Best New York Comedy

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Smokin’ comedic singers Mindy Raf, Camille Harris, Esther Ku, and scores more rock out at 50 Funny Songs

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 (“starts late enough to sleep off that hangover but ends just in time to begin a new one”) at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Jhoel Walkowski & Evan Davis: The Amateur Hour

6:00 pm ($5): Improv troupes Genetic Freaks, Uncalled For, and LD50 at The Magnet kicking off your Saturday evening: The Rundown

[FREE] 6:00 pm: An improv show that asks you to drop written suggestions into a box before it begins and then dips into the collection of suggestions throughout to propel new scenes: The Drop Box

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($8): On the third night of the New York Funny Songs Festival is this show featuring over 50 comedic singers, including Jessica Delfino, Ben Lerman, Mindy Raf, Mel & El, Camille Harris, Livia Scott, Rob Paravonian, Carolyn Castiglia, Esther Ku, Rob Cantrell, Boris Khaykin, Red Peters, Tim Ellis, Jen Kwok, The Parodivas, The Wigmaker’s Son, Devo Spice—to name but a few. The magic happens at Tammany Hall (152 Orchard Street): 50 Funny Songs

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A comedy quiz show full of heavily researched quirky facts in which brilliant contestants from the NYC comedy community get points if their answers are correct but get more points if their answers are “quite interesting” at UCB East created & hosted by Katey Healy-Wurzburg: The Fascinator

7:00 pm ($8): At this PIT double-bill, Allison Dembek & Mike Burton “explore a single, specific and textured world in an improvised play that emphasizes the endearing humanity of the characters and the relatable comedy of the worlds and situations around them” as GCA, and then all-gal improvisors Alexis Saarela, Brigid Boyle, Elizabeth Findlay, and Ashley Ward perform as troupe Taco Supreme

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10): TV & movie star and NYC comedy treasure Kristen Schaal practices for her upcoming one-hour taped special (in San Francisco) at UCB Chelsea. This has already sold out, but you can probably still see one of the funniest women alive tonight if you’re okay with standing: Kristen Schaal: Going Blue

[$] 7:30 pm ($38.25 & 2-drink min.) A Curb Your Enthusiasm star headlining one last night at the Carolines Comedy Club: Susie Essman

7:30 pm ($7): Five veteran improvisors make stuff up at The Magnet as troupe Lead McEnroe

[$] 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm ($25 & 2-drink min.) A veteran stand-up who’s performed on HBO, Comedy Central, and Logo, and won two Emmys as a writer/producer for The Rosie O’Donnell Show, headlining through Sunday at the Gotham Comedy Club: Judy Gold

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

8:00 pm ($5): A true tale of international love gone wrong from Greg Wilker, intermixed with improv troupe 1-800-London making up scenes based on his storytelling, at The PIT downstairs lounge: From London to Prague

[TOP PICK] 8:30 pm ($10): James Adomian (hilarious, super-charged character comic/impressionist; finalist on final Last Comic Standing; Harold and Kumar 2), Nate Bargatze (David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents), Annie Lederman (Comedy Central, co-host of Pirate Party), Adam Conover (host of Fresh Out), and Jake Weisman performing stand-up at UCB East hosted by Kara Klenk: If You Build It

[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 Chelsea’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): TV & movie star Janeane Garofalo (9:00 pm only), Gary Gulman (Last Comic Standing, Tourgasm, Comedy Central hour-long special), Mike Britt, Maddog Mattern, and more performing at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($7): A sharp musical improv troupe at The Magnet makes up stories with song and dance based on an audience suggestion: Choral Rage

9:00 pm ($5): From the producers of The Scene, improvisors make up one-act plays on the spot at The PIT downstairs lounge: Act One

9:30 pm ($15): “A cabaret of darkly funny songs and topical sketch comedy about culture and politics,” following sold out shows at Joe’s Pub and now enjoying a long run at The PIT upstairs theatre: Political Subversities

[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] 10:30 ($8): NYC’s heavy metal version of a sketch troupe, which doesn’t always ht the mark but provides odd, unsettling, and fearless dark comedy—and won the 2010 ECNY Award for Best Sketch Group: Murderfist: Late and Dirty

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): Improv troupe Grandma’s Ashes—which includes stellar talents Ryan Karels, Morgan Grace Jarrett, Brandon Scott Jones, and more—promises to “take your stories of the tragic and depraved and scatter them into laughter” at this newest UCB Chelsea show to be honored with a weekend time slot: Grandma’s Ashes Gets Dark

[TOP PICK] 10:30 pm ($10): UCBT Harold Night improv troupe Airwolf—which in a phenomenal run has crushed 12 improv troupes in a row so far at Cage Match—makes stuff up at UCB East for an entire hour: Airwolf: Let’s Go Back to Your Place

10:30 pm ($7): Nick Kanellis & Peter McNerney perform at The Magnet as comedy duo Trike

[TOP PICK] 11:00 pm ($8): “Jack Dishel is best known as a songwriter and musician, touring all over the world performing as Only Son and also playing lead guitar in The Moldy Peaches. This year he’s exploded onto the comedy scene, doing a two-month run of hour-long shows at the Sidewalk Cafe—without ever repeating material. It’s sometimes hilarious, sometimes dark, but always interesting. Whether speaking as one of his many characters or in his own voice, his ideas come through loud and clear, and it’s a fast hour. Let’s see what happens when Dishel brings the drunken night club insanity into The PIT upstairs theatre:” Jack Dishel: And Then Things Got Weird

[TOP PICK] 11:30 ($5): The lovely Zoe Farmingdale celebrates her birthday (which is today) onstage as she “performs some of her favorite songs and invites some guests to perform whatever they want. She is going to dress up hot, and sing about some historical stuff. Also, cake. Come party. Please give her love” at The PIT downstairs lounge: The ZoeShow: Birthday’s Greatest Hits

Midnight ($5): Caitlin Bitzegaio directs this UCB Chelsea sketch show that’s “a super-positive lifestyle program for teenage girls hosted by two guys with a huge passion for glossy pop music, Lisa Frank school supplies, and all that the world presents as ‘hip’ to young women during the melodramatic years of adolescence. With help from their outstanding panel of experts, Dan Chamberlain & Jason Flowers rap about entertainment, fashion, boys, and more in an effort to bring empowerment and enlightenment to the teen girl inside all of us:” Cool Show 4 Teen Girlz

Midnight ($5): NYC stand-ups Amber Nelson (sketch troupe Thunder Gulch, co-host of Late Night Stand and Mustache Party), Matt Koff (Onion News Network, WitStream, 9 Am Meeting), Neil Constantine, Rae Sanni, and Jason Saenz performing at UCB East hosted by Adam Conover: Fresh Out

[FREE] Midnight: NYC stand-ups at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City, with host Andy Haynes promising “a rowdy late night comedy melee with beers being thrown, jokes being told, partial nudity, audience participation…there’s no telling what might happen:” Midnight Run

Midnight ($10): Typically disturbing and semi-obscene sketches at The PIT upstairs theatre from troupe FUCT

[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

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