer for ESPN's Cheap Seats; frequent performer on Human Giant;
voiceover actor for such animated series as David Cross' Freak Show, and
Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Stroker & Hoop (as Stroker),
and, with Eugene Mirman, Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil (playing Jesus);
writer/star of Comedy Central's online show Tiny Hands; writer/filmmaker
partner with stellar VO actor/comic Jon Benjamin in Midnight Pajama Jam;
and—with Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, James McNew, and Tom Shillue—
member of NYC comedic band A Matter of Trust);
Laurie Kilmartin (VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and
Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS' The Late Late Show,
for stand-up video about hookers and dating, please click here), and
Lee Camp (Sometimes Funny Hurts DVD; SharkBaby Comedy News Webcast; Spike TV,
E!, Law and Order: SVU; for stand-up video on political hypocrisy, please click here).
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
Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner are simply geniuses