“NYC’s hilarious cult-favorite pun competition … both an endearingly homemade and impressively high-caliber show during which astute wordsmiths spin clever and very funny puns to a packed house.” -The New York Times

The PUNDERDOME® – NYC’s LIVE Comedy Pun Compuntition is back! Founded by a Rodney Dangerfield impersonator and his alleged daughter (Fred and comedian Jo Firestone), the PUNDERDOME® has been a fixture on New York’s comedy landscape since May 2011. The alleged dad will be hosting tonight!

Show will feature our Main Event – the ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT OF PUN CHAMPIONS, where punsters deliver two-minute pun-stand-up routines, after only two minutes of preparation! PUNDERDOME® Champs and others will pun it out for ’Dome bragging rights and “As Seen on TV”-type prizes!

And, that’s not all…

• We’ll play “Can You Beat a ’Dome Champ?” where a Challenger takes on a Punderdome® Champ in a one-on-one 2-minute PUN-OFF; Challenger topic gets 24 hours in advance and can use any human and non-human resources (INCLUDING AI) in preparation! ‘Dome Champ gets no advance notice AND will learn what topic is when the PUN-OFF begins! WINNER GETS $100!
• At the December 7, 2022 PUNDERDOME, Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Eisen challenged a PUNDERDOME Champ in “Can You Beat a ’Dome Champ?” and prepared by digesting four-hours of ChatGPT research. He went down in defeat but did survive to write about it on the front page of the WSJ: “I Entered a Pun Competition. My Jokes Were Written by an AI Chatbot”
• Six individuals who sign-up at the bar (doors open at 7:00) will have a chance to punticipate in the PUN BATTLE ROYALE.
• There will be PPPPs (Previously Prepared Punderdome® Parodies and Puntifications).
• Pun-masters will be determined by the calibrated “Human Clap-O-Meter” who “accurately and scientifically” assesses levels of audience applause.

WARNING FOR THE FAINT OF HEART: the ’Dome is THE spectator sport; it gets loud – decide to attend at your own risk! Hearing protection gear recommended!

Punderdome Reviews:

GQ Magazine shouted the Punderdome® as one of the “5 Funniest Nights in America,” and quoted comedian Chris Gethard on why it’s great: “The crowd. You’d think you were at the Roman Colosseum. They’re passionate, to a level that feels dangerous. And to reiterate, this is a pun competition.”

The New Yorker’s “Battle of Wits: A Report from the Punderdome”: “Can you imagine a more potent cure for the weekday blues? Here was concentrated, unabashed silliness that I longed to bottle and smuggle out in my purse.”

Swing American: “The intellect on display is stunning. Hardly a pun is repeated throughout the entire night. What Punderdome ends up achieving is the transformation of the delivery of the lowly pun to one of the greatest displays of human ingenuity contemporary New York has to offer.”

photo credit: Martin Lei