NYC Comedy Roundup: Michael Ian Black, Michelle Wolf, Conner O'Malley, Carmen Christopher & more

michelle wolf

Last week, it was announced that Michelle Wolf (Late Night with Seth Meyers, Daily Show with Trevor Noah) will host the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 28. The announcement was an exciting cap to a big month for Wolf, a veteran of the NY comedy scene. Fresh off the heels of her breakout HBO stand-up special “Nice Lady,” Wolf has recently signed on with Netflix to host her own weekly late-night series.

Luckily, there are plenty of chances to see Wolf this week. She is playing two shows at the Comedy Cellar on Monday, February 26. At 8 PM, she’s joined on the lineup by Mo Amer (opener for Dave Chapelle), Carmen Lynch (David Letterman Show), Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show), Ryan Reiss (Late Night with Seth Meyers). At 9:30, she’s also performing with Joe List (Last Comic Standing), Chris Gethard (The Chris Gethard Show), Ryan Hamilton (Netflix, Late Show with Stephen Colbert), and Seaton C. Smith (Mulaney) as the host.

Wolf is on again at the Cellar on Wednesday, February 28 performing on a lineup that also features Mike Birbiglia and Tom Papa. Birbiglia performs at the 7:30 PM show as well along with Jordan Carlos (Broad City, Girls) and Keith Robinson (Crashing, Trainwreck). And in case you can’t make those dates, she is also performing at multiple shows at the Cellar on Thursday. Make reservations to any of the Cellar’s nightly shows here.

Speaking of new comedy releases, this Monday’s installation of the excellent monthly comedy showcase Future Forms at Alphaville features Brendan Scannell, who stars in Paramount Network’s reboot of Heathers, which debuted last week. Scannell is joined by Zach Cherry (Crashing), Sydnee Washington (MTV’s Vidiots), Brad Austin (The New York Times), Pat Wise (Cool Show (Not Lame)), Eliza Hurwitz, and Ana Fabrega. To sweeten the deal, the show is hosted by some of the funniest, most absurd comedians in New York – Mary Houlihan (Difficult People, The Chris Gethard Show), Julio Torres (SNL), Sam Taggart (Brooklyn Magazine’s 50 Funniest Comedians), and Joe Rumrill (The Special Without Brett Davis). The show is free, and you can view details here.

Only a few blocks away on Monday Night, weekly showcase Razzle Dazzle takes over Bushwick venue Cape House; this week’s installment features Reductress editor and SNL writer Anna Drezen, Tom Thakkar (Conan, Just for Laughs Festival), J.P. McDade (Comedy Central’s Roast Battle), Eudora Peterson (Brooklyn Comedy Festival), and Wendi Starling (GLAMOURPUSS, Fuse TV) (tickets). And as always, UCB’s midnight showcase Whiplash never disappoints – past guests have included everyone from Chris Rock to John Mulaney. Online reservations aren’t available, but there will be a standby line at the theatre; view more details here.

Another fantastic Monday night showcase is Butterboy at Littlefield, hosted by Jo Firestone (Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), Aparna Nancherla (Corporate), and Maeve Higgins (StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson). This week’s show features Josh Gondelman (Last Week Tonight), Josh Sharp (Comedy Central), Nick Turner (Comedy Central), and Venessa Peruda (Reductress). Grab tickets here.

And check out the new feature about Butterboy producer Marianne Ways in the New York Times.

Finally, to top things off, Side Ponytail is yet another great weekly Monday showcase. Hosted at Friends & Lovers in Crown heights, this week’s installment includes Mike Drucker (The President Show), SallyAnn Hall (winner of the She Devil Comedy Festival), Chris Donahue (Goodness Greatness Comedy), Raj Sivaraman (Jeopardy), and Lizzie Martinez (Funny or Die). Next week’s showcase features Matthew Broussard (Conan), Christian Mangual (Philly Comedy Attic), May Wilkerson (Crazy; In Bed Podcast), Paris Sashay (Caroline’s, BET), and Amber Rollo (She Devil Comedy Fest). The show is free; view more details on their Facebook page here.

Last week, Carmen Christopher and Conner O’Malley (The Tonight Show) released “Guys Day.” Filmed in Atlantic City, it falls right into O’Malley’s wheelhouse – absurdist satirical commentary on bro culture. The two make a gleefully idiotic pair, and on Wednesday, February 28, they join forces again at The Juice, Christopher’s regular showcase at Union Pool. Aside from O’Malley, the showcase will also feature sets from John Reynolds (Search Party), Rob Haze (The Tonight Show), Eliza Hurwitz (The Special Without Brett Davis), comedy duo Wes Haney (Netflix’s The Characters) and Bardia Salimi, and sketch trio Please Don’t Destroy. Catch Please Don’t Destroy’s hilarious monthly show at the PIT on Thursday, March 1.

Also on Thursday, catch Everything Is Terrible! presents The Great Satan at The Bell House, part of an ongoing tour. The cult VHS website, which shares vintage tapes scavenged from thrift stores, garage sales, and bargain bins, will be premiering its newest feature-length video collage at the show, and it’s sure to be a mind-altering journey into 90s aesthetics and Satanic occultism. Grab tickets here. And check out photos from the Chicago tour stop.

And at The Bell House on — as previously mentionedFriday, March 2, Jen Kirkman is taping a live recording of “I Seem Fun,” her weekly podcast that she usually records alone in her home (tickets).

Finally, as usual, the Stand NY also has a pretty great lineup this week, including Janeane Garofolo, Nikki Glaser, Mark Normand, Pete Lee, and more. Check out the full roster here.

We’ve been seeing more and more of Nikki Glaser on NYC lineups lately. That’s because she moved back here and is now hosting a show on Sirius XM.

After a long week of live comedy, you may want to take it to the couch for Saturday – let us know what your thoughts are on this week’s SNL, which returns after a month long hiatus with Charles Barkley as the host and Migos as the musical guest.

JUST ANNOUNCED (Two Michael Ian Black events!)

Running Late with Scott Rogowsky at the Gramercy Theatre, featuring Michael Ian Black, Roy Wood Jr., Dan Rather and Sunny Hostin on Monday, March 12 (Rogowsky, the breakout star of HQ Trivia, hosts this longrunning talk show every month. Grab tickets here.)

Michael Ian Black at the Bell House on Friday, April 13 (tickets)

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