For more, please visit HyReviews.com.
Legends in the making: Watch The Jeselnik Offensive Tuesdays and Kroll Show Wednesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.
Anna Roisman (check out her messing with Les Miz by clicking photo) is among the song parodists at tonight’s Total Requesty…
…and Carmen Lynch headlines one last night at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club
Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:
[FREE] 4:00 pm: A dozen stand-ups—including Amber Nelson, Ben Kissel, and Matt Ruby—perform on this month’s theme “The Therapy Show: Comedians share deep cuts from their lives” at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Andy Rocco: Rocco’s Playground
6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes The Best, Postrophe, and Petting Zoo at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Brandon Scott Jones (possibly the finest male comedic character actor at UCBT; top improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes, top sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox, and many other shows), Rob Lathan (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, ABC), Dan Klein (The Onion, acclaimed concept-driven sketch troupe Pangea 3000), Griffin Newman, Matt Starr, and more performing character bits at UCB East hosted by Justin Tyler and Michael Hartney: Characters Welcome
[$] 7:00 pm ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), and Max Alexander (Jay Leno) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style): Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More
7:30 pm ($7): Sharp Magnet improvisors “perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:” The Weave
7:30 pm ($10): Talented improvisors at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then “turn that town’s tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:” The Curfew: Not From Around Here
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($27.25, plus 2-drink minimum; sold out for tonight, but you can still nab tickets for Sunday at 10:00 pm if you move fast via the box office or online): One of the most skilled, funny, and beloved stand-ups in the country—and a personal favorite—who’s a staff writer for Saturday Night Live (for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), has performed repeatedly on Conan O’Brien and VH1′s Best Week Ever, and won the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up, headlining through Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: John Mulaney
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who starred in a highly popular Comedy Central Presents special, hosted series on MTV and the Oxygen Network, was a recurring character on Showtime’s Weeds, and has also performed on CBS, ABC, E!, and Chelsea Lately headlines one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Bret Ernst
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($20 & 2-item food/drink min.) The lovely Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central) headlines one last night at Queens LIC’s Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.), plus stand-ups from The She-Devil Comedy Festival opening: Carmen Lynch
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), TV star Judy Gold, Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Judy Gold, Dan Soder, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00ish pm: Wonderful comics Amber Nelson & Ashley Brooke Roberts host this free biweekly variety show featuring stand-up, character acts, music, and who knows what else, with tonight’s guests delightful raunchy singing duo The Reformed Whores (Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame; new album Ladies Don’t Spit), and stand-ups Seaton Smith (Opie & Anthony Virus Tour), Sarah Tollemache (host of Last Night,; immortal story That’s Not My Shit), and Zach Broussard performing at the Comedy Bar (134 West 29th Street): The Dream Show
[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at this monthly gay-themed show at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Tom Steffen: Rapier Wit
8:30 pm ($10): Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller with notable bangs; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR’s trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another), Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet), Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked), Harrison Greenbaum (writer for Mad Magazine; head writer of Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro on NBCU/Telemundo; winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award), and Kevin Barnett (Comedy Central, MTV, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor) performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea’s genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo
[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there’s still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), TV star Judy Gold, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club
9:00 pm ($7): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem
[$] 9:15 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), and Louis Katz (Jimmy Fallon, HBO, Comedy Central Presents) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Judah Friedlander, Lynne Koplitz, Gary Gulman, and More
9:30 pm ($10): This popular all-guy comedy troupe performs both sketch and improv at The PIT upstairs theatre: Gentlemen Party
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Stand-ups Chesley Calloway, Joel Walkowski, and Nick Naney performing sets and then being interviewed about their personal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand (who says “all these guys were hand-picked because they’re funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you’re gonna be like ‘oh yeah, that guy is a mess’”): We’re All Friends Here
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing; podcast You Had to Be There), Michael Che (David Letterman, Comedy Central), and Dante Nero performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Judah Friedlander, Jay Oakerson, Nikki Glaser, Michael Che, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to “take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:” Grandma’s Ashes Gets Dark
[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT improv troupe Airwolf—which includes such talents as John Frusciante, Molly Lloyd, Tim Martin, and Emily Axford, and has so far crushed 10 improv groups in a row at Cage Match, entirely owns the UCB East stage tonight at Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place
10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike
[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Original comedic songs are showcased, with tonight’s singers Anna Roisman , Sharon Spell, Tyler Fisher, Carly Ann Fibin, and Scott Swayz performing at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Justin Perez & Shaina Stigler: Total Requesty
Midnight ($5): Anthony DeVito, Halle Kiefer, Doug Smith, and Zach Broussard share true-life longish funny tales at this UCB East mashup of stand-up and storytelling hosted by Alison Leiby: It’s a Long Story
[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups (not announced) joking about their culture—Jewish, African-American, Asian, geek, whatever—at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City : The Black Bar Mitzvah
Midnight ($5): Sketch troupes Coker & Stratton and The Charlies compete for audience laughs and votes at UCB Chelsea hosted by sketch troupe Sidecar: Backyard Brawl
[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form “rare and wonderful one-night-only teams,” with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm: Magnet Mixer
[$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know’s Best, IFC’s Z Rock, host of WB’s Life & Style), Kurt Metzger (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua: Jay Oakerson, Lynne Koplitz, Kurt Metzger, and More
From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: If you want to know what is happening in NYC comedy on a particular day, you gotta get hip to this dude Hy Bender and his site Best New York Comedy. The site is updated daily and features a super exhaustive look at what is happening in the NYC comedy world that particular day. The site is updated religiously…It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.
