NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 10/22/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
a small mob of top comics, including Dave Hill and the gals from Variety Shac, at talk show Bro'in Out (8:00 pm),
Comix's new Ochi's Lounge opening with Andy Christie's delightful The Liar Show (8:00 pm),
Dwayne Perkins and Chelsea Peretti performing stand-up at La Boca (9:30 pm),
and one of the best stand-up shows in New York, which just happens to be free: Crash Test (11:00 pm).
After last night's closing of Mo Pitkins, many fine NYC comedy shows
have no place to perform. One of the venues that's come to the rescue is Comix,
a classy comedy club at 353 West 14th Street between 8th & 9th Avenues,
via a brand new cozy space (seating around 40) named Ochi's Lounge.
While Comix's main performance space charges $15-$25 and up for tickets,
plus a two-item food or drink minimum, Ochi's Lounge will typically host shows
charging nothing for tickets, and a one-item minimum.
Low-cost items on the Ochi's menu include $4 and $5 draft beers,
and half-price food from the main performance space menu:
for example, an Angus burger that's $15 upstairs is only $7.50 at Ochi's.
I'm normally not a fan of any-item minimums; but when you can pay
around $5 for live comedy and get a beverage thrown in, that's a sweet deal.
And more importantly, I'm delighted shows such as Liar, Chicks & Giggles,
Max!, and Drink at Work are being given the opportunity to continue
working their magic and providing New Yorkers with laughs.
Also, to encourage you to check out Ochi's, for this opening week of October 22-28
attending a Lounge show will get you an Admit Two pass to shows not expected
to sell out at the Comix main space (such as most 6:00 pm and 10:45 shows).
For example, if you choose a $25 main space show, the pass will be worth $50.
Justin Purnell, Dave Hill, and Carl Arnheiter...
...and Variety Shac's Andrea Rosen, Chelsea Peretti, and Shonali Bhowmik
Hosted by Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night
with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City) and
Tony Camin (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend,
The Marijuana-logues), with "bartender" Johnny Conroy (fearless,
quick-witted, and wonderfully unpredictable). Tonight's guests are
Dave Hill (Variety Magazine's 2007 pick for 10 Comics to Watch; written for
The New York Times, Salon, HBO, and the eerie Web site Black Metal Dialogues;
written & performed for VH1, Spike TV, The Learning Channel, Smoking Gun TV series),
Carl Arnheiter (writer for ABC News, The Discovery Channel, People Magazine, Time Out NY),
Shonali Bhowmik (leader of musical group Tigers & Monkeys, comedy troupe Variety Shac),
Andrea Rosen (Comedy Central's Stella, VH1's All Access, comedy troupe Variety Shac),
Chelsea Peretti (Village Voice, Details, Playgirl, Jest, blackpeopleloveus.com,
Rejection Line: 212/479-7990, comedy troupe Variety Shac),
Justin Purnell (wonderful host of UCBT's School Night), and
Joe Mande & Noah Garfinkel (hosts of NYC biweekly live comedy show Totally J/K;
for dueling birthday videos, please click here and here;
and for other videos, please click here and here).
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Four funny people tell amazing stories. Three of the tales are absolutely true...but
one of them is a pack of lies. The audience then asks questions to try and identify the fibber.
Host Andy Christie (The New York Times) welcomes tonight's terrific yarn-spinners:
James Braly (NPR; only two-time winner of The Moth Storytelling GrandSLAM),
Martin Dockery (four-time Moth Grandslam finalist),
Tara Clancy (one-woman show Channel Rat at 2005 FringeNYC),
and Peter Lubell (producer/director for NPR and TV).
8:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum; includes Admit Two pass to a main space show
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
Dwayne Perkins and Chelsea Peretti
Stand-up comedy hosted by Dewey Banks & Brian McGuinness.
Tonight's scheduled guests are Chelsea Peretti (Village Voice, Details, Playgirl, Jest, blackpeopleloveus.com, Rejection Line: 212/479-7990, comedy troupe Variety Shac),
who'll be racing over from the 8:00 pm UCBT show Bro'in Out with Leo & Tony,
Dwayne Perkins (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents,
Premium Blend, Shorties Watchin' Shorties; for a video stand-up sample,
please click here), Brett Anderson, and Cody Hess.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Hosted by Aziz Ansari (one of the best stand-up comics on the planet,
and co-star with fellow genius comics Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer
of MTV hit comedy series Human Giant).
If you're a fan, please note that Aziz, Paul and Rob guys are currently
shooting the second season of Human Giant. For insider notes about
the production, and for sneak peaks at new videos,
please visit their Web site at thehumangiant.com.
Crash Test guests are typically superb comedians trying out new material;
and this is often among the flat-out funniest shows in New York.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 10/23/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
funny writer Brian Heater & terrific stand-up Baron Vaughn kicking back at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),
Comix's new Ochi's Lounge hosting talented female stand-ups at Chicks & Giggles (8:00 pm),
and stars such as SNL's Jason Sudeikis, Demetri Martin, and Jessica Delfino at Seth Herzog's Sweet (9:00 pm).
Baron Vaughn and Brian Heater
Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,
who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.
Tonight's industry guest is Brian Heater, Editor-in-Chief of
The Daily Crosshatch, a Web news magazine about alternative comics.
And tonight's comedy guest is Baron Vaughn (MTV's The Gamekillers,
VH1's Best Week Ever, Shoot the Messenger).
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Giulia Rozzi and Carolyn Castiglia
Carolyn Castiglia hosts a lineup of talented female comics.
For tonight's premiere of C&G at new home Ochi's Lounge,
the guests are Giulia Rozzi (VH1's Best Night Ever podcasts;
co-host of monthly NYC red-hot live comedy show Stripped Stories;
for a video sample, please click here),
Karith Foster (Comedy Centrals Premium Blend),
Joanne Filan (Laugh Factory), Molly Reisner (Comedy Centrals Fresh Faces),
Mandy Stadtmiller (Winner, Funniest Reporter in New York), and Jiwon Li.
8:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);
no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum; includes Admit Two pass to a main space show
The Harold is longform improv, pioneered by Del Close.
Tonight, five improv troupes—Bastian, Tantrum, 1985,
fwand, 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
Jessica Delfino—and her friend who wants to be famous—and Demetri Martin
Hosted by the sharp & witty Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever).
Tonight's delightful lineup includes Demetri Martin (The Daily Show: Trendspotting,
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents,
Comedy Central's Demetri Martin. Person., These Are Jokes CD/DVD),
Jessica Delfino, who enjoys singing songs about her vagina, as demonstrated by her acclaimed CD Dirty Folk Rock; created the hilarious & award-winning animated short film I Wanna Be Famous; toured the country with the wonderful Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players;
was a big hit at the Edinburgh Festival this summer; and has a
cool MySpace page, and an even cooler blog),
Liam McEneany (VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Premium Blend),
and Jason Sudeikis (current cast member of Saturday Night Live) as tonight's co-host.
9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 10/24/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
a mind-boggling kick-off to UCBT's Offensive Fest: Flynn & Falcon as Video Perverts (8:00 pm),
some of the best comics in NYC at Eugene Mirman's & Bobby Tisdale's Invite Them Up (9:00 pm),
brilliant NYC comedic storytellers relating The Most F*cked Up Nights of Our Lives (9:30 pm),
and a free comedy talent show where anything can happen ups the ante tonight when,
as part of Offensive Fest, it becomes Segregated School Night (11:00).
For details, please click here.
Offensive Fest: A Magical Comedy Mini-Festival from UCBT
In this age of extreme political correctness,
the stellar comics of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
have chosen to launch an onslaught on the bounds of good taste.
And god bless them for it.
Running from October 24th through October 28th,
the festival includes such potentially shocking shows as
Segregated School Night, a separate but equal talent showcase;
Cage Match: Retards vs. Stereotypes, in which two improv teams
try to outdo each other in making the audience uncomfortable;
Heroes of 9/11, a production by brilliant & brave improv troupe
Death by Roo Roo that will likely make your jaw drop;
and Soundtrack to the Last Hour of Your Life, in which beloved
improv troupe Mother will try to make your life flash before your eyes.
Pushing at boundaries and taboos so that we see the world
in new ways is a large part of what comedy is all about.
And so is falling on the floor laughing.
I'm going to try to catch as many shows in this festival as possible.
Hope to see you there.
There's no way to improve upon the official description of
this show, which is the perfect choice for kicking off Offensive Fest.:
"Join John Flynn and Jesse Falcon as they team up
to bring you an evening of video clips that are so beyond
the realm of comprehension that only the strong and the foolish
should attend the screening. Together they have assembled
an evening of videos that will make you want to rip your own face off.
Marvel! At the horror of the dark side of celebrity!!!!
Gasp! At the effect of Drugs on the Human Mind!!!!
Spoon! At the shocking SEX-capades of the elderly!!!!
Perverted Video with John and Jesse....it's like a bet you were born to lose!
(Warning: No one will be seated during the Barbra Streisand S&M gelatin musical number!)"
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Stand-up comedy hosted by Jenny Rubin and Matt McCarthy (above).
Unfortunately, the duo aren't great about posting lineup information,
which means there's no telling who the guests will be tonight;
but Matt is a razor-sharp comic who always does a set,
so a certain amount of entertainment is virtually guaranteed.
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; includes Admit Two pass to a main space show
Jim Gaffigan, Jon Daly, and Chris Jurek
Hosted by comedy greats Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale.
Tonight's superb lineup includes Jim Gaffigan (Late Show With David Letterman
[11 appearances], Late Night with Conan O'Brien [16 appearances], Comedy Central Presents);
Jon Daly (member of superstar improv group Mother; just wrapped acting in feature comedy film College Road Trip; for samples of Jon's unique work with partner Brett Gelman, please click here and here, and also check out their hip-hop parody album Fleetwood Cracked);
Chris Jurek (for video samples, please click here and here);
Noah Garfinkel (co-host of NYC biweekly live comedy show Totally J/K;
for dueling birthday videos, please click here and here); and
Brad Steuernagel (ImprovOlympic, shows Ice Cream Before Bed and Local Comedian).
9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5
The (Most F*cked Up) Nights of Our Lives
This is flat-out one of the best shows in New York.
While technically part of Offensive Fest—
tonight's topic is The Most F*cked Up Nights of Our Lives—
its comics are always digging beneath the surface to get at what's real.
The format is simple: A bunch of razor-sharp writer/performers tell stories
about themselves revolving around the evening's theme.
The only rules 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.
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood
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.
Afterwards, house improv troupe The Baldwins takes the stage for another 30.
9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free
Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,
and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly—
but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun.
On this very special racially charged edition of School Night—
which is part of Offensive Fest—expect all of the above, and much more.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free
NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 10/25/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
delightful comedic couple Mary Theresa Archbold & Pat Shay appearing On the Moment (7:00 pm),
as part of Offensive Fest, brilliant comics singing Songs in the Key of F**k You (8:00 pm),
UCBT stars including Anthony King, Rob Huebel, and Neil Casey poking fun at the news (9:30 pm),
and improv teams doing their best to hilariously offend in Cage Match: Retards vs. Stereotypes (11:00).
Ace sketch/improv duo Mary Theresa Archbold & Pat Shay
Comedic variety show hosted by Tim Ellis and Matthew Park.
Tonight's guests are Mary Theresa Archbold & Pat Shay,
who won top honors at this August's FringeNYC 2007 Festival
for their wonderful sketch show Jazz Hand: Tales of a One Armed Woman, and who
are also expert improvisers (Mary teaches improv at The Magnet, and Pat at The PIT);
Fiona Walsh (Irish Galway Comedy Festival); and Phil Yanos (member of band Dangaru).
7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5
Eliza Skinner, Cracked Out, and Shayna Ferm
As part of this week's Offensive Fest., a small mob of wonderful singing comics
perform raunchy, offensive songs. The hosts are Cracked Out (Jon Daly & Brett Gelman
parodying a hip-hop group; for samples of their mind-blowing videos,
please click here and here, and see their album Fleetwood Cracked);
and the stellar guests are Michelle Accorso, Deb Downing, Shayna Ferm,
Brian Fountain, Fran Gillespie, Peter Gwinn, Peter Grosz, Nate Kushner,
Michael Martin, Tricia McAlpin, Marcos Sanchez, Ari Scott, Abby Sher, Eliza Skinner,
and Kristy Webb, with videos from Stuckey & Murray and Reggie Watts.
Expect to be enormously entertained.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
This one-man show by Paden Fallis tells the comedic story of a football coach "in the final three minutes of the defining game of his career...(when his) world comes crashing down around him. As the clock ticks away, the coach comes head-to-head with a backstabbing assistant, a gifted adversary, a God-like referee, and a mysterious stranger who repeatedly phones down to the bench—all the while trying to pull his team through to victory."
8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10
Hosts Anthony King and Scott Brown...
...and panelists Kate Spencer, Rob Huebel, Neil Casey, and Peter Gwinn
A funny look at the news, with lots of amusing video clips,
hosted by Anthony King (UCBT Artistic Director, Reuben Williams)
and Scott Brown (writer for Entertainment Weekly, and
co-writer with Anthony King of Gutenberg: The Musical).
Tonight's panelists are Rob Huebel (co-star of Human Giant, Best Week Ever),
Peter Gwinn (writer for The Colbert Report; founder of genius musical improv group Baby Wants Candy), Neil Casey (member of wonderful improv troupes Death by Roo Roo and Krompf), and Kate Spencer (VH1.com, member of stellar improv troupe Reuben Williams).
9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
vs. 
Cage Match: Retards vs. Stereotypes
This delightful show pits two improv teams against each other while creating the
the atmosphere of a professional wrestling arena (and providing such side-shows
as a bout to the death between guys costumed as an alcoholic wolf and TV's Alf...).
As part of this week's Offensive Fest., tonight's very special edition of Cage Match features some of UCBT's finest improvisors split into two teams—one designated Retards, the other Stereotypes— trying to outdo each other in making the audience simultaneously squirm with discomfort and howl with laughter.
Suffice to say, I wouldn't miss this for anything.
11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
Adam Lowitt and Joe Mande
Tonight's guests are Adam Lowitt (staffer at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;
host of NYC live comedy show It Is It!; for a video stand-up sample, please click here),
Joe Mande (co-host with Noah Garfinkel of NYC biweekly live comedy show Totally J/K;
for some video samples, please click here and here and here);
Sean Lynch (writer for Comedy Central, MTV, and Showtime), and
Alex Marino (co-host of Magnet Theater duo improv show Ampers&nd).
Hosted by Jon Bander, Dan Gregor, and Lucas Held.
11:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5
NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 10/26/07
Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include
your last chance to catch a lively, tuneful, and yet spooky tribute to Halloween
(featuring an unforgettable bit involving corn) from The Apple Sisters (7:00 pm),
John Flynn telling hilarious, hair-raising tales about his adventures with Terrible Sex (8:00 pm),
superb improv about the dark side of relationships from The Stepfathers (9:30 pm),
and what's likely to be a highlight of this week's Offensive Fest, a show ominously titled
Heroes of 9/11 from living-on-the-edge improv troupe Death by Roo Roo (11:00 pm).
Photo on left: Rebekka Johnson, Kimmy Gatewood, and Sarah Lowe
The Apple Sisters: Spooky Halloween Show
The lovely Kimmy Gatewood, who is an exceptionally talented writer, director, and comedic performer, demonstrates that she's also great at singing and dancing—partnered beautifully with Rebekka Johnson and Sarah Lowe, and Tom Thomsen on keyboard—in this homage to 1940s girl groups like The Andrew Sisters. From the official description: "The Apple Sisters are Candy, Cora, and Seedy. Their mother, Ms. Reddy Apple, was a vaudeville star and she passed down the legacy to her three girls! The trio present their live show, broadcast on WXYZ AM Radio, straight to the troops in Germany, and present the show on stage at the Peoples Improv Theater in their first and favorite home, the Big Apple! Be a chum and always use Doramad Toothpaste, now with Thorium!" To get a feel for the show, please click here & here & here & here.
Please note that tonight is your last chance to catch the show's spooky Halloween edition.
(Next week the gals will debut an entirely new production, revolving around Thanksgiving.)
Please also note that this show is Time Out New York's top pick for tonight,
and the two previous performances sold out; so to ensure you get seats, it'd
be wise to buy your tickets online—which is actually cheaper than paying at the door.
7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $10 at the door,
or you can pay $9.19 (including service charge) buying online by clicking here
Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner are simply geniuses
at taking a suggestion from the audience and crafting
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.
This is the first hour-long show they've performed in months;
and for it they'll make up a 25-minute, 15-minute, and 5-minute musical.
if you aren't going to see the Apple Sisters (above) or John Flynn (below),
it's highly recommended you come enjoy these comedic wizards at play.
7:30 pm at The Tank, 279 Church Street (bet. Franklin & White Streets); tickets are $8
John Flynn Has Terrible Sex (with Jason Mantzoukas)
Razor-sharp and hilarious storyteller John Flynn (Showgirls: The Best Movie Ever Made. Ever!, The Nights of Our Lives) will make your head spin with his most memorable sexual escapades.
The official description: "Ever since he was a teenager, John Flynn has had some pretty terrible sex. At times the sex was immoral, illegal, and once involved the phrase 'erotic vomiting.' His partners have ranged from professional athletes, to circus performers, to men who swear they 'aren't gay.' It's the kind of sex that makes you question basic human decency.
And with the help of Jason Mantzoukas, John Flynn is going to share it all with you."
In other words, this is likely to be a highlight of UCBT's Offensive Fest.
8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8