Best New York Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Cat-friendly comics Julie Klausner (The Rejection Show)...

...and Brooke Van Poppelen (New York's Funniest)

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

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Open-mic stand-up providing four minutes per comic, with “15 people chosen randomly through e-mail, and five walk-ins; and a guaranteed spot to anyone who performs in character as a famous explorer” at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre: Comedic Exploration Club of Long Island City, West

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm (FREE COVER—aside from $1.50 “service charge”—if you reserve online using discount code NYFUNNY, plus 2-drink min.): The semi-finals for the New York Comedy Festival’s New York’s Funniest competition, with each stand-up performing a 7-minute set. Tonight’s competitors are Brooke Van Poppelen, Mark Normand, Mike Recine, Annie Lederman, Sam Morril, Joe Larson, Joe Machi, Michael Che, Josh Rabinowitz, Damien Lemon, Thomas Dale, and Eric Lyden, all delivering their best material at the Carolines Comedy Club: Van Poppelen, Normand, Recine, and more at New York’s Funniest

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Neil Casey & Anthony Atamanuik, both genius members of Death by Roo Roo, perform the jaw-dropping feat of making up an entire feature film as The Two-Man Movie; and another genius improv troupe consisting of trio Gavin Speiller of Death By Roo Roo, Ben Rodgers of The Curfew, and Jonathan Gabrus of The Law Firm) performs as Outlook of the Poet

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($8 at the door or $6.50 in advance online): Top comics and writers sharing memorable tales of their material being turned down—with tonight’s guests Julie Klausner (razor-sharp comic & storyteller, and author of I Don’t Care About Your Band), star storyteller Tom Shillue (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Comedy Central Presents, 2011 ECNY Award for Best Storyteller), Patrick Borelli (staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, and previously for Conan O’Brien; Adult Swim, ESPN; author of book Holy Headshot!), and the Found Footage Festival (sharing hilariously odd amateur videos)—all at a new location, Brooklyn’s Littlefield (622 Degraw Street), for Jon Friedman’s wonderful The Rejection Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Acclaimed Canadian sketch/improv duo Isaac Kessler & Ken Hall perform for one night only at UCB West as part of a national tour; “Their acting was physical and first-class, their object work immense, and their plot lines outrageous”—Time Out Chicago: 2-Man No-Show

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Matt Graham (Conan O’Brien), Mariane Schaberg (Good Housekeeping TV correspondent), Emma Willman (Daily Motion), and David Lee Nelson (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) performing at the East Village’s Beauty Bar for Negin Farsad’s & Amy Albert’s free weekly show Comedy School Dropout

8:00 pm-12:30 am ($7 for the entire evening): Magnet house troupes Ransom Family, Phooka, Featherweight, Brick, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Ransom Family at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): NYC stand-ups (not yet announced) performing at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[FREE] 8:30 pm: Open mic stand-up (with sign-up starting at 8:00) at Brooklyn’s Belleville (330 5th Street) hosted by Josh Guarino: The Belleville Mic

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): For this double-bill at UCB East, Nicole Byer, Sasheer Zamata, and Keisha Zollar are first up as the fiercely energetic & entertaining all-gal improv troupe Doppelganger; and then UCBT Harold Night house troupes Very Good Kiss and Mr. Crime make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form “Harold” rules at Cheating on Harold

[FREE] 9:00ish pm: Jason Sprung (three-time Moth StorySlam champion), Adam Newman (College Humor), Lee Rubenstein (ABC, MTV), Sean Crespo (The Electric Company, Onion News Network, host of Lasers in the Jungle), and musical guest Soce the Elemental Wizard performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

9:00 pm ($5 if you mention code Comb the Desert, otherwise $8): Fine sketch duo Chris & Paul, musical comedy troupe Purple Skunks, sketch troupe City Hall, and more at Under St. Marks:Sketch Block

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Three sketch comedy talents—James Adomian (sharp impressionist; finalist on last summer’s Last Comic Standing), troupe Ninja Sex Party, and duo Team Submarine—each performing one of their most popular sketches and one of their personal favorites in a fun revue at UCB West hosted by Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[$] 9:30 pm ($20, plus 2-drink min.) A stand-up who’s starred in his own Comedy Central Presentshalf-hour special, is a cast member on Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans, and also performed on Showtime, VH1, and Last Comic Standing headlining tonight and next Wednesday at the Carolines Comedy Club: Kurt Metzger

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: 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; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a weekly show at UCB West makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Your opportunity to perform on the stage of UCB East with improv veterans, hosted by UCBT Harold Night house troupe Grandma’s Ashes: The Improv Jam

[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

 For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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