by Klaus Kinski

As previously mentioned, the long-awaited multi-purpose comedy venue UCB East has finally opened. Now so has its website.

The new venue is located on 153 East 3rd St. in Manhattan, and is the former home of the Two Boots Pioneer Theater. Even though I had only been to the Two Boots Theater once (back in 2003 to see the confoundingly brilliant Adolfas Mekas (Brother of Jonas) film Hallelujah the Hills), I was sad to hear it was closed down. But then I was elated to hear that the fine folks at the Upright Citizens Brigade would resurrected it as a comedy venue; a much needed element to that neighborhood considering Mo Pitkin's currently RIPs. The crucial distinction between UCB East and the UCB in Chelsea is that UCB East will be more stand-up/variety/screening/non-improv/non-sketch oriented. And I don't care if this distinction means nothing to you because it means a lot to me and I am the only person that matters. Not only is the venue closer to my house than UCB West, but this new satellite venue will allow some of my favorite UCB West shows like Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel's Totally J/K to occur once a week (Thursdays at 9:00pm) as opposed to once a month. Plus, it'll introduce more non-improv/non-sketch weeklies to our lives. For example, the always incredible and probably criminally underrated Sara Schaefer has a show every Tuesday at 8:00pm called After Hours with Gene Hackman and Friends which will feature funny people, musical people, and other delightful things. On Thursdays at 11:00pm UCB's world famous open mic show Gutbucket (free!) gives people a chance to bomb in front of an audience. On Sundays at 9:00pm, hosts Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Andy Haynes and David Cope bring newbies and comedy veterans to the stage for their show Hot Soup. And this is just scratching the surface. A gander at the FULL SCHEDULE will show you what's what. And yes, sure, there is SOME sketch and improv on the schedule, but that is hardly this venue's focus and that's what makes it great. That and the location amIright? The place also boasts a comfy bar to hang about in as well as cover charges in the $5 range. Now if only UCB West would give me a freakin' slot for my improv jam Anonymous: That's My Hummus, an improv-slash-sketch show that is unfunny, negative, and completely unnecessary.

UCB East (photo by the Apiary)

The Apiary reports:

The UCBT officially unlocked its East Village expansion Tuesday night, The UCB East (aka The Beast). But judging by the utter lack of wacky inflatable arm tube dudes and the three random people in the crowd for its first show (a screening of Wild Girls Gone), it's not ready for a Theater Magazine feature story yet. I strolled through, snagging shots of the new space. It seats a 100 maybe and is both long-ish and narrow. You'll need to speak with your diaphragms inserted to reach the lurkers in the back. Oh, and the stage is small, probably 12-14 feet wide? UCB West devotees will be majorly disappointed by the clear, unobstructed view from every seat. The venue has a foyer and a roomy spillway, which means you'll be able to shotgun PBRs before and after a performance without getting rained on. BYOB for now though til the liquor license fairies come by.

Continue reading "UCB East aka UC Beast aka the Beast opens in East Village"

Todd Barry @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Want to laugh Tuesday night? Head over to Lolita Bar at Broome and Allen for another edition of "Tell Your Friends!". This week's special guests include HANNIBAL BURESS (who performs a free show every Sunday at Knitting Factory) (and who recently opened for Aziz Ansari at Beacon Theater), LIAM McENEANEY, ANDY DE LA TOUR, and a "MYSTERY GUEST" who "is doing a big big show later in the week, and can't be advertised for this. He appears all over television and films, though, and this may be your last chance to see him in a basement before he's too famous for our show. - A MUST SEE!" Hmm.

Speaking of a big big show later in the week, Nick Kroll's two tapings at Music Hall of Williamsburg take place this Thursday, 11/18.

Nick also did a show at UCB tonight/Monday right before Whiplash (with special guest Mike Birbiglia). How was that? Whiplash takes place every Monday.

MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden will be a guest at the live broadcast of WFMU's comedy/variety show "Seven Second Delay" at UCB Theatre on Wednesday (11/17). $5.00 tickets are still on sale, though note that he won't be performing. They'll be interviewing him, but they promise they have a couple of surprises planned. Other guests appearing on the same show: former New York Times Ombudsman Dan Okrent, and author / gambling expert / former bookie Beth Raymer.

That WFMU thing is early - like 6pm. Stick around after for an edition of Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel's Totally J/K with special guests Hari Kondabalu (Comedy Central Presents), Greg Johnson (Sirius/XM Radio) "& more!" Then stay even longer, cause Joe Mande is also part of the show right after that too. Anthony Atamanuik, John Flynn & Ed Gavagan also perform in "The Nights of Our Lives"

Much like Pee Wee Herman, Colin Quinn has a new show on Broadway (which is directed by Jerry Seinfeld) (the Colin show) (Jerry didn't direct the Pee Wee show). We are giving away tickets to see Pee Wee. The Apiary has a pair up for grabs to see Colin.

What about Eugene Mirman you ask? Well, in addition to stuff we've mentioned in the past and his somewhat regularly scheduled Sunday night shows at Union Hall, you can catch him along with John Roderick (as Santa Claus), A.C. Newman, John Hodgman, Gary Shteyngart, and Ollabelle on December 17th at City Winery for the next edition of John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders. Tickets are on sale.

You will also find Eugene Mirman at the Bell House on December 12th for "Pretty Good Friends (formerly Tearing the Veil of Maya) End of the Year Holiday Blowout" with Kristen Schaal, Jon Glaser and "more to be announced." Tickets are on sale.

Speaking of Kristen Schaal, was she at Littlefield last night/tonight/Monday night for "Hot Tub with Kurt"? It's unclear from the listings whether Kurt Braunohler is doing "Hot Tub" without her every Monday night through 11/29. Upcoming listed guests include Wyatt Cenac, Laura Krafft, Dan Friel, Jon Friedman, Liam McEneaney, and Chris Rozzi.

Patton Oswalt has four shows coming up at Caroline's - two on January 7th and two on January 8th. Tickets are on sale.

Last but not least, after postponing the original date, honorary Juggalo Gallagher will appear at Gramercy Theatre on April 8th. Tickets are on sale.

Continue reading "Andrew VanWyngarden, secret guests, John Roderick as Santa, Dan Friel, AC Newman & other upcoming comedy shows"

Totally J/K (Joe Mande & Noah Garfinkle) are hosting a dream lineup @ UCB tonight.

Many of the same comedians are also performing in Brooklyn tonight at the same time!

Dave Hill's Big in Japan returns to UCB on Thursday.

by Klaus Kinski

Max & Gabe D & friend @ MoMA - Jan 6, 2009 (by Fred Benenson) (via)

I don't get to see nearly as much comedy as I used to, but the scene is as vibrant as ever. If the mood strikes and I find myself wanting to get my yuck-on there is absolutely no shortage of one-off shows and recurring weekly shows. The Tribeca branch of the 92nd St Y has been booking some insane comedy shows recently. I caught Zach Galifianakis there a few weeks ago and was mightily impressed by the performance space and the insane, reasonably priced beer list at the bar. Sound Fix in Williamsburg has free comedy every Wednesday and Thursday. Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkle host Totally J/K every Wednesday at 9:30pm, while Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate host Big Terriffic at 8:00pm on Thursdays. These shows fill the void left by the demise of Rififi and its staples Invite Them Up and The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show by attracting big names like Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo, Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman, and zillions more. Speaking of Greg Johnson, he's got a free show every Sunday at Pianos. And speaking of Invite Them Up, former host Bobby Tisdale now has a semi-regular, RSVP only show happening in Greenpoint called Wards of Merkin. It's usually $10 and there's usually free booze and top shelf comedians. And don't forget that the UCB Theater and The Pit have calendars bursting with options as does Comix's underground lair Ochi's. And that's just barely scratching the surface of the goings ons. Below are some shows currently on my radar...

Continue reading "NYC comedy @ 92Y, SoundFix, Comix, Pianos, UCB, places"

Max Silvestri @ Rififi, NYC - Oct 29, 2007 (CRED)

In addition to all the special comedy shows always going on, don't forget that there are plenty of shows that happen weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in NYC that are always reliable, rarely over $5, and usually feature some of the biggest comedians in the business. Why, just the other day Invite Them Up featured Jim Gaffigan, Demetri Martin, Nick Kroll, Andy Blitz, and Max Silvestri. Nuts, right!? Here are some other recurring shows I highly recommend.

• Totally J/K with Joe and Noah: Every other Monday at Rififi with Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkle
• At Night with Gabe and Jenny: Mondays at Rififi
• Sweet: Tuesday at The Slipper Room with Seth Herzog
• Invite Them Up: Wednesdays at Rififi with Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale
• Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy: Fridays at Rififi with Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy
• It is It: Monthly at Pianos with Adam Lowitt (The Daily Show)
• Tearing the Veil of Maya: Sundays at Union Hall with Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter