NYC Top Comedy Choices for February 2020: Last Updated Sunday 2/23
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That said, my top NYC comedy recommendations for February 2020 (with much more to come soon) include:
Sunday 2/23: 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), Nathan Macintosh (Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien), Aminah Imani (host with Sydnee Washington & Marie Faustin of highly popular weekly Brooklyn stand-up showcase Comedy at The Knit; co-host of podcast Wine Before Nine), Carmen Lagala (Stephen Colert; member of sketch group All Female Reboot, co-host of Creek Bros), and Damon Sumner (co-host of podcast Forth and Ten) perform stand-up hosted by Mike Lebovitz (HBO's The Deuce, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing): Comedians You Should Know (7:00 pm, $10, Brooklyn's Littlefield at 635 Sackett Street; take R subway to Union Street)
Sunday 2/23: Enjoy brunch with laughs at this comedy show that provides free bacon and $20 bottomless mimosas along with jokes from NYC stand-ups Hannah Berner (cast of Bravo's Summer House; host of podcast Berning In Hell), April Macie (Showtime, Comedy Central, Netflix, NBC's Last Comic Standing, The Howard Stern Show, A&E, E!), Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, host of Stoops2Stages, co-host of Sandwich, comedy album Immigrant Made), Francis Ellis (co-host of Oops the Podcast), and Amy Miller (Comedy Central Stand-Up, Last Comic Standing; host of podcast Who's Your God?; stand-up album Solid Gold) hosted by Remy Kassimir (Netflix; host of podcasts How Cum and We Really Love Island): Bacon Bits Brunch Show (3:00 pm, $15, The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 2/23: Sketch group and stand-up trio Three Michelles—consisting of Belinda Boxer, Alli Brown, and Meghan Radespiel—perform and host NYC stand-ups TBA. To get a feel for the dark comedy of these gals, please click here and here: Three Michelles (7:00 pm, $5 cover and no min., The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 2/23: Rachel Feinstein (HBO's Crashing, Amazon's Red Oaks, Netflix's The Standups, Comedy Central special Only Whores Wear Purple; finalist on Last Comic Standing; Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Inside Amy Schumer, The View; films include Trainwreck and Top Five), April Macie (Showtime, Comedy Central, Netflix, NBC's Last Comic Standing, The Howard Stern Show, A&E, E!), Stavros Halkias (Comedy Central Stand-Up, IFC; co-host of podcast Cum Town; host of Fat Tuesdays), Francis Ellis (co-host of Oops the Podcast), Amy Miller (Comedy Central Stand-Up, Last Comic Standing; host of podcast Who's Your God?; stand-up album Solid Gold), Derek Gaines (NBC's Will & Grace; Jaybird on The Last O.G.; former host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), and Lev Fer (Showtime; host of the Yung Daddy podcast) perform stand-up at an elegant Union Square comedy club: Stars at The Stand (8:00 pm, $15 cover and no min., The Stand Mainstage at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 2/23: Gary Gulman (razor-sharp wordsmith who's one of the best stand-ups in the country; superb recent HBO special The Great Depresh; notable role as stand-up in blockbuster movie Joker; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno; finalist on Last Comic Standing; other comedy specials include Boyish Man, In This Economy, and It's About Time) and more TBA try out new jokes via deliciously long sets 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, $12, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street; PLEASE NOTE: This show has SOLD OUT.)
Sunday 2/23: This weekly competitive insult battle will be judged tonight by Myka Fox ("My safe word is Cosby"), Mike Feeney (album "Rage Against the Routine"), Amy Miller ("Either I'm really tired or have coronavirus, tbd"), and Dave Sirus hosted by Matt Maran: Comedy Fight Club (9:00 pm; $8.13 online using code CFC, otherwise $13.13; The Stand Upstairs at 116 East 16th Street)
Sunday 2/23: Bailey Swilley (writer of Pretty Women: A Real Housewives Musical Revue; member of musical comedy group Secret Crush) shares how pop culture got her through the darkest time of her life via a blend of stand-up, storytelling, and music ("come for the vulnerability, stay for the weird facts about John Mayer"), with an opening set by the show's director Carly Ann Filbin (luminous & delightful sketch comic/comedic actress/writer; on-camera correspondent for Cosmopolitan.com; host of Young Hot Sluts: A Matchmaking Game Show): The Pop Culturist's Guide to Grief (9:30 pm; $12, The Tank at 312 West 36th Street between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
Tuesday 2/25: Improvisors who are fans of the Cartoon Network make up scenes on the spot about adorable super-powered trio PowerPuff Girls: Chemical X: The Powerpuff Girls Improv Show (7:00 pm, $9, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Tuesday 2/25: Every Tuesday at 7:00, 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 (7:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Thursday 2/27: Artie Brennan, Anthony Giordano and friends create comedy chaos with this acclaimed show that "places you into the audience at a live taping of a fictional TV show overflowing with weird characters, interactive games, mysteries, puppets, prizes, and so much more. You have never experienced anything like it:" Super Crazy Fun Time Variety Game Show Hour (7:00 pm, $11, The PIT Mainstage (Striker) at 123 East 24th Street)
Thursday 2/27-Saturday 2/29: A solo play written & performed by Monte D. Monteleagre self-described as follows: "The Puppeteer and his two sock puppet friends, Calvin and Sir Flops-A-Lot, have teamed up to put on a family-friendly play to educate children on the dangers of falling for a check scam. Except Sir Flops-A-Lot doesn't know his lines. And the puppets aren't getting paid. And the puppeteer might have turned their box shelter into this stage:" How Not to Fall for a Scam (7:00 pm, $13, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Thursday 2/27: Talented comedic writer/actors—who may include Desi Domo, Elena Skopetos, Chrissy Shackelford, Antonia Lassar, and/or many more—perform original characters or impersonations directed & hosted by Michael Hartney, Eric Feurer, and/or Sarah Parsons: Characters Welcome (7:30 pm, $7, UCB Hell's Kitchen at 555 West 42nd Street)
Friday 2/28: Natalie Cuomo (Carolines, SirusXM) hosts superb stand-ups Karen Chee (staff writer for Seth Meyers; The New Yorker, McSweeney's), Leah Bonnema (Stephen Colbert, VH1, IFC's Comedy Drop, WeTV's Cinematherapy, Logo, Opie & Anthony's Virus Channel), Kerryn Feehan (Comedy Central, TruTV, Spike TV; co-host of free Monday stand-up showcase Frantic!), and Chloe LaBranche (host of The Chlo Show pod, Weep at The Stand): That Time of The Month Comedy Show (10:00 pm, $13, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 2/29: A play based on this premise: "Before Disney announced it would be making National Treasure 3, a strapped-for-cash Nicolas Cage tried to digitally remaster National Treasure on his own. He had to rely on outside funding to make the project happen, and was crushed when Disney threatened to sue if Cage released the film to theaters. Luckily for you, we've obtained the final cut of the film:" National Treasure Remastered (9:00 pm, $13, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
Saturday 2/29: Every Saturday night, a highly talented freestyle rapping long form improv group takes the stage for an hour: North Coast (9:00 pm, $15, The PIT Underground at 123 East 24th Street)
Saturday 2/29: 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 ace improvisors TBA, plus stellar improv musicians who are typically 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)
Tuesday 3/3: Every Tuesday at 7:00, 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 (7:00 pm, Free!, The PIT Loft at 154 West 29th Street)
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
27-16 23rd Avenue in Astoria Queens; N/W to Ditmars Boulevard; 40-seat theatre; shows free-$10
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!
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
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.
Contact Hy
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: Alli Brown, Amy Miller, April Macie, Bailey Swilley: "The Pop Culturist's Guide to Grief", Belinda Boxer, Comedy Fight Club, Derek Gaines, Francis Ellis, Gary Gulman, Gastor Almonte, Hannah Berner, Judah Friedlander, Lev Fer, Live Comedy shows in NYC tonight, Meghan Radespiel, New York City Comedy, New York City Live Comedy, New York Comedy, NYC Comedy, NYC Improv, NYC Sketch, NYC Stand-Up, NYC Storytelling, Rachel Feinstein, Remy Kassimir, Stavros Halkias | Permalink
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