Best New York Comedy

For more, please visit HyReviews.com.

TV Alert: For the most fun perspectives on today’s midterm elections,
tune into Rachel Maddow 6:00 pm-11:00 pm on MSNBC; and then
Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert 11:00 pm-midnight on Comedy Central.
(And then for pure fun, catch Jim Gaffigan, Michael Ian Black,
and Kyle Kinane on @midnight.)

Seth Herzog celebrates his birthday by taping his first comedy album—with the help of “special guests,” and your laughter—at Sweet…

…and Dave Attell hosts Ted Alexandro, Nick DiPaolo, Brody Stevens, and more at 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm for his Comedy Underground

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:

[TOP PICK] [$] (Starts tomorrow; buy your tickets now) The New York Comedy Festival features some of the best stand-ups in the world performing headlining sets in such major NYC venues as Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, the Beacon, the NYU Skirball Center, Carolines, and The Stand during November 5-9. Among the stars performing this year are Amy Schumer, Maria Bamford, Marc Maron, Bill Cosby, Bill Burr, Bill Maher, Pete Holmes, Tig Notaro, Dave Hill, Kurt Metzger, Mark Normand, Hannibal Buress, Sasheer Zamata, Aparna Nancherla, Eric Andre, Sommore, Paula Poundstone, and Dane Cook; plus there’ll be interviews with such giants as Jim Gaffigan, and the teams creating TV series Inside Amy Schumer (including Amy), Broad City (including Executive Producer Amy Poehler), and the writers of The Late Show with David Letterman. To explore the entire schedule, please click New York Comedy Festival

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm-Midnight ($7 for the whole evening): In this 4-hour extravaganza, five of The Magnet’s singing improv groups make up a musical on the spot based on an audience suggestion, followed at 10:15 by a free showthat lets audience members join in with a musical improv group to make up stories in song: Magnet Musical Megawatt

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 7:00 pm: Comics creators join super-hosts Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage in a lively & hilarious discussion about four-color pop culture at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge Street), with giveaways of comics and gift certificates (and if you can’t make it, watch in online here): Comic Book Club

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:30 pm ($32.75 & 2-drink min.): An all-gal lineup that includes genius comic Kate McKinnon (shining star cast member on Saturday Night Live), Bonnie McFarlane, and Helen Hong at the Carolines Comedy Club:HERsterical

7:30 pm-9:15 pm ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Side Piece, Greg, and Women & Men at this first half of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] [$] 7:45 pm, 9:30 pm, and 11:15 pm ($12 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Tonight’s stand-ups include Judah Friedlander, Gary Gulman, Judy Gold, Kyle Dunnigan, and Mike Yard (hosting) at the 7:45 show, and Dave Attell, Mark Normand, and Wil Sylvince (hosting) at the 11:15 show, with all three shows at Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street, between 3rd Street & Minetta Lane): Comedy Cellar Tuesday

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($15 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell hosts this show (which is not being taped for TV) featuring Ted Alexandro, RIch Vos, Dov Davidoff, and more performing stand-up at the Village Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Dave Attell’s Comedy Underground

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): A monthly show about obsessions with pop culture, tonight featuring comics Camille Harris (irresistible rising star singer/sketch comic/cutie; featured player on The Moon Show, new music album Silly Jazz), Julia Wiedeman (host of UCB East’s Happy Hour Story Hour), Halle Kiefer (MTV, Vulture, host of Splitsider’s Dog and Pony Show), Naomi Ekperigin, Derek Smith, Lesley McKinnell, and Isaac Oliver performing at UCB Easthosted by Damian Bellino & Anne Rodeman: So Into It: A Fanatic Variety Show

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5; no min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Brody Stevens (star of Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!,Comedy Central Half Hour, Conan O’Brien, Chelsea Lately, @midnight), Rich Vos (stand-up star on two seasons ofLast Comic Standing and on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; Comedy Central Presents; Opie & Anthony radio show), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie’s Gone), Helen Hong (Logo’s Setup Squad, Comedy Central, TLC), Jay Hollingsworth, Danny Palmer, and Jonas Barnes performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street):$5 Funnies: Nick Dipaolo, Brody Stevens, Rich Voss, Jessica Kirson, and More

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: The wonderful David Carl (Point Break Live, Gary Busey’s One Man Hamlet) & Katie Hartman (Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting) as a killer sketch duo, plus Dion Flynn (regular sketch comic on Jimmy Fallon), Boris Khaykin, Rich Templeton, and Jay Klaitz performing and celebrating the debut screening of new webseries Dog Down at Brooklyn’s The Gutter Bowling and Fine Brews (200 North 14th Street) hosted by Tim Ellis & Mo Fathelbab: Down Dog Premiere Screening & Sketch Party

[FREE] 8:00 pm: Sabrina Jalees (delightful dynamo stand-up; Comedy Central’s Adam Devine’s House Party, Last Comic Standing, VH1’s Best Week Ever, MTV’s Failosophy, webseries How Many Questions), Sheng Wang (Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Presents, Totally Biased), and other NYC stand-ups performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Peggy O’Leary: Creek Stand-Up Showcase

[FREE, plus FREE PIZZA while the slices last] 8:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Jimmy LeChase, Shalewa Sharpe, Evan Davis, and Jeff Cerulli performing at Bunga’s Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) hosted by JF Harris, Lukas Kaiser, John Szeluga, and Sue Smith: Amazingtown

[TOP PICK] [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 stand-up 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] 9:00 pm ($7): Host Seth Herzog (Jimmy Fallon long-time staff comic, Comedy Central, VH1, host of Nat Geo’s Science of Stupid) celebrates his birthday by devoting a rare evening to himself, performing a long stand-up set for his first comedy album—which means this is a chance to have your laughs preserved for eternity. Also performing will be some “special guests,” all at The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street): Sweet Live Comedy Album Taping

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 9:00 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): Mark Normand (hilarious red-hot rising star;Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central Half Hour, Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, VH1’s Best Week Ever; comedy album Still Got It), Jon Fisch (David Letterman, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, VH1), Josh Gondelman (HBO’s Last Week Tonight), Mike Recine (Conan O’Brien), Betsy Carroll, Kyle Lewis, and host Scott Rogowsky performing stand-up at the only comedy club in the East Village: Eastville Comedy Club

[FREE] 9:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Eli Yudin, Steven Forrest, and more performing at this free weekly show at Brooklyn’s The Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Avenue) hosted by Robert Dean, Sachi Ezura, Steve O’Brien, and/or Clark Jones: Comedy at Alligator Lounge

9:15 pm-Midnight ($5): Long form improv known as The Harold from UCB Chelsea house groups Grammer, Smalls, and The Enemy at this second half (continued from 7:30 pm) of Harold Night

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Brilliantly innovative comic Anthony Atamanuik (Death by Roo Roo, 30 Rock, Conan O’Brien, The Nights of Our Lives) plays oddball characters in a mix of sketch and improv (with help from producer Andy Rocco and Jesse VandenBergh), plus NYC stand-ups Jason Saenz (Comedy Central, sketch group Onassis, co-host of Late Night Trash) and Katie Hannigan, all performing at the UCB East theatre: The Tony Show

9:30 pm ($5): A comedy variety show entirely in Spanish at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted by Aileen Clark, Maritza Montañez, and Kim Parker: Lo Que Quieras

[TOP PICK] 10:00 pm ($5; no min.): Nick DiPaolo (star stand-up, with numerous appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Louie; Emmy-nominated comedy writer, talk show host), Brody Stevens (star of Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!,Comedy Central Half Hour, Conan O’Brien, Chelsea Lately, @midnight), Ari Shaffir (Conan O’Brien, HBO’s Down and Dirty, Comedy Central, National Lampoon, hour-long set Passive Aggressive), Jessica Kirson (Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Logo one-woman show My Cookie’s Gone), Brooks Wheelan (former cast member of Saturday Night Live), Jay Hollingsworth, Danny Palmer, and Lauryn Petrie performing stand-up at The Stand Comedy Club (239 Third Avenue & 20th Street): $5 Funnies: Nick Dipaolo, Brody Stevens, Ari Shaffir, Jessica Kirson, and More

[TOP PICK] [$] 10:00 pm ($15 plus 2-item food/drink min.): Dave Attell hosts this show (which is not being taped for TV) featuring Ari Shaffir, Kurt Metzger, Big Jay Oakerson, Jessica Kirson, and more performing stand-up at theVillage Underground (130 West 3rd Street, off Sixth Avenue): Dave Attell’s Comedy Underground

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Kevin McCaffrey (writer for David Letterman; TruTV), Jim Tews (Last Comic Standing), Liza Treyger, Megan Gailey, Jono Zalay, Geno Bisconte, and Ryan Reese performing stand-up and celebrating the release of Ryan Dalton’s comedy album I’m Married, Let Me Tell You About It at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City: Ryan Dalton Comedy Album Release

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Nathan Min, Tyler Fischer, Eliza Hurwitz, Charles Gould, Mikey Heller, and Henry Koperski performing at this this free weekly show at Brooklyn’s Over the Eight (594 Union Ave) hosted by Bret Davis (playing a new character at every show): The Tuesday Special

[FREE] 10:00 pm: NYC stand-ups Aaron Glaser (Jimmy Fallon, Wolf of Wall Street; host of Midnight Stand-Up), Sue Smith, Doogie Horner, Anthony Collier, Brandon Collins, Cody Melcher, Corey Reppond, Matt Lieb, Ross Parsons, and Tyler Snodgrass performing at The Creek upstairs theatre in Queens’ Long Island City hosted by Peggy O’Leary:Creek Cave Live

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Typically superb stand-ups (not announced) performing at this new free weekly stand-up show at UCB East hosted by Phil Hanley: Chemistry

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 theStand Up NY Comedy Club (236 West 78th Street): Stand Up NY Open Mic

[TOP PICK] [ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): In this delightful weekly open-mic show, each comic has 3 minutes to try out a character-based bit (e.g., for a solo show, sketch, or audition) at The PIT downstairs lounge, hosted by Jen Kwok (Comedy Central) and Keisha Zollar (Doppelganger): Imposter Open Mic

[ALMOST FREE] 6:00 pm ($1): Open mic sketch that allows you to either perform a sketch with your own performers or bring in pages for the audience to perform at The PIT Green Room, followed by feedback on your bit from PIT “sketch-perts:” Pens & Pencils

6:00 pm (no cover, 1 drink min. 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

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic, with walk-ins tossing names into a hat and set length determined by the number of comics who show up, at Bunga’s Den (137 West 14th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues) hosted by Jimmy LeChase and/or Justin Perez: Townies Open Mic

[FREE] 6:30 pm: Weekly stand-up open mic (with sign-up starting at 6:00) at People’s Republic of Brooklyn (247 Smith Street) hosted by Dustin Drury: This Is Happening Open MIc

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:00 pm: This weekly two-hour open mic storytelling show allows each performer 8 minutes to tell a compelling and funny tale at Queens LIC’s The Creek downstairs lounge hosted by Jake Hart and tonight’s guest host Forrest Haigh: The Dump

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($5): Open mic stand-up that’s first come, first serve (signup starts at 8:30) and provides each performer 5 minutes—or 4 minutes plus 2 minutes of feedback!—at the Producer’s Club (358 West 44th Street): Train Wreck Open Mic Stand-Up

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 10:15: Sign up at 9:30 pm for the opportunity to make up a musical on the spot with The Magnetimprov group Pillow Talk: Magnet Musical Improv Mixer

11:00 pm ($3): A breathtaking 40 comics are given 2 minutes each in this rapid-fire open-mic stand-up show at The PIT upstairs theatre hosted with wit and energy by Jay Welch: Bring It

[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

[ALMOST FREE] 11:00 pm ($1): A weekly improv jam for students at all levels to work on their skills at The PITdownstairs lounge hosted by Elke Reid and David Frasure: Study Hall

Best Inexpensive Stand-Up, Improv, Sketch, and Storytelling

Upright Citizens Brigade Chelsea
(307 West 26th Street; 150-seater; shows free-$10; one of the most respected comedy theatres in the world)

Upright Citizens Brigade East
(153 East 3rd Street; 99-seat main theatre, bar area for open mics; shows free-$10)

The PIT
(123 East 24th Street; 99-seat upstairs theatre, 40-seat downstairs theatre; shows free-$20)

The Magnet
(254 West 29th Street; 60-seat theatre; shows $5-$10)

The Creek and the Cave
(Queens’ Long Island City; 40-seat theatre upstairs, 25 downstairs; virtually all shows free)

Best NYC Stand-Up Comedy Clubs

Comedy Cellar
(117 MacDougal Street; among the finest daily stand-up lineups in the world; 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.)

Laughing Devil
(4738 Vernon Blvd., by #7 train; Queens LIC club, with MST3K-style movie night on Thursdays; 2-drink min.)

From legendary NYC comedy site Brooklyn Vegan: Thank God for Hy Bender’s religiously updated show bible BestNewYorkComedy.com. He is literally the only person in NYC providing daily summaries of what’s happening comedy-wise. 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.

Please feel encouraged to reach out to tell me about comedy shows, hire me for book or screenplay work, or for any other reason by emailing me at hy@hyreviews.com.