Best New York Comedy

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For Hy’s pre-festival coverage of FringeNYC 2010, please click here.

Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal tonight resurrect their legendary weekly comedy show: Hot Tub Variety

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: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open-mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story…and if it’s a good one, possibly be included in Kevin’s popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($5): A monthly storytelling show from the wonderful Adam Wade (two-time Moth GrandSlam Storytelling Champion (2006 & 2009) and record-breaking 15-time StorySlam Champion; The New York Times Magazine; host of Real Tales of College; for Adam’s award-winning tale of being an NBC page on Conan O’Brien, please click here), with guest storyteller Brad Lawrence and improv illustrator Sharon Spell at Under St. Marks: The Adam Wade from New Hampshire Show: Tales of Life, Love, and Little League

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($17.50 online with discount code NIFF): My #1 pick for the2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, and Lauren Seikaly, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight’s 10th installment at the Soho Playhouse of what’s been extended to a 12-week Monday night run: Naked in a Fishbowl

[FREE] 7:30 pm: NYC stand-ups Julia Segal, Louis Katz, Gregg Zehentner, Scott Moran, and Laura Prangley performing at a free weekly show in the Manchester Pub hosted by Phoebe Robinson (Last Comic Standing): Case of the Mondays Comedy

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison’s Motel Luca

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): TV & movie star Kristen Schaal (one of the funniest women alive; shining star correspondent on The Daily Show; co-star of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords; Comedy Central Presents half-hour special; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets; co-author of new bestselling book The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex) and master sketch comic Kurt Braunohler (Comedy Central Presents; co-creator & co-star of UK TV series Penelope: Princess of Pets) tonight bring back their legendary weekly sketch & stand-up comedy show, with guests Eugene Mirman, Andea Rosen, Mike Lawrence, and John Roberts performing at Brooklyn’sLittlefield (622 Degraw Street): Hot Tub Variety

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Hannibal Buress (Variety’s 2010 Top 10 Comics to Watch; staff writer forSaturday Night Live; Comedy Central, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, George Lopez; 2010 ECNY Award for Best Male Stand-Up; new comedy CD My Name is Hannibal), Morgan Murphy (brilliant stand-up; The Comedians of Comedy; staff writer for Jimmy Fallon, former staff writer for Jimmy Kimmel and Crank Yankers), Joe Derosa (Comedy Central Presents special), Mike Birch, Asie Mohtarez—plus musical guest Scott Gibson—performing in the Lolita Bar for producer Liam McEneaney’s Tell Your Friends

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: John Mulaney (writer/performer for Saturday Night Live; Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Presents, VH1’s Best Week Ever; for John’s great bit on Weekend Update, please click here), Ali Waller (writer for Jimmy Fallon), Julian McCullough (Comedy Central), and Kevin Bartini (Comedy Central) performing stand-up at a free weekly LES show at Pianos hosted by Adam Lowitt (producer of The Daily Show) and Matt Goldich (Comedy Central, VH1): It Is It

8:00 pm ($5): Two of UCBT’s fine house sketch comedy troupes, Stone Cold Fox and Gorilla Gorilla, trying out new bits at Maude Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Some of the finest improvisors in the country—Thomas Middleditch, Eliza Skinner, Tara Copeland, Becky Drysdale, Jeff Hiller, Mike Still, and Kevin Hines—making up a musical on the spot at Diamond Lion

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in the country—tonight including TV & film star T.J. Miller (David Letterman, Opie & Anthony; co-star of ABC sitcom Carpoolers; co-star of numerous movies including Cloverfield and Get Him to the Greek), Jesse Popp (Comedy Central, co-host of Beauty Bar Comedy), and Mike Drucker (before leaving NYC)—hosted by the wonderful Leo Allen (Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, HBO, Comedy Central) at Whiplash

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

For Hy’s pre-festival coverage of FringeNYC 2010, please click here.