NYC Top Comedy Choices for November 2019: Last Updated Saturday 11/9
I'm one of the finest ghostwriters in the country; my 20+ books include two New York Times bestsellers, a phenom megaseller that hit #16 on Amazon.com and has sold over 330,000 print copies to date, and an interview book with legendary author Neil Gaiman that hit #240 on Amazon.com. I've also written five Dummies books and a Complete Idiot's Guide. I cover comedy as a labor of love. But if you need help with a book, let's chat, because there's no one better at ghostwriting, editing, and/or coaching. To learn more about my services, please visit BookProposal.net and then email me at hy@hyreviews.com.
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Please note that these listings are updated frequently. The best way to be instantly notified about new show postings is to subscribe to this BestNewYorkComedy.com blog and allow for email notifications.
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In addition, you can use the links below to explore the schedules of all the major comedy venues in NYC; and you can find excellent live comedy recommendations weekly via The New York Times.
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for November 2019 (with much more to come soon) include:
Saturday 11/9: Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin (above) host this live-on-stage recording of their podcast that tests stand-ups on their masterful knowledge of an intriguing subject, with tonight's topic and guests TBA: The UnOfficial Expert Live (5:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 11/9: Bonnie McFarlane (HBO, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Presents special; co-host of My Wife Hates Me podcast; author of You're Better Than Me; writer/director of documentary Women Aren't Funny) records a new comedy album tonight…with the help of your energy and joy. Come have your laughs immortalized at Bonnie McFarlane: 3 1/2 Stars (8:00 pm, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street; #NYCF2019)
Saturday 11/9: This "woke" Japanese-style game show will push to the max the problem-solving skills of comedy giants (in alphabetical order) Wyatt Cenac, Judah Friedlander, Aparna Nancherla, and Larry Owens. Hosting this star-studded event, which promises to be enormous fun, will be the charming Atsuko Okatsuka (HBO's Room 104; writer for Adult Swim's wonderfully surreal The Eric Andre Show and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman): Let's Go, Atsuko! (8:30 pm, $11, Chelsea Music Hall at 407 West 15th Street)
Saturday 11/9: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above middle; author of bestselling book How to Be Alone; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are guests Jean Grae (left; renowned, seminal hip hop recording artist; also sharp pro comic and comedy host), Connor Ratliff (right; brilliant improvisor & character comic; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Orange is the New Black, Broad City, The Chris Gethard Show, The President Show; co-star of legendary improv group The Stepfathers; host of The George Lucas Talk Show), and Chase Mitchell (staff writer for FOX's What Just Happened?; former long-time staff writer for Jimmy Fallon): Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $18 at the door or $19.51-$22.76 online; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street; #NYCF2019)
Saturday 11/9: Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of Sandwich, comedy album Immigrant Made) hosts a long-form storytelling show with Aida Rodriguez, Jay Jurden, and Chanel Ali that, like a good meal, will satisfy and sustain you: Beef & Broccoli (8:30 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street; #NYCF2019)
Saturday 11/9: Every Saturday night, a highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour: North Coast (9:00 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street; #NYCF2019)
Saturday 11/9: Director, writer, actor, and national treasure Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Comic Book Men, Jay and Silent Bob) and Jason Mewes (co-star of the View Askewniverse; host of popular and long-running podcast Jay & Silent Bob Get Old) perform a storytelling and Q&A show—which I'll be attending—promoting their just-released latest movie Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: The Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow (9:45 pm, BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center at 99 Chambers Street; take the 1/2/3 subway to Chambers Street; #NYCF2019. PLEASE NOTE: This show has SOLD OUT.)
Saturday 11/9: "When I encountered rich people for the first time, I discovered that not only do they holiday in places that are hard to find on a map, but that they use the names of seasons as verbs. When they asked me, 'Where did you summer and winter growing up?' I would usually say, 'As a child? The same place I springed and autumned.'" A veteran comic performs a long stand-up set at midnight: Artie Lange is Back (Midnight, $25 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 11/10: Each of us endures a lot more, and is far tougher, than is apparent from surface appearances. And that refers to not only emotional and spiritual hardships, but permanent bodily mementos. In this show, Ophira Eisenberg (one of the very finest storytellers in the country; NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here) reveals "I have a lot of scars. And I don't mean metaphorical ones, I'm talking actual physical scars. I'm actually covered in them. They stem from incidents throughout my life, from putting my finger into a meat grinder at age 4 to surviving a near-fatal car crash. This show is about my scars, filled with both comedic and tragic stories, and how to accept these patterns etched in my skin day after day after day." Opening for Ophira during this 90-minute show are storytellers Michaela Murphy (recommended by The New Yorker) and Mike Albo (writer for The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York Magazine; author of novels Homito and The Underminer): Ophira Eisenberg: How to Get Rid of Scars (2:00 pm; $17.96 in advance online using code 8YEARS; The Kraine Theatre at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)
Sunday 11/10: Amazing lineup of some of the finest comics in the biz—Judah Friedlander, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Alison Leiby, and Peter Grosz—performing stand-up hosted by Robert Dean: If You Build It (9:30 pm, $12, UCB at SubCulture, 45 Bleecker Street—take #6 subway to Bleecker Street stop; #NYCF2019)
Sunday 11/10: Mothers, and nonprofit group MIMSI that "offers life-saving prenatal care to mothers in areas of the world that need it most," are celebrated by Judy Gold (star of HBO's At The Multiplex With Judy Gold; star of multiple stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central, and LOGO; former writer & producer for The Rosie O'Donnell Show, for which Judy won two Daytime Emmy Awards; Showtime's I'm Dying Up Here; Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The View; popular weekly podcast Kill Me Now), Karen Chee (staff writer for Seth Meyers; The New Yorker, McSweeney's), Krystyna Hutchinson (with comedy partner Corinne Fisher, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That's Screwed), Chris Distefano (star of Comedy Central's hour-long special Size 38 Waist and weekly interstitial series Stupid Questions; David Letterman, Seth Meyers, MTV2's Guy Code), and Lucas O'Neil in this fundraiser hosted by X Mayo (The Daily Show): Another Mother's Day (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue; #NYCF2019)
Sunday 11/10: It's the final night of the annual Roastmasters Tournament, with comics who survived the first two brutal evenings facing off to determine the competition's champion for 2019, with judges TBA, all hosted by master insulter Kim Congdon: Roastmasters NYC Tournament 2019 (10:00 pm, $10, The Stand at 116 East 16th Street #NYCF2019)
Tuesday 11/12: Every Tuesday at 8:00 pm, comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture, with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club (8:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Wednesday 11/13: Josh Gondelman (one of the sharpest comics in the country; writer/producer for Showtime's Desus & Mero; previously Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; author of book Nice Try; stand-up albums Dancing On a Weeknight and Physical Whisper), Katie Boyle (co-host of podcast The Shift; host of Transplants Comedy), Zain Sharif, Jared Goldstein, and Ronnie Fleming perform stand-up hosted by Emily Winter, Julia Shiplett, Carolyn Busa, and/or Ben Wasserman: Side Ponytail Comedy (8:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Friends and Lovers at 641 Classon Avenue)
Wednesday 11/20: Mike Drucker (left; hilarious stand-up and staff writer for TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee; previously staff writer for Comedy Central's The President Show and nearly 400 episodes of NBC's Jimmy Fallon, and contributing writer for Saturday Night Live), Caitlin Peluffo (right; Stephen Colbert), Richie Owens, and more TBA perform stand-up hosted by Emily Winter, Julia Shiplett, Carolyn Busa, and/or Ben Wasserman: Side Ponytail Comedy (8:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Friends and Lovers at 641 Classon Avenue)
Friday 11/29: Patrick McCartney (member of acclaimed theatrical improv group Centralia) performs a comedic solo show about addiction and recovery, directed by Shira Piven (HBO's Divorce and Room 104, Amazon's Transparent), that's received raves from the likes of Elizabeth Gilbert (superstar author of Eat Pray Love), who wrote, "Patrick McCartney is a phenomenally gifted performer, whose work I have admired for years. But we almost lost this extraordinary artist to alcoholism and drug addiction—which would have been a tragedy on so many levels. Now McCartney has returned to the stage with a one-man show about his struggle with substance abuse. Miraculously, it manages to be simultaneously brilliant, devastating, hilarious, humble, searching, and triumphant. Go see it. It's a beautiful piece of work:" Sinister Kid (7:00 pm, $12, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Sunday 12/1: Michelle Buteau (HBO's 2 Dope Queens and High Maintenance, Netflix's Russian Doll, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, Amazon's The Tick, VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight; films Always Be My Maybe and Someone Great; comedy album Shut Up) performs a deliciously long stand-up set: Michelle Buteau (7:30 pm (sold out) & 9:30 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
You can find the vast majority of notable NYC live comedy shows by using the links below to explore the schedules of the following top NYC comedy venues:
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Hell's Kitchen
555 West 42nd Street; 152-seater; one of the most respected comedy showcases in the world; especially strong on improv, sketch, solo shows, and one-act comedic plays; shows free-$12
Upright Citizens Brigade at SubCulture
45 Bleecker Street; What used to be a top comedy venue called UCB East has sadly gone under, but some of its shows live on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at respected East Village indie theatre SubCulture at Bleecker & Lafayette Streets, direclty by the #6 subway's Bleecker Street stop; shows $7-$14
The PIT Striker (Upstairs) Theatre
123 East 24th Street; 88-seater; a top venue that's a powerful rival of UCB, and often surpasses UCB when blending comedy with music and/or theatricality; shows free-$20
The PIT Underground (Downstairs) Theatre
123 East 24th Street; 40-seater; often more quirky & experimental than upstairs Striker; shows free-$10
The PIT Loft
154 West 29th Street; 50-seater; the third of The PIT theatres, located separately on the West side, hosts a wide range of comedy, but is especially effective as a home for intimate solo and/or theatrical shows; free-$20
The Magnet
254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; strong on improv, musical improv, sketch, and energy; shows $5-$10
The Creek and the Cave
Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all weeknight shows free; weekend shows free-$10
702 Union Street in Brooklyn; R to Union Street; 50-seat theatre; shows $5-$20
635 Sackett Street in Brooklyn; R to Union Street; 100-seat theatre; shows $5-$20
149 7th Street in Brooklyn; R to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Ave.; 200-seat theatre; shows $10-$25
QED: A Place to Show & Tell
27-16 23rd Avenue in Astoria Queens; N/W to Ditmars Boulevard; 40-seat theatre; shows free-$10
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.
130 West 3rd Street; Comedy Cellar's larger sister venue, just around the corner with the same top comics; 2-item min.
Fat Black Pussycat Lounge
130 West 3rd Street; Comedy Cellar's smaller, intimate, and lower-priced sister venue (next door to Village Underground), which serves as its primary home for solo shows and experimental shows—which means it's sometimes the most exciting choice; 2-item min.
116 East 16th Street; Club closest to competing with Comedy Cellar, featuring top stand-ups on a main stage and upstairs stage; no drink min.—support this policy!
Carolines Comedy Club
1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.
208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.
487 Atlantic Avenue (near the Barclays Center); only comedy club in Brooklyn; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; some shows have 2-drink min., but many don't
99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.
Comic Strip Live
1568 Second Avenue, off 81st; Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.
Stand Up NY
236 West 78th Street, off Broadway; Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.
NYC Stand-Up Open Mics & Improv Jams
If you want stage time, you can find one or more stand-up open mics virtually any night at Manhattan's The PIT, Eastville Comedy Club, and Stand Up NY Comedy Club, and at Queens LIC's The Creek and Astoria Queens' QED.
In addition, at the East Village's UCB East you can typically find a stand-up open mic Thursdays at 6:00 pm, an improv jam Wednesdays at 11:15 pm, and a rare bring-your-own-group improv/sketch open stage Sundays at 11:00 pm. And in Chelsea, The Magnet offers an improv jam on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, and a rare musical improv jam on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm.
All of the venues above typically provide you the stage time either for free or for $5.
There are also numerous other open mics throughout the city. For a more comprehensive list, please visit FreeMicsNYC.
Special Thanks to Mindy and Anya
Special thanks to comedy photographers supreme Anya Garrett and Mindy Tucker for creating so many of the stellar photos that grace this site…and the sites of hundreds of NYC comics.
From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: Thank God for Hy Bender's religiously updated show bible Best New York Comedy (and HyReviews.com). He is literally the only person in NYC providing daily summaries of what's happening comedy-wise. It must be exhausting keeping that monster of a website alive. It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.
Please feel encouraged to reach out to tell me about comedy shows, provide feedback on my cross-genre short story anthology Ghosts on Drugs, hire me to develop your book or screenplay (please visit BookProposal.net or HyOnYourScript.com), or for any other reason by emailing me at hy@hyreviews.com.
You can also find me on Twitter at @hybender, Instagram at @hybenderny, and Facebook at https://Facebook.com/hybender.
Leave a Comment »	| Best New York Live Comedy Shows	| Tagged: #NYCF2019, Aparna Nancherla, Artie Lange, Atsuko Okatsuka: "Let's Go Atsuko!", Bonnie McFarlane: "3 1/2 Stars", Chase Mitchell, Connor Ratliff, Gastor Almonte: "Beef & Broccoli", Jean Grae, Judah Friedlander, Lane Moore, Lane Moore: "Tinder Live", Larry Owens, Live Comedy shows in NYC tonight, New York City Comedy, New York City Live Comedy, New York Comedy, New York Comedy Festival, North Coast Hip-Hop Improv, NYC Comedy, NYC Improv, NYC Sketch, NYC Stand-Up, NYC Storytelling, Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin: "The UnOfficial Expert", Wyatt Cenac	| Permalink
NYC Top Comedy Choices for November 2019: Last Updated Friday 11/1
Friday 11/1: Stars Jean Grae (top left; renowned, seminal hip hop recording artist; also sharp pro comic and comedy host), Arturo Castro (top right; Comedy Central's Broad City and Alternatino), and Tim Herlihy (The Wedding Singer) are the guests of brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (bottom right; Netflix's Orange is the New Black, Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Comedy Central, TBS, TruTV), who transforms into "filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host!" He's joined by talk show sidekick Griffin Newman (bottom left; brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves) "as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema:" The George Lucas Talk Show (7:30 pm, $14, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Friday 11/1: David Cross (right; comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family), Josh Gondelman (left; one of the sharpest comics in the country; writer/producer for Showtime's Desus & Mero; previously Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; author of book Nice Try; stand-up albums Dancing On a Weeknight and Physical Whisper), Myka Fox (SNL freelance contributor; host of Myka Fox & Friends podcast on Keith and The Girl Network), Kerry Coddett (writer for HBO's Wyatt Cenac: Problem Areas; HBO's Crashing, BET's The Rundown, Comedy Central's The Nightly Show, MTV's Joking Off; host of Brooklyn, Stand Up!), and Alex English (writer for BET's The Rundown with Robin Thede) perform stand-up at this comedy show that's also a voter registration drive for 2020 hosted by Selena Coppock, Alison Klemp, Matt Nedostop, and Jarret Bernstein: Standup 2020 (7:30 pm, $15, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 11/1: TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Josh Gondelman (one of the sharpest comics in the country; writer/producer for Showtime's Desus & Mero; previously Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; author of book Nice Try; stand-up albums Dancing On a Weeknight and Physical Whisper), The Lucas Brothers (Jimmy Fallon, 22 Jump Street, FOX's Lucas Bros Moving Company, Arrested Development), Tom Thakkar (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour; co-host of podcast Stand by Your Band), Shalewa Sharpe (Comedy Central's The New Negroes; HBO's 2 Dope Queens; comedy album So, You Just Out Here?), and more perform for this seminal monthly stand-up show: Whiplash (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 11/1: Because there isn't enough strife pitting the living against each other, comics Alise Morales (News & Politics Editor of Betches; Reductress, Above Average), Kevin Bauer (MTV), Julian Edward Williams (co-host of WALT), Lucyana Randall, and Danny Groh roast long-past historical figures and events, ranging from Rasputin to The Beat Generation to The 1968 Democratic Convention hosted by Matt Strickland (Comedy Central): The Roast of History (7:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 11/1: Musical improvisors make up the story, songs, and dances of a new musical on the spot based on periodic "fill in the blank" audience suggestions: Blank! The Musical (9:30 pm; $22 in advance online or $25 at the door; The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Saturday 11/2: In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of stand-ups Rachel Pegram, Mary Houllihan, Martin Urbano, Tim Platt, Nick Naney, and Carmen Christopher to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don't know what the animators will draw and the animators don't know how the comics will react. Produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Clare O'Kane (Amazon, Viceland, stand-up album Let It Be): Picture This! (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 11/2: Dan St. Germain (right; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Crashing, @midnight, This is Not Happening, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; former staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts, Netflix's The Break with Michelle Wolf, and TruTV's Ten Things; album No Real Winners Here), Brian Parise (staff writer and Emmy Award winner for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; co-host and chef of The Pasta Show), Nimesh Patel (exceptionally sharp stand-up; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, TruTV; written for Chris Rock hosting the 2016 Oscars; co-host of Broken Comedy), Molly Kornfeld, Fareeha Khan, Maddy Smith, and Kevin Sean perform stand-up for host Khalid A. Rahmaan (Conan O'Brien): Electric Laughs (7:30 pm; Free!, plus free punch!; Brooklyn's Work Heights/Franklin Electric at 650 Franklin Avenue; take the S subway to Park Place or the A/C to Franklin Avenue)
Tuesday 11/5: A raucous monthly pun competition hosted by Fred Firestone (co-author with Jo Firestone of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), with 18 audience members (a dozen sign-ups and six returning champions) fiercely competing for wordplay dominance—and the chance to become an instant star based on verbal cleverness, and the ability to drum up the most applause from a packed and loudly cheering crowd. This special Halloween edition also features a spooky Pun-Costume competition: Punderdome 3000: Halloween Special (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street—take R subway to Union Street; show up early—doors open at 7:00—to nab a seat, or plan on standing)
Tuesday 11/5: Every Tuesday at 8:00 pm, comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture, with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club (8:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Wednesday 11/6: The National Lampoon Radio Hour ran weekly from November 1973 through December 1974. A number of its comics then moved on to Saturday Night Live, including John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, and brilliant writer Michael O'Donoghue. Decades later, you can come see NLRH resurrected as a podcast and stage show with a brand new cast of writers and performers: Jo Firestone, Maeve Higgins, Aaron Jackson, Brett Davis, Alex English, Rachel Pegram, Lorelei Ramirez, Meg Stalter, Martin Urbano, and Cole Escola: The National Lampoon Radio Hour (7:30 pm, $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 11/6: Comics share their rejected comedy material at this all-star show with Aparna Nancherla (left, abandoned by Elmo; one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Michelle Collins (middle, holding axed jokes; host of TLC's 90 Day Live and Sirius XM's The Michelle Collins Show; former co-host of ABC's The View and Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise), and Scott Rogowsky (right, dumped by umbrella; NBC's The Voice, WB's Penn & Teller: Fool Us; host of wildly popular trivia game app HQ Trivia), plus music from superb duo Stuckey & Murray, fab band The Defibulators, and SNL Musical Director Eli Brueggemann, all hosted by Jon Friedman (Jimmy Fallon; former writer for MTV's Guy Code and Girl Code, YouTube series Part Timers): The Rejection Show (7:30 pm, $11, Chelsea Music Hall at 407 West 15th Street)
Wednesday 11/6: Mind reader Eric Dittelman (America's Got Talent, Ellen) hosts professional magicians testing out new acts—including comedic bits—for this long-running free monthly show: Amazeballs (10:00 pm, Free!, The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC at 10-93 Jackson Avenue; take 7 subway to Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue)
Friday 11/8: Superb storyteller David Lawson (Comedy Central; solo shows include The Flyer Guy, No Oddjob, The Prequels; host of The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show) performs a one-man show "standing onstage judging people who are seeking The White House in 2020. The only qualification David has? He's read their books:" David Lawson's 2020 Book Report (7:00 pm, $15, The Kraine Theatre at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)
Friday 11/8: Sarah Squirm, who created the infamous Adult Swim video here, gifts us with a live show filled with her disturbingly gross dark comedy, plus musical guests Ana Fabrega & Lorelei Ramirez (as duo Beautiful Souls Al Fresco): Sarah Squirm's HellTrap Nightmare (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 11/9: This "woke" Japanese-style game show will push to the max the problem-solving skills of stars Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Wyatt Cenac (star of HBO's Problem Areas and TBS' Friends of Earth; former star correspondent for The Daily Show; writer for South Park; albums Comedy Person, Brooklyn, and Furry Dumb Fighter; host of Night Train, Shouting at the Screen), and one other comic TBA hosted by the charming Atsuko Okatsuka (HBO's Room 104; writer for Adult Swim's wonderfully surreal The Eric Andre Show and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman): Let's Go, Atsuko! (8:30 pm, $11, Chelsea Music Hall at 407 West 15th Street)
Saturday 11/9: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above middle; author of bestselling book How to Be Alone; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are guests Jean Grae (left; renowned, seminal hip hop recording artist; also sharp pro comic and comedy host), Connor Ratliff (right; brilliant improvisor & character comic; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Orange is the New Black, Broad City, The Chris Gethard Show, The President Show; co-star of legendary improv group The Stepfathers; host of The George Lucas Talk Show), and Chase Mitchell (staff writer for FOX's What Just Happened?; former long-time staff writer for Jimmy Fallon): Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $18 at the door or $19.51-$22.76 online; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 11/9: Director, writer, actor, and national treature Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Comic Book Men, Jay and Silent Bob) and Jason Mewes (co-star of the View Askewniverse; host of popular and long-running podcast Jay & Silent Bob Get Old) perform a storytelling and Q&A show—which I'll be attending—promoting their just-released latest movie Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: The Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow (9:45 pm, BMCC Tribecca Performing Arts Center at 99 Chambers Street; take the 1/2/3 subway to Chambers Street. PLEASE NOTE: This show has SOLD OUT.)
Thursday 11/7-Sunday 11/10: Hilarious, quick-witted Norm MacDonald both gets in trouble and is beloved for not being afraid to make waves. For example, way back in 1997 Norm got the biggest laugh ever out of Conan O'Brien when he began by declaring that if Carrot Top is the star of the new movie of another guest, a good title for the film would be "Box Office Poison." Conan then asked the guest for the actual title, and she responded Chairman of the Board. Conan turned to Norm and said, "Do something with that, you freak." Without missing a beat, Norm replied, "I bet Board is spelled B-O-R-E-D." Conan, and the audience, went into hysterics. (Also famed is Norm's moth story.) Norm was a popular cast member of Saturday Night Live for five seasons and the anchor of Weekend Update for three seasons. He was also a regular on several network sitcoms, and even starred in his own ABC sitcom The Norm Show, which ran for three seasons. More recently, Norm is the voice of Yaphit on The Orville and hosts the Netflix interview program Norm Macdonald Has a Show. Norm is also one of the most acclaimed stand-ups in the biz., and well worth catching. He's headlining Thursday through Sunday as part of the New York Comedy Festival: Norm Macdonald (8:00 pm & 10:30 pm, $57.25 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Sunday 11/10: Each of us endures a lot more, and is far tougher, than is apparent from surface appearances. And that refers to not only emotional and spiritual hardships, but permanent bodily mementos. In this show, Ophira Eisenberg (one of the very finest storytellers in the country; NBC's The Today Show, CBS' The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; for a sampling of Ophira's remarkably deep comedic tales, please click here) reveals "I have a lot of scars. And I don't mean metaphorical ones, I'm talking actual physical scars. I'm actually covered in them. They stem from incidents throughout my life, from putting my finger into a meat grinder at age 4 to surviving a near-fatal car crash. This show is about my scars, filled with both comedic and tragic stories, and how to accept these patterns etched in my skin day after day after day." Opening for Ophira during this 90-minute show are storytellers Michaela Murphy (recommended by The New Yorker) and Mike Albo (writer for The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York Magazine; author of novels Homito and The Underminer): Ophira Eisenberg: How to Get Rid of Scars (2:00 pm, $20, The Kraine Theatre at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)
Sunday 12/1: Michelle Buteau (HBO's 2 Dope Queens and High Maintenance, Netflix's Russian Doll, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, Amazon's The Tick, VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight; films Always Be My Maybe and Someone Great; comedy album Shut Up) performs a deliciously long stand-up set: Michelle Buteau (9:30 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for October 2019: Last Updated Saturday 10/5
Please note that these listings are updated frequently. The best way to be instantly notified about new show postings is to subscribe to this BestNewYorkComedy.com blog and allow for email notifications. Other ways to keep up are to follow me on Twitter (@hybender) or Instagram (@hybenderny), and/or to visit the desktop and ad-free version of this site at HyReviews.com.
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for October 2019 (with much more to come soon) include:
Saturday 10/5-Sunday 10/6: Highlights of the second day of New York Comic Con included a wonderful hour with Paul Reubens (above) as he answered audience questions by telling numerous stories about his career, including the almost miraculous set of circumstances leading to his hiring Tim Burton to direct Tim's first feature film; a fascinating talk by Michael Uslan on the long, difficult journey he took to get the first modern Batman film made (which was also directed by Tim Burton), and how he came to cast Jack Nicholson as The Joker off of a promotional photo from The Shining; Felicia Day promoting her new book Embrace Your Weird while being so poised, dynamic, and charming that "weird" is the last word that would occur to anyone attending; TNT's new AEW Wrestling group showing themselves to be quick wits and great showmen—including staging a fight at the end that brought everyone in the audience up from their chairs and rushing toward the stage; Connor Ratliff, pretending to be Star Wars' George Lucas, doing one squirt into the air of Billy Dee Williams' old fragrance "Undeniable" and finding it filled the huge room we were in with the appeal of a noxious gas (one panelist exclaimed, "Oh no! It's triggering my asthma!"), screening and panel discussions of HBO's Watchmen, Adult Swim's Robot Chicken and Primal; and more than I have time to relate. Am rushing off to try and get into this morning's panel The Walking Dead. If you're attending today, just know that there's a ton to see—including comedy panel "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee—Election 2020″ (Saturday at 4:30 pm, Room 1A10),
I'm attending all four days. If you spot me, please feel encouraged to come over, say hey, and share your personal highlights from the fest: New York Comic Con 2019 (Thursday-Saturday 10:00 am-10:00ish pm, Sunday 10:00 am-5:00 pm; Jacob K. Javits Convention Center at 11th Avenue between 34th and 40th Streets)
Saturday 10/5: Don't tell anyone, but tonight is the last chance to spend an evening with the immensely popular and charming host of AMC's Talking shows, NBC's The Wall, podcast ID10T, and more performing jokes and Q&A: Chris Hardwick (7:00 pm & 10:00 pm, $41 plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Sunday 10/6: This solo production, which debuted at last year's FringeNYC and is now enjoying a monthly revival at LES' Caveat, starts out pretending to be a scientific lecture about and demonstration of chaos theory.
But it's really a highly interactive show that uses comedy and thoughtfully structured game-play for nudging audiences to explore their wishes and desires, push past boundaries, connect with everyone around them, and be open to anything.
It's all courtesy of writer/performer Jessica Ellen Creane, who cycles between faux-shyly giving illustrated talks about such things as fractals, love, and velociraptors, making herself fearlessly vulnerable, and improvising quick-witted responses to audience choices. For example, when Creane asked me to name a goal, I replied, "writing and selling a movie." She immediately gave me the best pep talk I've ever had, stating beyond doubt that I'd succeed. In gratitude, I added, "I'll cast you in it." Without missing a beat, and fully committing to her scientist character (wearing thick black-frame glasses with no lenses), Creane tossed off, "I'm not good at acting" before moving on to help someone else. That she even thought of that line demonstrates what a superb actress Creane is…and how completely she performs in the moment.
Because this show relies so deeply on interaction, each edition will be different based on the decisions made by you and your fellow audience members. Along the same lines, how much you enjoy it, and genuinely get out of it, will depend heavily on what you bring to it.
For me, it was a **** (out of 4) show. If you come experience this—and you should—I hope you have a wonderful time too; and that it moves you closer to your dreams.
Chaos Theory (7:00, $27.63 in advance online or $30 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 10/7: Comedic storytellers and/or scientists TBA share tales on this month's theme of opening doors and taking chances: The Story Collider: Enter at Your Own Risk (8:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 10/8: Gabe Gonzalez (Scruff, MTV News) and Steve Dean (dating industry consultant & relationship coach) will choose audience members with dating woes and use data to transform their lives by helping them find who they're looking for. "Along the way we'll hear some crazy stories, learn insane truths about the dating industry, and meet some new people:" The Nerds & the Bees (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 10/9: Rebecca Vigil (above; powerhouse improv singer; Your Love Our Musical, The Vigilante), Doug Smith (Conan O'Brien, co-host of See You In Hell), Nore Davis (HBO, Showtime, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Netflix; album You Guys Are Dope), Rita Sengupta (Buzzfeed), and Brittany Carney perform music or stand-up for hosts Sean Crespo, Katina Corrao, and Matt Little: Lasers in the Jungle (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 10/10: Phoebe Robinson (co-star of HBO's 2 Dope Queens; host of podcast Sooo Many White Guys; Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Broad City, MTV's Girl Code; feature films What Men Want and Netflix's Ibiza; author of Everything's Trash, But It's Okay and You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain) is giving us New Yorkers one last chance to enjoy her national stand-up comedy tour, which runs tonight at Bowery Ballroom and then moves on to venues in California and Philadelphia: Phoebe Robinson: "Sorry, Harriet Tubman" Tour (6:00 pm doors, 7:00 pm show; $35; East Village's The Bowery Ballroom at 6 Delancey Street)
Thursday 10/10: Andrea Jones-Rooy, who is a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Study at the NYU Center for Data Science—and also a fire-wielding circus performer—uses data-driven political research to answer such questions as "What does majority rule even mean and what are the consequences of it?", "Are we actually getting more polarized?", and "Why, despite the historical records in the midterm election, do so many candidates and leaders still look the same?": Political Circus: Why Democracy is F*cked (And What to Do About It) (7:00 pm, $15, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 10/10: Enjoy a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) shared by their original authors before total strangers at this popular monthly show: Mortified (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 10/10: Comics Pat Regan, Lily Marotta, and Tawanda Gona try to figure out and articulate the meaning of a piece of art. Then an actual art expert tells them what the piece is generally considered to be about and its cultural impact. Plus select audience members—maybe including you—will draw their art on the spot and have it interpreted by the comics. According to hosts Matt Hartin & Akmal Tajihan, "This is the only show you'll want to Van Gogh to:" Modern Whitney (9:30 pm; $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 10/11: The wonderful Brian Posehn (hilarious stand-up, comedic actor, and writer; recurring roles on The Big Bang Theory, New Girl, The Sarah Silverman Program, Just Shoot Me, Mr. Show, and more; star of indie film Uncle Nick; Netflix special The Fartist; writer of Marvel Comics' wildly popular Deadpool; author of book Forever Nerdy) correspondents on The Opposition with Jordan Klepper) graces Brooklyn with his wild wit for one night only: Brian Posehn (7:30 pm; $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 10/11: Multitalented rising star Emma Vernon (hip-hop musical improvisor, stand-up, actor, writer, and romance expert) uses her exceptional matchmaking skills to bring together love applicants and have them experience their first dates live on stage…while using improvisors to instantly create the settings for those dates (e.g., a music festival, a bowling alley, under the sea). To get a feel for this long-running monthly extravaganza, please click here, and then nab tickets for In A World: The Dating Show (8:00 pm, $12 online or $15 at the door,, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 10/11: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above middle; author of bestselling book How to Be Alone; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are guest comics Scott Rogowsky (bottom row; NBC's The Voice, WB's Penn & Teller: Fool Us; host of wildly popular trivia game app HQ Trivia), Liz Plank (right; Senior Producer and Political Correspondent at Vox Media; author of book For the Love of Men), and Cat Cohen (left; Seth Meyers; host of podcast Seek Treatment): Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $18 at the door or $19.51-$22.76 online; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 10/11: Surreal sketch group Terrorbird performs a new oddball series of scenes designed to unsettle and delight you: Terrorbird (8:00 pm, $12, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Saturday 10/12: Hilariously oddball amateur VHS videos discovered & curated by Joe Pickett (The Onion) & Nick Prueher (The Colbert Report), with this year's finds including the 1987 Miss Junior America Wisconsin pageant, a mysterious tape labeled "bonion sergery," home movies taken at a Canadian hose factory, and a fitness video called Jugglercise: The Found Footage Festival Volume 9 (8:00 pm; $17, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 10/12: Carly Ann Filbin (luminous & delightful sketch comic/comedic actress/writer; on-camera correspondent for Cosmopolitan.com; host of Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show) explains this comedic game show as follows: "Romance today isn't what it used to be—swiping, clicking, dick-picing. It's time we went retro with an old fashioned IRL dating show! Millennials choose their hottie based on how well they answer questions like 'If you wanted morning sex, how would you initiate it?', all while I make fun of them because, well, why not? Let's make some love connections or, at the very least, a one-night stand to talk about at brunch:" Young Hot Sluts: A Matchmaking Show (8:00 pm; $15 at the door or $14.30 online; Brooklyn's C'mon Everybody at 325 Franklin Avenue—take the G subway to Classon Avenue)
Sunday 10/13: Corinne Fisher & Krystyna Hutchinson (authors of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That's Screwed) record their wildly popular Guys We Fucked: The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast live on stage: Guys We F*cked (7:00 pm; $22.32 in advance online or $24 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 10/15: Members of the West Wing Writers group (which includes former Presidential speechwriters) break down their favorite speeches, give behind-the-scenes looks at the speech drafting process, and even lead you in crafting your own keynote speech, all hosted by Chandler Dean (McSweeney's): SpeakEasy (7:00 pm; $12; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 10/17: Host Molly Gaebe invites female storytellers, comics, and historians to share the tales of "some of the greatest women the world has ever known, but history erased" for this live-on-stage podcast recording, with this month's theme Women in the Horror Genre tackled by guests TBA: Nevertheless She Existed: Horror Queens (7:00 pm, $17 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 10/19: In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of stand-ups Rosebud Baker, Dee Nasty, Rebecca O'Neal, Chanel Ali, and Doug Smith to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don't know what the animators will draw and the animators don't know how the comics will react. Produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Samantha Ruddy: Picture This! (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
From comedy & rock goddess Lane Moore (host of smash hit Tinder Live; author of How to be Alone; lead singer of Brooklyn band It Was Romance): Hy Bender lives and breathes comedy. He knows what he's talking about. Listen.
Please feel encouraged to reach out to tell me about comedy shows, provide feedback on my cross-genre short story anthology Ghosts on Drugs, hire me to develop your book or screenplay (please visit BookProposal.net or HyOnYourScript.com), or for any other eason by emailing me at hy@hyreviews.com.
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NYC Top Comedy Choices for September 2019: Last Updated Friday 9/6
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for September 2019 (with more to come soon) include:
Friday 9/6: One of my all-time fave comics, the brilliant Anthony Jeselnik, debuts his conversation & sparring show with friends about comedy tonight at 11:00 on Comedy Central, with his first guest Nick Kroll: Good Talk With Anthony Jeselnik
Friday 9/6: Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Dan St. Germain (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Crashing, @midnight, This is Not Happening, The Electric Company, MTV, VH1; former staff writer for CBS' Superior Donuts, Netflix's The Break with Michelle Wolf, and TruTV's Ten Things; album No Real Winners Here), and Josh Fadem (NBC's 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Adult Swim's Eagleheart) perform for this seminal stand-up show now monthly in Brooklyn hosted by Shalewa Sharpe (Comedy Central's The New Negroes; HBO's 2 Dope Queens; comedy album So You Just Out Here?): Whiplash (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 9/6: Stars Meredith Vieira (top left; original moderator of ABC's The View and former co-host of NBC's Today), Lauren Ashley Smith (top right; writer/performer for HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show), Andre Royo (TV series Empire and Interrogation, films Super and Red Tails), and Ron Pogue (visual effects for Avatar, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Logan, Dark Phoenix) are the guests of brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (bottom right; Netflix's Orange is the New Black, Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Comedy Central, TBS, TruTV), who transforms into "filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host!" He's joined by talk show sidekick Griffin Newman (bottom left; brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves) "as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema:" The George Lucas Talk Show (7:30 pm, $14, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Friday 9/6: Comics add to the canon of a classic genius anime series by making up new stories on the spot: Improvised Dragon Ball Z (7:30 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 9/6: The charming Ruby Karp (above) hosts Anthony Atamanuik (star of Comedy Central's The President Show; Trump vs. Bernie, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien), Abbi Crutchfield (Broad City, MTV, VH1, TBS, TruTV, Witstream), Mary Beth Barone (Comedy Central's Up Next), Kristen Buckels (TBS' Search Party), and Anya Volz performing stand-up: We Hope You Have Fun (10:00 pm, $14, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Friday 9/6: Host Chris Gersbeck screens a "cheesy" porn movie and riffs on it MST3K-style along with comics Laura Merli (above; McSweeney's, Reductress; half of sketch duo Soul Crush Comedy; host of How to be Less Awkward podcast), Brian McGuinness (Inside Amy Schumer, co-host of Retro Bits, Playable Characters podcast), and Jenn Wehrung (this show's producer): Soft Core! (11:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Saturday 9/7: David Carl (hilarious, charismatic rising star; HBO's Divorce, USA's Mr. Robot, NBC's The Enemy Within, CBS' Blue Bloods; Marvel Podcast Wolverine: Lost Trail; Point Break Live, Gary Busey's One Man Hamlet, Trump/Lear) deviates from his success to date in working with great narrative tales by doing a show focused on voice impersonations. This is probably not for every taste, but if you're seeking something different, check out this show running every Saturday at 6:00 pm: 200 Impressions in 60 Minutes (6:00 pm; $10 using code IMPRESSIONS at the door or online [otherwise $20]; Improv Asylum at 307 West 26th Street)
Saturday 9/7: If you enjoyed Andy Kaufman's parody of club singers as character Tony Clifton, you may also get a kick out of Australian-American Gregg Turkington's unsettling parody of stand-up comics as character Neil Hamburger. To get a feel for what Neil does (which is definitely not for every taste), please click here. If you might enjoy awkward dark meta-satire about comedy itself, tonight offers a rare NYC performance from Neil, with opener "Major Entertainer:" Neil Hamburger (7:30 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 9/7: In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of stand-ups Drew Anderson, Tim Platt, Tom Thakkar, Benito Skinner, Fareeha Khan, Jay Jurden, and Edy Modicato to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don't know what the animators will draw and the animators don't know how the comics will react. Produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance: Picture This! (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 9/7: Every Saturday night, a highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour: North Coast (9:00 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 9/7: DeAnne Smith (HBO's Funny as Hell, CBS' Craig Ferguson, NBC's Last Comic Standing; performing solo show Friday 9/13 at Union Hall), Nore Davis (HBO's Last Week Tonight, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer and Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus, Showtime's Boardwalk Empire, MTV; album You Guys Are Dope), Catherine Cohen (Hulu's Difficult People; The New Yorker; co-host of Cumming, co-host of It's a Guy Thing), and more TBA perform stand-up for hosts Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of I'm Dead Comedy, comedy album Immigrant Made) & Jess Salomon (former UN war crimes lawyer turned comic; CBS, Sirius XM): Sandwich (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 9/7: A top musical improv troupe that has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure, by such ace talents as Becky Drysdale, Zack Willis, Katy Barry, Caroline Martin, Amber Ruffin, Tim Sniffen, and Jeff Hiller, plus stellar improv musicians Dan Reitz (keyboards) & Sarah Mullins (drums/percussion). Come see why this show won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy (10:30 pm, $14, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Sunday 9/8: Stellar stands-ups Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Sam Jay (writer for Saturday Night Live; performed on Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, Take My Wife), and Saurin Choksi (host of Fuse's White Guy Talk Show) perform for host Mike Lebovitz (HBO's The Deuce, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing): Comedians You Should Know: Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, Sean Patton, Sam Jay, and More (7:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 9/8: Todd Barry (Netflix special Spicy Honey, star of delightful documentary The Crowd Work Tour; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, co-star of feature film The Wrestler), who crafts tight, highly polished jokes, develops material for an hour or two guided by your laughs tonight and next Sunday: Todd Barry (7:00 pm, $10, The Creek and the Cave upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC at 10-93 Jackson Avenue)
Sunday 9/8: Do you know about the make-up-a-musical-on-the-spot podcast Off Book? Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino are brilliant at wordplay, high concepts, storytelling, comedy, music, picking up cues from their superb improv musicians (typically Scott Passarella & friends in LA or Dan Reitz & friends in NYC), and every other aspect of musical improv, Just as impressive, even though they have a different comic join in each episode—ranging from Paul F. Tompkins to Paul Scheer to Jamie Denbo—their teamwork is so seamless that every guest comes off as an old-time partner who regularly mind-melds with them. Tonight is a rare opportunity to see this LA-based show recorded live on stage in Brooklyn: Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast (8:00 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Sunday 9/8: Movie/TV star and NYC comedy pioneer Janeane Garofalo, Aasif Mandvi (HBO's The Brink, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, numerous films; former correspondent for The Daily Show; author of No Man's Land), and more try out new jokes at this popular weekly safe space for the stand-up creation process hosted by Nat Towsen (Esquire, VICE, College Humor, host of Downtown Variety): New Material Night (8:00 pm, $10 online or $12 at the door, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Sunday 9/8: Comics perform faux tarot reading for volunteer audience members (maybe you)—and so does Sami Main, who is a genuine practitioner and author of How to Deal: Tarot for Everyday Life, all hosted by Main and Brittany Brave: Improvised Tarot Readings (8:30 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 9/9: Stellar stand-up Myq Kaplan (one of the quickest minds in comedy; finalist on Last Comic Standing, semi-finalist on America's Got Talent; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents; comedy albums No Kidding, Small, Dork, and Handsome, Vegan Mind Meld, and Meat Robot; podcast Hang Out With Me) hosts comics TBA: Myq Kaplan and Friends (8:30 pm, $6, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 9/9: Comics share their observations, fears, dreams, and insanities growing up by reading from their childhood diaries hosted by Maggie Lalley: Dear Diary: Comics Read Their Weird Childhood Journals (9:30 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Monday 9/9: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of podcast The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall; Netflix's The Degenerates), Dave Smith (FOX; host of podcast Part of the Problem), Luis J. Gomez (special Luis J. Gomez Presents Luis J. Gomez), and other NYC comics "discuss the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this free weekly podcast taping: Legion of Skanks (9:30 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 9/9: Stand-ups TBA try out material at this free weekly show hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language) and/or Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV): Frantic Mondays (10:00 pm, Free!, The Stand at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 9/10: Joe Mande (Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, Ben on Modern Family; former writer for Parks & Recreation, Kroll Show, The Good Place, Master of None; author of book Look at This F*cking Hipster, comedy album Bitchface; Netflix's Joe Mande's Award-Winning Comedy Special) makes a now-rare NYC performance, with openers Clare O'Kane (Amazon's Budding Prospects, Viceland's Flophouse, webseries Semi-Famous; former writer for SpongeBob SquarePants; stand-up album Let It Be) and Dave Ross (stand-up album The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex): Joe Mande: King of Content Tour (7:30 pm, $16, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Tuesday 9/10: This solo production, which debuted at last year's FringeNYC and is now enjoying a monthly revival at LES' Caveat, starts out pretending to be a scientific lecture about and demonstration of chaos theory.
Tuesday 9/10: Great lineup of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; tours with Amy Schumer), Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien; Comedy Central's Half Hour, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, This Is Not Happening, The Meltdown; VH1, TruTV, IFC, Viceland; feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network's Best Bars in America), Dan Soder (stellar stand-up; Dudley Mafee on Showtime's Billions; films Trainwreck, Drunk Parents; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Netflix's The Standups, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1; hosts with Big Jay Oakerson Sirius XM's The Bonfire), Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, former host of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, HBO's Down and Dirty, National Lampoon, Comedy Central special Passive Aggressive, Netflix specials Double Negative), and more: $5 Funnies (10:00 pm, $5 cover and no min., The Stand (Upstairs) at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 9/10: A raucous monthly pun competition hosted by Fred Firestone (co-author with Jo Firestone of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), with 18 audience members (a dozen sign-ups and six returning champions) fiercely competing for wordplay dominance—and the chance to become an instant star based on verbal cleverness, and the ability to drum up the most applause from a packed and loudly cheering crowd: Punderdome 3000 (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street—take R subway to Union Street; show up early—doors open at 7:00—to nab a seat, or plan on standing)
Tuesday 9/10: Every Tuesday at 8:00 pm, comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture, with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club (8:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Tuesday 9/10: A stage version of the online game Quiplash, in which contestants—including comics TBA—must come up with witty, silly, or otherwise entertaining responses to prompts provided by hosts Sarah Kennedy & Tristan Miller: Quip It Good! (9:00 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Wednesday 9/11: Experts and comics have a frank and taboo-free discussion of drugs, this month focused on iconic annual concert Burning Man, hosted by Sarah Rose Siskind (comedy writer for NatGeo's StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson): Drug Test: Burning Man (7:00 pm, $17 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 9/10: Strong lineup of Mark Normand (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Last Comic Standing, VH1's Best Week Ever; Comedy Central Half Hour, stellar Comedy Central special Don't Be Yourself, comedy album Still Got It; tours with Amy Schumer), Joe DeRosa (razor-sharp stand-up; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central Presents and Comedy Central Half Hour specials, HBO's Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, FX's Louie, AMC's Better Call Saul, E!'s Chelsea Lately, stand-up album The Depression Auction), Ari Shaffir (Conan O'Brien, former host of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, HBO's Down and Dirty, National Lampoon, Comedy Central special Passive Aggressive, Netflix specials Double Negative), Monroe Martin (David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, finalist on Last Comic Standing, Netflix's Master of None), movie/TV star Janeane Garofalo, and more: Stars at the Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand (Upstairs) at 116 East 16th Street)
Wednesday 9/11: Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic) hosts an open mic for MST3K-style riffing on film clips of awful movies. Sign-up is open to all, and riffing happens in randomly assigned groups of three, with no advance knowledge of what's going to be screened. Whoever Frank and guest judges decide is best will get to riff with Frank at the end of the night: Frank Conniff's Open Riff Night (9:00 pm, $5 to riff or $8 to just watch, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Thursday 9/12: Andrea Jones-Rooy, who is a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Study at the NYU Center for Data Science—and also a fire-wielding circus performer—uses data-driven political research to answer such questions as "What does majority rule even mean and what are the consequences of it?", "Are we actually getting more polarized?", and "Why, despite the historical records in the midterm election, do so many candidates and leaders still look the same?": Political Circus: Why Democracy is F*cked (And What to Do About It) (7:00 pm, $15, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 9/12: Come join a comedy-loving group to see the first Democratic Presidential debate in which Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren are finally on the same stage, with host Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic) and other comics TBA providing commentary on the fly MST3K-style: Democratic Debate Watch Party: ABC Edition (7:30 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Thursday 9/12: The hosts of "gothic socialist comedy" podcast Pod Damn America—Alex Ptak, Jake Flores, and Anders Lee—host a live streaming of ABC's Third Presidential Democratic Debate, with snarky comedic commentary throughout: Pod Damn America Does the Dem Debate (7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm pre-show, 8:00 pm show; $12.41 in advance online or $15 at the door; Secret Loft at 137 W 14th Street, Buzzer 2nd Floor)
Thursday 9/12: Open mic storytelling show, with each yarn-spinner whose name is picked from a basket receiving 5 minutes on stage to share something that happened in his or her life (and that's interesting enough to make the audience feel okay about missing tonight's debate), hosted by David Lawson (fresh, sharp, edgy storyteller; The Flyer Guy): The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show (7:00 pm, Free!, Astoria Bookshop at 31-29 31st Street)
Thursday 9/12: A sketch group consisting of talented comics Sarah Nowak, Meghan O'Malley, Josh Krebs, Jen Bloodsworth, and Jonathan Desley enters its 7th year of making you laugh: National Scandal (7:30 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 9/12: Enjoy a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) shared by their original authors before total strangers at this popular monthly show: Mortified (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 9/12: A live version of the popular podcast Tinder Tales that provides stories of Tinder dates, dating advice, and fun games, with guests Kate Willett (Comedy Central's The Jim Jeffries Show and This Is Not Happening; VICE's Flophouse, Netflix's Comedy Lineup; comedy album Glass Gutter), Jourdain Fisher (Jimmy Fallon), Lizzy Cassidy, and Isabel Hagen hosted by David Piccolomini: Tinder Tales Live (9:30 pm; $11.70 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 9/12: Superb alt comic Dave Hill records his next comedy album, with Clare O'Kane as opener. The 7:30 pm show has sold out, but (as I write this) there are still tickets available for the late show at 10:00 pm: Dave Hill's Live Comedy Album Recording (10:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 9/13: Max Wittert, who is both an illustrator for The New Yorker and a stand-up, performs alongside his drawings for a visually driven night of comedy, with overqualified openers Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers) and Lauren White (NBC's Parks and Recreation, Netflix's House of Cards, film Better Living Through Chemistry, sketch series Little Bits): Max Wittert: Portrait of the Artist Seated with Grapes (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 9/13: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above left; author of bestselling book How to Be Alone; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are guest comics David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) and Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up and staff writer for TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee; previously staff writer for Comedy Central's The President Show and nearly 400 episodes of NBC's Jimmy Fallon, and contributing writer for Saturday Night Live): Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $18 at the door or $22.76 in advance online; Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 9/13: Joe DeRosa is a razor-sharp and multi-talented comic who's written for HBO's Crashing and Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and performed on Comedy Central Presents and Comedy Central Half Hour specials, HBO's Bored to Death and Down and Dirty, FX's Louie, AMC's Better Call Saul, and E!'s Chelsea Lately. Joe's also hosted or co-hosted numerous podcasts, including Down with Joe DeRosa, We'll See You in Hell, Emotional Hangs, and Uninformed. Joe's stand-up albums include The Depression Auction, You Let Me Down, and You Will Die. Joe's additionally released several music parody albums, including Twointheoneinthe, Old Wolf Thoughts, and Deformed Disco. And Joe is co-author of the book Cheat: A Man Guide's to Infidelity with Bill Burr and Robert Kelly. Tonight you can enjoy Joe performing a deliciously long stand-up set in an intimate space: An Hour with Joe DeRosa (9:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Friday 9/13: Highly talented hip-hop improv group North Coast attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (9:30 pm, $17 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 9/13: Delightful multitalented Canadian-American comic DeAnne Smith (HBO's Funny as Hell, CBS' Craig Ferguson, NBC's Last Comic Standing) performs for one night only in Brooklyn. To get a feel for this gentle, witty talent, please visit here and here. Come for something different, with opener Jess Salomon (former UN war crimes lawyer turned comic; CBS, Sirius XM, co-host of Sandwich): DeAnne Smith (10:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 9/14: Eight performers from the Ten Bones Theatre Company attempt to recreate the Wachowski siblings' 1999 seminal masterpiece The Matrix, with each comic using only what he or she can remember from seeing the movie just once. To add to the fun are a few rules: "Performers must incorporate lines written by the audience; performers must incorporate any sound effect played by the tech booth; one lucky audience member will be given a bell that they can ring three times—once rung, the actors must create a scene that has no business being in The Matrix but makes perfect sense given where they are in the story:" The Matrix…Entirely From Memory (8:00 pm, $12 online or $15 at the door, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 9/14: Groundbreaking and acclaimed improvisors Matt Higgins, Jay Rhoderick, and Kevin Scott, plus a guest improvisor, make up scenes with a theatrical sensibility: Centralia (8:00 pm, $12, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Saturday 9/14: Tonight is a rare opportunity to enjoy Dulcé Sloan (powerhouse comic and correspondent for The Daily Show; Conan O'Brien, @midnight) perform a deliciously long stand-up set in an intimate space: An Hour with Dulcé Sloan (9:00 pm, $20 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Saturday 9/14: Every Saturday night, a highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour: North Coast (9:00 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Sunday 9/15: Two of the sharpest, funniest, and nicest comics in the world join on stage tonight to celebrate the release of Josh's first book Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results: new author Josh Gondelman (writer/producer for Showtime's Desus & Mero; previously Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up albums Dancing On a Weeknight and Physical Whisper) and interviewer Aparna Nancherla (co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There). Join in the joy, and maybe get your book signed to boot: Josh Gondelman in Conversation with Aparna Nancherla (7:00 pm, $35 at the door or $40 online, 92nd Street Y's Buttenwieser Hall at 1395 Lexington Avenue, between 91st and 92nd Streets)
Sunday 9/15: This fundraiser for Team Brownsville, which provides food and supplies to migrants and asylum seekers stuck in tents on the Mexican side of the border, features stand-ups and storytellers Dulcé Sloan, Gastor Almonte, Livia Scott, Daniel Simonsen, Suni Reyes, LeClerc Andre, Katy Berry, Ana Breton, Carolyn Castiglia, Sarah Hartshorne, Darlene Rae Heller, and Cassidy Routh: Stand Up For Migrants (7:00 pm, $20, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 9/15: Todd Barry (Netflix special Spicy Honey, star of delightful documentary The Crowd Work Tour; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, co-star of feature film The Wrestler), who crafts tight, highly polished jokes, develops material for an hour or two guided by your laughs: Todd Barry (7:00 pm, $10, The Creek and the Cave upstairs theatre in Queens' LIC at 10-93 Jackson Avenue)
Sunday 9/15: Ronny Chieng (correspondent for The Daily Show) and more TBA try out new jokes at this popular weekly safe space for the stand-up creation process hosted by Nat Towsen (Esquire, VICE, College Humor, host of Downtown Variety): New Material Night (8:00 pm, $10 online or $12 at the door, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Sunday 9/15: Great lineup of Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds and very finest stand-ups in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly; Netflix stand-up special America is the Greatest Country in the United States; bestselling cartoon book If the Raindrops United), Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Chris Rock's film Top Five, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show), Saurin Choksi (host of Fuse's White Guy Talk Show), Alyssa Wolf, and Allison O'Connor performing for host Alison Leiby (writer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, former writer for Comedy Central's The Opposition and The President Show; VICE, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog; host of It's a Long Story): If You Build It (9:30 pm, $9, SubCulture at 45 Bleecker Street, right next to the #6 subway's Bleecker Street stop)
Monday 9/16: A discussion of the state of comedy with Hari Kondabolu (fresh, sharp, rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu; Netflix special Warn Your Relatives; co-host of Kondabolu Brothers podcast), Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; HBO's Crashing, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, Chappelle's Show; film Trainwreck; stand-up special Single Black Female), Khalid Rahmaan (Conan O'Brien; host of Electric Laughs), and host Mike Pesca (host of Slate's daily podcast The Gist): Slate Presents: The Gist Comedy Special Live (7:00 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Monday 9/16: Five skilled punsters will show off their wordplay expertise by "punching up your evening with word games, anagrams, etymological deep-dives, and more:" The PUN-ch Up (7:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 9/16: This superb weekly stand-up show's hosts Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), and/or Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk) welcome guests Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for Comedy Central's The Daily Show and host of This is Not Happening), Ronny Chieng (correspondent for The Daily Show), Dave Ross (CBS' James Corden; Comedy Central's Drunk History, This is Not Happening, Corporate; stand-up album The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex), and more, plus music from DJ Donwill: Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 9/16: Big Jay Oakerson (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC; co-host of podcast The SDR; stellar comedy special Live at Webster Hall; Netflix's The Degenerates), Dave Smith (FOX; host of podcast Part of the Problem), Luis J. Gomez (special Luis J. Gomez Presents Luis J. Gomez), and other NYC comics "discuss the skankier sides of life, love, and stand-up comedy" for this free weekly podcast taping: Legion of Skanks (9:30 pm, Free!, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Monday 9/16: Stand-ups TBA try out material at this free weekly show hosted by Aaron Berg (TV series 24 Hour Rental, documentary A Universal Language) and/or Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV): Frantic Mondays (10:00 pm, Free!, The Stand at 116 East 16th Street)
Tuesday 9/17: Josh Gondelman (one of the sharpest comics in the country; writer/producer for Showtime's Desus & Mero; previously Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up albums Dancing On a Weeknight and Physical Whisper) celebrates the release of his first book, Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results, along with stellar stand-ups Gary Gulman, Emmy Blotnick, Karen Chee, and The Lucas Brothers: Josh Gondelman: Nice Try Book Release Show (7:30 pm, $23, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 9/18: Genius comics John Lutz (staff writer for Seth Meyers; cast member of 30 Rock, six years as staff writer for Saturday Night Live) teams with fellow 30 Rock cast member Scott Adsit (HBO's Veep; voice of robot Baymax in Disney's Big Hero 6; co-writer/director/producer & cast member of Adult Swim's awesome & Emmy-winning Moral Orel) to form a super-smart and hilarious star duo crafting in the moment one of the very finest improv shows you'll ever see: John & Scott (9:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 9/18: Comics play a game of Dungeons & Dragons live on stage, and "bring it to life through stagecraft and performance," with Dave Murray, Glo Tavarez, Jason Sweeten, and a guest comic TBA: Adventures from Shimmering Grove: A Live D&D Show (9:00 pm, $5, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Thursday 9/19: Host Molly Gaebe invites female storytellers, comics, and historians to share the stories of "some of the greatest women the world has ever known, but history erased" for this live-on-stage podcast recording, with this month's theme Wild West tackled by guests TBA: Nevertheless She Existed: Women of the Wild West (7:00 pm, $17 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 9/19: One of the best innovations of UCBT-NY Artistic Director Michael Hartney was creating a new category of house teams (beyond those for improv and sketch) devoted to talented comedic character actors. Tonight one of those two groups, Leather Father—Jason Gore, Cameron McCall, Alex Otis, Xavier Padin, Nathan Pearson, Elena Skopetos, Graham Techler, and Nichole Yannetty—perform original characters or impersonations directed & hosted by Michael Hartney, Eric Feurer, and/or Sarah Parsons: Characters Welcome: Leather Father (7:30 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Thursday 9/19: Six comedic actors, including Gianmarco Soresi (ABC's Deception; FringeNYC play <50%), perform sketch in this acclaimed group: Uncle Function (8:00 pm, $12 online or $15 at the door, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 9/19: Eight performers from the Ten Bones Theatre Company attempt to recreate Amy Heckerling's 1995 movie Clueless, with each comic using only what he or she can remember from seeing the film just once the previous week. To add to the fun are a few rules: "Performers must incorporate lines written by the audience; performers must incorporate any sound effect played by the tech booth; one lucky audience member will be given a bell that they can ring three times—once rung, the actors must create a scene that has no business being in Clueless but makes perfect sense given where they are in the story:" Clueless…Entirely From Memory (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 9/19: The UK's renowned Cambridge University is known for great scholarly achievement…but also a comedy troupe named The Footlights that helped launch the careers of John Cleese (Monty Python), Hugh Laurie (House), Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show), and more. The 2019 edition of this group performs tonight in NYC as part of a world tour: The Cambridge Footlights: Look Alive (9:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Thursday 9/19: The Reformed Whores (raunchy folk-pop comedic singing duo Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame; CBS, IFC; have opened for Weird Al Yankovic, Alice Cooper, and Lynyrd Skynyrd; albums Ladies Don't Spit and Don't Beat Around the Bush) performs for an entire hour in LES. Come enjoy this one night only event!: The Reformed Whores (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 9/20: "Are you scared most of the time? Do you list fear as an emergency contact on general paperwork and the occasional PDF? Then maybe you need a little bit more prep time for what most Americans think of as 'fun,' 'a hoot,' and 'enjoy.' That's why this show explores the spooky, the chilling, the horrific, the terrifying, for those of us who need more of a buffer around frights and some softening around the edges for even the suggestion of the macabre. The night (eee!) will include probably ghosts, definitely creeps (unavoidable on Earth), ghouls (who isn't these days), unexplainable lighting occurrences (blame the tech booth), and your hosts:" Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There) and Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers): Jo & Aparna Present: 41 Days Till Halloween! (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 9/20: Yedoye Travis (above; Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central, Netflix's Russian Doll, TBS' Search Party) and friends record his podcast Dark Tank, during which white guests TBA pitch solutions for pressing minority issues to a panel of people of color also TBA: Dark Tank Live (7:00 pm; $11.70 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 9/20: Improv group Skip Intro, which normally makes up TV shows on the spot, tonight makes up Sunday's Emmy Awards with a pre-show discussion of the nominees, a red carpet, ceremony parodies, and more: Skip Intro's Faux Emmy Awards Show (7:00 pm, $12, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Friday 9/20: Sketch comics Reuben Wolf, Theresa Basile, and Rich Inman reveal Mother Goose's first drafts of her now-classic children's stories: First Draft Fairy Tales (7:30 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 9/20: Storytelling, sketches, and more about sex, including "practical takeaways for the audience," from comics TBA: Adult Sex Ed (9:30 pm; $17 online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 9/20: Surreal sketch group Terrorbird—Sam Fox-Hartin, Zachary Gibson, Kevin Palermo, Spencer Sapienza, Emi Upsome Schaufeld, and Leanne Troutman—performs oddball scenes designed to unsettle and delight you: Terrorbird (9:30 pm, $12, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Friday 9/20: Storytellers TBA share cringe-worthy experiences from their pasts hosted by Brendan Busee & Ron Raganella: Shame!: The Not-So-Honorable Comedy Show (9:30 pm, $8, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Friday 9/20: The Punisher is arguably the best of Marvel's various compelling superhero TV series on Netflix; but it took a number of tries to achieve the current excellent mass media version of the character. The very first attempt was a 1989 movie titled The Punisher starring Dolph Lungren. It failed to be faithful to Marvel's comic book and ended up earning a paltry 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. Tonight it'll be screened and mercilessly skewered by comics Frank Conniff (TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000; Cinematic Titanic), Jacob Willams (Stephen Colbert, Adam Devine's House Party, America's Got Talent), Kat Burdick (Moth Grandslam champion; webseries KCK; host of Let's Say Your Right), and Will Watkins (Zeros on Heroes podcast). Their cruelty will be contrasted by exceptionally kind host Chris Gersbeck (co-host of Soft Core!—essentially a porn version of this show—and producer of many other shows): Movies R Dumb: 1989's The Punisher (11:00 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Saturday 9/21: World-class singing improvisors Rebecca Vigil & Evan Kaufman interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (7:00 pm; $22.32 for a seat, or $17 for standing room, in advance online for this show that usually sells out; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 9/21: Ziwe Fumudoh (writer for Showtime's Desus & Mero, and previously for The Rundown with Robin Thede; host of hilarious webseries Baited with Ziwe) invites comics TBA to perform pop songs, preceded by comedic presentations: Pop Show (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 9/21: Carly Ann Filbin (luminous & delightful sketch comic/comedic actress/writer; on-camera correspondent for Cosmopolitan.com; host of Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show) explains this comedic game show as follows: "Romance today isn't what it used to be—swiping, clicking, dick-picing. It's time we went retro with an old fashioned IRL dating show! Millennials choose their hottie based on how well they answer questions like "If you wanted morning sex, how would you initiate it?", all while I make fun of them because, well, why not? Let's make some love connections or, at the very least, a one-night stand to talk about at brunch:" Young Hot Sluts: A Matchmaking Show (8:00 pm, $12, Brooklyn's C'mon Everybody at 325 Franklin Avenue; take the G subway to Classon Avenue)
Sunday 9/22: Enjoy the Emmy Awards with a like-minded comedy audience, featuring comedic performances during the commercials, drinking games, and prizes: Emmy Watch Party (7:00 pm; $17 in advance online or $18 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 9/23: The adorable Laura Merli (above right; Reductress, McSweeney's, YouTube, host of How to be Less Awkward) and Marissa Stuart (above left; trend forecaster; member of all-gal hip-hop improv troupe DMXX) perform duo sketch comedy designed to provide you with "feel-good dread" (for a video sample, please click here): Soul Crush Comedy (8:00 pm, $10, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Tuesday 9/24: Brian Agler, Luke Burns, and James Folta—each of whom has written for both The New Yorker and McSweeney's—perform readings of their short humor pieces, and also host additional short readings from River Clegg (writer for Stephen Colbert, The Onion, The New Yorker, McSweeney's), Claire Friedman (writer for Showtime's Desus & Mero, Saturday Night Live, The New Yorker, McSweeney's), and Sarah Pappalardo (co-founder of Reductress). Arrive at 6:30 pm to hang out with these writers pre-show: An Evening of Humorous Readings (7:00 pm; $10; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 9/25: Stand-ups and/or storytellers TBA tell tales about losing their virginity hosted by Angela Cobb (Sirius XM): My First Time: A Stand-Up and Storytelling Show (9:00 pm, $10, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Thursday 9/26: Learn the history of the MTA via fun lectures, sketches, and more at this ongoing comedic history series about NYC transit, with this month's topic TBA, hosted by Meg Pierson (TEDx, Alchemy Comedy) and Justin Williams (Comedy Central; host of Death Comedy Jam): Why Your Train is F*cked (7:00 pm; $17 online or $2f0 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 9/26: One of the best innovations of UCBT-NY Artistic Director Michael Hartney was creating a new category of house teams (beyond those for improv and sketch) devoted to talented comedic character actors. Tonight one of those two groups, Velvet Mommy—Jon Bander, Kami Dimitrova, Desi Domo, Johnny Drago, Woody Fu, Chrissie Gruebel, Adrienne Ianniciello, and Corin Wells—performs original characters or impersonations directed & hosted by Michael Hartney, Eric Feurer, and/or Sarah Parsons: Characters Welcome: Velvet Mommy (7:30 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Friday 9/27: Because there isn't enough strife pitting the living against each other, comics TBA roast long-past historical figures and events, ranging from Rasputin to The Beat Generation to The 1968 Democratic Convention: The Roast of History (7:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 9/27: A unique game show in which an oddball Internet video is screened, and then over a dozen contestants have three minutes to prepare a dance routine inspired by what everyone just experienced. It'll all be judged by typically cool comics TBA: Dancify That! (8:00 pm, $15, The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street)
Friday 9/27: "Eliot Glazer, a classically trained vocalist-turned-comedian, takes some of pop music's most infamous songs and turns them into highbrow, sweeping ballads. Like a twisted version of MTV Unplugged, Austin City Limits, or VH1 Storytellers, it's an intimate night of bad music made good," plus guests TBA: Haunting Renditions (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 9/28: Lauren Maul (host of Bitchcraft) hosts this live-on-stage version of her podcast show for Wiccans, featuring "light-hearted talk, magical comedians, musicians, and practicing witches of NYC:" Gathering the Coven: A Talk Show for Witches (7:00 pm, $10, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 9/28: Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up and staff writer for TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee; previously staff writer for Comedy Central's The President Show and nearly 400 episodes of NBC's Jimmy Fallon, and contributing writer for Saturday Night Live), Carmen Lynch (America's Got Talent, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Inside Amy Schumer, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, @midnight, Last Comic Standing finalist; Sirius XM 2017 comedy album of the year Dance Like You Don't Need the Money), and more perform stand-up at the only comedy club in Brooklyn: Mike Drucker, Carmen Lynch, and More at Eastville (8:00 pm; normally $21 with no min., but free following these instructions [support this special by optionally buying food or drinks]; Brooklyn's Eastville Comedy Club at 487 Atlantic Avenue—take 2/3/4/5/B/D/N/Q/R subway to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center)
Saturday 9/28: A top musical improv troupe that has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and "choreography" are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure, by such ace talents as Becky Drysdale, Zack Willis, Katy Barry, Caroline Martin, Amber Ruffin, Tim Sniffen, and Jeff Hiller, plus stellar improv musicians Dan Reitz (keyboards) & Sarah Mullins (drums/percussion). Come see why this show won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event: Baby Wants Candy (10:30 pm, $14, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Sunday 9/29: Stellar comics Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS' Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Julio Torres (marvelously nuanced, outside-the-box stand-up; creator and star of HBO's Los Espookys; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Billy on the Street, HBO's High Maintenance, Louis C.K.'s Horace and Pete), Karen Chee (staff writer for Seth Meyers; The New Yorker, McSweeney's), Maeve Higgins (David Letterman, Last Comic Standing, co-host of NatGeo's StarTalk, host of Maeve in America, co-host of Butterboy), and Cole Escola (At Home with Amy Sedaris, Difficult People) perform at this benefit for Minority Humanitarian Foundation, which provides on-the-ground relief efforts in San Diego and Tijuana: Forever Friends: Comedy Fundraiser for Migrants at the Southern Border (8:00 pm; $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Monday 9/30: Some of the most brilliant improvisors alive (TBA) stumble into theatre scenes of plays they've never seen performed by superb Broadway, TV, and/or film stars (also TBA) and make up their dialogue while the actors commit to staying in character and on book. The result is amazingly fun, hosted by actor/director Stephen Ruddy: Gravid Water (7:30 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Monday 9/30: Chris Gethard is one of the most beloved and mutl-talented comics of our time. His credits include the HBO 90-minute solo special Career Suicide; starring in of TruTV's & Fusion's The Chris Gethard Show; co-staring in Mike Birbiglia's movie Don't Think Twice, hosting the Webby-winning podcast Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People, and performing on The Office, Comedy Central, IFC, etc. Geth is also the author of the books A Bad Idea I'm About to Do, Weird New York, and Lose Well, and the CD/vinyl/audio Gethard: My Comedy Album. If you're bummed that Geth's shows this month in Brooklyn are sold out, this is a chance to catch him in his native land of New Jersey: Chris Gethard in Asbury Park (8:30 pm, $10, New Jersey's Asbury Park Brewery at 810 Sewall Avenue); take North Jersey Coast Line train to Asbury Park Station)
Monday 9/30: Stand-ups and/or storytellers TBA "share what scares the sh*t out of them" hosted by Tracy Soren: My Nightmare (8:30 pm, $6, Astoria Queens' QED: A Place to Show & Tell at 27-16 23rd Avenue)
Leave a Comment »	| Best New York Live Comedy Shows	| Tagged: Aparna Nancherla, Connor Ratliff, Griffin Newman, Improvised Dragon Ball Z, Lauren Ashley Smith, Live Comedy shows in NYC tonight, Meredith Vieira, New York City Comedy, New York City Live Comedy, New York Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Improv, NYC Sketch, NYC Stand-Up, NYC Storytelling, Ruby Karp: We Hope You Have Fun, Sean Patton, The George Lucas Talk Show	| Permalink
NYC Top Comedy Choices for February 2019: Last Updated Thursday 2/7
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Please note that these listings are updated frequently. The best way to be instantly notified about new show postings is to subscribe to this BestNewYorkComedy.com blog and allow for email notifications. Other ways to keep up are to follow me on Twitter (@hybender) or Instagram (@hybenderny), and/or to visit the desktop version of this site at HyReviews.com.
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for February 2019 (with much more to come soon) include:
Thursday 2/7: One of the finest comedy venues in the country, UCB East, is closing due to financial pressures, with shows relocating on weekends only to the 130-seat SubCulture at 45 Bleecker Street (right next to the #6 subway's Bleecker Street stop). Bidding a fond farewell to this beloved East Village comedy haunt that's been serving fans daily since 2011 are hosts Connor Ratliff (brilliant improvisor & character comic; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Orange is the New Black, Broad City, The Chris Gethard Show, The President Show; co-star of legendary improv group The Stepfathers; host of The George Lucas Talk Show) & Griffin Newman (brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves) and their guests TBA, featuring music, prizes, and more: George Lucas & Watto: The Empire Strikes Beast (11:00 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Friday 2/8 (also 2/15 & 2/22): Improvisors create new tales of Hogwarts on the spot based on an audience suggestion: The Heirs of Hogwarts (6:00 pm, $15, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Friday 2/8: Aparna Nancherla (above right; one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of Super Bowl 2019 commercial, Comedy Central's Corporate, and HBO's Crashing; also performed on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, TBS's Conan O'Brien, and Comedy Central's @Midnight and Half Hour; former writer for Seth Meyers; comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Ben Kronberg (Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, ABC), Irene Fagan, Guitler Raphael, Joanna Ross, and Tim McLaughlan perform stand-up hosted by Erik Bergstrom (above left; Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, VH1, Fuse; cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker), Myka Fox (SNL freelance contributor; host of Myka Fox & Friends podcast on Keith and The Girl Network), and Max Bruno: Live From Outer Space (9:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's The Cobra Club at 6 Wyckoff Avenue)
Friday 2/8: This monthly storytelling, stand-up, and carny show brings the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, with storytelling from Seaton Smith (above right; rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Chris Rock's film Top Five, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show) and host Jeff Simmermon (above left; NPR's This American Life, Moth GrandSlam Champion, comedy album & show And I Am Not Lying), and stand-up from Emmy Blotnick (above middle; brilliant rising star stand-up who's performed on Stephen Colbert and stars in an upcoming Comedy Central Half Hour; writer for Stephen Colbert; Head Writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV, VH1), Tyler Fischer (HBO's Last Week Tonight, NBC's America's Got Talent), and Eman El Husseini (opens for Patton Oswalt), and burlesque by Vada James and Fem Appeal: And I Am Not Lying (Midnight, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Friday 2/8: Highly talented hip-hop improv group North Coast attempts to create a Hamilton on the spot by making up a musical based on an audience suggestion of a famous historical figure: Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera (9:30 pm, $17 online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 2/9: Mike Zakarian performs a one-man autobiographical show about being "a cool Christian teen in New England looking forward every year to an event called Snow Camp:" Christ Kid: A Journey Through Snow Camp (7:00 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 2/9 (also 2/16 & 2/23): A highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour: North Coast (9:00 pm, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Sunday 2/10: Phoebe Robinson (co-star of HBO's 2 Dope Queens; host of podcast Sooo Many White Guys; Seth Meyers, Conan O'Brien, Broad City, MTV's Girl Code; feature films What Men Want and Ibiza; author of You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain) Wyatt Cenac (star of HBO's Problem Areas and TBS' Friends of Earth; former star correspondent for The Daily Show; writer for South Park; albums Comedy Person, Brooklyn, and Furry Dumb Fighter), and Alex English (writer for BET's The Rundown with Robin Thede) are the stellar guests at this podcast taping hosted by Michelle Buteau (VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, comedy album Shut Up) & Jordan Carlos (HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code, Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim): Adulting (7:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 2/11: Emily Flake (above left; brilliant writer/cartoonist; The New Yorker, The New York Times) & Kate Willett (Comedy Central's The Jim Jeffries Show and This Is Not Happening; VICE's Flophouse, Netflix's Comedy Lineup; comedy album Glass Gutter) host this monthly show & podcast that features wonderfully funny people sharing their nightmares, with tonight's guests iconic star John Hodgman (above right; bestselling author of Vacationland, The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All; Humor Editor of The New York Times Magazine; former stellar correspondent of The Daily Show; former personification of a PC in Apple Mac ads), Jason Chatfield (cartoonist for The New Yorker, Mad Magazine; Australia's most widely syndicated cartoonist), Jennifer Finney Boylan (columnist for The New York Times, author of 15 books), Carole Montgomery (Comedy Central, Oprah, ABC, Showtime, MTV, VH1, A&E, Lifetime), and Kenice Mobely (host of Person About Town): Nightmares: The Best People Tell Their Worst Dreams (6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show; no cover but 2-drink min.; KGB Bar's upstairs Red Room at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue; please arrive early if you want to ensure getting in, as the room is likely to fill up fast)
Tuesday 2/12 (also 2/19 & 2/26): Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture, with giveaways of comics and gift certificates: Comic Book Club (8:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Wednesday 2/13: The quick-witted & hilarious Tyler Richardson (ReelzChannel; host of New Bedtime Stories) & Brian Mitchell (sketch group Laser Baby) celebrate both Black History Month and Valentine's Day with guest stand-ups Alex English, Boris Khaykin, Kelsey Caine, Kristin Manna, Stu Melton, Mackenzie Graves, Amamah Sardar, Calvin S. Cato, and Mike Guild: Black Guys (8:00 pm, Free!, Brooklyn's Starr Bar at 214 Starr Street; take L subway to Jefferson Street)
Thursday 2/14: World-class singing improvisors Rebecca Vigil & Evan Kaufman interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (7:00 pm; $17 in advance online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street; Please Note: This Valentine's Day edition of the show has SOLD OUT, but you can buy tickets for next month's performance by clicking here.)
Friday 2/15: A game show that describes itself as follows: "Ever talk to a straight guy and think, 'Jesus Christ you're boring!' Two straight men TBD enter the arena, but only one leaves with the title of Queen of the Straights. Lifelines include a Woman Who Gets It and a Wise Queer" hosted by Matt Rogers & Dave Mizzoni, who invite you to "come witness the ultimate test of who Is honorarily Gay As Fuck:" GAYme Show (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 2/16: Eight performers from the Ten Bones Theatre Company attempt to recreate infamous 2004 tearjerker The Notebook, with each comic using only what he or she can remember from seeing the movie just once. To add to the fun are a few rules: "Performers must incorporate lines written by the audience; performers must incorporate any sound effect played by the tech booth; one lucky audience member will be given a bell that they can ring three times—once rung, the actors must create a scene that has no business being in The Notebook but makes perfect sense given where they are in the story:" The Notebook…Entirely From Memory (8:00 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 2/21: Six comedic actors, including Gianmarco Soresi (ABC's Deception; acclaimed FringeNYC play <50%), perform sketch in this acclaimed group: Uncle Function (8:00 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 2/21: Surreal sketch group Terrorbird performs its oddball version of a Disney feature film: "The brave Princess Heckena and her marketably adorable sidekick Bonesy journey upwards through the kingdom of Heck for a musical adventure we're contractually obligated to say the whole family will enjoy. Will Heckena make it to the mortal world and finally achieve her playfully ironic dream of ice skating? Or will she marry Caligula and spend the rest of her life presiding over the eternal torment of the dang-ed?": Terrorbird: Heck—Follow Your Nightmares (9:30 pm, $10, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 2/23: Sketch comedy duo Jeff Ronan & Matt Bovee reenact all 50+ movies nominated for Oscars this year in under an hour: The Movie Idiot's Guide to the Oscars (9:00 pm, $10, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Sunday 2/24: Watch the Oscars with a live audience, and with comics and celebrity impersonators entertaining you during the commercials, in a classy LES venue with full bar: Oscar Watch Party at Caveat (7:00 pm, $17 online or $18 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 2/26: Celebrating Black History Month, comics Kenice Mobley, Sharon Paul, Ariel Evans, and Khalid Rahmaan share their experiences with racial profiling hosted by Marcela Onyango (host of Feel the News) & guest co-host Andrea Coleman: Profiled (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 2/28: Jamie Aderski (exceptionally honest & funny storyteller; stellar solo show Cry Baby) is pregnant, while Destiny Mabry (abuse conqueror; host of Triumphs, Tampons, and Tears) is single and often sexless. Both share memorable tales blending storytelling and stand-up: Celibate and Pregnant (7:30 pm, $8, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Upright Citizens Brigade East
153 East 3rd Street; 99-seater; a top comedy venue that focuses more than sister theatre UCB Hell's Kitchen on stand-up and screenings, and on experimental shows taking big risks; shows free-$12
Lost its space, aiming to move to Union Square sometime in 2019: competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!
Leave a Comment »	| Best New York Live Comedy Shows	| Tagged: Connor Ratliff, Emily Flake, George Lucas & Watto: The Empire Strikes Beast, Griffin Newman, John Hodgman, Live Comedy shows in NYC tonight, New York Comedy, Nightmares: The Best People Tell Their Worst Dreams, NYC Comedy, NYC Improv, NYC Sketch, NYC Stand-Up, NYC Storytelling, UCB East closing	| Permalink
Do you like cross-genre stories (fantasy/comedy, SF/comedy, fantasy/horror, etc.)? Please enjoy my new podcast, Ghosts On Drugs, by clicking here.
Need a book or screenplay? Hire me. To learn about my writing services, please visit BookProposal.net.
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for November 2018 (with more to come soon) include:
Saturday 11/3: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (middle; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's; author of upcoming book How to be Alone) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions are guest comics Connor Ratliff (left; brilliant improvisor & character comic; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Orange is the New Black, Broad City, The Chris Gethard Show, The President Show; co-star of legendary improv group The Stepfathers; host of The George Lucas Talk Show), Michelle Collins (right; host of TLC's 90 Day Live and Sirius XM's The Michelle Collins Show; former co-host of ABC's The View and Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise), and Kyle Ayers (bottom; Fuse's Uproarious; written for CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, BBC, The New York Times). This show usually sells out, so I recommend nabbing tickets in advance online for Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Today-Monday 11/5: This annual East Village storytelling festival this year features tales about Tinder dating, schoolteaching, chronic illness, immigration, and more, all taking place at the Kraine Theatre. For show descriptions and showtimes, please click Seventh Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival ($20 per show, or significantly less if you buy 3 or more shows at a time; The Kraine Theatre at 85 East 4th Street off Second Avenue)
239 Third Avenue—moving to Union Square this summer; competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!
moving to Brooklyn in June 2018, please stay tuned; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.
The Standing Room
4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club; no drink min.—support this policy!
Leave a Comment »	| Best New York Live Comedy Shows	| Tagged: Connor Ratliff, David Rodwin, Fuck Tinder: A Love Story, Kyle Ayers, Lane Moore, Lane Moore: "Tinder Live", Michelle Collins, Seventh Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival	| Permalink
NYC Top Comedy Choices for April 2018: Last Updated Friday 4/6/18
That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for April 2018 (with more to come soon) include:
Friday 4/6: "Do you ever leave a comedy show saying 'Hmm, that was pretty funny but not enough reading'? Literati is a night of comics in character performing hilarious readings—sometimes while wearing wigs," with comics Mitra Jouhari (above left; writer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), Branson Reese (above right; cartoonist/comic; Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears, The Onion, WNYC), Laura Thomas, and Joe Castle Baker hosted by Colin O'Brien & Michael Wolf: Literati: A Comedy Show About Books and the Idiots Who Write Them (9:00 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 4/6: Sixteen comics—including John Reynolds, Connor O'Malley, Mitra Jouhari, Joe Pera, and Carmen Christopher—perform characters, songs, and a variety of other comedic bits: Yardsale Comedy Night (10:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 4/6: Becky Drysdale (top right; appeared in 30 Rock, Orange is the New Black, Key & Peele, Kroll Show, The League; writer for HBO's High Maintenance, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, FX's Baskets; genius improvisor who's a member of Baby Wants Candy and Gravid Water) and Mike Carlsen (top left; cast member of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) are the guests of brilliant improvisor & character comic Connor Ratliff (bottom right; The Stepfathers), who transforms into "filmmaker George Lucas (Radioland Murders) as he embarks upon an exciting new career as a comedian and talk show host!" He's joined by talk show sidekick Griffin Newman (bottom left; brilliant character/improv comic; Arthur on Amazon's The Tick, Jared Kushner on Showtime's Our Cartoon President, HBO, CBS, MTV, TBS; feature films Draft Day, Fort Tilden, Night Moves) "as they revolutionize the talk show format the same way Lucas once revolutionized cinema:" The George Lucas Talk Show (Midnight, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Saturday 4/7: The cast member on HBO's Silicon Valley who hilariously plays Jian-Yang, the Asian guy who refuses to leave, is both an actor who's appeared on numerous series (e.g., It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) and a stand-up comic. Get to know him better tonight as he performs a long set in Brooklyn: Jimmy O. Yang; How to American (7:30 pm, $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Saturday 4/7: A fun freestyle rap contest with NYC comics (not announced), plus a volunteer from the audience!, hosted by superstar human beatbox Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan (above left; The Daily Show, The Electric Company, Freestyle Love Supreme) and Victor Varnado (above right; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central): Battlicious (11:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Sunday 4/8: Jacqueline Novak (exceptionally smart, fresh stand-up; Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, HBO; comedy album Quality Notions; book How to Weep in Public) and Chris Laker (Jimmy Kimmel; comedy album Moments of Greatness; opens for Mike Birbiglia) vacation from stand-up tonight to tell long stories, produced by Mike Birbiglia because "I've noticed that some of the special guests on my tours have great stories that they don't always tell on stage. The stories are longer. Sometimes they're uncomfortable. But they're also very, very funny. So often we hear comics make reference to some crazy situation or encounter but we don't hear the whole thing. So that's what this show is…" The Whole Story (7:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 4/8: The fabulous Emmy Blotnick (above; brilliant rising star stand-up who's performed on Stephen Colbert and stars in an upcoming Comedy Central Half Hour; Head Writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV, VH1) and Nimesh Patel (exceptionally sharp stand-up; staff writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central, TruTV; written for Chris Rock hosting the 2016 Oscars; co-host of Broken Comedy) headline this weekly stand-up show hosted by Gianmarco Soresi (Seeso; sketch group Uncle Function; acclaimed FringeNYC play <50%) & Jay Schmidt: The Last Laugh (8:00 pm, $8, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Monday 4/9: Al Gore (played by Rollie Williams) won't stand for his message about our planet dying being ignored, so he's begun this show on the current state of climate change, with tonight's guests Sudi Green (writer for Saturday Night Live), Bowen Yang (Comedy Central's Broad City; member of sketch group Pop Roulette; co-host of podcast Las Culturistas) and Peter Smith (trans stand-up; Carolines), directed by Mark Vigeant with music by Will Moritz: An Inconvenient Truth 3: Maybe I Wasn't Clear the First Two Times (7:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 4/9: Because there isn't enough division in America, this monthly show strives to create more discord by asking the musical question "Whose side are you on: Jessica Simpson ("I Wanna Love You Forever," Sweet Kisses, Irresistible, In This Skin) or her younger sister Ashlee Simpson ("Pieces of Me," Autobiography, I Am Me, Bittersweet World)?" Comic Mo Fry Pasic argues for Jessica and Greta Titelman makes the case for Ashlee, with illustrative diva drag performances by Shuga Cain and more, plus music from DJ Molly Austin, with fabulous hosts Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, co-host of White Chocolate, stellar solo show It's Christi, B*tch!) & Matteo Lane (Seth Meyers, Comedy Central, MTV's Guy Code & Girl Code): Battle of the Divas: Jessica Simpson vs. Ashlee Simpson (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/9: Shane Torres (above; fresh, hilarious stand-up; Conan O'Brien, IFC's Comedy Bang Bang, stand-up album Established 1981), Matthew Broussard (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour), Julia Claire (NPR, Nerdist), and Max & Nicky (musical twins Max & Nicky Weinbach) perform for this weekly Brooklyn stand-up show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and/or Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/9: Comics share tales of their favorite femme fatales, with guests Tija Mittal, Lindsay Pasarin, Stephanie Fagan, Robin Browne, and Allison Huntington Chase hosted by Madame Morbid (Madame Morbid's Trolley Tours in Brooklyn): Death Becomes Her (9:30 pm; $13.71 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 4/9: Krystyna Hutchinson (with comedy partner Corinne Fisher, host of popular Guys We Fucked podcast and author of F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That's Screwed), Erik Bergstrom (Comedy Central Half Hour, cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker), Nick Kocher (writer for Saturday Night Live; previously wrote for Marvel and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; half of sketch duo BriTANicK), and more perform stand-up hosted by the charming Ruby Karp: We Hope You Have Fun (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Monday 4/9: For over nine years, under the guidance of brilliant comedy booker Jeremy Levenbach, and the extraordinary hosting of Leo Allen and Aparna Nancherla, Whiplash became NYC's best-ever free stand-up show—and one of the finest comedy showcases anywhere—attracting such star drop-ins as Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, John Oliver, Jim Gaffigan, Daniel Kitson, and pretty much any other top comic who happened to be in town and wanted to try out material. (To learn more, please click here.) Aparna recently left the show for a paid gig, co-hosting Butterball Mondays at 8:00 pm at Littlefield. Now Whiplash has followed Aparna's lead, exiting UCB to become a paid show at Union Hall, with Jeremy continuing to do the booking. It may take a while to select a new permanent host, and the lineup is almost never announced in advance; but chances are this will remain one of the top stand-up shows in the country. Come see a classic reinvent itself, now as a paid weekly event in Brooklyn: Whiplash (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/9: Whiplash, which was NYC's best-ever free stand-up show, has moved to Union Hall (where it's now $10, but hopefully will continue to be transcendently great). Taking its Mondays-at-11:00 pm time slot at the UCB mainstage is a new show that sounds a great deal like UCB's much-missed School Night, which packed as many as a dozen guests into 75 minutes performing stand-up, characters, sketch, improv, and occasionally acts that defied categorization. The level of talent varied wildly; but for some, like me, that was part of the laid-back fun. If you care to support experimentation, and can patiently wait for periodic magical surprises, consider giving this new showcase a chance in the hope that, like School Night, it becomes a uniquely organic rollercoaster ride. Hosted by the multi-talented Morgan Miller (sharp improvisor, sketch comic, and stand-up), it's time to reveal the Dirty Laundry (11:00 pm, Free! (make reservation here), UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Tuesday 4/10: This benefit for Everytown for Gun Safety features a great lineup Ilana Glazer (co-creator, co-writer, and co-star of of Broad CIty), Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage host of The Unexpectashow and co-host of Butterball, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), and Dan Soder (cast member on Showtime's Billions; film Trainwreck; Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central hour-long special Not Special, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1) hosted by Kristen Buckels & Lacey Jeka: Thoughts and Prayers: A Mandatory Assembly (7:30 pm, $12, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Tuesday 4/10: Storytellers Aparna Nancherla, Marie Faustin, Isaac Fitzgerald, Dan Kennedy, and Mellini Kantayya share how how they learned something memorable, hosted by Blaise Allysen Kearsley. This acclaimed long-running series was on haitus, but is revived tonight: How I Learned Returns for a One Night Stand (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 4/10: Marina Franklin (staff writer for HBO's Divorce; Trainwreck, Crashing, Louie, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, @midnight, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Nightly Show, Last Comic Standing, Chappelle's Show), Ziwe Fumudoh (above left; writer for The Rundown with Robin Thede; host of hilarious webseries Baited with Ziwe), Emma Willmann (Stephen Colbert, @midnight, Sirius XM), Cat Cohen (Hulu's Difficult People), and political activist Laura Moser (bestselling author, and founder of the Daily Action service that helps concerned citizens pressure legislators via their phones) perform and/or are interviewed by spitfire host Amanda Duarte (host of Dead Darlings and co-host of Girl Friday podcast): #Nasty Women—A Night of Female Resistance Comedy (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 4/10: This is your chance to relive the most stressful day of high school in a fun, supportive, and alcohol-filled environment. Work as an individual or as a team to answer real SAT questions proctored by host Michael Wolf (showrunner of MTV series After Hours with Josh Horowitz; sketch comedy groups O.S.F.U.G. and Nancy). It's a fun way to unwind after a long day and tackle the standardized test of your nightmares: Sloshed SATS (8:30 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Tuesday 4/10: Comics TBA present funny lectures on silly topics—e.g., "Octopuses: Squishy Satans of the Sea"—produced by Kara Klenk (writer for MTV's Girl Code & Guy Code and contributor to Broad City; producer of If You Build It) and hosted by Jim Tews (rising star; Louie, Last Comic Standing; co-host of Fresh Out; New York Times bestselling author of Felines of New York; comedy album I Was in Band): Homeschooled—A Comedic Lecture Series (9:00 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Wednesday 4/11: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 4/11: Dave Hill (one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; @midnight, Inside Amy Schumer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, This American Life; host for HBO and Cinemax; host of WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake; books Tasteful Nudes and Dave Hill Doesn't Live Here Anymore; comedy album Let Me Turn You On), Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; album "The Human Comedy;" for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), Marie Faustin (co-host of 99.5 FM's Tall Tales in the Big City and podcast The Unofficial Expert; former host of Oxygen's Very Real Talk; VH1, TruTV, MTV's Girl Code and Vidiots), Sarah Kennedy (Reductress), and All Female Reboot (above; sketch group that recasts popular movies with all-female leads) hosted by Emily Winter (writer for Fusion's Come Here and Say That, TVLand, and Glamour; co-host of Backfat Variety and Side Ponytail) and Larry Mancini (band member of The Tracys): The BackFat Variety (8:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 4/12: Two exceptionally appealing comics, Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, The Today Show, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!) and Adira Amram (spectacular comedic singer & dancer; HBO, Funny or Die; album Hot Jams for Teens), perform and host Leah Bonnema (VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony's Virus Channel), Sydnee Washington (MTV2's Vidiots, co-host of podcast The Unofficial Expert), and Matthew Holtzclaw (magician who Rolling Stone called "unforgettable"): Ophira & Adira (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 4/12: In this acclaimed monthly show, NYC stand-ups Rob Haze (Adam Devine's House Party, Viceland's Flophouse, Dish Network's Cabbage Town), Claudia Cogan (Last Comic Standing, MTV, Logo, here! TV), Adam Mamawala (MTV's Girl Code), and Lizzie Martinez each perform a 10-minute set while they "risk getting slapped by Satan himself. Actually, he hosts only bringer shows, but join Matt Wayne & Doug Smith as they step into the Big Man's shoes and put NYC's finest through comedy purgatory. Hula-hoops, celebrity impressions, unwanted audience participation, all incorporated into each performance! Will they triumph or will the nether world eat their souls?f" For a sample torture set with the delightful Christi Chiello, please click here; and if you'd then like more, Matt & Wayne will See You in Hell (10:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 4/12: Enjoy a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) shared by their original authors before total strangers at this popular monthly show—which is now also a six-part series titled The Mortified Guide on Netflix!: Mortified (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 4/12: This rare all-asian monthly stand-up show features Raj Belani, Andre Kim, Michael Salgarolo, Vince Chang, Sonya Vai, KC Arora, and Chewy May hosted by Edward Pokropski: Unwashed Comedy (7:30 pm, $10, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 4/13: Comedy icon Michael Ian Black has acted in nearly a dozen movies, including Wet Hot American Summer; and in scores of TV series—most recently, Comedy Central's Another Period and The Jim Gaffigan Show, as well as such classics as seminal MTV sketch series The State and NBC's Ed. He's also the author of 11 books, including the 2016 bestseller A Child's First Book of Trump. And on top of all that, he enjoys performing stand-up…which is what he's doing tonight: Michael Ian Black: Shut Up & Comedy (7:30 pm, $25, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Friday 4/13: Improv trio Doppelganger—consisting of Sasheer Zamata (above left; cast member for three seasons of Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, Amazon's Transparent, TBS' People of Earth), Keisha Zollar (above right; HBO's Divorce, Orange Is the New Black, MTV; writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper; sketch group Astronomy Club), and Nicole Byer (scores of TV and film roles)—created fresh, brilliant improv before each of its rising stars went off to be famous. Nicole is probably filming right now in LA, but Sasheer and Keisha are reuniting in NYC to make up scenes based on audience suggestions: Doppelganger (9:00 pm, $12, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Saturday 4/14: Comics perform their darkest, saddest, and most traumatically funny bits for this monthly catharsis machine hosted by Shane Torres, Nate Fridson, and/or Alison Zeidman, with tonight's guests Mike Drucker (hilarious stand-up and staff writer for The President Show; previously wrote for Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Bill Nye Saves the World, The Onion, McSweeney's), Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for The Daily Show; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, HBO's Def Comedy Jam, TBS' Sullivan & Son; Comedy Central one-hour special Father Figure), Joe Zimmerman (Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing), Janelle James (@midnight, SeeSo's Night Train with Wyatt Cenac), Martin Urbano (Jimmy Kimmel), Alison Klemp, Saurin Choksi, and Julia Claire: Dark Spots (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 4/14: Blythe Roberson (The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's) & Colin Stokes (Associate Cartoon Editor at The New Yorker; The Onion, GQ) read a book every month so you don't have to and then perform something loosely related to its themes for your edutainment, along with guests Emily Flake (above; star cartoonist for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Forbes, etc.; author of books Mama Tried, Lulu Eightball, and These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves), Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for The Daily Show; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, HBO's Def Comedy Jam, TBS' Sullivan & Son; Comedy Central one-hour special Father Figure), and Talib Babb: Book Club—A Comedy Show (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 4/15: Comics TBA demonstrate their quick wits by hilariously answering questions about what a guest scientist's job entails at this live taping of Chris Duffy's excellent podcast: You're the Expert (7:00 pm, $16.89 in advance online or $20 at the door, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 4/15: Following the Montevideo Convention of 1933, comics Eman El Husseini, Usama Siddiquee, Kate Sisk, Fareeha Khan, and Sam Morrison design a brand new country to co-rule, with this month's theme Immigration: Statehood: Five Comedians Make a Country from Scratch (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 4/16: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Monday 4/16: Two NYC comics TBA each perform 30-minute stand-up sets hosted by the fabulous Emmy Blotnick (brilliant rising star stand-up who's performed on Stephen Colbert and stars in an upcoming Comedy Central Half Hour; Head Writer for Comedy Central's The President Show; former writer for Comedy Central's @midnight, Roast of Rob Lowe, and Not Safe with Nikki Glaser; MTV, VH1): Big Long Sets (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Monday 4/16: Terrific character comics perform solo bits demonstrating their impressive talent directed & hosted by Michael Hartney with a co-host TBA. This is one of my favorite shows, and I especially recommend checking it out if you're a producer, casting director, or other industry pro in search of sharp comedy actors: Characters Welcome (9:00 pm, $7, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Monday 4/16: This weekly stand-up show's hosts Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and/or Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk) emcee Katie Compa, Dave Ross, Kevin Iso, Chris Charpentier, and Nonye Brown-West: Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/16: For over nine years, under the guidance of brilliant comedy booker Jeremy Levenbach, and the extraordinary hosting of Leo Allen and Aparna Nancherla, Whiplash became NYC's best-ever free stand-up show—and one of the finest comedy showcases anywhere—attracting such star drop-ins as Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, John Oliver, Jim Gaffigan, Daniel Kitson, and pretty much any other top comic who happened to be in town and wanted to try out material. (To learn more, please click here.) Aparna recently left the show for a paid gig, co-hosting Butterball Mondays at 8:00 pm at Littlefield. Now Whiplash has followed Aparna's lead, exiting UCB to become a paid show at Union Hall, with Jeremy continuing to do the booking. It may take a while to select a new permanent host, and the lineup is almost never announced in advance; but chances are this will remain one of the top stand-up shows in the country. Come see a classic reinvent itself, now as a paid weekly event in Brooklyn: Whiplash (10:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/16: Whiplash, which was NYC's best-ever free stand-up show, has moved to Union Hall (where it's now $10, but hopefully will continue to be transcendently great). Taking its Mondays-at-11:00 pm time slot at the UCB mainstage is a new show that sounds a great deal like UCB's much-missed School Night, which packed as many as a dozen guests into 75 minutes performing stand-up, characters, sketch, improv, and occasionally acts that defied categorization. The level of talent varied wildly; but for some, like me, that was part of the laid-back fun. If you care to support experimentation, and can patiently wait for periodic magical surprises, consider giving this new showcase a chance in the hope that, like School Night, it becomes a uniquely organic rollercoaster ride. Hosted by the multi-talented Morgan Miller (sharp improvisor, sketch comic, and stand-up), it's time to reveal the Dirty Laundry (11:00 pm, Free! (make reservation here), UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Tuesday 4/17: , Mary Beth Barone (above; Viceland, Mary Beth's Sex Tape) hosts Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Gary Richardson (writer for Saturday Night Live; brilliant improvisor; Comedy Central), and Pat Regan (Lloyd Night improvisor): Mary Beth Barone: America's Stepdaughter (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 4/17: This benefit for Everytown for Gun Safety is sponsored by NYC indie record label Little Lamb Recordings and features David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family), Selena Coppock (Amazon's Red Oaks, VH1, author of book The New Rules for Blondes), Shalewa Sharpe (Keith and the Girl; comedy album Stay Eating Cookies), Katina Corrao (HBO, Comedy Central's Broad City, VH1, co-host of Lasers in the Jungle), Greg Johnson (Sirius XM), and George Gordon ("You should totally hit this raw would be an amazing slogan for a sushi restaurant"): Little Lamb Recordings Comedy Night (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Tuesday 4/17: Five storytellers share the fascinating secret pasts of NYC locations you may walk by every day. Four of the stories are entirely true…and one is a pack of lies. Can you spot the fibber? Aiming to fool you are Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; album "The Human Comedy;" for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), Suzanne Reisman (author of Off the (Beaten) Subway Track: New York City's Best Unusual Places), Carla Katz (Body Parts at Solocom 2017), Vicki Eastus (law professor), and host Christa Avampato (author of YA novel Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters). If you spot the liar, you'll be in the running to win a pair of tickets to a secret NYC event: New York City's Secrets and Lies (7:00 pm; $13.71 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Wednesday 4/18: A live band proves musical accompaniment to jokes for this monthly show that tonight features stand-ups Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu), Matt Ruby (MTV; sharp co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here, award-winning blog Sandpaper Suit, new comedy album Hot Flashes), Sam Taggart, Joyelle Nicole, Farah Brook, Rosebud Baker, Aminah Imani, and Stavros Halkias hosted by Yedoye Travis: Rent Party (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 4/20: Comics go deep on their weird obsessions with seemingly boring things (e.g., "The History of the Rubber Duck"), with tonight's information gifters Aparna Nancherla (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; co-star of HBO's Crashing and 2 Dope Queens, Netflix's Master of None and The Standups, and Comedy Central's Corporate; former writer for Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien, @Midnight, Comedy Central Half Hour, comedy album Just Putting It Out There), Kate Willett (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, VICE's Flophouse, comedy album Glass Gutter), Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life, Moth GrandSlam Champion, comedy album & show And I Am Not Lying), Benari Poulten (former senior producer for The Nightly Show), Emily Winter (writer for Fusion's Come Here and Say That, TVLand, and Glamour; co-host of The BackFatlorette, Backfat Variety, and Side Ponytail), and Joyelle Nicole (tours for Lady Parts Justice League) hosted by Raj Sivaraman (co-host of Universe City podcast): Monotony: A Smart Comedy Show about Stupid Stuff (9:00 pm, $8, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Friday 4/20: Celebrate this day of four twenty with mind-altering host Greg Barris (MTV's All That Rocks, host of Heart of Darkness) and his guests McQueen Adams (creator of Comedy Central Snapchat series Heads Will Roll) and more TBA: Greg Barris: Mwah Mwah Mwah (8:00 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Friday 4/20: A unique show based on the premise "Let's be honest, love doesn't exist, couples suck, and Valentine's Day is bullshit. We test real life couples to see if they are meant to be together (they aren't). The couple with the least amount of points at the end of the night will have to break up, because we all die alone anyway and what's the point of anything really? It'll be fun!" hosted by spectacular rising star Carly Ann Filbin (above; video correspondent for Cosmopolitan.com): Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show (Midnight, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street
Saturday 4/21: A show celebrating the app that redefined online dating, with the lovely and quick-witted Lane Moore (above right; HBO's Girls; Sex & Relationship Editor of Cosmo; writer for The Onion, McSweeney's) going on a live Tinder safari for guys while a packed audience watches her every choice with fascination. Offering comments and suggestions for this extra special edition are brilliantly funny guests Ziwe Fumudoh (above left; writer for The Rundown with Robin Thede; host of hilarious webseries Baited with Ziwe), Jo Firestone (above middle; one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), and Louis Peitzman (Deputy Editor of Arts & Entertainment for BuzzFeed News). This show is virtually certain to sell out, so I highly recommend nabbing tickets in advance online for Tinder Live (8:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 4/21: World-class singing improvisors Evan Kaufman & Rebecca Vigil interview an audience couple about their love life and then turn it into a musical—with breathtaking skill (see my review of their award-winning FringeNYC 2015 shows here). I highly recommend the phenomenal Your Love, Our Musical (7:00 pm; $16.89 in advance online or $20 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 4/21: Comics TBA give funny lectures on a science-related topic TBA, hosted by the brilliant & delightful Blythe Roberson (The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's) & Madelyn Freed (ace improvisor & computer programmer): The Scientists: A Comedy Show (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 4/21: A hour of sketches from 3-guy group Matt Barats (The Onion), Carmen Christopher (MTV), and Anthony Oberbeck (IFC), plus special guest stand-up Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers): Postmen (10:30 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 4/22: National treature Kevin Smith is a director/writer/actor (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), TV creator/host (AMC's Comic Book Men), pop culture nerd royalty, and ace talker…and tonight, following his recent heart attack, he conducts two Q&A sessions at Carolines: An Evening with Kevin Smith (7:00 pm & 9:30 pm, $32.75 per show plus 2-drink min., Carolines Comedy Club at 1626 Broadway)
Sunday 4/22: Brothers Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dap in Das Racist) spontaneously interact with each other, sharing family stories, discussing current events, and more for this podcast recording: Kondabolu Brothers Podcast Live (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 4/22: On this Earth Day, Keisha Zollar (HBO's Divorce, Orange Is the New Black, MTV; writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper; sketch group Astronomy Club) hosts this show that gathers comics and scientists TBA to talk about climate change and what practical steps might help ensure the human race goes on: What the Fuck Do We Do: Earth Day at Caveat (7:00 pm; $16.89 in advance online or $20 a the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Sunday 4/22: Comics work out daddy issues in this show consisting exclusively of jokes about fathers, with John Reynolds (co-star of Search Party, cast member of Stranger Things; writer for The President Show, previously writer for Craig Ferguson and Celebrity Deathmatch), Jo Firestone (one of the most relentlessly inventive comics in the biz; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; star of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special; HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Broad City; radio host of WFMU's Dr. Gameshow, live-on-stage co-host of Butterball; co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Catherine Cohen (Difficult People), Larry Owens (TruTV), Max Wittert, Eric Schwartan, Stephen Phillips, and sketch group Please Don't Destroy (Above Average) hosted by Steven Markow (writer for The New Yorker, McSweeney's; acted in sketch for Stephen Colbert): Dad Jokes Only (8:00 pm, $8, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/23: In one of the finest solo shows ever created about motherhood—and one of the best comedy shows in NYC—rising star Jamie Aderski shares extraordinarily honest and hair-curling tales of what it was like for her to go through pregnancy and the early months of raising her baby (for a trailer, please click here). Whether this is a cautionary tale to would-be moms or an ode to the power of love is up to you to decide. Either way, you should not miss the unforgettable Cry Baby: My (Reluctant) Journey Into Motherhood (9:30 pm; $13.71 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Monday 4/23: Liza Treyger (above; fresh, fierce, fearless stand-up; Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, Horace and Pete, Chelsea Lately), Drew Michael (writer for Saturday Night Live; Comedy Central Half Hour; NBC's The Carmichael Show), Chris Thayer (Comedy Central's Adam DeVine's House Party, VICELAND's Flophouse, TBS; has toured with Pete Holmes), and more perform for this weekly Brooklyn stand-up show hosted by Jo Firestone (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, co-author of #1 bestselling Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers), Aparna Nancherla (co-star of HBO's Crashing, Netflix's Master of None, and Comedy Central's Corporate), and/or Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America, co-host of Nat Geo's Star Talk): Butterboy with Jo, Aparna, and Maeve (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/23: Comics and pundits TBA chug a couple of beers on stage and talk politics hosted by Charlie Todd & Cody Lindquist: Two Beers In (7:30 pm, $9, UCB East at 153 East 3rd Street)
Monday 4/23: Michelle Buteau (VH1's Morning Buzz and Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Key & Peele, FOX's Enlisted, Craig Ferguson, Last Comic Standing, @midnight, comedy album Shut Up) & Jordan Carlos (HBO's Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code, Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim) host this podcast taping, with guests TBA: Adulting (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Tuesday 4/24: For this taping of his Sporkful podcast, host Dan Pashman interviews Hari Kondabolu (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents; fascinating TruTV documentary The Problem with Apu) about the foods Hari grew up eating in Queens, the items Apu from The Simpsons offers at the Kwik-E-Mart, why you shouldn't talk to Indian-Americans about Indian food, and the time Hari mistook a papaya for a mango (expect a lot of stories about mangoes): Sporkful Live with Hari Kondabolu (8:00 pm, $20, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 4/25: Jean Grae & John Hodgman have written topics on a carnival wheel. In this show they spin the wheel and then chat about whatever subject they land on, along with a surprise guest. What else do you need to know?: Jean and John (8:00 pm, $15, The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Wednesday 4/25: Sharp storytellers TBA, who typically include Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 20-time StorySlam Champion; album The Human Comedy; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), tell comedic tales on a montly theme TBA for this live podast taping hosted by the wonderful David Martin: The Nights of Our Lives (8:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Wednesday 4/25: Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (star of Comedy Central hit The President Show; Trump vs. Bernie, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv, helped by cast members and guests TBA, in the revival of this show that used to run weekly at UCB East: The Tony Show: Resurrection (11:00 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Thursday 4/26: A glorious collection of hilarious film & TV clips and lectures by mass media experts hosted by super-fan Kevin Maher (Emmy-nominated writer whose work has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, and AMC; former host of AMC's The Sci-Fi Dept.) and guest co-host Tenebrous Kate (host of the Bad Books For Bad People podcast), this month focusing on mad scientists, with scheduled guests Richard Harland Smith (acclaimed writer for Turner Classic Movies blog, Video Watchdog magazine, and numerous movie DVD audio commentaries), Kristen Sollee (author of new book Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive), John Cribbs (Head Writer of cinema website ThePinkSmoke.com), and Becky Munich (author of The Occult Activity Books; Associate Art Director of Little, Brown and Company's Books for Young Readers): Kevin Geeks Out About Mad Science (7:45 pm; $15—buying in advance is recommended, as this show crammed with rich imagery and fascinating ideas often sells out; Brooklyn's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 445 Albee Square West—take the 2/3 subway to Hoyt Street)
Thursday 4/26: Gina Yashere (above; correspondent for The Daily Show; HBO's Crashing, Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately, @midnight, Showtime 1-hour special Skinny Bitch), Dave Hill (above; one of the most original and hilariously sharp alternative comics in the country; @midnight, Inside Amy Schumer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, This American Life; host for HBO and Cinemax; host of WFMU's The Goddamn Dave Hill Show; bands Valley Lodge and Diamondsnake; books Tasteful Nudes and Dave Hill Doesn't Live Here Anymore; comedy album Let Me Turn You On), Liza Treyger (fresh, fierce, fearless stand-up; Seth Meyers, Comedy Central Half Hour, Horace and Pete, Chelsea Lately), Seaton Smith (rising star stand-up; HBO's Girls, FOX's Mulaney, Chris Rock's film Top Five, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Inside Amy Schumer, The Nightly Show), TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo, Harris Stanton (SNL, BET; opened for Tracey Morgan), and more perform stand-up hosted by Michelle Collins (former co-host ABC's The View; co-host of ABC's Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise and UCB stand-up show Magic Mich XXL) for this show raising funds for cooperation: Comedy Co-Op (7:30 pm, $15, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Thursday 4/26: Comics play historical figures who give lectures on odd topics: DED Talks: TED Talks From Dead People (7:30 pm; $11.59 in advance online or $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Thursday 4/26: Comics and comedic storytellers TBA join pioneering sketch comic and storyteller Kevin Allison (The State) at what's typically one of the finest storytelling shows in the country: Risk! (9:30 pm, $15, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 4/28: Friends Who Folk (delightful singing duo Rachel Wenitsky & Ned Riseley; TheNewYorker.com), Nate Dendy (magician; Penn & Teller: Fool Us Himself), and Dylan Marron (actor; Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite, Seriously.tv, Welcome to Night Vale podcast) perform songs, magic, or characters, then enthusiastically endorse some product they love…which will be handed out to lucky members of the audience! Hosted by the wonderful Chris Duffy (staff writer for NatGeo Explorer, host of You're the Expert), who makes this promise for one audience member per show: You Get A Spoon (4:00 pm; $13.71 online, $15 at the door; LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street—take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 4/28: Storytelling, catharsis, and laughter as over a dozen comics who identify as survivors of sexual assault, harassment and, in one case, a lawsuit for speaking out against an alleged rapist share their experiences. This show will be filmed as part of a documentary: Rape Jokes by Survivors (7:00 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 4/28: In this unique show, animators spontaneously bring the jokes of guest stand-ups (TBA) to visual life with lightning speed & wit. Part of the fun is that the comics don't know what the animators will draw and the animators don't know how the comics will react. Produced by Sam Varela & Brandie Posey and hosted by Ian Fidance: Picture This! (8:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Saturday 4/28: Stellar comics share their love for the weirdest animals on the planet, with tonight's zoologists Josh Gondelman (Emmy & Peabody Award-winning writer/producer for HBO's phenom Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O'Brien, The New Yorker; stand-up comedy album Physical Whisper), Ariel Dumas (writer for Stephen Colbert), Bowen Yang (Comedy Central's Broad City; co-host of podcast & stage show Las Culturistas), Larry Owens, Conier Mandt, and X Mayo hosted by Karen Chee (The New Yorker, McSweeney's): The Biodiversity Jam (9:30 pm, $12, LES' Caveat at 21-A Clinton Street; take F/J/M/Z subway to Delancey Street/Essex Street)
Saturday 4/28: NYC comics TBA perform stand-up or sketch hosted by the fabulous Christi Chiello (Comedy Central's Roast Battle, MTV's Girl Code, TruTV, stellar Ars Nova show It's Christi, B*tch!; unforgettably observed the woman in the photo on the wall of the Union Hall stage looks like Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire) & Petey Deabreu (host of Petey's World): White Chocolate (10:00 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 4/29: In this stage version of their podcast Dead Meet, Jaime Lutz & Maggie Widdoes play mediums who talk to ghosts…performed by ace comics Keisha Zollar (HBO's Divorce, Orange Is the New Black, MTV; writer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper; ace improv trio Doppelganger, sketch group Astronomy Club), James Dwyer (Master of None; co-star of UCB's A Big Dumb Thing), and Nicole Silverberg (writer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Editor-at-Large for Reductress): Dead Meet (Live Show) (8:00 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Monday 4/30: Some of the most brilliant improvisors alive (TBA) stumble into theatre scenes of plays they've never seen—performed by superb Broadway, TV, and/or film stars—and make up their dialogue while the actors commit to staying in character and on book. The result is amazingly fun, hosted by actor/director Stephen Ruddy: Gravid Water (8:00 pm, $9, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Tuesday 5/1: David Cross (comedy legend; Mr. Show, Arrested Development, Modern Family) tries out new stand-up material in Brooklyn: David Cross: Still Shooting the Shit, Still Seeing What Sticks (8:00 pm, $15, Brooklyn's The Bell House at 149 7th Street; take R subway to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Avenue)
Tuesday 5/1: This African-American stand-up show features Dillon Stevenson (writer for HBO's Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas), Abbi Crutchfield (Broad City, MTV, VH1, Witsream), Jordan Carlos (cast member of Netflix's Friends From College; HBO's 2 Dope Queens and Girls, Comedy Central's Broad City and The Nightly Show, Showtime, MTV's Guy Code and Guy Court, VH1, Adult Swim), Shalewa Sharpe (Keith and the Girl; comedy album Stay Eating Cookies), and Chris Lamberth (AXS TV) hosted by Brandon Collins: Don't Think Once (7:30 pm; $10, Brooklyn's Union Hall at 702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street)
27-16 23rd Avenue in Astoria Queens; N/Q to Ditmars Boulevard; 40-seat theatre; shows free-$10
239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!
85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.
From comedy & rock goddess Lane Moore (host of smash hit Tinder Live; lead singer of Brooklyn band It Was Romance): Hy Bender lives and breathes comedy. He knows what he's talking about. Listen.
Leave a Comment »	| Best New York Live Comedy Shows	| Tagged: #Nasty Women—A Night of Female Resistance Comedy, All Female Reboot, Amanda Duarte, Anthony Atamanuik, Aparna Nancherla, Becky Drysdale, Blythe Roberson & Madelyn Freed: "The Scientists", Brandon Collins: "Don't Think Once", Branson Reese, Butterboy with Jo Aparna and Maeve, Carly Ann Filbin: "Let Me Break You Up: An Anti-Dating Game Show", Charlie Todd & Cody Lindquist: "Two Beers In", Chris Duffy's "You Get a Spoon", Chris Duffy's "You're the Expert", Chris Sullivan, Christi Chiello & Petey Deabreu: "White Chocolate", Connor Ratliff, David Cross, DED Talks: TED Talks From Dead People, Emily Flake, Emma Peel, Emmy Blotnick, Erik Bergstrom, Evan Kaufman & Rebecca Vigil: "Your Love Our Musical", Friends Who Folk, Gravid Water, Greg Barris: "Mwah Mwah Mwah", Griffin Newman, Hari Kondabolu, Hari Kondabolu and Ashok Kondabolu: "Kondabolu Brothers Podcast Live", Jaime Lutz & Maggie Widdoes: "Dead Meet", Jamie Aderski: "Cry Baby: My (Reluctant) Journey Into Motherhood", Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend!, Jean Grae and John Hodgman: "Jean and John", Jeremy Levenbach, Jimmy O. Yang, Jo Firestone, Kevin Allison's Risk!, Kevin Maher: "Kevin Geeks Out About Mad Science", Kevin Smith, Krystyna Hutchinson, Lane Moore, Lane Moore's "Tinder Live", Literati: A Comedy Show About Books and the Idiots Who Write Them, Live Comedy shows in NYC tonight, Liza Treyger (, Maeve Higgins, Mary Beth Barone, Matt Wayne & Doug Smith: "See You in Hell", Michael Hartney: "Characters Welcome", Michael Ian Black, Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos: "Adulting", Mike Carlsen, Mike Drucker, Mitra Jouhari, Morgan Miller, Nate Dendy, New York City's Secrets and Lies, New York Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Improv, NYC Sketch, NYC Stand-Up, NYC Storytelling, Ophira Eisenberg & Adira Amram: "Ophira & Adira", Picture This!, Postmen sketch comedy, Rape Jokes by Survivors, Rollie Williams: "An Inconvenient Truth 3: Maybe I Wasn't Clear the First Two Times", Roy Wood Jr., Sasheer Zamata and Keisha Zollar: "Doppelganger", Shane Torres, Sloshed SATS, Statehood: Five Comedians Make a Country from Scratch, Steven Markow: "Dad Jokes Only", Tenebrous Kate, The Biodiversity Jam, The George Lucas Talk Show, The Nights of Our Lives, The Story Collider: "Diagnosis", Thoughts and Prayers: A Mandatory Assembly, Unwashed Comedy, Victor Varnado, Whiplash, Xena Warrior Princess, Ziwe Fumudoh	| Permalink