NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/20/08
Matt Walsh (Whiplash), Glennis McMurray & Eliza Skinner (I Eat Pandas), and Eugene Mirman (Whiplash)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks marked by colored brackets) include:
the perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set
and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours, who tonight include Joe DeVito, Jared Logan, Blaine Perry,
Helen Hong, Amy Beckerman, Matt Ruby, Luke Cunningham, and Margie Kment—
at John Morrison's Ochi's Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),
stand-ups Chesslee Calloway, Charlie Ballard, and Cara Kilduff joining delightful hosts
Jackie Monahan, Leah Dubie, Amy Beckerman, and Gloria Bigelow at Dykes on Mics (7:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] sharp comedy writers for The Daily Show, Indecision 2008, The Onion, and 23/6 discuss
the upcoming election, moderated by MSNBC's Dan Abrams: Funny Writers Talk Politics (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] a comedic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, and more) as shared by their original authors in the hit storytelling show Mortified (8:00 pm),
a new, free weekly comedy show in Brooklyn featuring stand-up, sketch, music, and more,
hosted by the razor-sharp Jena Friedman: Entertaining Tammy (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] 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),
master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler in his new one-man show
A Meditation on Dum Dums and B-Holes (9:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] and a free weekly show featuring some of the finest comics in the country—who tonight include legendary Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder Matt Walsh, and stellar stand-ups Eugene Mirman (HBO, Comedy Central), Chelsea Peretti (Comedy Central, Variety SHAC), and Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show, HBO)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central) at Whiplash (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 25 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.
There are two shows, at 6:30 and 9:00 pm (with entirely different sets of comics).
Tonight's 6:30 lineup includes such fine stand-ups as Joe DeVito, Blaine Perry, Helen Hong, David Cope, and Sue Funke.
And the 9:00 pm show includes such talents as Jared Logan, Amy Beckerman, Blaine Perry, Matt Ruby, Luke Cunningham, and Margie Kment.
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@gmail.com.
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)
Gloria Bigelow, Amy Beckerman, Leah Dubie, and Jackie Monahan
Free gay-themed stand-up comedy show featuring the gals above
as regulars/hosts, plus tonight's guests
Chesslee Calloway, Charlie Ballard, and Cara Kilduff.
7:00 pm at The Stonewall Inn, 53 Christopher Street (at 7th Avenue South); free
23/6 and Indecision 2008 Present: Funny Writers Talk Politics
Popular comedy Web site 236.com and Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 presents a panel of TV & Web comedy writers who make politics even funnier than it normally is:
Kevin Bleyer (The Daily Show), Dennis DiClaudio (Indecision 2008), Baratunde Thurston (The Onion), Jason Reich (236.com), and moderator Dan Abrams (MSNBC).
With Election Day approaching, this promises to be both illuminating and fun.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Mortified has been hailed as a "cultural phenomenon" by Newsweek, and celebrated by This American Life, The Today Show, The Onion AV Club, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and Daily Candy. The show is a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers. As the largest and longest-running project of its kind, its grassroots comedy collective has spent years sifting through hundreds of otherwise forgotten notebooks on a mission to celebrate the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Mortified is co-produced in New York by Brandy Barber & Anne Altman.
Please Note: You can save $5 off the $20 cover (i.e., pay $15 per ticket)
by ordering online with discount code HyReviews.
Please also note there's a two-item minimum;
with tax & tip, figure on spending an additional $13 or up.
8:00 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
$15 online using code HYREVIEWS, plus two-item food or drink minimum
Jena Friedman
Entertaining Tammy with Jena Friedman
Razor-sharp and delightfully dark stand-up comic Jena Friedman (playwright of 2008 FringeNYC show Refugee Girls; for a stand-up video about sexual predators, eggs, and Tai food, please click here) hosts this new and entirely free weekly comedy show in Brooklyn. This is actually a version of an acclaimed show Jena used to do in a Chicago bar run by a gal named Tammy. (When the bar started out it was often near-empty, so Jena began the show to entertain her friend and develop steady traffic. On both counts, it was a wild success.)
Tonight's guests haven't been announced, but they're typically a mix of talented stand-ups, sketch comedy performers, and musicians.
8:00 pm at Sound Fix Records, 110 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg Brooklyn; free
Take the L subway to Bedford Avenue and walk four blocks to N 11th Street
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; and they
recently starred in the Fringe festival hit Gem! A Truly Outrageous Parody,
which won two FringeNYC 2008 Awards.
Eliza will soon be moving to LA. Don't miss one of your final chances
to enjoy these comedic wizards at play on an NYC stage.
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's One Man Show: A Meditation on Dum Dums and B-Holes
Kurt Braunohler is a frequent comedy partner of Kristen Schaal, performing sketches that are hilariously indescribable. He's also a co-star of Web series Penelope, Princess of Pets, for which Kurt won the 2008 ECNY Award as Best Director; and
co-host with Kristen of NYC/LA comedy show Hot Tub Variety Show.
Tonight, however, Kurt will perform solo (not counting occasional fish cameos), demonstrating he's a formidable comic on his own as well.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Matt Walsh and Eugene Mirman...
...and Leo Allen, Wyatt Cenac, and Chelsea Peretti
Whiplash with Leo Allen: The Finest in Stand-Up Comedy, Free
Leo Allen is one of the most sharp, honest, and likeable stand-ups working in NYC. Leo was a writer for Saturday Night Live from 2002 through 2005. He's also performed two Comedy Central Presents 1/2-hour specials (one by himself and one with his writing partner Eric Slovin); done stand-up on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.; and acted on Ed and Sex and the City. Leo has now taken over the Monday-at-11:00 pm UCBT spot made super-special by Aziz Ansari's Crash Test and Jeremy Levenbach's Cavalcade! (in fact, Whiplash is produced by Jeremy).
Tonight's thoroughly wonderful guests are
Matt Walsh (founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, and one of the finest improvisors in the history of comedy; TV credits include co-starring in Comedy Central's Upright Citizens Brigade and Dog Bites Man, being a correspondent for The Daily Show, performing in numerous sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and acting on MTV's Human Giant; numerous film credits include Old School, Elf, Step Brothers, Semi-Pro, Bad Santa, Be Kind Rewind, School for Scoundrels, Starsky & Hutch, and Martin & Orloff),
Tonight's wonderful guests are
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,
award-winning co-host of weekly Brooklyn comedy show Tearing the Veil of Maya),
Chelsea Peretti (exceptionally fresh, smart stand-up comic; Comedy Central's Live at Gotham; member of superb comedy troupe Variety Shac; writer for Village Voice, Details, Playgirl, Jest,
blackpeopleloveus.com, and Rejection Line: 212/479-7990), and
Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; cast member on upcoming HBO Kanye West show; star of upcoming indie feature film Medicine for Melancholy; former staff writer/editor for three years on King of the Hill; for a blacks vs. gays competition, please click here).
If you love comedy, make a habit of attending this wonderful free weekly extravaganza.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/21/08
Margie Kment (Hold for the Laughs), Violet Krumbein (Harold troupe Whorenado), and Kambri Crews (Speakeasy)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks marked by colored brackets) include:
comics getting rid of their stuff by telling tales about the items
and then selling to the highest bidder at Auction! (7:30 pm),
the editors of Comic Foundry, a magazine focused on the biz—and who'll be
giving out a free copy to every audience member—joining in on a
lively & hilarious discussion about comic books at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
three full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes
Whorenado, Ragnaröck, Law Firm, The Scam, and DeCoster—at Harold Night (8:00 pm),
superb storytellers, including Kambri Crews and Giulia Rozzi, at SpeakEasy (8:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] superb stand-up comics Jeff Ross (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno),
Laura Krafft (Emmy-winning writer for The Colbert Report), Kumail Nanjiani (Comedy Central),
and Erik Weiner (HBO, MTV) at one of the finest and funniest shows in NYC,
the wonderful Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] an exciting new monthly event bringing NYC theatre and comedy folks together,
tonight featuring a networking party at 9:00, and then a comedy show at 10:00—featuring
such sharp stand-ups as Christian Finnegan (Comedy Central Presents), Dan St. Germain (MTV),
and quirky ventriloquist Carla Rhodes—at Margie Kment's Hold for the Laughs (9:00 pm),
fine stand-ups Michelle Collins (VH1, MTV U), Dan Curry (Drunk on a Bike),
Laura Mannino (FOX, WE), and Eliot Glazer (New York Sh*tty) at a show pretending to be
from the Pennsylvania heartland: Skip & Sparkle Variety (9:00 pm),
and former Kissing Booth hosts Brandy Barber and Sara Jo Allocco performing a sketch show directed by the superb Owen Brimer: Jar Full of Roaches (9:30 pm).
This new show "acts as an alternative to the impersonality of eBay and the seriousness of The Antiques Road Show. At Auction!, comedians bring hilarious stories along with their objects, and you bring riot gear and a few bucks for the bid wars that follow." Hosted by Chris Sifflet.
7:30 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)
Tim Leong and Laura Hudson, editors of Comic Foundry
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's guests are Tim Leong and Laura Hudson, the editors of
Comic Foundry, a magazine about the comic book biz
that's celebrating its one-year anniversary.
Freebie Alert: All audience members will receive a free copy of the magazine!
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 two current faves, a delightful visit from Kevin "Batman" Conroy and a hilarious evening with Daily Show writer Eliot Kalan, please click here and here.)
Also be sure to watch a Penguin vs. Batman debate that uncannily predicted John McCain's recent campaign strategy 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—
Whorenado, Ragnaröck, Law Firm, The Scam, and DeCoster—
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
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 wonderful yarn-spinners include
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; and keep an eye out for Kambri's first autobiographical book in 2009),
Giulia Rozzi (VH1's Best Night Ever podcasts; monthly video series The Message Board, which makes fun of brides, on ComedyNet.com; co-producer of East coast version of hit national show Mortified; co-host of red-hot comedy show Stripped Stories;
for a video sample, please click here), and
James Braly (NPR; two-time winner of The Moth Storytelling GrandSLAM).
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
Jeff Ross and Kumail Nanjiani...
...and Seth Herzog and Laura Krafft
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 terrific guests are
Jeff Ross (Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central roastmaster),
Kumail Nanjiani (rising stand-up star; Comedy Central's Open Mic Fight; terrific one-man show Unpronounceable about experiences with Islam—for my review, please click here; co-host of monthly NYC live comedy show Game Bros. Live!; 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),
Laura Krafft (Emmy-winning former staff writer for The Colbert Report; former writer for Comedy Central's Crossballs; acted on such series as on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm), and
Erik Weiner (writer for Adult Swim's brilliant Robot Chicken; co-wrote off-Broadway play The Bomb-itty of Errors; acted in MTV's Scratch N Burn, HBO's Unscripted, feature film Brown Sugar).
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
Carla Rhodes (with friend Cecil) and Christian Finnegan...
...and Margie Kment, Dan St. Germain, and Chelsea White
This new show is an exciting attempt to mix NYC's vibrant comedy and theatre worlds together.
It opens at 9:00 pm with a networking event in which theatre and comedy folks can meet each other, and also get to know the artists involved in upcoming theatrical shows produced by the sponsor, Small Pond Entertainment.
It then shifts gears at 10:00 pm with a full-blown comedy show hosted by the
lovely Margie Kment (for stand-up video about dating a stoner, please click here).
Tonight's fine comics are
Christian Finnegan (Comedy Central Presents half-hour special, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show, host of TVLand's Game Time, former staff writer for Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; comedy CD Two For Flinching; for stand-up videos on how to get rid of a boring guy and what your movie choices say about you, please click here and here),
Carla Rhodes ("rock 'n roll ventriloquist;" for shout-out from David Letterman, please click here; for act with "Keith Richards," please click here),
Dan St. Germain (MTV; for reenactment of Dan's breakup, please click here),
Chelsea White (MTV; for video in which Chelsea tells Mike Meyers to "get in my belly," please click here), and
Mark Normand (co-host of monthly Queens LIC live comedy show We're All Friends Here).
9:00 pm for networking, 10:00 pm for comedy show at the Sage Theatre,
711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th & 48th Streets);
tickets are $10 if you reserve by emailing holdforthelaughs@gmail.com, $12 at the door
The Skip & Sparkle Variety Show
In this new show, "Pennsylvania's favorite jokester song-and-dance team, Skip Lickdale and Sparkle Montgomery, and that ol' biz workhorse Ron Phoenixville, bring you the most fun cast of characters that New York has to offer. Gags, singing-n-dancing, ukuleles and more!"
Tonight's lineup includes terrific stand-ups
Michelle Collins (VH1's Best Week Ever and All Access, MTV U, The Al Franken Show, YouCantMakeItUp.org; for a memorable chat about the power of penises over vaginas, please click here),
Dan Curry (author of book Drunk on a Bike; for a stand-up video about Christians, please click here),
Laura Mannino (FOX, WE; Carolines; co-creator of MintyFresh Comedy), and
Eliot Glazer (co-creator of UCBT extravaganza High School Talent Show and of storytelling show New York Sh*tty).
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)
Former Kissing Booth hosts Brandy Barber and Sara Jo Allocco wrote & perform
this sketch show, directed by acclaimed comedy short film director Orem Brimer.
The official description: "Some simp may have said that life is just a bowl full of cherries, but Brandy & Sara think it's more like a jar full of roaches. Will there be demented workout videos? Seething hostility expressed through offers of kindness? Screeching? You betcha. And one lucky guest will win his or her very own Jar Full Of Roaches at each and every show."
So even if you don't like the show, the price is clearly worth it for the raffle entry...
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/22/08
Charlie Sanders (The Nights of Our Lives), Rachel Feinstein (Offensive Women), and Elna Baker (Rejection Show)
Tonight's recommendations for the best in New York City comedy
(in chronological order, with top picks marked by colored brackets) include:
[TOP PICK] nearly two hours of world-class improvisation in a rare "home stage" appearance by the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company (6:00 pm),
five free hours of improvisation in The PIT's Super Free Wednesday (7:00 pm-midnight),
a mix of stand-up and music in Intermission (7:30 pm),
[TOP PICK] a breathtaking collection of some of the finest comedic talent in NYC—freestyle beatbox
genius Reggie Watts, brilliant storyteller Elna Baker, world-class stand-up Pete Holmes,
master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler, and more—at an extravaganza in which
top performers tell very funny tales of woe about their material being turned down
at the wonderful Jon Friedman's The Rejection Show (8:00 pm),
fine female stand-ups Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central; opens for Sarah Silverman), Maureen Langan
(opens for Joy Behar), Ann Carr (Comedy Central, VH1), Fiona Walsh (Sundays at Seven), Sherry Davey
(NBC, Comedy Central), and host Bernadette Pauley (Comedy Central, VH1) at Offensive Women (8:00ish pm),
superb stand-up comics Todd Barry, Leo Allen, Tony Kamin, and host Rob Cantrell providing comedic advice on how to survive the coming hard times in Recession Tips (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] some of most razor-sharp and uproariously funny storytellers in the country—John Flynn, Chris Gethard, Curtis Gwinn, Dave Martin, and Charlie Sanders—celebrating Halloween early by telling "Tales of Terror and the Supernatural" at one of the finest shows in NYC, The Nights of Our Lives (8:00 pm),
[TOP PICK] and a free, laid-back, and occasionally magical variety show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).
The Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company
The comics who train, teach, and perform at UCBT are among the finest improvisors in the world. The UCB Touring Company consists of the cream of the crop, with the mission of showing audiences beyond those visiting UCB's theatres in NYC and LA what improv is all about.
For just this evening, however, UCB TourCo will be strutting its stuff on the UCBT-NY stage for nearly two hours. This is likely to be a wonderful event, and is highly recommended.
6:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood
The PIT's Super Free Wednesday
For four hours every Wednesday, The PIT provides free shows featuring its improv house troupes. Vacation Island and The Wilhelm perform at 7:00 pm; Big Black Car and Fancy Dragon go on at 8:00 pm; and The Baldwins and Sid Viscous show their stuff at 9:30. Rounding out the evening are The Faculty, consisting of The PIT's superb improv instructors, including such talents as Ali Farahnakian, Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Jen Nails, Pat Shay, Matt Donnelly, Kevin Scott, Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood.
If you then feel sufficiently inspired, you can participate in the free show Improdome at 11:00 pm, which allows audience members to get on stage and improvise with each other in trios for 5-7 minute sets.
7:00 pm-midnight at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Mo Diggs and Matt Nagin
This new monthly show mixes stand-up with two intermissions for performances by its musical guest. It therefore claims to be "like SNL, but with stand-up instead of sketch." It's hosted by
Mo Diggs (contributing writer to TheApiary.com and Dead-Frog.com) and
Matt Nagin (Gotham, Standup New York, Comic Strip).
Tonight's lineup hasn't been announced.
7:30 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)
Pete Holmes and Kurt Braunohler...
...Patrick Borelli and Matt McCarthy...
...and Elna Baker, Jon Friedman, and Reggie Watts
In this fascinating extravaganza, Jon Friedman hosts a parade of exceptional comedic performers showing you material they created that was rejected, accompanied by hilarious behind-the-scenes stories.
Tonight Jon has outdone himself, gathering together some of the most brilliant comedic talent in NYC. The thoroughly wonderful guests are
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),
Elna Baker (brilliant writer, storyteller, improvisor, and comics creator whose If You See Something was best one-woman show at FringeNYC 2006; This American Life, Elle Magazine; currently writing a book about her experiences living and dating as a Mormon in NYC; according to HBO Comedy Development's Dan Gregor, "Elna Baker tells stories with so much effortless charm and natural humor that you almost forget she's on a stage and you're not just sharing a beer. Endearing, funny, and unique—I think everyone in the audience was secretly hoping her next story would include them"),
Pete Holmes (razor-sharp & lightning-fast mind, and one of the finest stand-ups in the country;
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),
Kurt Braunohler (frequent comedy partner of Kristen Schaal, performing sketches that are hilariously indescribable; also a co-star of Web series Penelope, Princess of Pets, for which Kurt won the 2008 ECNY Award as Best Director; and
co-host with Kristen of NYC/LA comedy extravaganza Hot Tub Variety Show),
Patrick Borelli (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend,
ESPN's Cheap Seats, SuperDeluxe's Thunderpoint, Video Power Hour),
Matt McCarthy (razor-sharp comic; Comedy Central's Live at Gotham; co-host of biweekly LIC live comedy extravaganza The Matt and Katina Show),
Oren Brimer (writer/director/producer of short funny films for SuperDeluxe.com
and YouTube.com; for numerous samples, please click here), and
music from fabulous comedic rockabilly band The Defibulators.
The caliber of talent gathered for tonight is breathtaking. Any one of these comics could perform a stellar show by himself or herself (and most of them already have...). Highly recommended.
Please Note: Comix's usual two-item minimum has been waived for this event.
Save $5 off the $17 cover (i.e., $12 per ticket)
with discount code HYREVIEWS. To order, please click here.
8:00 pm at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)
Ann Carr, Maureen Langan, and Rachel Feinstein
This monthly event is hosted tonight by Bernadette Pauley (Comedy Central, VH1) and spotlights top female comics. Tonight's superb stand-up guests are
Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Samurai Love God, Court TV's
Parko PI, regular on Sirius Satellite Radio, written for The Onion and Heeb Magazine,
opens for Sarah Silverman on tour),
Maureen Langan ( winner of the Bud Light "Ladies of Laughter" Contest; opens for
Joy Behar; named by Backstage as one of the "Ten Standout Stand-ups Worth Watching"),
Ann Carr (VH1's The Winners Circle, Comedy Central Motherload's Honesty Wedding, UCBT's High School Talent Show,The Pit's Keith & Donna's Grateful Dead Listening Hour),
Fiona Walsh (Irish Galway Comedy Festival, co-producer of monthly NYC live comedy show Sundays at Seven), and
Sherry Davey (NBC's The Today Show, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Nick at Nite's Search for America's Funniest Mom).
8:00ish pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $10
Rob Cantrell
CBS/NYC Presents: Rob Cantrell and Friends' Recession Tips
This one-night-only event is hosted by Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, CBS's Late Late Show, VH1; off-Broadway show The Marijuana-Logues).
It'll feature Rob's stand-up comedy friends, including Todd Barry, Leo Allen, and Tony Camin.
In addition, there'll be short comedy films revolving around the theme of how to make your dollar last during these tough times. You can start with this show...which is a mere five bucks.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
The Nights of Our Lives: Tales of Terror and the Supernatural
This is one of the best shows in New York.
The format is simple: A bunch of razor-sharp writer/performers tell stories
about themselves revolving around the evening's theme—which tonight,
in honor of around-the-corner Halloween, is "Tales of Terror and the Supernatural."
The only rules of the show are that the tales must be true, and must be funny.
The brutal honesty, and jarring bravery, of some the participants can be hair-raising.
What they offer aren't merely jokes, but resonant, humane perspectives on life.
At the same time, there are very few shows, on or off Broadway,
that will make you laugh as consistently and as loud.
Enormous kudos go to host David Martin; and to brilliant storytellers
Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn, Chris Gethard, Curtis Gwinn, Anthony King,
Margot Leitman, Adam Pally, and the other comedy soldiers who've bared
some of their darkest and funniest secrets on the Nights of Our Lives stage.
This evening's scheduled yarn-spinners are stellar core regulars John Flynn, Chris Gethard, Curtis Gwinn, and Dave Martin, plus equally brilliant storyteller Charles Sanders (who recently wowed audiences with his thoroughly hilarious one-man show about growing up Muslin in Minnesota). Expect a highly memorable evening.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
