Results tagged “sketchcomedy”

More than just a funny comedian, Elon James White (myspace) is becoming a notable force for his efforts to introduce new audiences to the sometimes overlooked diversity of talent within the world of black comedians. In other words, there’s more to black comedy than you might think by watching Def Comedy Jam. By creating The Black Comedy Project with comedian Baron Vaughn, White has helped cultivate an expanding community of artists who might be classified as Black-Alt comedians, for lack of a better term. At the end of the month, White will gather some of most innovative performers in New York for the first ever Black Comedy Experiment festival, which runs from February 28th to March 1st. The three day marathon (it’s a leap year) features an intriguing lineup of stand up, sketch comedy and solo shows, all gathered under one roof at the The Tank (Collective: Unconscious) in Tribeca. Tickets.

LISTEN UP: Last month we set up shop at White Rabbit, which was transformed into Gothamist House, with WOXY for 4 days of shows. Now WOXY has put together "Best of" podcasts from each of those days, and the first one is up -- so give a listen! Gothamist House Day 1.mp3 ART: First Friday's are so over, tonight come to Williamsburg for Every 2nd Friday. Pick up a copy of "the only comprehensive guide...

Margaret Cho returns to the stage in a whole new way with her stage show The Sensuous Woman. The production is at the Zipper Theater starting tomorrow (more details here) and is bringing burlesque back. The variety show will feature some famed burlesque performers, along with stand-up and sketch comedy acts. And of course, Margaret -- who we had a few questions for recently.

I Dig Doug, a new production in this year’s Fringe Festival, concerns a status-obsessed uptown debutante who decides she should so get involved in presidential politics. When the farcical story begins, the unnamed teen (Karen DiConcetto, called Girl in the program) and her equally self-absorbed friend Nicole (Rochelle Zimmerman) are coasting along on their parents’ money, only mildly concerned about their imminent college application essays – Girl is smart enough to know that if they “can get into Bungalow 8” they can get into Harvard. But Girl’s perfect world is soon torn asunder when she discovers that her personal hero, a lovelorn reality TV star, is nothing more than a phony, craven opportunist. If a Girl can’t believe in reality TV, what can she believe in?

News Radio: Season Five: It really is wonderful that this trend of releasing every last television series EVER to DVD has caught on. Some of the more obscure show available for purchase may seem a bit ridiculous but for serious TV junkies, the spotty consistency of syndication isn't enough for revisiting your favorite programs. News Radio, which ran from '95 to '99, is one of those shows that's well worth a repeat viewing, and their releasing its fifth and final season this week on DVD.

Anya Garrett may describe herself as “a 23-year-old girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life yet,” but that hasn’t stopped her from making her living taking photos, doing web design, and generally immersing herself in the local comedy scene. After getting her B.F.A in Film/Television/Radio from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, she struck out on her own, with a little help from people like David Wain, who she befriended snapping photos at his comedy shows, now Garrett can be found performing any number of tasks, from film production to directing sketch comedy, and acting, though she’s at her best snapping her way through New York City with her digital camera and eye for the zany. The “self-taught web nerd” has designed sites such as Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale’s Invitethemup.com and JulieandJackie.com, and has appeared on Stella as a cashier and in short films and onstage skits, harkening back to her acting days. Throughout her work, she shows a playfulness and creative zeal, such as in her cradle project, humorous self-portraits, or backstage antics. Whatever she's capturing, Garrett makes you wish you were there, laughing right along with her.

Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost.

Looks like Aziz Ansari has transitioned from blogs to television, and we couldn't be more psyched for him! Along with Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, Ansari is one third of the Human Giant team. The series will air on MTV in early 2007. Jason Woliner will direct and produce. We can't wait!

EVENT: It's the first Friday in April, which means one thing (to us at least): the Guggenheim! The Flavorpill curated event has Rjd2 and MC Beans bringing their style to the turntables tonight. Drink and dance the night away, but don't touch the art please.

Bob Castrone and Brian Levin, Creators, The Post Show

Playbill reported yesterday that South Pacific, the only Rodgers & Hammerstein musical not yet revived, will be back next year. No surprise there – every other hit show from the 20th century has had a second stint now, so it’s more a wonder that this one has taken so long. A Chorus Line just closed in 1990 and is already scheduled to reappear this fall; there are even rumors of Cats embarking on a second life in the not-too-distant future, and it only closed in 2000. This is why we would keep going to off-off-Broadway shows even if we could afford the big tickets: while there are certainly plenty of small troupes that perform from a standard repertoire of old classics, these are often adapted beyond recognition, and in general at any given time there are far more brand-new works than warmed-over, recycled stuff.

PARTY: First Fridays at the Guggenheim is ending it's run tonight. The Fridays have been curated by Flavorpill and tonight's bash will be set to the tune of a deejay set by Diplo. Music, cocktails and art on a Friday night - life could be worse. You can also explore RUSSIA!, not the country, the exhibition of over 275 masterpieces.

Christian Finnegan, Comedian

Every Sunday Gothamist publishes theater reviews by our contributor Mallory Jensen. The opinions below belong entirely to the author.

Dan Gregor, Comedian, Wicked Wicked Hammerkatz

Writing sketch comedy is not an easy skill. Appealing to a wide audience, writing a good ending for each sketch, and rehearsing your material are not always taken into consideration. Which is why Gothamist loved the new sketch show The Incorrigible Mr. J, now up at the PIT [154 w. 29th Street]. Matt Donnelly, Rebekka Johnson and Jim Festante of the improv group Possible Side Effects, have created a world where reclusive hermits, “dynamic choreography”, and Samuel L. Jackson all cleverly intersect. The Incorrigible Mr. J. - Fridays in October at 7pm - $5

With the New York Musical Theatre Festival in its final week, we’ll say no more other than to encourage you to try to get to one of the shows if you haven’t already (or if you have!). Gothamist caught Karen Mason bringing Dorothy Parker back from the dead in You Might As Well Live, a solo performance comprised almost entirely of Parker’s words set to music (Norman Mathews did the music and adaptation). Mason was the first Tanya (whichever ABBA member that is, we always get confused) in Mamma Mia! on Broadway and has plenty of other major shows under her belt, so you go in expecting top-notch singing and she doesn’t disappoint; however, the storyline is a tad flimsy (Parker is on deadline, trying to find old bits of her writing to publish in a collection) and too often seems structured around nothing more than the aim to include Parker’s choicest epigrams (you can lead a horticulture…). Still, the atmosphere evoked by the set is pleasingly noirish, and while Mason’s voice has evidently not been roughed up the way Parker’s must have been, given the quantities of alcohol and cigarettes Parker used, that’s probably a good thing – it’s lovely to listen to her give life to Parker’s witticisms. Side note: Playbill.com has a good recent interview with Mason.

Michael Ian Black,
Actor, Writer, Comedian

Champagne – Friday August 26 – 11PM - $8

MUSIC: Tonight at Crash Mansion there's a free show and a free open bar...and for a good cause. Morning Theft, The Cloud Room, My Victoria, and The Rats will all perform for a second part of a benefit for Kia Nowotne. As an added bonus we hear our favorite artist, Michelle McShane, will be joining the Cloud Room for a few songs, playing autoharp.

Gothamist went to poetry slams in high school to feel artistic and deep. But then we realized we didn’t have what it takes to be a poet, all we wanted was to laugh at how serious some people took themselves. Granted that’s our own shortcoming and perhaps we need to work on getting in touch with our emotions, but tonight it is ok to laugh at the poets at Galapagos. At the Poetry Vs. Comedy Variety Show poets rage against comedians in a battle of wits. Featuring poets Scotty The Blue Bunny, Nathan Penlington and Thaddeus Rutkowski and comedians Carolyn Castiglia, Jon Friedman and Becky Yamamoto.

Gothamist has talked up the virtues of PSNBC before for it's quality shows and ability to scout out great talent. Tonight, PSNBC Presents Andy Borowitz at the Marquee Theatre (356 Bowery between E. 3rd and E. 4th streets) at 8pm. While Borowitz has been around for a while, his political satire has been prominent in the media recently and he has gotten wide attention from his website, The Borowitz Report, but we still remember him best from his days as one of the creators of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Air America's The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder will broadcast live from The Tank, which it also did during the Republican National Convention. This time the broadcast includes a live studio audience and guest Tim Robbins.

Gothamist is in Austin at the moment, but we've still got our finger on the pulse of the city we love most (that's you New York). This weekend while we rock, roll and get tans you are welcome to do one of the following (and we'll promise not to show off our sun kissed skin when we get back).

Claudia Cogan, Comedian

Lauren Antler, Comedian

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