Make ’em Laugh: Comedy-Themed Talks & Shows

By Troy Segal

Comedy suddenly seems in much shorter supply these days, with the recent loss of actor/comedian Robin Williams. (Scroll down to see our tribute to his genius.) While his rapier wits and reflexes are irreplaceable, there are others who can provide a little laughter in our lives. Ranging from stand-up to cerebral, these comic folks’ efforts are bound to make you smile.

Taking It to the Street: Put a spring in your step with a satiric walking tour, “2014: When We Were Idiots”, in which guide Xavier Toby, garbed like a penguin — don’t ask — leads guests around the Lower East Side of 2114. Part of the New International Fringe Festival, the comedic hour-and-a-half stroll occurs Aug. 15-17 and 22-23.

Movie Mirth: A trio of silent short movies demonstrates “The Silly Side of War,”, shown Aug. 24 & 25, as part of the Museum of Modern Art’s film series about World War I. MoMA is also screening Manhattan, Aug. 27-29, Woody Allen’s exploration of the ongoing battle between the sexes that many critics dub his masterpiece … Billy Wilder, the writer/director behind such rapier-wit comedies as The Apartment and Some Like It Hot, goes in front of the screen for once in the rarely-seen documentary of videotaped conversations with the master, Billy, How Did You Do It? – one night only, Sept. 8, at Film Forum … Nobody ever expects the Spanish Inquisition—or the off-, off-, off-beat humor of Monty Python, even if one’s seen their films 100 times. Make it 101 at these Sept. 14 showings at Symphony Space, a double feature of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Live and In Person: A trio of comedians — the perpetually raging Lewis Black, Kate Clinton and Lizz Winstead — skewer the body politic, Sept. 8 … Veteran TV-show producer Norman Lear, who broke the comic boundaries with his sitcoms All in the Family, Sanford and Son, and Maude, reminisces about his life and times, Oct. 14  … The ever-popular Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, Bridesmaids) discusses her debut as an author — and will just happen to have a few books on hand to sign — on Oct. 28. All at the 92nd Street Y.

War of the Words: Is it possible to sum up Jewish life in a brief phrase? A panel of wordsmiths, led by writer Piper Kerman (Orange Is the New Black) and husband Larry Smith (creator of the six-word memoir) is going to try at this tongue-twisting event at the 92nd Street Y, Sept. 15 … Two comedian/comedy writer teams square off over a red-hot topic of perpetual interest (which pet is superior: cats or dogs? which meal is better: breakfast or dinner?) in a debate hosted by Sean Donnelly (My Dumb Friends, Last Comic Standing) and decided by the audience, at Symphony Space, Oct. 8.

Robin Williams Live at the Roxy (1978)

Robert Altman: Popeye (1980); song by Harry Nilsson

Terry Gilliam: The Fisher King (1991)

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (October 16, 2013)

George Roy Hill: The World According to Garp (1982)