The PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedy Blog

80s Cheese Metal

2009-05-08T12:43:00.001-04:00

Seriously, where else but internet radio can you hear WHITE LION's 'When the Children Cry", a song that I arguably have not heard since 1987?
hated it then, hated it now.
That's all, as you were. A good weekend to you.
We are trying to get some shows together for the summer, but our cast is mondo busy...Becca is directing at the Looking Glass, Marek is giggin' around with the Crevulators, Adam is in search of the perfect bootleg art piece, Rik and Carlos are putting a band together and me, well, Im still here.

Jr

Dom

2009-05-07T12:02:00.000-04:00

RIP Dom Deluise

2009-05-05T12:16:00.000-04:00

One of the greats.

APRIL 27 TSAC!

2009-04-17T12:24:00.000-04:00

PUNCH 59 - April 27th! - watch more funny videos

What the dilly yo?

2009-04-15T11:18:00.001-04:00

here's the shizzle.

you should be following us on TWITTER....
IF YOU DO...
you get discounts on our next show...and all shows to come....

go! go! go!

Next Show APRIL 27TH!

2009-04-08T15:09:00.003-04:00

...now at a kick ass new venue.

PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedy

Monday April 27th @ 7:00pm
Times Square Arts Center
669 8th Avenue
at 42nd Street, in the heart of Times Square

Tickets $9.00 + 2 drink minimum (happy hour prices)

USE Discount code "TSAC59" and get $3.00 off!

OR

FACEBOOK or TWITTER "Im going to PUNCH 59 At the TSAC", print out your homepage, and bring the printout to the box office for $3.00 off!

Just A Few Photos for Sunday

2009-03-29T10:33:00.002-04:00

ENJOY

April 27th. New Venue. New Show.

2009-03-28T01:01:00.002-04:00

Come laugh with us!

APRIL 27TH - monday - 7pm
TIMES SQUARE ARTS CENTER
611 8th Ave (at 42nd Street, the nexus of the known universe)

FEBRUARY SHOWS!

2009-02-03T11:36:00.002-05:00

FEB 10 & 24th
830 PM

BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB
318 W 53rd ST.

JUST $5 + 1 DRINK

BE THERE DAMMIT

featuring
a MAD MEN PARODY!
FREDDY MERCURY AT A DAY SPA
SHOPPING!

AND other assorted insanity

The Splash on the Hudson

2009-01-16T11:51:00.002-05:00

Cheers to the US Air crew!
I rarely fly that airline (I call them US Scare) but now I just might start up again.

This is not the first time the NY marine community has come "to the rescue". On 9-11 it is estimated that the combined efforts of the maritime community rescued over 10,000 people from the North Cove Marina and Battery Park city who otherwise would have perished in the collapse of the towers; making it the largest marine rescue in American history. My uncle was one of those boat captains: read his story here : http://zeus.meccahosting.com/~a000527b/911.htm --jen ryan

Thanks and More To Come

2009-01-15T12:45:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out on Tuesday night to see our debut show at the Broadway Comedy Club - and merci Alice for teching and Aaron for putting it all together.

NEXT SHOWS
TUESDAY FEB 10 & 24TH
8:30pm

Broadway Comedy Club
318 W 53rd (8th Ave)

Just $5 and one drink!

in cast news...MELISA is off to DC for the inauguration (jealous!) and it looks like Amir Darvish will be joining us for the Feb. shows! holla!

JAN 13TH LOW DOUGH SHOW!

2009-01-08T13:22:00.001-05:00

BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB
318 W 53rd St. (8th Ave)
8PM TUESDAY JAN 13TH!

JUST $5 + 1 drink

do you take classes at UCB or the PIT? YOU GET IN FREE!
HOLY CRAP...YOU HEARD IT RIGHT...FREE!

THANKS

2008-11-19T17:26:00.001-05:00

Hey hola all, its Jen.
Wanted to thank RUSS AND JAMIE at END TIMES PRODUCTIONS for having us all fall for four great shows. Also thanks Jason Miller for the true tech skills.
We're getting ready for a bunch of shows starting JAN 20TH at the Broadway Comedy Club. The wheels grinding and that smell is indeed our brains working overtime on wild new material.

WE'RE BACK...SEPT 20TH....!

2008-09-03T16:14:00.001-04:00

MARK IT BABY! be there!
we are BACK with a BRAND NEW SHOW!

SATURDAY SEPT 20TH @ 10pm
Gene Frankel Underground
$10 and NEVER a DRINK MINIMUMINTELLIGENT,
OUTRAGEOUS
SKETCH COMEDY

NO IMPROV
NO GAMES
NO PROBLEM!

JUNE SHOWS announced!

2008-05-12T12:20:00.004-04:00

SATURDAY JUNE 14 AND 21ST
10:00pm
GENE FRANKEL UNDERGROUND
24 Bond St. -
$10 - NO MINIMUM
an END TIMES PRODUCTION

...and as special guests for
AMERICAN MIDOL
Monday June 23rd -7pm
Sage Theatre - 711 7th Avenue

FEATURING...a ONE ACT from THOMAS MEEHAN (Tony-Winner for The Producers, Annie, Hairspray)

with JEN RYAN - RIK SANSONE - MELISA BREINER-SANDERS - RAY CHAO - JILL BUTTERFIELD - NOEL HUNTER - ADAM P. MURPHY - RACHAEL MARIE SHAFFER - JOHN MCCARTHY

Finally spring

2008-05-05T14:34:00.000-04:00

here it is...sun and all!
take it in, take a breath!

we have stuff in the works and are lovin' it. Updates as they become available!

New Myspace Page and more

2008-04-29T16:06:00.003-04:00

We are moving our MYSPACE page to

www.myspace.com/punch59sketchcomedy
Please come be our friend...the old page will be discontinued in a few weeks....

and YET another track from the MURPH - the guy's busy

Save the Provincetown Playhouse !

2008-04-28T14:27:00.000-04:00

fucktards at nyu....
join the fight

Proph Murph new track!!

2008-04-25T16:28:00.005-04:00

New track from the Proph...and its mad fly!

NEW SKETCHES up on YOUTUBE

2008-04-22T12:11:00.001-04:00

FROM 3/31 show...
BAD DOMINATRIX
SHI*T SOCK

and from the 4/17 show
THE BIGGEST LOSER

www.youtube.com/punch59

amazing show!

2008-04-18T10:33:00.001-04:00

thanks everyone who came out to the GENE FRANKEL UNDERGROUND last night for our show....Esp. thank you RIK SANSONE, RAY CHAO and ADAM MURPHY for rocking the house with MOVIE, MOVIE! Mr. Meehan would be proud!

good times, silliness, unpredictability...ah, the high wire that is live theatre.

check our YOUTUBE page soon for NEW STUFF ....

and THIS PAGE for updates on OUR NEXT SHOW....

APRIL 17 SHOW Featuring THOMAS MEEHAN one-act! World Premiere!

2008-04-08T14:05:00.002-04:00

PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedy is proud to announce a performance on Thursday April 17th, 8pm, at the Gene Frankel Underground, which will feature the world premiere of "Movie, Movie", written by Thomas Meehan, Tony-winner and writer of the stage versions of The Producers, Annie, Young Frankenstein, and Cry-Baby.

Originally published in the New Yorker, "Movie, Movie" features the characters Bonnie and Clyde, who meet "in Coney Island; in shadows and fog…", and their ensuing dialogue consists only of movie titles.

"Movie, Movie" was adapted for the stage by PUNCH 59's artistic director, Jen Ryan ("The Imaginary, All-True Leni Riefenstahl Show") Another of Mr. Meehan's New Yorker essays, "Yma Dream", was performed by Anne Bancroft in her Emmy award winning 1970 TV special "Annie - The Women In The Life of a Man".

"Movie, Movie" features Ms. Ryan as Bonnie and Adam P. Murphy as Clyde, and is directed by Rik Sansone.

With sketches like "Bad Dominatrix", "BBC2's Baby Time", and "Interfaith Understandings from Rev. Bill and Betty", PUNCH 59 is sketch comedy the way it should be: funny. PUNCH 59 features a rotating cast of eleven of New York's most talented actors, including Jen Ryan (FringeNYC Outstanding Performance Award), Jill Butterfield, Rachael Marie Shaffer, Ray Chao, Noel Hunter, Adam P. Murphy, Johnny McCarthy, Melisa Breiner-Sanders, and Rik Sansone (Summer '69).

Thomas Meehan received his first Tony Award in 1977 for writing the book for Annie, his Broadway debut, and subsequently won for The Producers (2001) and Hairspray (2002). He is the writer of the Broadway versions of Cry-Baby. Young Frankenstein, I Remember Mama, Aint' Broadway Grand, and Bombay Dreams. Mr. Meehan is a long-time contributor of humor to The New Yorker , an Emmy Award-winning writer of television comedy, and a collaborator on a number of screenplays including Mel Brooks' Spaceballs and To Be or Not to Be.
PUNCH 59 takes pride in staging irreverent, intelligent sketch comedy and original music.

Tickets for all performances are available at the box-office day of show. Industry comps are always available. Please email us at punch59comedy@yahoo.com.
at the door.

Theater: Gene Frankel Theatre,24 Bond Street, NYC
Location: North side of street between Lafayette and Bowery
Subway: 6 to Bleecker, walk north to Bond, west to the theatre

The Marx Brothers

2008-03-20T14:31:00.002-04:00

Did you know there is NO comemoration of the Marx Brothers in NYC??

There is a grass-roots movement underway to rename 93rd Street between 3rd and Lex "MARX BROTHERS WAY."

PLEASE take a moment to sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/coname/petition.html

Marx Brothers Place is a community effort to celebrate the creative genius of New York City’s favorites sons; Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo & Zeppo. We hope you enjoy reading about this exciting plan to preserve the cultural heritage of these American icons, and the progress that we’ve already made.

Marx Brothers Place is all about making sure that the block the “boys” called home is properly designated to honor the Marx Brothers contribution to our collective cultural history and New York City’s gift to the world. The childhood home of these atomic-comic icons still stands, at 179 East 93rd Street off Lexington Avenue, as an architectural symbol of the comic genius these irrepressible brothers continue to share with the world. And, in turn, out of gratitude, curiosity and deep devotion, the world continues to visit the “boys” making weekly pilgrimages to this classic New York House.

The fact that after years of silence, Harpo Marx so passionately, and with such great detail, described his cherished childhood home, 179 East 93rd Street, in his highly acclaimed Memoir speaks volumes (see, Harpo Speaks). This block, and its wonderful mix of artists and artisans, had a profound influence on the attitudes and perspectives that shaped the world as seen by the Marx Brothers. Late in life, Groucho himself came home for a visit. Sitting in silence, while soaking up years of memories in his childhood home, he was saying goodbye to the ghosts of his mother and father - both of whom some believe still move about the building. Groucho died shortly after this emotional farewell to his beloved childhood home.

179 is a very special house. And East 93rd Street is a very special block.

. Please help us in this effort to co-name the block “Marx Brothers Place”.
Write or call any of the following people TODAY:
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, spkmccle@council.nyc.gov
Staff specialist, Danielle DeCerbo, danielle.decerbo@council.nyc.ny.us
New York City Council Member Jessica Lappin, lappin@council.nyc.ny.us
New York City Council Member Dan Garodnick, garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us
Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, cbarrie@manhattanbp.org
Congresswoman Caroline Maloney, minna.elias@mail.house.gov
NY State Senator Liz Krueger, liz@lizkrueger.com
NY State Assemblyman Micah Kellner, kellnerm@assembly.state.ny.us
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, ljackson@cityhall.nyc.gov
...
and anyone else you know who can help us get this done.
Tell these people how much the Marx Brothers mean to the world. Tell them how much the Marx Brothers mean to you. And tell them how much you love the idea of co-naming the block - Marx Brothers Place!

The Marx Brothers clearly belong to the collective conscience of the global community. But their childhood, those formidable years that shaped their genius, belongs to East 93rd Street.

March 26 and 31 Shows!

2008-03-20T12:10:00.001-04:00

hey all - just a quick reminder we have two shows in the next 10 days...get yer ya yas there!

WED MARCH 26 @ 8PM, Gene Frankel Theatre (Bond St. & Lafayette) $10
MON MARCH 31 @ 7pm, Sage Theatre (48th & 7th ave) $15

And it also looks like we'll be back at the Frankel for a full 90 minute show in April..we are still trying to set a date! Keep checking back.

Damn I'm happy with how rehearsals are going. Rachael and I both agree that Adam Murphy is a total rock star and doesn't realize it...which is good because once the secret is out he'll surely be world famous. Jill is a holler and its great to have Melisa back after a long trip (Cambodia) and then a tough trip (her grandfather passed away)....so I have decided to dedicate our March 31st show to Edwin Breiner.

NY THEATRE.COM Features Punch 59

2008-03-07T10:40:00.003-05:00

check this out...

Episode #203 - Leonard Jacobs Show/NYITA & Punch 59
Leonard Jacobs, National Theatre Editor of Back Stage, returns with a two segment episode. Leonard’s guests are Shay Gines and Nick Micozzi of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards and Jen Ryan of Punch 59, a sketch comedy group...

In the second part of this episode, Leonard introduces us to Jen Ryan, artistic director of Punch 59 and a quick and naturally funny person. Punch 59 is a sketch comedy group. Jen explains that their work is fully scripted, and leaves nothing to chance. Punch 59 began in Florida in the ’90s and has been up and running in NYC since 2007. Jen lapses occasionally into one of her favorite characters, Rev. Betty Holland.

Martin and Leonard, copious thanks for the opportunity to shamelessly plug our shows.. and thanks to NYTHEATRE.COM for the FRONTPAGE MENTION!

MARCH SHOWS!

2008-03-05T15:52:00.001-05:00

Woo-hoo!
(and remind me to post about my whacked out, sex-filled Keith Olbermann dream last night during the tornado that blew thru Queens at 4am last night. Yowza.--jr)

PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedy Announces Three March Performances

Tuesday, March 11th & Wednesday, March 26th
8:00pm
Gene Frankel Theatre, Downstairs - 24 Bond Street
As part of the “Sketch & Improv Thunderdome”
Tickets $10.00

Monday, March 31st @ 7:30pm
The Sage Theatre - 777 Seventh Avenue
In the heart of Times Square, at 48th Street
Tickets $15.00

PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedy is proud to announce three March performances!

The March 11th and 26th shows at the Gene Frankel are part of the SKETCH AND IMPROV THUNDERDOME sponsored by End Times Productions, featuring NYC’S grittiest and gutsiest comedy troupes going head-to-head in a winner-take-all throwdown!

With sketches like “Bad Dominatrix”, “BBC2’s Baby Time”, and “Interfaith Understandings from Rev. Bill and Betty Holland”, PUNCH 59 is sketch comedy the way it should be: FUNNY. PUNCH 59 takes pride in staging irreverent, intelligent sketch comedy and original music – with NO improv.

PUNCH 59 features a rotating cast of fourteen of New York’s most talented actors, including Jen Ryan (FringeNYC Outstanding Performance Award), Amir Darvish (Mercury: Life and Times of a Rock God), Jill Butterfield, Rachael Marie Shaffer, Carlos Espada, Adam P. Murphy, Melisa Breiner-Sanders, Noel Hunter, and Rik Sansone (Summer ’69).

Tickets for all performances are available at the box-office day of show. Industry comps are always available.

Visit www.punch59comedy.com for more information.
# # #

AUDITIONS !!

2007-09-10T12:20:00.001-04:00

PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedyis seeking actors between the ages of 21 and 40. Minorities strongly encouraged to audition!

Comedy experience a + but NOT required.

Auditions will be held Monday Sept 17th from 630-830pm in NYC. Auditions are by appointment ONLY....no pay, but we cover all costs including postcards and rehearsal space.

Our next show is October 15th at the Sage Theatre.

Please email a headshot and resume (or a link to same) to punch59comedy@yahoo.com and we will schedule a time for you to come in!

Learn about what we do by visiting our website at www.punch59comedy.com , read the FAQ/History page, and watch our sketches on Youtube.com/punch59

Thanks for a Great show, all!!!

2007-08-29T11:23:00.000-04:00

First things first, RIP HILLY KRISTAL. OM (FU) G.

and second, THANK YOU EVERYONE for A GREAT SHOW last night at the Laugh Factory. Its refreshing and reassuring to know that sketch comedy IS alive, well, and FUNNY in NYC!
Congrats Totally Awesome Victory for their, well...totally awesome victory. Thanks MURDERFIST for by far the most twisted costumes of the night, and to Impending Moustache for the oatmeal.

Our next show is OCT 15TH and yes, I'll update the blog before then,

LOVE

Jen

Laugh Factory show update

2007-08-17T10:34:00.000-04:00

Hey all - just a quick update.
Our8-28 show starts at 8:30pm - venue is the World Famous Laugh Factory, 303 W 42nd St.

That's in New York City. And its on the 42nd street they wrote some musical about....?

And unfortunately our castmate and friend Amir will not be able to perform due to a family matter. We love you, Amir, and our thoughts are with you!

Visit http://www.punch59comedy.com/ for ticket buying info. Best to call the box office, eh?

And its gonna KICK ASS.
--Jen

Goodbye, Yellow Brick Rove

2007-08-14T15:39:00.000-04:00

The promised exit of Karl Rove makes me wonder why no one threw water on him all these years. (I'm melting! I'm melting!) Or maybe he was the winged monkey and I'm confusing my metaphors.

Still, his resignation brings back memories.

A brief biography of George W. Bush.

In the turbulent sixties, George W. was there with the civil rights marchers. During the march to Selma, GW and his brother Jeb (Cletus the IV) set up a lemonade stand. Together they sung the stirring anthem, "We Shall Overcharge," although Jeb now admits his "We Serve Whites Only" sign was probably a mistake.

GW's commitment to social change took a deferment when he went entered Yale University as an undergraduate. Disappointed because he thought it was Yale "A & M," he was forced to abandon his plans for a career in mesquite-pulling and opted instead for a major in history because he believed that he wouldn't have to write any term papers. He reasoned, since history had already happened, there was no need to explain it, and the last thing history makers would want is interpretation. He adopted this dogma of "strict constructionism" because, as he put it, "History is like what already was, it's like 'over and done,' it's like history."

As a senior, GW began to hang with skull and bones. Then he discovered there was a campus group with the same name and stopped playing around with skeletons, although he still has some in his closet.

Upon graduation, faced with the prospect of going to Vietnam, George W. bravely joined the National Guard, because that was where the "real" action was. His service record was highlighted by a B-plus average in personal hygeine, although he was caught cheating on the final exam when it was discovered he wore juiced up Hi-Karate. Because of this infraction he was unjustly denied the Congressional Medal of Honor. A highlight of his National Guard days was when he risked his life testing the army's invisibility spray.

The 70's were a busy time for GW. His brief period as an environmentalist ended when he fell off the "Earth Shoes" given him by Jerry Rubin. He vowed revenge.

During the 70's, he experienced two fate-filled encounters including encountering his true love. In a dark theater, during a screening of Love Story, just across the room, he saw Karl Rove. Perhaps, it was the smoke-filled room. Perhaps it was the Bogart trench coat that Rove was wearing. Perhaps it was the lyrical violins of Francis Lay. Whatever it was, their connection was immediate. "It was like seeing at first sight," Bush would later explain.

But what changed his life more than anything else was when he met the librarian, Laura Welch. Or as GW calls her, "My Libarian." He recalled, "I used to think all the people from Libaria were bad like Qaddafi, but I was wrong."

In the 1970s GW gave up drinking, and from that day forward, he was a changed man, articulate and sensitive. There, at the end of his rope, GW found Jesus (who was pretty pissed off at being tied up and later refused to vote for Bush).

In the 1980s, GW put his nose to the grindstone. He had to, his nose seemed to grow every time he spoke. He threw himself into his job, one week clocking in at almost thirty hours.

In the early 90s, GW called together his old friends from Skull and Bones to perform a voodoo ritual to launch his political career. Into a large steaming pot, GW added toenail clippings from Dan Quayle, unused love beads from Sonny Bono, a boil from Nixon's ass, and a half teaspoon of paprika for that certain zest. Stirred together they formed a powerful charm. GW was thereafter unstoppable.

GW Bush's 2000 campaign was directed by Karl Rove. Some described Rove as crazy. Others said he was crazy like a fox -- a mentally disturbed fox that chews off all of its fur and slobbers on itself. Whichever one of these was the case, he was an effective furless campaigner who only drooled on himself for truth and justice.

Early on, GW positioned himself as a "neo"conservative, modelled after the character "Neo" in the Matrix. In a special news conference GW declared: "I do not try and bend the spoon. Instead... I only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon." Then, to demonstrate, he used a spoon to hit himself on the head.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Beavis McGore, with glacier-like swiftness, leapt into action. McGore tried to broaden his appeal by declaring himself "The Great Seal of United States" and dressing up as a baby snow seal. Unfortunately for McGore, Rove, in desperate need of a respectable Republican fur coat, clubbed him senseless.

Still, the election was uncertain until finally November came. GW had always been fond of giving 110 per cent and he expected the same from voting machines. The lightning speed and efficiency of touch screen machines allowed the CEO of "Die Bold," Bruce Willis, to quickly tabulate the numbers and declare GW the winner in a landslide. When a skeptical press pointed out it was still Monday and the election was tomorrow, Willis responded, "Like that's going to make a difference."

This lead to overconfidence on the part of GW and an election night fiasco. When the numbers appeared closer than expected, Bush started making desperate phone calls. He found out, much to his amazement, they were behind in Florida by just one vote and that Jesus hadn't voted. "It was because of the Beatles," Jesus explained. "I tried to get to the polls, but the Beatles blocked me and threatened me and they are bigger than me."

GW never accepted this. He thought Jesus's behavior was payback. GW's next call went to his brother, Jeb and they both decided it would be wrong to allow Jesus's sin to ruin a perfectly good election. They called in Katherine (I'm Not Making Fun of Myself, This Is How I Really Am) Harris. Soon thereafter, Fox (Crazy Like a Rove) News Network declared victory for Bush. In short suit, Fox's Washington affiliate, the Supreme Court, concurred.

--Marty Hill

PUNCH 59 at Laugh Factory August 28th

2007-08-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

PUNCH 59 SKETCH COMEDY SELECTED TO COMPETE IN THE 2007 INTERNATIONAL SKETCH COMEDY COMPETITION

Performance to be held at the Laugh Factory NYC; Finals in Los Angeles Sept. 25th
PUNCH 59 Sketch Comedy has been selected to compete in the annual International Sketch Comedy Competition™, which showcases some of the world’s best sketch comedy talent.

The first round will be held in New York City on August 28th, 2007 at the famous Laugh Factory, 303 W. 42nd Street. (As of now the time is still TBD!)

Two more rounds will be held in both Chicago and LA in the coming weeks, and one troupe from each city will be selected to compete in the I.S.C.C. finals at the new 500-seat Laugh Factory in Los Angeles on September 25, 2007, with a celebrity judges’ panel and hosts (last year’s panel included Adam West). Winners receive a representation contract from a Los Angeles-based comedy booking agency and other prizes.

Past winners of the International Sketch Comedy Competition include Chicago’s Competitive Awesome and San Francisco’s 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. This years’ I.S.C.C. will be taped for a reality-TV pilot and a portion of all proceeds will benefit charity.

“We are thrilled to be part of this festival,” says Jen Ryan, PUNCH 59’s Artistic Director. “The I.S.C.C. is a great opportunity for our amazing cast and writers, and we look forward to cleaning the floor with our competition.”

Performing with PUNCH 59 at the Laugh Factory show will be Jen Ryan (FringeNYC ’04 Outstanding Performance Award), Rik Sansone (Summer ’69), Amir Darvish (Mercury: Life and Times of a Rock God) Melanie Keegan. and Erika Woods.

Tickets are $20 (two-drink minimum) and are available by calling the Laugh Factory box office at 212-586-7829. Industry comps are available.

Don't Let the Door Hit Your Ass on the Way Out

2007-08-13T11:36:00.000-04:00

good riddance!

hey everyone...BIG news about our next show will be announced TOMORROW! check back!

Welcome to the World of PUNCH

2007-08-10T11:20:00.001-04:00

Don't panic, its just us...we'll start it off right...promise....