NYC Comedy Picks for Week of July 8, 2013

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 7/8/13

Giulia Rozzi debuts her one-woman show about her less-than-successful marriage: Bad Bride;
Judah Friedlander performs at Night Train and the 10:00 pm Comedy Cellar

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A monthly storytelling show from the wonderful Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 18-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of hilarious monthly storytelling extravaganzas Tales of the Cosmos and Whatever Happened to the Nerds?; for a sampling of Adam's award-winning tales, please click here), along with guest storyteller David Martin, at Under St. Marks: The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Veteran improvisors will be touring as representatives of The PIT, and practicing tonight at The PIT downstairs lounge: The PIT TourCo

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-up Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) tries out new material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Alex Koll

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories) debuts a one-woman show at UCB Chelsea that asks "What if the happiest day of your life brought out the worst in you? In this candid show Giulia 'fesses up about being a depressed, drunk coward that said I do when she should have said I don't:" Bad Bride...

...and in the second half of this double-bill, a one-act play about the Biblical end of the world written by & co-starring Kevin Hines and directed by Brandon Gulya: Apocalypse in Connecticut

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $9.47 online): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Hari Kondabolu (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central Presents, writer for FX's Totally Biased), Luke Cunningham (Jimmy Fallon), Greg Warren (Comedy Central Presents), Hadiyah Robinson (BET’s Comic View), and Joe Zimmerman (Comedy Central's John Oliver's NY Stand-Up) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Littlefield (622 Degraw Street) guest-hosted by Jared Logan (rising star; Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, CNN, TBS): Night Train

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($7.25 online using discount code NORTHERN; no min.): Movie & TV star Janeane Garofalo, Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Dan Naturman (David Letterman), Brian Scolaro (Chelsea Lately), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Ray Devito and Josh Carter: Northern Discomfort

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Stand-up and stage magic are combined at UCB East by Harrison Greenbaum, a comic who's devoted a lot of time and passion to both fields, resulting in laughs and tricks that will baffle you: Harrison Greenbaum: What Just Happened?

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Barry Rothbart (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Comedy Central, MTV's Punk'd, IFC's Do Whatever), Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code and Wildn Out, Comedy Central, Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show), Justy Dodge (co-host of Too Much Information on comicalradio.com; "I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Like, I had Barbies, but only because my Ninja Turtles needed bitches;" for dark bio video, please click here), Jessimae Peluso (MTV's Girl Code, Failosophy; Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, Tyra Banks, TruTV), Joe Machi (Jimmy Fallon), and Frank Liotti performing at the Niagra Bar (112 Avenue A & 7th Street) for this weekly show hosted by Erik Bergstrom (cartoonist/author of Grimmer Tales, The New Yorker, blogger for Comedy Central's Indecision 2012) & DJ CnC: Crickets

[$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Keith Alberstadt (David Letterman, VH1, contributor to SNL's Weekend Update), Elon Gold (correspondent for Jay Leno, FOX's Bones), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and Phil Hanley (Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Todd Barry, Ryan Hamilton, Keith Alberstadt, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00 pm: Sasheer Zamata (highly charming, innovative rising star; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, FX's Totally Biased, Apple Computer commercials; host of UCBT's School Night, member of red-hot improv troupe Doppelganger, sketch troupe The Prom, and Harold Night troupe Bucky), Amanda Baramki, Matt Wayne, Sean Donnelly, and Jason Burke performing stand-up, plus music from Adam Day, at Brooklyn's Freddy's Bar (627 Fifth Avenue; take R subway to Prospect Avenue) for this free biweekly show hosted by Brooke Van Poppelen (brilliant writer, stand-up, and storyteller; writer and/or producer for MTV's Guy Code, Girl Code, Failosophy, and Nikki & Sara Show; trutV, TLC, co-host of Dive Comedy) and Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories): Dive Comedy

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Musical comics and stand-ups John Early, Jessica Delfino, Claudia Cogan, and Eliot Glaser, plus non-comic musical guest Paul Leschen, performing at Under St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue) hosted by Kyle Supley: Vintage Vantage Variety Show

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two UCB Chelsea house sketch troupes try out new bits: Chunk (which includes Natasha Vaynblat) and Beige (which includes Dan Hodapp, who last August co-starred in FringeNYC smash hit Tail! Spin!): Maude Night: Chunk and Beige

[FREE] 9:30 pm: Following a club format, hosts Nore Davis & Andrew Short perform stand-up throughout for a total of 25 minutes, two comics each perform a 15-minute set, and then the headliner closes out the show with a 20-minute set, all at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: On the Road

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Great lineup of Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Mark Normand (hilarious rising star; Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; opens for Amy Schumer; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Gary Gulman (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Sam Morril (Comedy Central), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Dave Attell, Judah Friedlander, Mark Normand, and More

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): Twelve improv comics who are "friends of Dorothy" perform at The Magnet hosted by Andrew Fafoutakis: There's No Place Like Home: A GLBTQ Event

Monday Open Mics & Jams

6:00 pm ($5 cover for comics, no cover for audience with code HyReviews, plus 1-drink min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open mic stand-up with 4 1/2 minutes per set and 20 comics crammed into 2 hours—at the Greenwich Village Comedy Club (99 MacDougal Street) for John Morrison's Village Motel

6:00 pm & 8:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, with each show running 1 hour and 45 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before the show you want to be in to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic stand-up show, with 10 comics each performing for 5 minutes, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Abigoliah Schamaun & Peggy O'Leary: Dicks Open Mic

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:30 pm: Open-mic storytelling, with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room"), hosted by Julia Wiedeman: Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling with Julia Wiedeman

7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Monday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Tim Duffy: Comics Phoning It In

7:30 pm ($10; sign-up starts at 7:00 pm): Open mic for stand-ups, storytellers, singers, poets, actors, and more, with 5 minutes per performer and 25 slots available, at One and One Bar's Downstairs Nexus Lounge (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Nathan P., followed by a raucous afterparty with dancing & drink specials from 10:00 to midnight: Inspired Word's Open Mic Joint

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Biweekly open mic for telling stories "about sex, desire, and romance," with each yarn-spinner getting 7 minutes, at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street), with tonight's guest Robin Gelfenbien (host of storytelling show Yum's the Word; VH1, Sirius Satellite Radio, FringeNYC) and host Jefferson (Moth StorySlam Champion; host of Bare!): Foreplay: A Sexy Storytelling Open Mic

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Unique open mic for any comedy except stand-up—e.g., characters, sketch, stories, poetry, music—providing 6 minutes for each performer signed up in advance (email sdesiena@gmail.com with the subject line No Jokes Allowed Sign-Up) and 4 minutes per walk-in performer at the East Village's Beauty Bar hosted by Steven DeSiena & Stephen Whalen: No Jokes Allowed Open Mic

10:30 pm ($5): Improv veterans Brandon Gardner, Chelsea Clarke, and Phillip Jackson hosting & performing in a show at UCB East with improvisors taken from the audience...and who may include you: Improv Nerds Jam

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): If you're an audience member who loves stand-up, Monday at 11 should be Whiplash! night. If you're a comic who couldn't get booked on UCBT's all-star show, though, you can opt to instead practice your skills at this exceptionally supportive stand-up open mic at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Jarrid Reed: Fresh

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv students are welcomed onto the stage at The PIT downstairs lounge for this weekly open access show hosted by Gary DeNoia & Langston Belton: Base Jam

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 7/9/13

Singing duo The Reformed Whores perform for a full 40 minutes at The Bowery Electric;
Anthony Atamanuik plays award-winning science fiction author Hugh Bue at The Tony Show

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Character-based solo sketch at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Comedy Character Showcase

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 5-hour extravaganza, five of The Magnet's singing improv groups make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion, followed at 10:15 by a free show that lets audience members join in with a musical improv group to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Comic book creators Ed Catto & Joe Ahearn (Captain Action) join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana's (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can't make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): As a comics fan, I love this concept: an improv troupe will make up scenes while playing Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and other members of the Justice League of America at The PIT downstairs lounge: JLA Improv

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-up Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) tries out new material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Alex Koll

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes Namaste, Big Margaret, and Bucky at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8): The delightful Reformed Whores (raunchy comedic singing duo Marie Cecile Anderson & Katy Frame; new album Ladies Don't Spit) sing and make you laugh for 40 minutes The Bowery Electric Map Room (327 Bowery, off 2nd Street): The Reformed Whores

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Shannon O'Neill (comedy genius), Morgan Grace Jarrett (wonderful comedic actress, member of red-hot improv group Grandma's Ashes), Lydia Hensler (also member of Grandma's Ashes), and/or Brandon Scott Jones (top sketch troupe Stone Cold Fox, red-hot improv troupe Grandma's Ashes, top comedic play Death Wears Stilettos) play host to stand-up from Megan Neuringer, storytelling from Samantha Warnick, and who knows what else at the UCB East theatre: Ladies Night: Men Welcome

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show): Amy Schumer, Ryan Hamilton, Lenny Marcus, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): "Ever wonder what happened to the characters in your favorite Fairy Tale after the story ended: if Ariel's father ever re-married; if Simba and Nala ever had marital problems; if Goldilocks ever got her comeuppance for all that breaking and entering? Tell us your favorite fairy tale and we'll improvise where the end of the story left off" at The PIT downstairs lounge: The Punctual Drunks

[$] 8:00 pm ($15; no min.): Movie & TV star Janeane Garofalo, plus fresh faces you might not have seen before, all performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie's Gone): Jessica Kirson's New Talent Night

8:00 pm ($8): Sketch comedy at The PIT upstairs theatre from National Scandal

8:00 pm ($5): Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV's Pranked), Jason Saenz (sketch troupe Onassis, co-host of Late Night Trash), Tanisha Long (MTV2's Girl Code), Griffin Newman (MTV's Nikki & Sara Live), and Jared Freid (MTV's Failosophy) performing stand-up at Brooklyn's Union Hall for this show hosted by Calvin Cole & Sharron Paul that calls attention to its inexpensive price: Cheap Date

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by the brilliantly surreal and hilarious Joe Pera, plus Charles Gould and Dan Licata: Dan + Joe + Charles' Show

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): Jena Friedman (wry dark comedy stand-up and rising star; producer for The Daily Show, former staff writer for David Letterman), Adam Cayton-Holland (Conan O'Brien, ABC's Happy Endings, co-host of Grawlix), maybe Nick Swardson (Comedy Central's Pretend Time with Nick Swardson, two Comedy Central specials, Grown Ups 2), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon, VH1): Sweet

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house troupes GoodGirl, Graceland, and Grammer—plus advanced improv students perform The Way of the Samurai—at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, The Nights of Our Lives) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv. Tonight he's "seminal science fiction author Hugh Bue doing readings from some of his Space-Eros classics, including the Nebula Award & Hugo Award winning novel Cosmic Bus. There will be a Q&A session, as well as a live performance of a Hugh Bue story interpreted into a short play. Also these comedians will be performing during Hugh Bue's Methadone breaks." And in between will be performances from comics Julia Wiedeman (one-woman show Naked People, host of Happy Hour Open-Mic Storytelling), Morgan Miller (Lloyd Night), and Aaron Glaser (Tosh.0). Friends, if I wasn't seeing Daniel Kitson's sold out show tonight, I'd be at the UCB East theatre for The Tony Show

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Gregg Rogell (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Louie, Comedy Central), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), Wil Sylvince (Comedy Central, BET's Comic View), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show): Judah Friedlander, Nick Griffin, Nikki Glaser, Gregg Rogell, and More

[$] 10:00 pm ($15 & 2-drink min.): Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Brian Scolaro (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, AMC's Mad Men, TBS' Sullivan and Son), Jessimae Peluso (MTV's Girl Code, Failosophy; Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, Tyra Banks, TruTV), Nick Turner (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1, host of Nick Turner & Acquaintances), Scott Krinsky (NBC's Chuck, Transformers), Derek Gaines, Chris Millhouse, and Mike Citera performing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club: ComedyJuice

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, HBO, Showtime, MTV), Luis J. Gomez, Dave Smith, and other NYC stand-ups performing live on stage for this podcast show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Legion of Skanks

Tuesday Open Mics & Jams

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:15 pm: Open mic for comedy of all types providing 2 minutes for each performer (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jay Dean and Tynan DeLong: Two Nice Guys Open MIc

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: This weekly 2-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer a full 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC's The Creek downstairs lounge, with tonight's guest co-host either Roman Rimer or Maddog Mattern (or both) and host Jake Hart: The Dump

7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Tuesday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:15: Sign up at 9:30 pm for the opportunity to make up a musical on the spot with members of some of The Magnet's finest singing improv groups: Magnet Musical Improv Mixer

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up at UCB East hosted by Boris Khaykin, John Trowbridge, and/or Katie East: Tuesday Night Open Mic

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 7/10/13

Genius comic Daniel Kitson blends stand-up and theatre in After The Beginning, Before The End;
UCB East hosts a free sneak peek screening of feature film comedy Ass Backwards

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 5:00 pm: A sneak peek screening of the comedy feature film Ass Backwards, co-written and co-starring UCB alums Casey Wilson (SNL, Happy Endings) and June Diane Raphael (Bride Wars), and also featuring Paul Scheer, Bob Odenkirk, Alicia Silverstone, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Cryer, and Paul Rust, at UCB East (which used to be an indie film theatre): Ass Backwards

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: PIT founder Ali Farahnakian talks and answers questions for 44 minutes at The PIT upstairs theatre: Ali’s Hour (Actually 44 Minutes)

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-up Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) tries out new material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Alex Koll

7:30 pm ($5): Expanding the UCB longform improv showcased on Harold Night is this weekly show at UCB East which tonight features groups Apollo and Detroit: Lloyd Night

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): At UCB Chelsea, four-gal comedy group Georgie Aldaco, Danielle Gibson, Viviana Olen, and Katie Simon perform a series of surreal sketches that are both unsettling and charged with comedic energy. A long bit about a mother threatening to do something surprising to her husband and son is an instant classic (when you see it, you'll have no doubt what sketch I'm talking about...). The show could be greatly improved with periodic nuanced emotion to create a roller coaster effect—right now the audience is hit with surface shock after shock, which after a while desensitizes and loses impact—but if you're open to the purity of conceptual comedy that challenges your sanity, you'll enjoy Former Business Partners: Everything Must Go...

...and in the other half of this sketch double-bill, "Aaron & Brian lead their lonely friend Erik on a surreal, nightmarish odyssey to 'get his dick wet.' Elderly lesbians, impromptu Fosse numbers, dueling Katherine Hepburns, and the ominous Old Valley are all pit-stops on this journey to happiness, or at least maybe getting laid," written by and starring Aaron Jackson, Erik Dies, and Brian Glidewell: Erik Dies, You're Stupid and We Hate You

[$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and Godfrey (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, 30 Rock, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads) performing stand-up at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): Amy Schumer, Lenny Marcus, and More

[$] 8:00 pm ($15; no min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Randy Humphrey: Judah Friedlander, Christian Finnegan, and More

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups do sets "and then have a discussion about what’s going on in the world and the mysteries of life" at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City, hosted by Chris Laker: The Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] Seating at 8:00, show at 8:30 pm (RSVP to confirm your spot at FreeComedyWednesdays@gmail.com): Mark Normand (hilarious rising star; Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central; opens for Amy Schumer; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here), Kurt Metzger (staff writer for Inside Amy Schumer; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here), Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, host of Big Long Sets), Sean Donnelly (MTV, FOX News; host of many shows), and Matt Ruby (MTV; co-host of Hot Soup and We're All Friends Here, blog Sandpaper Suit) performing stand-up at new show venue The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Superb improvisors—and actual brothers—Will Hines and Kevin Hines make use of their intimate knowledge of each other to gracefully invent scenes (hopefully without any squabbling) at UCB East performing as duo The Brothers Hines

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two ace improvisors, Neil Casey (writer for SNL) and Zach Woods (cast member of The Office), make up duo scenes at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Casey & Woods

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): A comic's comic who's performed on David Letterman, Jay Leno, HBO, FX's Louie, CNN, FOX, and three Comedy Central specials, and has been a frequent guest on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Howard Stern, testing out material at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre: Nick DiPaolo

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): All you need to know: Daniel Kitson is one of the greatest comics alive, and he's performing a one hour and 40 minute show at The Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street) through Saturday. All performances are sold out, which I why I haven't been plugging it; except I saw it last night, and learned that if you sign up on the standby list there's an excellent chance you'll get in (god bless no-shows...). So if you didn't heed my pleas last month to buy tickets in advance, you still have a solid shot of seeing, to my eye, Daniel's best-ever scripted blend of stand-up & theatre: After The Beginning, Before The End

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5): The instructors of UCB's classes include some of the finest improvisors in the country. In this weekly show a bunch of them get on stage at UCB East, along with hosts Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis: Hot for Teacher: The UCB Faculty Show

[$] 10:00 pm ($15; no min.): Judah Friedlander (one of the quickest minds in comedy; 30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Esther Ku (Last Comic Standing), Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code), and more performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street) hosted by Randy Humphrey: Judah Friedlander, Esther Ku, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: The wonderful Sasheer Zamata (highly charming, innovative rising star; Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, FX's Totally Biased, Apple Mac commercials; member of red-hot improv troupe Doppelganger, sketch troupe The Prom, and Harold Night troupe Bucky) hosts as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun; plus Sasheer is going to be a huge star, so catch her in this intimate setting while you can. (For tonight's guests, please click here.) Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB Chelsea makes possible—and don't forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

[TOP PICK] [$] 11:30 pm ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Uncensored stand-up from Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Kurt Metzger (staff writer for Inside Amy Schumer; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), and Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam): The Nasty Show: Dave Attell, Kurt Metzger, Big Jay Oakerson, and More

Wednesday Open Mics & Jams

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up for 15 comics performing for 5 minutes each at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.)—with drinks at half price: Happy Hour Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing 5 minutes per comic at Queens LIC's The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Benel Germosen: Cracking It

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 4 minutes per comic. Get your name in the bucket by 6:15 pm to get signed up at ZirZamin (90 West Houston Street) hosted by Maria Heinegg & Mike Kaiser (who also host the booked stand-up Apology Show at 8:00 pm): Comics Anonymous Open Mic

7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Wednesday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Lizzie Martinez: Comics Phoning It In

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up running until 1:00 am, with time divided evenly between performers (up to five minutes), at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City with host Rob Stern: Bucket 'O Buckets

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house group Bucky and DJ Cipha Sounds: The Improv Jam

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your chance to perform on stage with experienced improvisors at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Lucas Hazlett: Improdome

[FREE] 11:30: Sign up at 11:00 pm for the opportunity to make up scenes at The Magnet with group All American: Magnet Improv Mixer

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 7/11/13

Todd Barry headlines through Saturday at Carolines;
Ophira Eisenberg performs at The Armando Diaz Experience and And I Am Not Lying

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-up Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) tries out new material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Alex Koll

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): Mike Lawrence (nerd persona but razor-sharp mind has made this stand-up a rapidly rising star; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, John Oliver's NY Stand-Up), Joe List (HBO, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Kate Hendricks (Huffington Post), Doug Smith (See You in Hell), and more performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Sean Crespo, Dan Wilbur, and Katina Corrao: Lasers in the Jungle

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($27.25 & 2-drink min.): World-class stand-up Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead) headlines tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Todd Barry

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm-MIdnight ($7 for the entire evening): The Magnet house improv groups The Boss and Junior Varsity performing improv for an hour, followed at 9:00 pm by Medusa (all improvisers stay on stage at all times, and alternate between speaking roles and playing inanimate objects), and at 10:00 pm by veteran improvisors making up scenes based on improvised monologues from storyteller Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller with notable bangs; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone) at The Armando Diaz Experience, and finally at 11:00 improv competition Inspirado (like UCBT's Cage Match, but with a game-like challenge component) featuring All American vs. Hip.Bang: The Magnet's Night Out

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Longtime UCBT stars Neil Casey (writer for Saturday Night Live; Death by Roo Roo) and Will Hines (The Stepfathers) in a two-man sketch show at UCB Chelsea that starts out hilariously, then loses some steam as it gets conceptually self-indulgent, but overall is worth catching: Small Men

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($20): A former roommate & drinking buddy of such comedy giants as David Cross and Marc Maron performs a one-man show that was such a hit at August's FringeNYC it's been extended indefinitely. Please read my review by clicking here, and Jason Zinoman's New York Times review by clicking here; and then come share an intimate hour with Matt Graham at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club so he can explain life and meaning and why This Too Shall Suck

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Terrific NYC stand-ups (the lineup is typically announced around 3:00 pm; for an update, please click here) performing on this free weekly show at the Kabin Bar and Lounge hosted by Chesley Calloway and comedy genius Sean Patton: Comedy as a Second Language

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A one-man show by Arthur Meyer (The Onion; sketch troupes Pangea 3000, Fambly, and Two Fun Men) at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Arthur Meyer: Rock and Roll...

...and in the other half of this double-bill, sketch troupe Boat performs 30 minutes of bits at Boat: Comedic Sketches

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): All you need to know: Daniel Kitson is one of the greatest comics alive, and he's performing a one hour and 40 minute show at The Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street) through Saturday. All performances are sold out, but if you sign up for the standby list there's a good chance you'll get in (god bless no-shows...). So even if you didn't heed my pleas last month to buy tickets in advance, you still have a solid shot of seeing, to my eye, Daniel's best-ever scripted blend of stand-up & theatre: After The Beginning, Before The End

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Ryan Hamilton (Conan O'Brien, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, Showtime), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Vic Henley (Comedy Central; super likeable comic), and Jermaine Fowler (MTV’s Guy Code and Wildn Out, Comedy Central, Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by William Stephenson (FX's Louie, The Chris Rock Show), : Dave Attell, Michael Che, Ryan Hamilton, and More

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Storytelling and carny join forces to bring the blog And I Am Not Lying to life on stage, hosted by Jeff Simmermon (NPR's This American Life), and tonight featuring stand-up from Ophira Eisenberg (brilliant storyteller with notable bangs; Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime, host of NPR's trivia/puzzle show Ask Me Another, bestselling book Screw Everyone), storytelling from Melanie Hamlett (brilliant storyteller/writer; two-time Moth StorySlam Champion, co-author of the book Leave the Lipstick, Take the Iguana, contributor to Marie Claire Magazine and Nerve.com, amazing blog, roving adventurer) and Brad Lawrence (Moth GrandSlam Champion), plus burlesque from Corvette LeFace, all at the UCB East theatre: And I Am Not Lying

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): Last week the Death by Roo Roo improv juggernaut crumbled Sherlock & Cookies 80-36. Tonight its likely victim is The Curfew at UCB Chelsea as they compete for your laughs and votes at the raucous Cage Match

[$] Midnight ($10 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Uncensored stand-up from Kurt Metzger (staff writer for Inside Amy Schumer; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1), and Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam), Mike Yard (Comedy Central, Def Comedy Jam) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): The Nasty Show: Kurt Metzger, Big Jay Oakerson, Greer Barnes, and More

Thursday Open Mics & Jams

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up with comics' names drawn from a bucket and each chosen receiving two minutes—and if that goes well, maybe a hug (but not actual puppies)—at The Creek's upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Ross Parsons & Trey Galyon: Free Puppies

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 2 1/2 hours. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

7:00 pm ($2, which includes a free beer or water): Open mic stand-up providing a whopping 10 minutes per comic. Email PhoningItInMic@gmail.com with subject line Phoning Thursday to sign up; or take a chance at lottery sign-up live between 6:45 and 7:45 at Brit Pack Studios (153 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor) hosted by Ian Fidance: Comics Phoning It In

[FREE] 7:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members (signing in at 6:00) can join in with improv group The Boss to make up scenes on the spot: Magnet Mixer

[FREE] 11:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve, with each comic getting 3-5 minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Josh Alba: Mic and Cheese

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): An open stage for indie improv groups—and if you're not in a group, that's also fine, you'll simply be added to one—at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Darcy Burke & Donna Lobello: New Team Lunacy

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 7/12/13

Mara Herron and Chelsea White light up NYC tonight at What Else? Comedy...

...Todd Barry continues his headlining run at Carolines; and
Julie Sharbutt performs a free improv duo show with The Daily Show's Zhubin Parang in Chairs

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12.50 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (possibly 9:00 pm only), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, ABC's The Unusuals), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($7): One of my favorite people in the world, the delightful Lauren Olson (powerhouse one-woman show Our Condolences at FringeNYC; brilliant writer, actress, and improvisor) co-stars in this sketch comedy show with Jana Schmieding, and a bunch of young performers, at The Magnet theatre: Jana & Lauren Presents

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-up Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) tries out new material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Alex Koll

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Stone Cold Fox is the only sketch troupe (vs. improv troupe) to ever be honored with an ongoing spot on the prestigious UCB Chelsea weekend schedule. It’s earned this slot because its cast is superb, typically consisting of Brandon Scott Jones, Molly Lloyd, John Murray, Leslie Meisel, Connor Ratliff, and/or Johnathan Fernandez. Tonight is the debut of a brand new show, so I can't tell you anything about it...except that I'll be there, so check in next Friday for what I thought of Stone Cold Fox: A Triumph... Channing Tatum is Electric!

[FREE] 7:30ish pm: Mara Herron (VH1, Sirius Radio, astonishing Web series That Chick Mara Herron), Pat Stango (Fortress of Attitude), J-L Cauvin (Craig Ferguson), Amanda Baramki (Women in Comedy Fest), Matt Maragno, and Jeff Sussman performing stand-up at this monthly show at the One and One Bar (76 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) hosted by Jeff Cerulli and the delightful Chelsea White (producer of MTV's Girl Code, VH1, TLC, co-host of Call Us Crazy): What Else? Comedy

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): World-class stand-up Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead) headlines tonight through Saturday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Todd Barry

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Telly Savalas returns to life to entertain you and provide life guidance in this show that was a hit at FringeNYC 2011 and is enjoying a Friday night run this summer at the Soho Playhouse's downstairs Huron Club. The script is at times very smart, especially in its choices of hilarious video clips and music tracks from the real Savalas...who, in his more intense moments, apparently rivaled William Shatner at his silliest. But even when Hunter Nelson's writing isn't consistent, actor Tom DiMenna—who is a professional comic with great timing and skill at engaging an audience—is likely to keep you entertained. Plus this latest version of the show brings in guest performers each week to keep things fresh: Telly Savalas Live and Friends

8:00 pm ($10): "A monthly show featuring long form improv of diverse schools of thought and culminating in a cross-team closing" at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Sharif Ali and Kelly Ann Rockwell: World's Fair

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): Before this Magnet show, audience members may anonymously submit written confessions, secrets, rants, advice and opinions which will be used onstage by the improvisors—who include such talents as Laura Grey (stellar old-time radio style theatrical podcast Horrorgasm, improv troupe Salmon Diane, sketch/improv duo Klepper & Grey): The Friday Night Sh*w

[$] 8:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's performed on David Letterman and Jay Leno, and starred in two Comedy Central specials, headlining tonight and Saturday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Mitch Fatel

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:45 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Matt Lamp (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Amy Schumer, Michael Che, Allan Havey, and More

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Cipha Sounds (Hot 97, Chappelle's Show) thought it would be cool if a hip-hop star told tales and then improvisors made up scenes based on them. This monthly show is the result, with a "secret" music celebrity "mesmerizing the crowd with amazing stories and linguistic darts to spark the creativity of some of the best improvisers in NYC," the latter being Chris Gethard, Anthony Atamanuik, Brandon Gardner, Phil Jackson, and Abra Tabak at the UCB Chelsea theatre: Take It Personal: The Hip-Hip Improv Show

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Some of the finest improv in NYC from Shannon O'Neill, Silvija Ozols, Zach Woods, Michael Delaney, Will Hines, and Connor Ratliff, performing at UCB Chelsea—the all-star members of The Stepfathers

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 pm ($12.50 online using whimsical discount code CODE; no min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Joe Matarese (David Letterman, Chelsea Lately, Comedy Central Presents, Bravo, IFC), Kurt Metzger (staff writer for Inside Amy Schumer; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Russ Meneve (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno), and Chris Distefano (Comedy Central, MTV2's Guy Code) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Nick DiPaolo, Joe Matarese, Kurt Metzger, and More

9:30 pm ($10): Two PIT improv groups making up a musical on the spot, one with sharpness and the other with a friendly greeting: Dagger and Hello

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): All you need to know: Daniel Kitson is one of the greatest comics alive, and he's performing a one hour and 40 minute show at The Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street) through Saturday. All performances are sold out, but if you sign up for the standby list there's a good chance you'll get in (god bless no-shows...). So even if you didn't heed my pleas last month to buy tickets in advance, you still have a solid shot of seeing, to my eye, Daniel's best-ever scripted blend of stand-up & theatre: After The Beginning, Before The End

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: The wonderful Julie Sharbutt (improv shows Gravid Water, Mystic Improv, The Scene, Birds) and Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show; improv shows What I Did For Love, HUNK, The Scene) perform duo improv "exploring a world of deeply felt character relationships while sitting in chairs" at the The Walker Theatre (5th Floor of Tisch School of the Arts) (721 Broadway): Chairs

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): Singing improvisors at The Magnet using an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Superb improvisors Craig Rowin, Matt Fisher, Sue Galloway, Dan Klein, Brian Faas, Matt Moses, and/or Conner O'Malley—who this year defeated The Stepfathers and thoroughly crushed another troupe at Cage Match before losing by a single vote—make up scenes about an audience member's legal dispute at the UCB Chelsea theatre: The Law Firm: Law & Disorder

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:30 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know's Best, IFC's Z Rock, host of WB's Life & Style): Amy Schumer, Michael Che, Allan Havey, and More

10:30 pm ($10): Giulia Rozzi (Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, VH1, Playgirl Magazine, co-host of Dive comedy and Stripped Stories), Adam Newman (Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, host of Big Long Sets), Jason Saenz (sketch troupe Onassis, co-host of Late Night Trash), Phil Jackson (The Chris Gethard Show), and Brendan Fitzgibbons (Bravo) performing at UCB East hosted by Brandon Scott Jones, D'Arcy Carden, Justin Tyler, Kelly Hudson, and/or Alden Ford: Gentrify

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 11:00 pm ($12.50 online using whimsical discount code CODE; no min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Jessimae Peluso (MTV's Girl Code, Failosophy; Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, Tyra Banks, TruTV), and Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, VH1) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Nick DiPaolo, Nikki Glaser, Big Jay Oakerson, and More

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($8): "Come sing-a-long to Grease as we watch the classic musical-made-movie! (Due to the time limitations, we will be fast-forwarding through all the non-singing scenes and just improvising those parts to get to the next song.) Tthe words will be printed on the screen for whoever is pretty sure they know all the word" but would rather be safe than sorry. Prizes are awarded to anyone who did the show once in high school and/or can get up and do the original choreography" at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Grease Sing-Along

[TOP PICK] 11:30 pm ($5): A rotating cast drawing from over a dozen of the talented gal improvisors and sketch comics at The Magnet—including Artistic Director Megan Gray, Lauren Olson, Elena Fishbein, Kimberly Ferguson, and Beth Newell—aim to "give you a dark and twisted late night explosion:" The Clubhouse

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Reid Faylor & Andrew Short (hosts of Underbelly), Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), and Jacqueline Novak performing stand-up at this monthly show at UCB East hosted by Nick Maritato, Zach Broussard, Randy Foreman, and Nate Fernald: Special Presentation

[TOP PICK] [$] 12:15 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Great lineup of Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), and Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Amy Schumer, Dave Attell, Nikki Glaser, and More

Friday Open Mics

5:45 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. for both comics and audience members): Open mic stand-up providing 5-7 minutes per comic, running 1 hour. Arrive 30 minutes before the show to get on the signup sheet. This is a fine opportunity to perform at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club Open Mic

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An open mic show on a lottery system (sign-ups happen at 5:45-6:00 pm) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City with hosts Erin Lennox and Eli Sairs: The Orphanage

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Nate Dern, Sarah Tollemache, and Paul Oddo: The Friday Night Hot Chicks Open Mic

[FREE] 8:00 pm: An open mic show that's first come, first serve (sign-ups start at 7:30 pm), with each comic getting five minutes on stage at The Creek downstairs lounge in Queens' Long Island City: Mic and Cheese

[FREE] Midnight: This show might not be much fun for audience members, but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to perform sketch for free and with almost zero hurdles on the prestigious UCB Chelsea stage. Hosted by Maude troupe Fambly: Liquid Courage

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 7/13/13

Sketch group Murderfist commits mayhem at The PIT;
Todd Barry concludes his headlining run at Carolines

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12.50 marked with $) include:

6:00 pm ($5): Douglas Widick (North Coast, Punchbowl) experiments with a one-man musical form that integrates musical improv and freestyle rapping at The PIT downstairs lounge: as troupe One-Man Musical/Hip-Hopera

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm & 11:00 pm (FREE TICKETS if you reserve in advance by calling (212) 260-2445 and mention HyReviews.com, but there's still a 2-drink min. per person): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (possibly 9:00 pm only), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), DC Benny (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, ABC's The Unusuals), and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

7:00 pm ($8): All-gal improvisors Ashley Ward, Brigid Boyle, Alexis Saarela, and Elizabeth Findlay perform at The PIT downstairs lounge as troupe Taco Supreme

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Stand-up Alex Koll (Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central) tries out new material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week At the Creek: Alex Koll

7:30 pm ($10): Improv powerhouses Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, Natasha Rothwell, and more at UCB Chelsea interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then "turn that town's tourist attractions, landmarks, hangouts, local celebrities, urban legends, and more into a hilarious show made up on the spot:" The Curfew: Not From Around Here

7:30 pm ($10): Sharp Magnet improvisors "perform organic freeform improvisation in two mind-blowing parts; the only rule is that there are no rules:" The Weave

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($31.25 & 2-drink min.): World-class stand-up Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead) headlines one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Todd Barry

[TOP PICK] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($12.50 online using whimsical discount code CODE; no min.): Nikki Glaser (co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Half Hour; podcast You Had to Be There), Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), and Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Nikki Glaser, Christian Finnegan, Big Jay Oakerson, and More

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($10): Seth Herzog (staff comic for Jimmy Fallon; 30 Rock, Comedy Central, CBS, VH1, film actor; host of Sweet), Chesley Calloway (co-host of Comedy as a Second Language), philosopher Phil Rockstroh, musician Justin Dean, plus additional guests who may include Jena Friedman, Kate Berlant, and/or Erin Lennox, all performing at Brooklyn's Union Hall for a show hosted by Greg Barris: Heart of Darkness

8:30 pm ($10): UCBT Maude Night group Bucky—which includes red-hot rising star Sasheer Zamata—performs one long scene in the same location (a winning form that's helped such teams as Death by Roo Roo win a whole lot of Cage Match victories) at the UCB East theatre: Bucky, Here and Now

8:00 pm ($8): Improvisors make up a religion based on an audience suggestion—e.g., The Church of the Carrot, The Church of Crime—and then make up hymns, readings, sermons, sacraments, and more on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Fake Church

[FREE] 8:30 pm: NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) hosted by Gary Vider (hilarious writer & deadpan stand-up; for sample jokes, please click here): Comedy at Irish Exit

[$] 8:30 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A stand-up who's performed on David Letterman and Jay Leno, and starred in two Comedy Central specials, headlining one last night at the Gotham Comedy Club: Mitch Fatel

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): One of the gutsiest and most hilarious troupes in comedy history—with honors including being Cage Match Champion for three years in a row, and winning the 2011 ECNY Award for Best Improv Group—UCB Chelsea's genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

9:00 pm ($10): Magnet improvisors team up with poets at Kiss*Punch*Poem

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:15 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Lenny Marcus (David Letterman, MTV), Matt Lamp (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know's Best, IFC's Z Rock, host of WB's Life & Style): Amy Schumer, Allan Havey, Lenny Marcus, and More

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($11.34 online, $15 at the door): Improv troupe Punctual Drunks interviews an audience member about his or her favorite fairy tale, and then picks up the story where it left off so you can find out how it really ended, at The PIT upstairs theatre: Punctual Drunks & Friends

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($20): All you need to know: Daniel Kitson is one of the greatest comics alive, and he's performing a one hour and 40 minute show at The Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street) through Saturday. All performances are sold out, but if you sign up for the standby list there's a good chance you'll get in (god bless no-shows...). So even if you didn't heed my pleas last month to buy tickets in advance, you still have a solid shot of seeing, to my eye, Daniel's best-ever scripted blend of stand-up & theatre: After The Beginning, Before The End

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($10): UCBT Artistic Director Nate Dern, Zhubin Parang (writer for The Daily Show), Tracey Wigfield (writer for 30 Rock), Michael Kayne (Baby Wants Candy, Diamond Lion), Aaron Jackson (Newsadoozies), and more form an improv troupe at UCB Chelsea that won this year's prestigious Cage Match championship by springboarding scenes off interviewing an audience member about his or her love life: What I Did For Love

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups (sadly, not announced) performing sets and then being interviewed about their personal lives at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Matt Ruby & Mark Normand (who says "all these guys were hand-picked because they're funny and have some serious problems; when you read this lineup you're gonna be like 'oh yeah, that guy is a mess'"): We're All Friends Here

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15): Ted Greenberg (Emmy-winning David Letterman writer) performing a fun, fast-paced theatrical comedy show—complete with audience interaction and audience rides home!—at The Complete Performer

[DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($12.50 online using whimsical discount code CODE; no min.): Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show), Russ Meneve (Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Keith Robinson (HBO, Comedy Central, Wanda Sykes Show), and Paul Virzi (FOX, Spike TV) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Christian Finnegan, Russ Meneve, Big Jay Oakerson, and More

[TOP PICK] 10:30 ($10): NYC's heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which doesn't always ht the mark but provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and in 2011 won the ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group—performing at The PIT downstairs lounge: Murderfist: Late and Dirty

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): At UCB Chelsea, improv troupe Grandma's Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to "take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter:" Grandma's Ashes Gets Dark

10:30 pm ($10): Sharp improvisors Peter McNerney & Nick Kanellis perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] [$] 11:00 pm ($24 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Great lineup of Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Sherrod Small (writer/performer on TBS' Are We There Yet?, Comedy Central, VH1), and Robert Kelly (Louie, Comedy Central, Opie & Anthony) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Amy Schumer, Dave Attell, Michael Che, Allan Havey, and More

11:00 pm ($8): Nick Carrillo, Langston Belton, and Devin James Heater perform a post-apocalyptic improvised comedy—exploring the relationship of three men trapped in a Generic Underground Shelter—at The PIT upstairs theatre: G.U.S.

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): Stand-up from Sara Schaefer (inventive, luminous comic; co-star of MTV's The Nikki and Sara Show; Emmy-nominated staff writer for Jimmy Fallon; VH1's Best Week Ever; co-host of hit podcast You Had to Be There), Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, VHI, FX's Totally Biased, documentary Metaphysical Graffiti, High Times), and Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), character improvisation from Anthony Atamanuik (30 Rock, Conan O'Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo, The Nights of Our Lives, The Tony and Johnny Show), and general oddness from Frank Conniff (MST3K) at UCB Chelsea with hosts Andy Rocco & Steven Slate celebrating the Third Anniversary of Underground Americana

[TOP PICK] [FREE] [DISCOUNTED] Midnight (FREE online using whimsical discount code CODE; no min.): Kurt Metzger (staff writer for Inside Amy Schumer; Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Ugly Americans), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), Jessimae Peluso (MTV's Girl Code, Failosophy; Last Comic Standing, Chelsea Lately, Tyra Banks, TruTV), and Pete Davidson (MTV's Guy Code) performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): Kurt Metzger, Big Jay Oakerson, Jessimae Peluso, and More

[FREE] Midnight: Stand-up and sketch (performers not announced) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Kingmaker Sketch

[TOP PICK] [$] 12:45 am ($20 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Great lineup of Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Dave Attell (one of the most respected stand-ups in the biz; star of Showtime's Dave's Old Porn and Comedy Central's Insomniac; HBO, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents), Michael Che (hilarious rising star stand-up; David Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), Big Jay Oakerson (Comedy Central Presents, Louie, HBO, Showtime, MTV, IFC), and Mike Vecchione (Last Comic Standing, Howard Stern) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Amy Schumer, Dave Attell, Michael Che, Allan Havey, and More

Saturday Open Mics

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open mic stand-up show ("starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one") at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 7/14/13

Ted Alexandro performs at 2:00 pm at a free show in Tompkins Square Park;
Christian Finnegan tries out new material for seven nights straight at free show Week at the Creek

Recommendations for the best in New York City comedy tonight
(in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 2:00 pm: Ted Alexandro (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; frequently opens for Louis C.K.), Jared Logan (rising star; Comedy Central Half Hour, Last Comic Standing, CNN, TBS), Phoebe Robinson (TV Guide’s 100 TV Shows To See Before You Die and 25 Biggest Reality Star Blunders, Huffington Post), and Miguel Dalmau performing for a free outdoor show at Tompkins Square Park (at the Old Bandshell Lawn): Laughter in the Park

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Christian Finnegan (Conan O'Brien, co-star of TBS' Are We There Yet?; three Comedy Central specials; MSNBC, VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show, The Today Show) tries out new stand-up material every night through Saturday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Week at the Creek: Christian Finnegan

7:00 pm ($8): Improvisors make up scenes & songs based on the gallery of a guest artist's work, while guest creates a new painting, sculpture, or other piece inspired by the improvised scenes, at The PIT upstairs theatre, tonight cartoonist Neil Numberman: ArtProv

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10; seats are sold out, but there'll be a standby line if you're okay with standing) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCB Chelsea's signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes superstars in the improv world such as Chris Gethard, and occasionally network TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz—plus tonight's 7:30 show features world-class storyteller Melanie Hamlett (two-time Moth StorySlam Champion, co-author of the book Leave the Lipstick, Take the Iguana, contributor to Marie Claire Magazine and Nerve.com, amazing blog, roving adventurer): ASSSSCAT 3000

7:30 pm ($5): Freestyle rapping long-form improv troupe North Coast clobbered some of the best groups in NYC last year at UCBT's Cage Match. Tonight it takes the stage for nearly an hour at The Magnet theatre: North Coast

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): From Dan Hodapp & Micah Sherman (producers of The Scene), improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One

8:00 pm ($8): "Four couples, each married less than two years, answer a bevy of questions that reveal just how well these spouses know or don't know each other" at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Kathryn Dunn: Newlyweds!

[$] 8:00 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Amy Schumer (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer; Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, great new DVD/CD Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff), Allan Havey (star of FOX's Free Ride, David Letterman, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, FX's Louie, Comedy Central), Matt Lamp (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central), Jeff Lamp (Jay Leno, Comedy Central), and more performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Amy Schumer, Allan Havey, Matt Lamp, and More

8:00 pm ($5): Streeter Seidell (Editor-in-Chief of College Humor; Jimmy Kimmel, MTV's Pranked), Pat Dixon (Comedy Central Presents, FOX, VH1, E!, host of Nearly Naked Lady Comedy Hour), Sabrina Jalees (Last Comic Standing, MTV’s Failosophy), Sarah Tollemache (host of Last Night,; immortal story That's Not My Shit), Max Silvestri (co-host of Big Terrific), Billy Wayne Davis, and Mike Trainor performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk (Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon): If You Build It

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sean Donnelly (MTV's World of Jenks), Aaron Glaser, Jessie Richardson, Tim Dillon, and Courtney Hill performing at the Three of Cups lounge (83 First Avenue at 5th Street) hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up

9:00 pm ($7): Sharp NYC stand-ups (not announced) performing at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) typically hosted by the wonderful Hannibal Buress (former staff writer for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live; David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Louie, The Eric Andre Show): Comedy Night

9:00 pm ($7): Sketch comedy at The Magnet from Fat Kids and the sharp, inventive Jacktown: Magnet Sketch Teams

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Amber Nelson (fearless, innovative rising star; Comedy Central), Nick Vatterott (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Half Hour, MTV, Second City, 2012 Andy Kaufman Award), Nick Naney, Mark Chalifoux, and John F. O'Donnell performing stand-up in the East Village's Beauty Bar for this free weekly show hosted by Adam Sokol, Brad Austin, and/or Nate Fridson: Comedy at Beauty Bar

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($8): "Improvised one-acts in the style of prominent playwrights and genres, spontaneously generating an original and hilarious work of instantly important theater right before your eyes" at The PIT upstairs theatre: The Improvised Play

[TOP PICK] [$] 9:45 pm ($14 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Todd Barry (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, FX's Louie, HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Bored to Death, Adult Swim, feature films The Wrestler and Pete Smalls is Dead), Nick Griffin (David Letterman, Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents), Greer Barnes (David Letterman, Chappelle's Show, For the Love of the Game), Phil Hanley (Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central), and Lynne Koplitz (Joan Know's Best, IFC's Z Rock, host of WB's Life & Style) performing at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane) hosted by Ardie Fuqua (HBO'S Bad Boys of Comedy, Comedy Central): Todd Barry, Nick Griffin, Greer Barnes, and More

Sunday Open Mics & Open Stages

[FREE] 4:00 pm: An unusually early walk-in open mic stand-up show providing at least 3 minutes per comic (more time if there are fewer comics attending), with sign-up at 3:45, at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens' Long Island City: Face-Plant Open Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 5:00 pm ($1): Sign up at 4:30 pm to do improv with experienced PIT performers at The PIT downstairs lounge hosted by Sasha Capelli, Eitan Levine, and Shaina Stigler: 10K Jam Jam

[FREE] 5:30 pm: Open-mic stand-up, with 3 minutes per comic (unless not many folks show up, in which case there'll be more time), with names drawn out of a bucket at UCB East in the bar area ("Hot Chicks Room") hosted by Emmy Blotnick, Matt Nedostup, and/or Sachi Ezurafor: Sledgehammer

6:00 pm ($5): Open-mic stand-up that includes professional feedback on each comic's 5-minute set at Queens LIC's Laughing Devil Comedy Club (4738 Vernon Blvd.): Mic-Shop: Open Mic Workshop

[ALMOST FREE] 9:30 pm ($1): Open-mic comedy, with 4 minutes per performer, at The PIT downstairs lounge: Child Support

[FREE] 10:00 pm: The only open-stage show for entire groups of improvisors and sketch comics, running weekly at UCB East hosted by Austin Rodrigues: Bring Your Own Team: Improv/Sketch Team Jam

[FREE] 10:15 pm: Open-mic show for sketch and character bits running 3-5 minutes at The Magnet hosted by Sebastian Conelli. Everyone who signs up—at 9:45 pm at the box office—is likely to get onstage: Sketch in Progress

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$15)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens' Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.)

The Stand
(239 Third Avenue; recent competitor to Comedy Cellar; no drink min.—support this policy!)

Carolines Comedy Club
(1626 Broadway; focuses on the world's top headliners, who perform hour-long sets; 2-drink min.)

Gotham Comedy Club
(208 West 23rd Street; headliners on weekends, specialty & lineup shows weekdays; 2-drink min.)

Eastville Comedy Club
(85 East 4th Street; strong weekend lineups; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

Greenwich Village Comedy Club
(99 MacDougal Street; convenient if Comedy Cellar's sold out; no cover using code HyReviews; 2-drink min.)

NYC Comedy Picks for Tonight

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