Best New York Comedy

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Razor-sharp & irresistible comics Arden Myrin...

...and Erin Lennox perform at Erin's "The I Like You Too Show"

 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] [FREE] 2:00 pm: “Something worth watching. Could be a movie, or a TV show. Might be populist and unapologetically entertaining, or hard to find and harder to understand. But you will always leave saying, ‘I am glad that I saw that.'” Hosted by The PIT’s Chris Grace, today’s free film is a highly acclaimed 2006 drama from Thailand about life in a hospital (don’t know why Chris is picking dramas, but he’s going for quality…): Syndromes and a Century

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 6:00 pm: Some of the finest comics in New York—Kate McKinnon, Rachel Feinstein, Harry Terjanian, and more—preview scenes from shows they’ll be performing on the prestigious UCBT schedule over the coming weeks at UCBT’S Spring Showcase

[FREE] 6:00 pm to midnight: Six free hours of improvisation at The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday

7:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:00 pm ($5): Magnet house troupes performing improv, followed by a free show at 11:30 pm: The Magnet’s Megawatt

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): Three NYC sketch troupes—BriTANick, Hammerkatz, and Klepper & Grey—each performing one of their most popular bits and one of their personal favorites in a sketch revue hosted by Aaron Kheifets: A-Side/B-Side

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5—which includes a free drink!): “A very special secret guest,” plus Jared Logan (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, co-host of Righteous Kill), Yannis Pappas (Comedy Central, VH1), and Billy Wayne Davis (Rooftop Comedy) performing at The Creek in Queens’ Long Island City with host Nick Turner: Monsters

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($35.50 with discount code BOX): Mike Birbiglia has long been one of the finest stand-up comics in the country, with credits including the hour-long Comedy Central special What I Should Have Said is Nothing; two Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials; multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien; and the comedy CDsTwo Drink Mike and My Secret Public Journal—Live. But what puts Mike in a class all his own is a unique style he’s developed that mixes the razor-sharp hilarity of the finest stand-up with the depth of emotionally moving theatre. Mike pioneered this approach with his previous off-Broadway hitSleepwalk with Me (which he then turned into a New York Times bestselling book, Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories); but he’s raised his game to a whole new level with this show, which is regularly selling out—for good reason. The $35.50 (discounted via code BOX) price is about what you’d pay at a comedy club…and it’ll buy you one of the richest experiences you’re ever likely to receive from art. To enjoy world-class laughs while being taught how to value what’s truly important, grab tickets while you can at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street, just one block from the #1 subway’s Christopher Street stop); this utterly brilliant one-man show is slated to run only through May 15th: Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 8:30 pm: Arden Myrin (Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, numerous other TV shows & films; for Mad TV samples, please click here and here and here), Mark Normand (hilarious stand-up;Last Comic Standing; co-host of Hot Soup and We’re All Friends Here), Dan Soder, Mike Recine, Micheal Che, and thoroughly adorable all-gal trio band The Bandana Splits performing at the 11th Street Bar (510 East 11th Street, off Avenue A) for this monthly extravaganza hosted by the razor-sharp & delightful Erin Lennox (co-host of Fresh; for a sample of Erin’s dynamite Seriously Sportsshow, please click here) who notes “AND FREE DRINKS! If you are very pretty and make someone think you’re going to sleep with them. Otherwise there are reasonably priced drinks that you can buy yourself:” Erin Lennox’s I Like You Too Show

[FREE] 9:00 pm: Leslie Goshko (stellar & utterly charming storyteller; Sirius XM, Sideshow Goshko, The Liar Show), Matt Rohr, Subhah Agarwal, Michael Fisher, Ed Galvez, Kendra Cunningham, and musical group The Reformed Whores performing at this free weekly show at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street) hosted by Sharon Spell: Shrink

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Two of the finest improvisors on the planet, Christina Gausas (Conan O’Brien, The Colbert Report, Let’s Have a Ball, Adsit & Gausas) and Becky Drysdale (Baby Wants Candy, Let’s Have a Ball), are new improv duo Drysdale & Gausas

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central, VH1, Showtime), Adam Lehman (Here-TV’sHot Gay Comics), and Leah Bonnema performing at the Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge (542 Tenth Avenue, between 45th & 46th Streets) for a gay-themed show guest-hosted by Brad Loekle (Adam Sank will be back next week): That Sank Show

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing 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; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

11:00 pm (no cover, 1-drink 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

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

If you know anyone who might have a thyroid problem, please tell them about my new book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease.