NYC Talent Show is a weekly performance art cabaret where lunatics and the truly talented are indecipherable from one another. Started in 2009 by Victor Varnado and the late great Diane O'Debra, the show has featured performers like Hannibal Buress, Jim Gaffigan, Kristen Schaal, Jonathan Ames, Tony Kay, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Marina Franklin, and sometimes, very little clothing.
"A rapt (audience) beheld a tap dancer in red tights and a black tutu, moving her hands with erotic flair to Paul McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmas Time." - THE NEW YORKER
"They held it down" - BUSHWICK DAILY
Dan Soder has appeared in TV shows such as Guy Code, Inside Amy Schumer, Robot Chicken, and Billions. He also co-hosted The Bonfire on Sirius XM until 2023.
Roy Wood Jr. is a comedian, an Emmy-nominated documentary producer for the PBS documentary The Neutral Ground, a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-nominated The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and host of Comedy Central’s award-winning podcast, The Daily Show: Beyond the Scenes. Spring of 2023, Wood guest hosted The Daily Show and headlined the White House Correspondents' Dinner to its highest ratings since 2017.
A Message From Your Host:
Welcome to true lovers of art, daring performers, and visiting tourists yearning for a glimmer of excitement in their lives, I am Philopygus T Handsome, the master of ceremonies at the NYC Talent Show. For close to two decades, we've showcased the talents of performers who, like myself, color outside the lines. Prepare for an evening where the outrageous, the astonishing, and the downright hilarious collide.