Friday, August 2, 2013

The Pit Comedy Club

The PIT ( for Peoples Improv Theater on East 24th Street is a surprise to me, I just have never even seen this place before.

Now, don't tell me there are no reviews for this place...oh yes, there are, and they are not bad at all! One man says" my tummy still hurts from laughing"--oh well, maybe he is easily amused...


People's Improv Theater

4.0 star rating
63 reviews Rating Details
123 E 24th St
(between S Park Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 563-7488
Nearest Transit Station:
23 St (4, 6, 6X)
28 St (4, 6, 6X)
23 St (N, R)
Hours:
Mon-Sun 9:30 am - 4 am
Parking:
Street
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Price Range:
$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Outdoor Seating:
No
Wi-Fi:
No
Music:
Background
Best Nights:
Wed, Fri, Sat
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Smoking:
No
Coat Check:
No
Noise Level:
Loud
Good For Dancing:
No
Ambience:
Divey, Hipster, Casual
Has TV:
No
0.5 Miles from People's Improv Theater
Lex G. said: "Every time I grab my $13 sparkling water and get in line for the 15 minute wild ride that is the Selection Process, sweat beads on my forehead and I get the shakes.…" read more »

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "It has a great, intimate theatre with really great shows." In 23 reviews
  • "The Harvard Sailing team has a great repertoire of skits." In 5 reviews
  • "...miss: The Baldwins, The Faculty, Harvard Sailing Team, Big Black Car." In 4 reviews
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63 reviews in English

  • Review from

    New York, NY
    3/17/2013 1 check-in here
    I've been here a few times, and each time I went it seems like I was goofing around with friends on a Saturday night. The audience and the cast seem to know each other, and I suspect that comedy troupes come to see each other and that's how they fill the audience. It's not stand-up, but mostly theater games. If you were in Drama Club in high school you've probably played some of them.

    Not surprisingly, some of the participants are funnier than others. This made it fun for me to watch, because I was rooting for one person to come back into the scene (excited for what they would add to the scenario). They are also pretty good about letting a scenario die before it gets tot the point where the audience is rolling their eyes because it has "jumped the shark." Another bonus, some of the cast members can sing. Tickets are cheap and you can buy them the night of. It's not a place that I would take friends in from out of town, because it's really not anything "special" that they couldn't see at home, but for people who live here it's a great idea for something different to do on a weekday night.
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    3/7/2013 1 check-in here
    I've been here 3 or 4 times now, and every time it's been a treat. Sure, a lot of the comedians here are up and comers, but that's what this place is all about-- exploring new comedy talent in the making! Most nights, the shows are super cheap (like $5 or $8), and, on some nights, the shows are free! You cannot beat that. And, they don't try to make up the different with drink pricing. The drinks are reasonably priced and tasty.

    On a recent visit, I checked out their Pilot Program, which features original, half-hour pilots that comedy writers are hoping will one day make it to TV. Very cool! IMHO, if you live in NYC and haven't visited the PIT (People's Improv Theatre), then you're missing out.
  • Review from

    Ann Arbor, MI
    2/26/2013
    Much love for the PIT.  They're not as crisp as Upright Citizens Brigade, but they're still great.  Plus, I love that you can show up 10 minutes before a show, buy $5 tickets, and then see a show.  That low-key approach is great, and I feel like if I lived closer to PIT, I'd be there all the time.

    I also saw a sign for drop-in improv classes.  Tempting tempting.
  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 43 reviews
    New York, NY
    7/25/2013
    Very high quality improv, great bar, great prices. I can't recommend this place highly enough if you're looking for something to do for an evening.
  • Review from

    • 164 friends
    • 261 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    5/22/2013 2 check-ins here
    I've only been a handful of times, and so far I'm impressed!  Political Subverities was a very smart riot, so happy to see my friend musical accompany very talented and FUNNY young actors.  I also went to a live podcast recording for a podcast fest - that was cool too.  Great vibe in the bar area up front.  Would love to check out a class sometime, or see the PIT people perform.  Cool stuff going on.
  • Review from

    • 21 friends
    • 1 review
    New Springville, Staten Island, NY
    5/30/2013 1 check-in here
    I've been here a couple of times and every time its a blast great laughs and good comedians
  • Review from

    • 5 friends
    • 33 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    12/9/2012
    Okay so I had been wanting to check this place out for a while now and finally decided to go! I purchased my tickets online the morning of the show, as I am always sacred things will sell out it if I wait to buy them at the counter. The critic's pick and the award winning imporv show playing on a Saturday night is Murderfist. It started at 10:30pm and I was afraid that I would be content laying on the couch if I waited for that show time. So I decided on the Baldwins and Big Black Car because it started at 8:00.

    I arrived there 30 minutes early just in case there was a line to enter the theater. I am obsessed with having good seats! There was no line but there was a bar with reasonably price drinks...so my fiance says. There was a nice little crowd waiting in the bar area for the show to start.

    When I entered the theater, I thought this is good because you can see the stage area from any seat and the theater is small so you would never feel super far away from the stage.

    The show was meh- to me. Two improv troupes perform for like 20-30 minutes. I rarely laughed but most of the people there laughed a lot and seemed to really enjoy it. So it's not that it wasn't funny so much as it just did not tickle my fancy. My sense of humor was not jump started by these particular improv troupes, but I do think that I could enjoy improv and therefore will go back to see another improv show. They have like 95 shows there throughout the week so I am sure there is something that would have me laughing for days.

    I love that this place offers affordable entertainment by people trying to do their thang! I recommend checking the People's Improv theater out! Although I did not laugh all night, my sense of humor is not the standard or meter for what's funny. It would be a nice date spot or cool to go with several friends.
  • Review from

    Jersey City, NJ
    8/16/2012 1 check-in here
    You gotta love the theater of the people. This is a small place with an adjoining bar that has a decent beer selection, full bar and some sangria. Prices ain't bad. Most of the clientele seemed to know each other from other performances as well as the classes they offer on improv and sketch writing.

    The theater itself is small (I actually believe there might be two). The one I was in could fit about 50 people max with a small stage. The show I went to, National Scandal was great. Super lax, funny and exciting to see such a raw show. For $8, I thought it was great value.

    The drinks were fine. My $6 white wine filled the spot, definitely wasn't the best wine I have ever been sippin' on but, good enough and the service was friendly. I'd definitely come back to this joint to see some comedy and have a drink. Gotta support the arts and the people.
  • Review from

    • 8 friends
    • 237 reviews
    Rego Park, NY
    4/1/2013
    I went strictly to see a good friend. I've never been to one of these places and doubt I will be a frequent flyer spectator but I have to give them credit for one thing: there seems to be a sense of goodwill and encouragement between the acting teams. This I do respect to be sure.  For those who understand the idiosyncrasies of American humor, go ahead and give it a shot. Maybe even go on a free night and make a friend. Hopefully she will be serious as well as funny upon signing the pre-nup with anything but a pseudonym.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    3/6/2013 1 photo 2 check-ins here
    I live next to PIT and finally made it in for a show. What an AWESOME show. I was impressed by how entertaining and funny it was. I went to Rumble on a Tuesday night at 930pm. The show was 1 hour and cost $5. I was laughing so hard I was crying.. and sweating. I'll be back.
  • Review from

    Ridgewood, Queens, NY
    9/16/2012 1 check-in here
    Very crowded upstairs so I wouldn't show up too early. Come in time to get your ticket and head downstairs, that is all that you really need to do.

    You might want to take a few minutes to people watch and scope out the scene upstairs though. You'll definitely run into a few characters. The artwork upstairs is also very nice.

    Downstairs had plenty of seating, so you don't really have to worry about standing. No matter where you sit or stand, you'll probably have a good view of the stage (which is pretty small). Good acoustics for this type of performing. It was kind of stuffy/sweaty though. The actors had some pitt stains going on...but don't worry, it's kind of dark down there so your date won't see until you get back upstairs...

    The bar downstairs was closed? Eh? Confusion? Oh well, their loss of $$$.

    The show that we saw was $5 on a Saturday night.
    You can't get much cheaper than that for entertainment on the weekend in the city. In fact, I'd say that's a great price. I'm sure other shows are pricier (depending upon who is performing).

    Honestly, I am not a huge improv fan, but I've been to a lot of bars/clubs/lounges in NYC. This one is definitely not bad. Very very crowded as the night goes on though.

    Grab your laughs here and then your drinks elsewhere. No complaints otherwise.
    Great for a first date.
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 53 reviews
    New York, NY
    10/7/2012 1 check-in here
    Oh man, my tummy still hurts from laughing so much. Favorite part of the skit was Alfred, the man-servant, who had to help his owner move her legs in kickboxing class. Really good vibe at this place and among the groups. I recently went to Upright Citizens Brigade, which I love, but it seemed one of the improv teams had a bit of tension (or competition) amongst them. So it was really refreshing to see the improv teams here working so well together and having a great time!

    I've heard this place is a hit or miss.

    I guess we got a hit Saturday night at the 11 p.m. showing of Tug of War.

    Two improv teams competed against each other and the audience voted on the funniest one. If you're not sure which show to watch (cause we were also deciding between the Variety show and the Tug of War), be sure to ask the guy at the front desk. Super-friendly and nice and he even looked up the members that were performing and gave us a recommendation based on that. Btw, Tug of War is only $5 and it's totally worth it!

    You can buy alcoholic drinks at the bar (which is pretty snazzy) and has really cute bartenders. You can also buy drinks downstairs. The cool part? Free do-it-yourself water at the bar. And the bar is decorated with all sorts of inspirational quotes. Not so cool part? There wasn't much to do while waiting for our show. Wish they had a pool table or something. And I felt the show was too short. I guess I'm used to a break in between and then continued laughter. Not the case here.

    What a way to spend Saturday night -- rolling in laughter! I'm so coming back!!!!
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