Best New York Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For comprehensive FringeNYC 2009 coverage, please click here.

Matt Walsh is performing through Sunday at the venue he co-founded, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

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-midnight: six free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): top writers and comedians—who tonight are Cyndi Freeman, Andy Christie, Dan Allen, and a surprise guest—join world-class storyteller Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion and record-breaking 10-time StorySlam Champion; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here) in Ochi’s Lounge to share their favorite true campus anecdotes at Real Tales of College

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): The wonderful Matt Walsh, a founding member of the world-renowned and enormously influential Upright Citizens Brigade, returns to his NYC theatre this week to perform a parody of a talk show, whose host is described as follows: “You know those annoying, part hippy, mostly slacker people who act like they’re better than you but they’re really kind of uninformed and lazy? Sebastian Wydell is one of those people. A professional house-sitter and self-proclaimed “Earth Steward,” Sebastian invites progressive thinkers and celebrity guests (former house-sitting clients) on stage to learn how they can be more green and to see if he can crash at their place.” It all happens on the odd talk show Live Green or Die!

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12): The gold standard for musical improv troupes, visiting both this weekend for the Del Close Marathon and next week for FringeNYC, Chicago’s spectacular Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Bruce Cherry, Sean Crespo, Sean O’Connor, Alec Sobel, Edison Apple, Rachael Parenta…and a special guest who I’m not allowed to name, but is a star who seldom performs downtown comedy gigs—at a free show hosted by Sharon “Mama” Spell: Shrink

[FREE] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Dan St. Germain, Luke Cunningham, Joe Wengert, Phil Murphy, and Jordan Ferber at a free weekly stand-up comedy show at Rodeo Bar hosted by the luminous Margie Kment & Matt Maragno: Now We’re Talking

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: superb stand-ups Baron Vaughn, Sean Patton, Rob Cantrell, and Julian McCullough at a free weekly comedy show at Brooklyn’s Cameo (behind Lovin’ Cup) hosted by Gabe Liedman & Max Silvestri: Big Terrific

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($10): The reunion of a legendary improv troupe acclaimed for its uniformly brilliant members’ lightning-quick verbal reflexes and wit: The Swarm

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12): One of the very finest troupes in improv history, visiting NYC for just this week, Chicago’s awesomely inventive and hilarious Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) provides a mix of guests who perform 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. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible: School Night

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For comprehensive FringeNYC 2009 coverage, please click here.