If you enjoy stand-up, music, or laughing, don’t miss tonight’s live stage version of this website, Best New York Comedy, starring some of the funniest and most beloved comics in the country: Sean Patton (one of the very finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network’s Best Bars in America), Josh Gondelman (writer/producer for HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Conan O’Brien, The New Yorker), Joseph Opio (writer for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show), Ophira Eisenberg (host of National Public Radio show Ask Me Another, author of bestselling book Screw Everyone, comedy album Bangs!; NBC’s The Today Show, CBS’ The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Jim Tews (Louie, Last Comic Standing, co-host of Fresh Out and Homeschooled, author of Felines of New York), and character comics Filip Jeremic (playing a memorable long-time resident of the West Village) and Max Brand (singing an unusual version of “Amazing Grace”).
Hosting this extravaganza are world-class musical improvisors Rebecca Vigil & Evan Kaufman (Your Love, Our Musical), who after each stand-up set will make up a song about that set on the spot—backed by their band, an improv pianist (Dan Reitz) and a beat-boxer (Ethan Exacto).
This will be way fun.
And it will be filmed, so joining us will immortalize your laughter.
Tickets are a mere $7, with no drink minimums. It all happens at 9:30 pm at The PIT Mainstage at 123 East 24th Street (between Lexington & Park Avenues). To nab seats, please click Best New York Comedy.
More 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] 5:30 pm ($5): Comics are taped performing sketch and characters as submissions for the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival at The PIT Mainstage: Montreal Just For Laughs New Faces Characters Showcase
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:00 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Broadway, TV, and film star Colin Quinn (Trainwreck, comedy national treasure) hones material for a one-man show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Colin Quinn: Law Abiding Criminals
[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-11:00 pm ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, eight singing & dancing improv groups at The Magnet make up musicals based on audience suggestions (preceded by a free improv jam at 6:00 pm that gives you a chance to perform with some of these sharp talents): Magnet Musical Megawatt
[FREE] 7:00 pm: A stand-up who’s been described as “bizarre yet funny” tries out new material every night through Thursday at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ LIC (10-93 Jackson Avenue): Week at the Creek: Ian Fidance
7:00 pm ($5): “Social media meets improv as graduates of the PIT Improv Program transform their innermost tweet- and blog-length thoughts into scene after scene, all inspired by a single suggestion” at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Biscuit Out
7:00 pm ($5): A one-man show from Matt Mitchell “as he journeys back across his life, reflecting on the girls he fell so hard for and those who broke his heart in a million little pieces” at The PIT Underground: Where the Hell Have You Been
[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:30 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Some of the finest stand-ups in the country spread among three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Tuesday
[FREE] 7:30 pm: Storytellers Cyndi Freeman (The Colbert Report, Moth StorySlam champion, two-time FringeNYC award winner, star burlesque performer), Asher Novek (founder of HeartGov), Emily Ray Reese (filmmaker), and Marie Faustin (stand-up) tell true tales with two endings: what happened, and what should have happened, at Brooklyn’s C’mon Everybody (325 Franklin Avenue) hosted by Elana Lancaster & Harvey Katz: Take Two Storytelling
7:30 pm & 9:15 pm ($7 per show): House groups at UCB Chelsea perform the classic improv form The Harold at Harold Night
[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15):Sean Patton (one of the finest stand-ups in the country; killer sets on Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, VH1, feature film Wifed Out; former co-host of Esquire Network’s Best Bars in America) delivers a deliciously long stand-up set for this new solo show he’ll be performing half a dozen times this week at The PIT Underground (and be sure to see Sean performing even more material about an hour later upstairs at Best New York Comedy): Sean Patton: Number One
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can’t make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club
8:00 pm ($7): A monthly show about obsessions with pop culture, with tonight’s topic So Into Boy Bands with Naomi Ekperigin (dynamite rising star stand-up; Comedy Central Half Hour; writer for Comedy Central’s Broad City and Hulu’s Difficult People; MTV, VH1, FX), Louis Peitzman (Buzzfeed), Sarah Peele (host of 90s Mix Tape), and band Keekwyn and the Hackers, all performing at UCB East hosted by Damian Bellino & Anne Rodeman: So Into It: A Fanatic Variety Show
8:00 pm ($7): The greatest science fiction anthology radio show of all time was X Minus One. Improvisors who know their genre history created this show in which they make up scenes of awe, mystery, and wonder at The PIT Mainstage co-starring Rachel Scherer, with sound design & foley effects from Frank Todaro, and an opening musical improv set from Deb Rabbai (Broadway’s Next Hit Musical) and brilliant improv pianist Dan Reitz (see much more of Dan at 9:30 pm in this same theatre at Best New York Comedy): X Plus One
8:00 pm ($8):”A comedy show about truth,” with Joel Kim Booster, Ana Fabrega, Stephen Markow, Rob Dubbin, Blythe Roberson, and Madelyn Freed performing at Brooklyn’s Union Hall (702 Union Street; take R subway to Union Street): The Scientists
[TOP PICK] [$] 8:30 pm ($5 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Sam Morril (Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour) performs a solo stand-up show at The Fat Black Pussycat Lounge (130 West 3rd Street): Sam Morril: You’ve Changed
[FREE] 8:30 pm (reserve your free spots by clicking here): Typically terrific stand-ups (for the line-up, usually posted by 1:00 pm, please click here) performing at The Irish Exit (978 Second Avenue, off 52nd Street, in the back room) produced every Tuesday by Mark Normand, Matt Ruby, Gary Vider, and Sachi Ezura: Hot Soup
[TOP PICK] 9:00ish pm ($10): Roy Wood Jr. (correspondent for The Daily Show), Dan Soder (Showtime’s Billions), John Early & Kate Berlant (on tour), and more performing at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street) hosted by Seth Herzog (long-time Jimmy Fallon staff comic; NBC’s 30 Rock, Comedy Central’s @midnight, VH1’s Best Week Ever, CBS): Sweet
9:00 pm ($5): A weekly showcase for brand new scripted shows at The PIT Underground produced by the wonderful Ronny Pascale: Pilot Season
9:00 pm ($7): Talented improvisors make up scenes with fast & furious ferocity at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street), plus an opening improv set from duo Ant-E Up! (Elke Reid & Anthony Velez): Fury
[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($7): Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Trump vs. Bernie, 30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, Huffington Post, Death by Roo Roo) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv with help from producer Andy Rocco and Jesse VandenBergh, plus guests TBA, at the UCB East theatre: The Tony Show
11:00 pm ($7): Going beyond the classic Harold, improv group Sleuth performs different types of longform at the UCB East theatre: Harold on the Run
Tuesday Open Mics & Jams
5:00 pm ($5): Two-hour open-mic for 20 stand-ups performing for 5 minutes each, with sign-up online here, at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic
[FREE] 6:00 pm: In this free Magnet show, audience members can join in with musical improv group Public Pool to make up stories in song on the spot: Musical Magnet Mixer
6:00 pm ($5 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] 6:00 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 Tim Unkenholz: Butt Factory
[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 6 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Jake Hart and a guest co-host: The Dump
[FREE] 8:00 pm: Weekly open mic for any kind of act (with sign-up starting at 7:30) at Brooklyn’s Goodbye Blue Monday (1087 Broadway) hosted by Joe Crow Ryan: Goodbye Blue Monday
[ALMOST FREE] 10:30 pm ($1): A chance for you to get on stage and improvise with PIT faculty at The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): Tuesday After Class: Slow Jam
[FREE] 11:00 pm: Weekly walk-in open mic stand-up providing 3 minutes for each comic whose name is pulled from a bucket at Queens LIC’s The Creek upstairs theatre hosted by Michelle Slonim: Rapid Fire
11:00 pm ($5): Ten stand-ups whose names are drawn from a “golden bowl of destiny” will be given stage time, along with a few invited stand-ups, at The PIT Underground hosted by Will Purpura: Bring It
For many more shows, please click the following links to top NYC comedy venues:
Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling
Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea (307 West 26th Street): 150-seater; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world; especially strong on improv, sketch, solo shows, and one-act comedic plays; shows free-$10
Upright Citizens Brigade East (153 East 3rd Street): 99-seater; a top comedy venue that focuses more than sister theatre UCB Chelsea on stand-up and screenings, and on experimental shows taking big risks; shows free-$10
The PIT Striker (Upstairs) Theatre (123 East 24th Street): 88-seater; a top venue that’s a powerful rival of UCB, and often surpasses UCB when blending comedy with music and/or theatricality; shows free-$20
The PIT Underground (Downstairs) Theatre (123 East 24th Street): 40-seater; often more quirky & experimental than upstairs Striker; shows free-$10
The PIT Loft (154 West 29th Street): 50-seater; not at the level of its two sister PIT theatres, but evolving; shows free-$10
The Magnet (254 West 29th Street): 60-seat theatre; strong on improv, musical improv, sketch, and energy; shows $5-$10
The Annoyance Theatre (367 Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn; J/M/Z to Marcy or L to Lorimer): 50-seat theatre; spinning off from Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre, brings a fiercely fresh, experimental approach to improv and sketch; shows free-$10
The Creek and the Cave (Queens’ Long Island City): 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free
Union Hall (702 Union Street in Brooklyn; R to Union Street): 50-seat theatre; shows $5-$20
Littlefield (622 Degraw Street in Brooklyn; R to Union Street): 100-seat theatre; shows $5-${20
Bell House (149 7th Street in Brooklyn; R to 9th Street or F/G to Fourth Ave.): 200-seat theatre; shows $10-$25
QED: A Place to Show & Tell (27-16 23rd Avenue in Astoria Queens; N/Q to Ditmars Boulevard): 40-seat theatre; shows free-$10
Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs
Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street): Among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 2-item min.
Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street): Comedy Cellar’s larger sister venue, just around the corner with the same top comics; 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.
Comic Strip Live (1568 Second Avenue, off 81st): Upper East Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.
Stand Up NY (236 West 78th Street, off Broadway): Upper West Side club with typically solid lineups; 2-drink min.
The Standing Room (4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club): No drink min.—support this policy!
From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: Thank God for Hy Bender’s religiously updated show bible BestNewYorkComedy.com…It must be exhausting keeping that monster of a website alive. It is your daily comedy itinerary and it scares me how on top of his shit this guy is.
For a desktop version of this site that includes more material—such as NYC theatre discounts and FringeNYC coverage—please click here.
Please feel encouraged to reach out to tell me about comedy shows, submit material to my short story anthology Ghosts on Drugs, or for any other reason by emailing me at hy@hyreviews.com.
Best New York Comedy 