Every year, the New York comedy festival brings together an impressively eclectic collection of shows, from huge headliners to exciting newcomers. Produced by Carolines on Broadway and Comedy Central, the festival runs all over the city, encompassing venues from Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall to local favorites like Queens’ Creek and the Cave and Brooklyn’s Union Hall. Here’s a preview of this year’s festival, which runs from 10 to 15 November.
Comedy Central Live in Brooklyn
Comedy Central is showing off its enviable roster of comedic talent with this overflowing live show in the heart of Brooklyn. Hosted by crowd work connoisseur Big Jay Oakerson, the show features Hannibal Buress, Nathan Fielder, Natasha Leggero, and Roy Wood Jr. Most excitingly, John Mulaney and Nick Kroll will be appearing as their tuna-obsessed “Oh, Hello” characters Gil Faizon and George St Geeglund, perhaps previewing their sold-out off-Broadway show, coming this December to the Cherry Lane Theatre.
Kings Theatre, Friday 13 November at 8pm
This Denver-based trio of comics has been hugely influential in developing that city’s stand-up scene and establishing it as a hub of up-and-coming talent. For the festival, Adam Cayton-Holland, Ben Roy and Andrew Orvedahl host a Brooklyn-edition of their long-running standup show, which features sets from all three hosts as well as guest comics. They’re also likely to preview their TruTV show Those Who Can’t, which is scheduled to premiere early next year.
The Bell House, Friday 13 November at 10pm
Despite being the superstar of African comedy, Trevor Noah’s appointment as Jon Stewart’s successor at The Daily Show was a shock to many. But a month into his run, he’s proven himself a smart choice, slowly shifting the show in his own direction without frightening off its devoted fanbase. In the past, his stand-up has been very personal, focused on his complicated upbringing as a mixed race child in apartheid-era South Africa, but with this latest promotion, he seems more eager to jump into political and topical areas.
Town Hall, Saturday 14 November at 7 and 9.45pm
It seems to be a trend: the more mainstream success that a comedian finds, the more she wants to return to her comedic roots. Ellie Kemper and Christina Gausas have been improvising as Kempsas for nearly a decade, and while Kemper has gone on to huge acclaim for her roles in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Bridesmaids, the duo reunite whenever possible for a very funny night of two-person, long-form improv.
UCB Theater Chelsea, Saturday 14 November at 7.30pm
Bill Burr: Does Anybody Remember Laughter?
Bill Burr may be the great success story of club comedy in the US. After more than 20 years in the game, the Boston-bred comic has emerged as one of the most respected stand-ups across comedic genres for his aggressive style and volume-over-substance approach to making a point. He seemed destined for years to remain a niche “comic’s comic”, but he’s become an improbable star – he looks likely to sell out Madison Square Garden. He’s also branched out into acting and writing; he had a recurring role on Breaking Bad, and his animated Netflix series, F is For Family, debuts next month.
Madison Square Garden, Saturday 14 November at 8pm
Trump versus Bernie: the Debate!
After the viral success of their last debate , “Donald Trump” (Anthony Atamanuik) and “Bernie Sanders” (James Adomian) will face off again in an improvised political bout. Atamanuik is a long-time improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade with a taste for dark humour, while Adomian is one of the finest working impressionists, known for his Jesse Ventura and George W Bush impressions. Together, their hyperactive candidates are bound to put on an intense show full of wild digressions and vastly inappropriate ideas.
The Bell House, Saturday 14 November at 8pm
Bridget Everett and the Tender Moments
Everett’s comedy cabaret act has no peer. Her high-energy musical performances are raunchy and ridiculous, featuring heavy audience participation and Everett in various states of undress. With her band, the Tender Moments, she released an album in 2013 called Pound It, and her first special, Gynecological Wonder, premiered on Comedy Central earlier this year. Her shows are not for the prudish or faint of heart, but they’re always memorable.
Gramercy Theatre, Thursday 12 November at 7.30pm
Norm Macdonald is still most famous for his mid-90s run on Saturday Night Live, where he hosted Weekend Update and co-wrote the first Celebrity Jeopardy sketches. His stream-of-consciousness style masks a brilliantly inventive comedic mind, and his love of absurdity and near anti-humor has made him a favorite guest on the late night talk show circuit.
Carolines on Broadway, Thursday 12 through Sunday 15 November
