Del Close Marathon and FringeNYC

GAG, HAG Amy Heidt explores domination in her FringeNYC piece.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre’s long-form improv extravaganza—named for Del Close, the famed teacher to the likes of John Belushi, Mike Myers and Gilda Radner—barrels into town Friday, doesn’t stop till Sunday night and will leave exhausted, sweaty comedy nerds in its wake.

Big-ticket shows are at the Fashion Institute of Technology (Kate Murphy Amphitheater, D Building, Seventh Ave at 27th St). And a huge mix of acts from across the country appears at the Hudson Guild Theatre (441 W 26th St between Ninth and Tenth Aves), the UCBT (307 W 26th St between Eighth and Ninth Aves) and Urban Stages (259 W 30th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves).

The latter two venues feature round-the-clock programming; they get crowded quickly and do not empty between acts, so if there’s a particular show you want to see, arrive at least an hour in advance.

Here are the shows we’re most excited about, though keep in mind that the best things that happen at the DCM are often the least expected. Come early and stay late, even if that means putting up with the effects of the August heat on your fellow geeks.

A couple of not-to-be-missed new shows include 30 Rock–prov, in which several masterminds behind the prime-time gem gather to play outside of their Rockefeller Center offices (Fri 14 at 8:30pm, FIT), and Mantziggle, which stars dynamic performers Jason Mantzoukas of Baby Mama and The Goods’ Rob Riggle (Fri 14 at 7pm, HGT); these will not be quiet.

Catch perennial DCM favorites BASSPROV (Fri 14 at 6:30pm, UCBT; Sat 15 at 8pm, HGT), in which two Chicago heavyweights get philosophical while fishing, and The Improvised Shakespeare Company, which is self-explanatory but never predictable (Fri 14 at 7pm, FIT; Sat 15 at 9pm, UCBT). We also enjoy watching the wildly popular Code Duello: Hamilton & Burr reenact America’s most famous duel (Fri 14 at 8pm, UCBT). Paul Scheer (Human Giant) and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) join forces again in Scheer-McBrayer (Sat 15 at 10pm, FIT; Sun 16 at 3:30pm, UCBT), as do Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, two of the UCBT’s founding members, in Walsh and Roberts (Sun 16 at 6:45pm, UCBT). And Saturday Night Live alum Horatio Sanz revisits his late-night jam with friends in Horatio Sanz and the Kings of Improv (Sat 15 at 11:30pm, FIT).

As always, the DCM is home to an array of reunion performances. Some shows from our favorite retired UCBT Harold teams include Monkeydick: the White Album (Fri 14 at 6:30pm, HGT), Police Chief Rumble: We’ve Got Magic to Do (Sun 16 at 7pm, HGT), Respecto Montalban (Fri 14 at 11:30pm, FIT), Mother: The Soundtrack (Fri 14 at 10pm, FIT), and The Swarm (Sat 15 at 8:30pm, FIT).

If you’re interested in seeing exotic (nonlocal) acts, our friends in Chicago suggest Virgin Daiquiri (Sat 15 at 8pm, UCBT) and Henrietta Pussycat (Fri 14 at 7:30pm, UCBT). We’ve also heard good things from L.A. about The Smokes (Sat 15 at 11pm, UCBT) and Last Day at School, where your text messages may be open to the public if the cast gets ahold of your cell phone (Fri 14 at 10pm, UCBT). If exposing your Facebook page to the world is more your thing, catch Facebook (Fri 14 at 6pm, UCBT).

The Del Close Marathon runs Fri 14 at 4:30pm–Sun 16 at 10pm. Tickets (weekend passes $25, reserved seat at individual FIT shows $12) can be purchased in person at any venue. Visit delclosemarathon.com for the full schedule.

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