For more, please visit HyReviews.com.
Catch a new episode of The Jeselnik Offensive 10:30 pm at Comedy Central.
One of the finest storytellers alive, Mike Daisey, performs a one-night-only show at Joe’s Pub: “Five Technical Rehearsals in India”…
…one of the slyest & funniest stand-ups in the biz, Marina Franklin, performs at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for Cheap Date…
…and Carmen Lynch, Leah Bonnema, Jessimae, and Robyn Schall perform a rare all-gal stand-up show at Carolines
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:
[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic
[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open-mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT downstairs lounge, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT “sketch-perts:” Pens & Pencils
6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic
[FREE] 6:30 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Chesley Calloway (co-host of renowned Comedy as a Second Language): The Ches Club
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight of The Magnet’s singing & dancing improv troupes make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion: Fisticuffs and Vulcan (at 7:00), Mint Condition and Legend (at 8:00); BEEES! and Parliament (at 9:00); and Aquarius and Funkadelic (at 10:00): Magnet Musical Megawatt
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): Hip hop musical improv at The PIT downstairs theatre from Nick Brown, Don Romaniello, and Michael Short pretending to be NYC police officers: Rap Crimes Division…
…and in the other half of this double-bill, Yale’s longest-running improv troupe performs: Purple Crayon
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: YA novelist Jesse Karp and stand-up Alex Edelman joining super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club
[FREE] 7:00 pm: This weekly 2-hour open-mic storytelling show allows each performer a full 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge, tonight featuring guest co-host Michael Fisher (Bad Luck Rising) and host Jake Hart: The Dump
7:00 pm ($5): The show title pretty much says it all—improvisors make up an action movie on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Boom! An Improvised Action Movie
7:30 pm ($5): Emily Heller (Comedy Central, FX’s Totally Biased), Michelle Wolf (IFC), Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, comedy CD Not for Horses), Matt Koff (Onion News Network, WitStream), Adam Conover (College Humor, host of Fresh Out), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), Paul Oddo (co-host of The Friday Night Hot Chicks Mic), and Josh Gondelman performing at UCB East for a show being videotaped for UCBcomedy.com: UCBT Stand-Up Showcase
[$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:30 pm ($13.24 online using code GIRLS, plus 2-drink min.): Ignore the awful title and be happy about this rare all-gal stand-up show at the Carolines Comedy Club, which tonight features Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central), Leah Bonnema (VH1, WeTV’s Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony’s Virus Channel), Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, TruTV, Tyra Banks), Kate Wolff, and host Robyn Schall (TLC, TruTV): Funny Ladies with Robyn Schall
7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes A Sparrow, Guthrie, and Bucky at this first half of Harold Night
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Marina Franklin (developing into one of the finest stand-ups in the country, with an uncommonly gentle, graceful style that’s pure joy; Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show, Craig Ferguson, VH1, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Hari Kondabolu (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, , FX’s Totally Biased), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), and Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV’s Pranked) performing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for this show hosted by Calvin Cole & Sharron Paul that calls attention to its inexpensive price: Cheap Date
[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): Veteran improvisors who’ve had children—tonight including the wonderful Mary Archbold and PIT owner Ali Farahnakian—make stuff up at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Mamas and the Papas
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Killer lineup of Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, NBC, Broadway), John Mulaney (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, one hour special & CD/DVD New in Town, VH1′s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Gregg Rogell (Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), and Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS’ Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET’s Comic View): Colin Quinn, John Mulaney, Nick DiPaolo, and More
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: On this special edition, show host Joe Pera (superb surreal stand-up) will be performing 30 minutes, followed by co-host Charles Gould performing 30 minutes, and other co-host Dan LIcata premiering a short comedy film, for an hour and 15 minutes of fun at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Dan + Joe + Charles’ Show: Big Long Sets Edition
[$] 8:00 pm ($10 & 2-drink min.): Carmen Lynch (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing finalist, Comedy Central) hosts this monthly stand-up show that tonight includes Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code, Comedy Central, Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show), Liz Miele (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), and Frank Liotti performing at the Vintage Lounge (downstairs at the Gotham Comedy Club): Funny Faces with Carmen Lynch
8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min.): Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; freelance writer for SNL, The Onion, McSweeney’s), Kevin Barnett (MTV’s Guy Code, Comedy Central, Sleepwalk With Me, College Humor), Nick Maritato (Meatsteak), and Alison Leiby performing stand-up on this week’s theme Last Words at Sidewalk NYC (94 Avenue A) produced by Chenoa Estrada, Emily Heller, and George Gordon, and hosted tonight by Erin Judge (Comedy Central; for bit on men vs. women, please click here): The Afterlife: Last Words
8:00 pm ($5): Christine Holt & Mary Guiteras tend bar for a living, then let off steam by performing improv at The PIT downstairs lounge where they unleash the secrets they’ve heard: Bartenders
[FREE] 8:30 pm: Typically sharp NYC stand-ups (for an update, please click here) performing at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, between Rivington & Stanton) hosted by Kate Berlant (MTV, CNN, notable hair): Crime & Punishment
[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Colin Quinn (SNL, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, NBC, Broadway),NIck Stevens (host of AMC’s Action Park and Discovery’s Money on the Menu; VH1), Laura Prangley (contributor to SNL’s Weekend Update; Inside Amy Schumer, PBS), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet
[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not yet announced, but for an update please click here) performing at this weekly show at Brooklyn’s The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Sean Donnelly, Kevin McCaffrey, Robert Dean, and/or Steve O’Brien: Comedy at Alligator Lounge
9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes GoodGirl, Sherlock & Cookies, and The Regulars—plus an all-gal group of 16 advanced improv students challenge the male-dominated improv world to Suck My Dick—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 9:30 pm ($29.50 online, plus $12 drink/food min.): MIke Daisey is one of the finest and most respected storytellers alive; and he’s not resting on his prior achievements. Within just the past five months Mike’s churned out an amazing seven new shows at Joe’s Pub, and has two more coming shortly. Some have been better than others—e.g., the one titled Fucking Fucking Fucking Ayn Rand was breathtaking, and cries out for mass exposure—but even the least developed of them was highly skilled and entertaining. I haven’t been plugging them on this site simply because they’ve often sold out within a day—and sometimes mere minutes—of their tickets being available online. However, in an unusual move, Mike gave tonight’s show a title that made it sound dull: Five Technical Rehearsals in India. As a result, there are still about a dozen seats left as I write this. But don’t be fooled; what the title’s really saying is this is a story focused on Mike’s personal experiences as a fish-out-of-water performer, and those tend to be among his most revealing and hilarious. I’ll be attending tonight—and you can join me, if you most fast to snap up whatever tickets are still left online or at Joe’s Pub (425 Lafayette Street, between East 4th Street & Astor Place): Mike Daisey’s Five Technical Rehearsals in India
TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): “Improvised one-acts in the style of prominent playwrights and genres, spontaneously generating an original and hilarious work of instantly important theater right before your eyes” at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Improvised Play
9:30 pm ($5): Come experience the magic of improv transform The PIT downstairs lounge into a live radio show, with patter, call-ins, commercials, and songs all made up on the spot: WPIT-FM: Radioprov
9:30 pm ($5): A monthly stand-up competition at UCB East in which “new and emerging stand-up comics face off against each other in front of a panel of judges eager to provide unsolicited advice and even more unsolicited scores”—the judges being Brian Cichocki and Shannon Coffey, hosted by John Frusciante: Stand-Up Smackdown
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle Show, For the Love of the Game), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O’Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Andrew Schulz (MTV2′s Guy Code), Dan Soder (Comedy Central, VH1; for set about being a hypochondriatic drug user, please click here), and Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET’s Comic View): Judah Friedlander, Gary Gulman, and More
[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Stand-up from Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up), Eliot Chang (Comedy Central Presents, Chelsea Lately), and Jessimae Peluso (Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, TruTV, Tyra Banks), music from Stuckey & Murray (terrific comedic singing duo; Chelsea Lately, NBC, VH1, Fuse), and more performing at the Gotham Comedy Club hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, CNN, TBS): ComedyJuice
[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Legion of Skanks
[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic
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.
