Best New York Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Stand-up champion Judah Friedlander headlines at the Eastville Comedy Club...

...and wrestlers vie for a comedic crown at "UCBW AutumnSlamn"

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] 4:00 pm: An unusually early weekly open-mic stand-up show at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by RG Daniels & Jared Fried: It Starts at 4

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Swartzlander, Double Date, and Christmas on the Western Front atThe Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8; includes free cookies): Mindy Raf (brilliant singer/songwriter & comedic character actress), Tom Brennan (Marvel Comics editor; improvisor), Charles Star (producer ofAdult Education), Harry Terjanian (stand-up), Cameron Esposito (stand-up), and Justin Born (improvisor) telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives at The PITupstairs theatre hosted by Sara Benincasa (whose birthday is on the 25th, so expect even better free baked treats than usual): Family Hour

[FREE] 7:00 pm: Comedic storytelling at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez: 1001 Nights

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): Genius improvisors Joe Bill, Ed Herbstman, Becky Drysdale, Kay Cannon, Christina Gausas, and/or other stellar performers from 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and legendary Chicago improv institutions, at UCB West all joyously declaring Let’s Have a Ball

[TOP PICK] 7:30ish-8:00 pm ($5 at the door or $5.58 in advance online): Glenn Wool (Comedy Central; terrific UK comedy star), Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central; creator & host of IFC game show Pointless; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-host of Hot Tub Variety; triple 2011 ECNY Award winner), Todd Hanson (founding editor of The Onion), and guest host Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central, VH1; to watch Rob’s hit video Pachelbel Rant, which has been viewed by over 10 million people on YouTube, please click here) performing at Brooklyn’sUnion Hall for a show produced by Liam McEneaney: Tell Your Friends

7:30 pm ($7): Improv veterans Mark Grenier, Louis Kornfeld, and Charlie Whitcroft at The Magnetmaking up a play on the spot: Theory of Everything

7:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf makes stuff up at UCB East: Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm ($46.50 & 2-drink min.) A comedy superstar (for a sample set, please click here) headlining tonight and Sunday at the Carolines Comedy Club: D. L. Hughley

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm & 11:45 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.): A stand-up who’s starred in his ownComedy Central Presents half-hour special, and performed on HBO’s Tourgasm, FX’s Louie, MTV, and VH1 headlining tonight through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Robert Kelly

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Cheslee Calloway (co-host of Comedy as a Second Language), RG Daniels (host of Sunday Night Stand-Up), and Danny Solomon performing stand-up at One and One(76 East 1st Street, corner of First Avenue) at Sean Donnelly’s Lil’ Seany Boy

8:00 pm ($10): Two of the most respected PIT improv troupes performing on this weekly double-bill—and occasionally with comedy giants Kristen Schaal and/or Kurt Braunohler participating: Big Black Car and The Baldwins

[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 West’s genius improvisors Death by Roo Roo

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 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): Judah Friedlander (30 Rock, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, author of How to Beat Up Anybody), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), and more performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash), Andy Haynes (Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing), Christine Nangle (writer for Saturday Night Live), Barry Rothbart (Jay Leno, Comedy Central IFC), Kenny Zimlinghaus (Sirius XM Radio host), Gabe Liedman (VH1, co-host of Big Terrific) performing stand-up at UCB East, hosted by Kara Klenk and Nick Turner: If You Build It

9:00 pm ($10): NYC sketch comedy duo Jamaal Sedayao and Brian Lisi at The Magnet providing “unfamiliar, often absurd stories full of unexpected laughs:” Turboner Bigoté

9:30 pm ($10): “A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics,” following sold out shows at Joe’s Pub and now at The PIT: Political Subversities

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 both online and at the door using discount codeSBWC, otherwise $20): This top musical improv troupe has wowed audiences around the world with its skill at making up an hour-long musical moment by moment. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment, even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are invented on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event by catching tonight’s edition of Baby Wants Candy

[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

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:00 pm: Sharp NYC stand-ups are invited to perform anything except stand-up—e.g., sketch, storytelling, improv, songs, dance, puppetry, and things we can’t even imagine—at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City with hosts Kelly Fastuca, Reid Faylor, and Andrew Short: Underbelly

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10 at the door or $10.70 in advance online): Glenn Wool (Comedy Central; terrific UK comedy star), Richard Metzger (Dangerous Mind, The Book of Lies), Greg Johnson (Sirius XM Radio host), and “a special guest” performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall for a show hosted by Greg Barris (and followed by a midnight show by bands New Beard and A Slow Death & Loneliness that’s free if you pay for Greg’s show): Heart of Darkness

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Ben Rodgers, Charlie Todd, Jim Santangeli, and/or other stellar improvisors at UCB West interview an audience member about where he or she grew up and then create an entire show based on the mini-bio: The Curfew: Not From Around Here

10:30 pm ($5): Ace stand-up Sean Patton (red-hot rising star; killer set on Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, VH1; co-host of Comedy as a Second Language, frequent guest-host of Whiplash) hosts a night of improv, with troupes Weekend of Regret, Fuck That Shit, and Malibu Radley performing atUnder St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, off First Avenue): Late-Night Improv with Sean Patton

10:30 pm ($7): Vibrant improv from Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($5): A sharp improv troupe consisting of writers for The Onion and Jimmy Fallon hosting a late night talk show—sort of—at UCB East, with tonight’s guests Jared Logan (hilarious angry rising star; Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), NYC cab driver Mike Yildirim, and 37-year-old man Keith Bethea: The Night Night Show with Pangea 3000

11:00 pm ($5): Four sketch troupes compete for audience approval at The PIT, hosted by Bleak Comedy: Iron Sketch

[TOP PICK] Midnight ($5): One of UCB West’s most popular shows is Cage Match, and that’s in part because of its wrestling subplots that go on in between the improv competitions. Tonight the improv is left behind, and a midnight extravaganza devoted to just these sideshow elements explodes onto the stage, featuring at least a half-dozen matches combining sketch comedy and genuine wrestling choreography. For videos of past battles, please click here. As the show description states, “Only 14,000 seats are available, so get your tickets now before the UCBW Arena sells out!” Experience the pre-Halloween bloodbath men call UCBW AutumnSlamn

[FREE] Midnight: A weekly chance for you to shine at The Magnet, as students and veteran improvisors share the stage to form “rare and wonderful one-night-only teams,” with sign-up starting at 11:30 pm:Magnet Mixer

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

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