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They say there are eight million stories in New York City. Some of the best ones are told at monthly Moth storytelling events. Moth slams are held at various venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan. At the start of slams, would-be storytellers put their names in a hat. If you're one of the 10 called, you get five minutes to share your take on the night's themes from memory. (Previous themes include Transformation and Revenge). The stories start at 7:30 and slams always sell out and have limited seating. Get in line early for a good spot.
If you see stand-up comedy in NYC, you'll probably be stuck with an admission fee and a two drink minimum. The night won't be cheap, and there's no guarantee that the performances will be worth it. Especially at an open mic - believe me, I've performed in them. My favorite comedy in NYC is actually a $5 variety show in Brooklyn. "Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen" is a weekly labor of love put together by Kristen Schaal of The Daily Show and Flight of the Conchords and Kurt Braunohler of various improv troupes. Every Monday night includes musical performances, comedy, general weirdness from up-and-coming funny people. (One recent guest was Jenny Slate, formerly of Saturday Night Live.) The show starts at 8pm at Littlefield in Park Slope, Brooklyn. If you've worried about venturing outside Manhattan, don't. It's an easy train ride over and so worth it.
www.littlefieldnyc.com/
622 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
+1 (718) 855-3388
Google map: bit.ly/jFJKqd
Roar with laughter is a comedy club at GJ's bar. Really good! Went there last night and saw Noel Fielding!
62 High Street, Collier's Wood,
London, SW19 2BY
Review: www.storage-collierswood.co.uk/wp/?p=24
Google map: bit.ly/i8qala
Four-nights-a-week topical comedy show. Very close to the bone and possibly libellous humour! The Canal Cafe Theatre is in a great location above the Bridge House pub in Little Venice, which is a gorgeous, off the tourist rat-run part of London.
www.newsrevue.com
www.canalcafetheatre.com
Delamere Terrace, Little Venice, London W2 6ND 020 7289 6056
Warwick Ave tube (Bakerloo)
A fantastic, small and friendly live music, comedy and drama venue tucked away in the coastal town of Lossiemouth, Moray.
The atmosphere in this restored quayside building is amazing for both spectators and performers, cosy in the winter - cool in the summer.
We have seen two stage shows there in recent weeks and both were of the highest standard, there are regular music gigs and comedy acts running throughout the year. Staff were welcoming and friendly, ticket prices very reasonable, a relaxed air about the place - small but perfectly formed!
Pitgaveny Quay, Lossiemouth, Moray IV30 6TW
www.thewarehoustheatre.co.uk
01343 814004
A smallish comedy club (capacity is around 120) with a high proportion of students from nearby Goldsmith's College, Happy Mondays Comedy Club manages to consistently pull in a variety of big-name UK comedians for a low price (£6 / £4 conc).
Russell Brand, Daniel Kitson, Phil Nichol, Russell Howard, Stewart Lee and more have all graced the stage in recent months, usually accompanied by some suprising talent from less well known acts.
It's just one stop by train from London Bridge, so pretty easy to get to for a cheap and entertaining night out.
The Amersham Arms, New Cross Road, South London.
Right over the road from New Cross station (BR/underground: East London Line).
More info and line-ups: www.pappysfunclub.co.uk/happymondays
Map to venue: maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=SE14%2B6TY
I recommend this restaurant if you fancy a Fawlty Towers experience. I went there with my family which included my two young nephews. The place itself is quite posh, however the mature waiter lost the plot.
We tried to order two Margherita pizzas with ham on. This sent the waiter into a rage with him srcatching frantically into his writing pad. He pronouced loudly he had a table of 20 booked which were coming any minute. We all felt intimidated by his behaviour.
After being told another pizza was off the menu we quickly left. Service with a smile it wasn't!
Calle Priuli, 106 Venice. Tel 041.8947958
A cafe in a largely residential area which offers a wide range of drinks, a hilarious 'landlord' (inside joke, sorry), and you can even get a Guinness and have a game of bingo there on a Sunday evening. And it's not even run by anyone remotely English. Has to be experienced to be understood.
Friedenspromenade, Trudering
The International Comedy Festival is a must if you're in Melbourne in April.
An American comedy improv group, who perform nightly at the Leidseplein Theatre in the Leidseplein in the centre of Amsterdam. You can get there a bit early for dinner as well, or come just for the show. There is a bar as well, which is the unofficial meeting point for many American expats in Amsterdam.
As well as performing in Amsterdam, the company tours all over the country and the world to festivals, other theatres, and corporate events.
In a sea of cheap Indian and Pakistani restaurants and spice shops on the east side of Manhattan is one of New York's really distinctive Irish bars. Rocky Sullivan's was immortalized by the late travel writer Pete McCarthy when he wrote about reading there at one of the bar's weekly reading nights -- McCarthy's account of being accosted by drunken Glasgow Celtic fans is absolutely hilarious.
They have quite a schedule. Tuesday's is an anti-Bush satire night of stand-up comedians; Wednesday is a literary reading night; Thursday is a pub quiz and Friday and Saturday are hip hop nights. Pretty eclectic.
Rocky's is a real no nonsense New York bar with cheap booze and bar tenders with an attitude. It also has the cosy atmosphere Dublin bars used to have before that city's yuppification.
129 Lexington Avenue, between 28th and 29th Streets;
www.rockysullivans.com; tel: 212 725 3871
Take the 6 Train to Park Avenue South and 28th Street.
A cracking, friendly South London pub/comedy club with great acts and a top atmosphere. Perfect antidote to some stuffy West End night spots. Inside, its like a tardis with a maze of coridors and old fashioned function rooms which are packed by 7 on weekends. Comedian's who have cut their teeth at the famous 'banana caberet' include Dave Gorman, David Baddiel and Ross Noble. Get there early!
77 Bedford Hill, Balham SW12 9HD, www.thebedford.co.uk, 020 8682 8940
It may be a fair way out of London, but that tube trip to Ealing is well worth it to catch up with the new generation of British comedians at Ealing Live, a regular gang show about to go into its fourth season. The fact that it's already challenging the hegemony of the central London comedy clubs is testament to the kind of talent they've managed to attract in its fairly short history.
Tel: 020 8584 5282; www.ealingstudios.com/ealinglive
Punch and Judy but better, witty and even satirical, for kids of ALL ages!
The two companies listed even have evening shows especially for adults, where the peccadilloes of politicians and other figures local and national get their comeuppance, but all in good fun.
There are two other Guignol theatres; the Yvonne Moritz company does open air shows in the Parc de la Tête d'Or using traditional repertoire, the Daniel Strebl company on the Croix-Rousse is only suitable for toddlers
This is only if you have a reasonable level of French, but if you do, and you miss Guignol, you've missed Lyon!
Compagnie des Zonzons
2, Rue Louis Carrand
Vieux Lyon
www.guignol-lyon.com/
La Maison de Guignol
2 Montée du Gourguillon
Vieux Lyon
lamaisondeguignol.free.fr/index2.htm
laughing matters has presented stand-up for the past 10 years starting with eddie izzard and going through ardal o'hanlon, bill bailey, rich hall... you name 'em we've laughed with them... next up John Shuttleworth karel
www.anythingmatters.com it's at La Java, 105 faubourg du Temple Paris 10 tel 015319 9888
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