Seeking NYC Insider Entertainment Info

July 17, 2009 1:22 PM

Touristing in NYC this October. Among other stuff I want to do, I would love to see something at the four venues listed below.

There is a lot of info on the websites of these venues, but I am asking for any informal advice, or things that are not readily apparent (learned from experience) which might help me out.

What are people's experiences at these places? Any additional suggestions for things to go to, in this vein?

1. The Atlantic Theater Company (the venue on 20th St.)
2. The Moth
3. Upright Citizen's Brigade
4. BAM
5. Public Theater

Thanks, in advance.

posted by Danf to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

Bit of a derail, but don't eat at Italian restaurants in little Italy...Overpriced crap that they feed to gullible tourists.

Anyhoo, check out Blue Men Group if you can... Small theater, gets personal.
posted by pakoothefakoo at 1:29 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

UCB is sometimes free. Free means that tickets get picked up quick. I believe that you can reserve them somehow. Give the theater a ring. Everything I've ever seen there has been totally funny, plus it's a great atmosphere. It looks like you can also make a reservation on the website.
It's not a huge place and it's very certainly not "classy" or even much like a regualr comedy club, so adjust your expectations.

BAM is beautiful. Are you going for cinema or opera or what?
posted by GilloD at 1:31 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

Bit of a derail, but don't eat at Italian restaurants in little Italy...Overpriced crap that they feed to gullible tourists.

Been there. Done that. Felt like a fool, esp with those double decker busses whizzing by.

BAM is beautiful. Are you going for cinema or opera or what?

Not sure. There is some dance stuff on the calendar that looks interesting.
posted by Danf at 1:34 PM on July 17

All four of the shows on tap at the Public are cool, in different ways, from Othello with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz to the new musical Fela to the hopefully cool McCraney plays, and a Richard Foreman piece. I personally wouldn't bother with the Shakespeare or the Foreman (I'm tired of both of them) but to many they'll be important theatre events.
posted by Mngo at 1:40 PM on July 17

Mngo, while Fela! is being produced by the Public, it won't be physically AT the public, but at the Eugene O'Neill on Broadway.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:53 PM on July 17

I love both BAM and the Public.

I'm not a dance person, so I'll let you figure BAM out for yourself, but as for the Public, I've always enjoyed events in Joe's Pub (music, one-man shows, etc.). If Mike Daisey has a show at Joe's Pub while you're here, I highly recommend him.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:38 PM on July 17

Went to UCB for my birthday one year and haven't been back. The "comedy" that night seemed to consist of repeatedly shouting the word "rape" over and over. My friends and I left disgusted and disappointed because reviews and word of mouth for UCB is generally good. Perhaps it was just that night, but it was their normal group, nothing fancy.

I'll second Blue Man Group. Sit in the first or second row. :)
posted by cmgonzalez at 2:58 PM on July 17

People line up to get into Moth readings literally hours in advance, because the seating is so limited. As in, if the event starts at 9, there will probably already be a healthy line going at 7:30 that you'll end up at the back of. People are rabid about it and have no problem camping out with a book and a snack to get a good seat, even in bad weather. Be prepared.
posted by hermitosis at 3:06 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

3. Upright Citizen's Brigade

Hmm, hard to recommend shows this far in advance.

Check their web site early and often, or look for the Twitter accounts of comedians you like. Watch for the names of people who have recurring roles on the Daily Show (Wyatt Cenac, John Oliver) or have appeared on Flight of the Conchords (Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, Demetri Martin, and Aziz Ansari all pop up once in a while). Bigger stars like Janeane Garofalo often appear as "guests" of a recurring weekly show hosted by someone else. Popular stuff books up fast. Their mailing list will sometimes push stuff that is already fully reserved.

Arrive early (30-45 minutes in advance) for the better seats. There will usually be two lines -- one for reservations, one for standby. Make sure you get in the correct line. The seats are kind of old and lumpy, so be forewarned, as it is literally the basement of a supermarket.

4. BAM

Events go on sale to members first, and sometimes the good seats are all gone by the time the general public on sale happens. They have a pretty good mailing list. If the web site burps for the show you want to see, give them a call, they have excellent customer service.

5. Public Theater

If you buy tickets in person, you save on the online fees. I know this doesn't help you that much if you're not in the area.

If you do decide to go to a show at Joe's Pub, buy tickets, then make reservations for a table (you must call to do so) as soon as possible.

It is a jazz club-like environment with some seating and the back part is some seating and standing room bar the bar.
posted by kathryn at 3:39 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

Ok, yes FELA! is technically at the Eugene O'Neill, but it's BILL T. JONES for cripes sake! He's a flipping genius! I had the honor of working in an extremely tertiary capacity on a workshop of his once, several years ago, and it was edgy, innovative, exciting, and awesome!

After you've seen FELA! you should definitely head back down to Lafayette and check out one of the shows at the Public. Even the Public's crappier shows are better than most places' good ones. (I once worked at the Public and saw every production of the season from little workshop in the small loft space to big musical in the Anspacher. They were all good.) You won't be disappointed.

Also, I always loved the Gotham Comedy Club. It's a fairly small venue size-wise, but they get some pretty big names. I'll never forget the time I went when Todd Barry, who was then my brothers' favorite comedian, ridiculed me for slapping my knee when I laugh. "I thought...it was just...an expression...but Ladies and Gentlemen...we have...a knee slapper." I called my brothers after the show: "Guys, you'll never believe it! Todd Barry just mocked me!" Ah, good times.
posted by philotes at 6:45 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

I'll put in a word for the Atlantic; the venue is lovely (even if the bathrooms are in the back past the stage) and everything I've seen there has been really well-produced, even if I didn't like a particular show. (Full disclosure: the head of my program works there, but that also means I've gotten to see most of what they've done over the past couple of years). The coming season so far is pretty Mamet and Shepard-tastic, though, so you've got to like that sort of thing (though even if you're not a huge fan, it is exciting to see new work by these guys). The Chelsea area that it's in is really nice to walk around, so I'd be tempted to advise you to see a matinee and spend some time in the area, lots of interesting restaurants, bakeries, the Chelsea Market is close by and fun, etc. On the other hand, you will have to deal with a TON of cranky elderly people at matinees, snoring and whispering the good lines to their friends who can't hear, but such is the audience at any matinee; I just notice it particularly at the Atlantic, maybe because I see a lot of matinees there. (And one day I will be that cranky elderly audience member, and they keep theatres alive, so more power to 'em.)

If you haven't been to the Public, you need to go. It's such an important New York institution, also in a neat area (hey, you can catch Blue Man Group across the street) and the venue itself is charming, with the large open foyer leading to multiple internal apaces. If you wanted something a little different, they tend to have neat performers in their Joe's Pub space, including many musical theatre artists. I enjoyed Fela! last summer when it was at 37 Arts, so I'm glad they're producing it and it's worth seeing, but again it's not at their own space, which makes the experience much less Public and much more Broadway. I don't know if you're a student, but the Public has a great $20 ticket deal for most shows for students. You will actually need to go to the box office with a student ID, though, instead of buying from home. The Othello with Phillip Seymour Hoffman looks interesting, but it's actually being performed at NYU's Skirball Center. (As you can see, The Public as an institution has massive reach, with offshoots everywhere.)

There are a ton of small companies in the city, and they all have different personalities; if I had an idea of what kind of show you were looking for, I could give you better recs outside your list. ailing that, when you're here, pick up a copy of Time Out New York to see an overview of what's going on, from Broadway to Off-Off, and before you go, broadwaystars.com is a really good place for aggregated reviews of shows so you don't have to go chasing around the Internet to see what various reviewers thought.

Wherever you go, enjoy!
posted by ilana at 11:32 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

It's worth it to pay for the UCB show on Sunday night. If you go for the free one buy snacks and water, you'll probably get in even if you don't get in the first round...they just make you wait to stand by.

Cheap beer, too.
posted by kathrineg at 3:01 PM on July 18