Best New York Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks marked by brackets) include:

the perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours, who tonight include Vicky Kuperman, Margie Kment, Doug Adler, Gilad Foss, Sarah Fearon, and John Morrison—at John Morrison’s Broadway Motel (6:00 pm),

a blowout fundraiser featuring some of the most talented and hilarious female comics in NYC—Livia Scott, Shayna Ferm, Carolyn Castiglia, Becky Donohue, Desiree Burch, Ophira Eisenberg, and Helen Hong—at a 3-hour bash of Empowerment, Pampering, and Great Entertainment (7:00 pm),

16 NYC stand-ups—including Taylor Williamson (Late Late Show), Josh Homer (Comedy Central), Andy Pitz (David Letterman), Julian McCullough (2008 NYCF Champion), Liz Miele (Comedy Central), and Mike Drucker (The Onion)—competing for audience laughs and votes at Eric I’s Comedy Showdown (7:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] brilliant stand-up Pete Holmes (Comedy Central, VH1, The New Yorker), rising star Kumail Nanjiani (Comedy Central), Big Jay Oakerson (HBO, Comedy Central , Showtime, MTV), Joselyn Hughes (Macho!), Sean Patton (Just for Laughs Festival), and Cassidy Henehan in the debut of VH1’s biweekly live comedy show VH to the One Comedy Showcase (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] comics journalist Brian Heater (The Daily Cross Hatch), and comics creators Tom Hart, Sarah Glidden, and John Kerschbaum, joining in on a lively & hilarious discussion about comic books at Comic Book Club (8:00 pm),

three full hours of improv for only five bucks—tonight featuring UCBT house troupes DeCoster, Ragnaröck, Bangs, Bastian, and The Law Firm—at Harold Night (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show), and Max Silvestri (VH1) at one of the finest and funniest shows in NYC, the wonderful Seth Herzog’s Sweet (9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] and sharp stand-ups Tom McCaffrey (Comedy Central, VH1, The Onion), Marina Franklin (Last Comic Standing, Chappelle’s Show), Jared Logan (Chicago Comedy Awards), Liz Miele (Comedy Central), plus Team Submarine (hilarious sketch comedy duo) at Sweet Haven (9:00ish pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks marked by brackets) include:

the perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours, tonight including Jena Friedman, Emily Epstein, Vicky Kuperman, Margie Kment, Karen Batista, Dan Cartwright, Mark Normand, Sean Donnelly, Blaine Perry, and John Morrison—at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel (6:30 pm & 9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] an entirely improvised musical from a genius improv duo (and among Eliza Skinner’s final NYC performances before moving to LA), and an improvised soap opera, in the double-bill I Eat Pandas and Hot Lather: As the Diamond Burns (9:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] and a free weekly show featuring some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including two of the best comedy hosts in NYC, Seth Herzog (VH1, Sweet) and Greg Johnson (Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central) at Whiplash (11:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks marked by brackets) include:

[TOP PICK] UCBT’s playground for celebrities and ace improvisors, ASSSSCAT 3000 (7:30 pm and 9:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] typically stellar stand-up comics joining comedy giants Eugene Mirman & Michael Showalter winners of the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Hosts—for their weekly shindig at Brooklyn’s Union Hall: Tearing the Veil of Maya (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] typically stellar stand-ups at one of the funniest productions in NYC—and winner of the 2008 ECNY Award for Best Variety Show—The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show (8:00 pm),

the debut of a new, free weekly comedy show hosted by RG Daniels: Sunday Night Stand-Up (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] a blowout free show in Brooklyn with genius comics Dave Hill (HBO, VH1, MOJO) and Anthony Jeselnik (Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central), superb stand-ups Laura Krafft (The Colbert Report) and Nate Bargatze (Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central), and superb musicians Leah Siegel and The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, at the razor-sharp and delightful Jena Friedman’s Entertaining the Bartender (8:30 pm),

and sharp NYC comics at a free stand-up comedy show hosted by star sketch/improv troupe Derrick in Queens’ Long Island City: This Is New York (9:00 pm).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

[TOP PICK] star improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show who joyously declare Let’s Have a Ball (7:30 pm),

an improv troupe with a theatrical approach: Stray (7:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] one of my all-time favorite improv troupes—which this season broke the Cage Match record for winning streaks with 17 triumphs in a row, and has now taken over UCBT’s prestigious prime-time Saturday night slot—the brilliant and daring members of Death by Roo Roo (9:00 pm),

a small mob of talented comics telling funny, poignant, and at times unforgettable tales about their relatives at the gorgeous Sara Benincasa’s Family Hour (9:00 pm),

organic & energetic improv by the four guys of 4 Track! (9:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] inventive & hilarious sketch comedy from The Harvard Sailing Team (9:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] improvised TV shows about audience members via world-class troupe Reuben Williams (10:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] a blowout party celebrating Gossip Girl, the TV teen drama sensation of the year, hosted by Sara Benincasa (MTV, Family Hour, star Sarah Palin impersonator), and including a small mob of NYC comics, Emmy-winning writers, and other very smart fans having enthusiastic fun at the Gossip Girl Summit (11:00),

and five superb female comics who are also a terrific experimental cover band interviewing a comedy celeb and rockin’ the house as Stickerbook (midnight).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.