Best New York Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Kurt Metzger—seen here shunned by Kathy Griffin—headlines tonight at the Carolines Comedy Club...

...and at UCB West, Doug Moe explains why he's a Bad Dad

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] 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

8:00 pm ($5): Remember how your father totally screwed you up? Imagine if you were brought up by Doug Moe: Doug Moe is a Bad Dad; and in the other half of this UCB West double-bill, the superb Ryan Karels (Conan O’Brien, Krompf) performs a sketch show titled Radio Rogue

[FREE—plus FREE PIZZA for first 30 people, from Artichoke Pizza!] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Miguel Delmau (TruTV), Liam McEneaney (host of Tell Your Friends), Justy Dodge (Comical Radio), and Andrew Schwartzol 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 Impromptu Splendor, Ransom Family, Phooka, Featherweight, The Kicks, and Chet Watkins performing improv, followed by a free audience interactive show with Phooka 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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Open mic stand-up (with sign-up starting at 8:00) at Brooklyn’sBelleville (330 5th Street) hosted—for the last time!—by Josh Guarino, who’s leaving NYC (new host slated to be announced next week), with tonight’s guests including Ben Lerman: The Belleville Mic: Goodbye Josh Guarino

[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 Creature and Deckard make up scenes without relying on the usual long-form “Harold” rules at Cheating on Harold

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 9:00ish pm: Carla Rhodes (“rock’n’roll ventriloquist;” for shout-out from David Letterman, please click here; for act with “Keith Richards,” please click here), Jefferson (Moth StorySlam champion), Brian Samonek (another storyteller), Danny Jolles, and Tom Dunlap performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): A stand-up who’s a frequent performer on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno, and starred in a Comedy Central one-hour special, performs tonight at UCB West with perhaps a guest or two: Tom Papa and Maybe a Friend

[$] 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 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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