Drunk Black History
Photograph: courtesy Drunk Black History
Photograph: courtesy Drunk Black History

The best comedy shows in NYC this month

Find all the best stand-up, improv, storytelling and sketch-comedy shows in NYC over the next few weeks

Shaye Weaver
Advertising

New York City is where it's at for comedy. We have the best stand-up comedians and the best comedy clubs in NYC, but it's hard to know which shows to hit. Below you’ll find our picks of the absolute best shows happening this month, from improv to open mic nights and everything in-between.

RECOMMENDED: Complete comedy shows in NYC guide

Best comedy shows this month

  • Circuses & magic
  • Midtown WestOpen run
  • price 3 of 4
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Once a week, after closing time, 10 people convene at the city’s oldest magic shop, Tannen’s, for a cozy evening of prestidigitation by the young and engaging Noah Levine. The shelves are crammed with quirky devices; there's a file cabinet behind the counter, a mock elephant in the corner and bins of individual trick instructions in plastic covers, like comic books or sheet music. The charm of Levine's show is in how well it fits the environment of this magic-geek chamber of secrets. As he maneuvers cards, eggs, cups and balls with aplomb, he talks shop, larding his patter with tributes to routines like the Stencel Aces and the Vernon Boat Trick—heirlooms of his trade that he gently polishes and displays for our amazement.

  • Comedy

As any single straight woman in New York City surely knows, the Big Apple is full of big fuckboys. To make that fact slightly less depressing, two NYC women—Val Bodurtha and Andrea Popova—have decided to stop trying to understand fuckboy behavior themselves and instead have created a panel of fuckboys to get answers from the source. During this show on November 20 a Sugar Mouse in Manhattan, three to five women will share a romantic experience that left them confused. Then, both the fuckboy panel and the audience will weigh in with their own dating insights.

Advertising
  • Comedy

If you're an up-and-coming comedian and want to try your luck, the comedy lottery hosted by Demetrius Fields and Austin Locke might just give you the platform you need—with a potentially big money prize attached. Every Monday at Flop House Comedy Club, hopeful comedians donate $1 to enter a lucky draw. Fifteen names are drawn and the comedian voted the best receives all the signup money plus half of ticket sales, which once added up to a whopping $238. 

  • Comedy

If you're looking for some good laughs in Bushwick while sticking to a budget, then your best bet is to head to Starr Bar's free stand up comedy shows every Wednesday at 10pm. Hosts James Donlon, Aditya Mayya, and Paddy DeFino will showcase new sets of comedians every week with no cover charge, drink minimum or ticket fee. 

Advertising
  • Comedy

Before everyone goes off to Thanksgiving family drama, gather for a night of comedy, community and some Central Perk Love at this Friends-themed shindig at the Capish?! Club in Little Italy. Along with a stellar lineup of comedians that includes Will Morrison, Dave Terruso, Abby Ballin, Darius Emadi and a secret VIP guest performer, the evening will include Friends sitcom trivia and a dress-up contest—whoever is gussied up as the best Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe or Ross will take home a prize!

  • Comedy

Equal parts fun and flabbergasting, Hell Yeah! is a comedy group that creates high-energy, fully-improvised musicals. Yes, musicals. Armed with only a blank stage, a piano “and a burning desire to sing about our feelings,” the troupe—which includes performers PJ Nally, Maria Schroeder, Tony Harkin and Taylor Michelle Feldman, among others—builds an entire narrative based on a simple audience suggestion. Hell Yeah! will be putting on several upcoming shows at the Peoples Improv Theater! but given that each edition features entirely fresh material “that’s never been seen before, and will never be seen again,” we won’t blame you if you want to attend more than one. Upcoming show dates are April 12, April 26, May 10, May 24, June 14, June 28, July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23, September 13, and September 27. 

Advertising
  • Comedy

Don’t let the title fool you—this show is going to be Lil Dumplings’ biggest gig yet, as part of the New York Comedy Festival. Held on Saturday, November 9 at midtown’s Room 52, the funny showcase combines producer-slash-chef David Jin’s love for food together with great comedy. Taking the stage will be a truly tasty lineup of performers, including Aaron Berg, Rory Lutz, Mike Favor, Vee Lince, Misha Han, David Jin and Jared Waters.

  • Comedy
  • price 1 of 4

Head to a beloved West Village music shop for a banging musical comedy blowout every Friday night. This variety show mixes music, comedy, and characters with apperances by Stephen Sihelnik (NY Comedy Festival), Natan Badalov (Adult Swim), Alexander Payne (Netflix), and surprise guests. Fun fact: The event's set in New York's oldest continually-run music and record store, Music Inn World Instruments. It's been in operation since 1958 and has been heavily featured in the first two seasons of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Show up early, save a seat and BYOB: You're in for a party.

Advertising
  • Comedy

Comedian-slash-"dancing philosopher" Toni Nagy is coming to Caveat on the Lower East Side on November 1 with her solo show. The show, "Men, Come Inside of Me," sees the performer embody—you guessed it—all the men that have ejaculated inside her so she can better understand "her own inner man." An exploration of gender, sexuality and identity that aims at "building empathy and understanding for all the parts of ourselves that we often feel shame towards," the show will feature a combination of clowning, storytelling, stand-up, audience interaction, dance and, of course, genital-based humor.

  • Comedy

What happens when the master builder of New York, Robert Moses, loses his power and attempts to host a late night talk show? This one-hour comedy show inspired by Moses and his 1974 biography, The Power Broker by Robert Caro, explores just that. Congestion pricing expert Charles Komanoff (Transportation Alternatives, Streetsblog) and hosts of The Climate Denier’s Playbook Rollie Williams (Climate Town) and Nicole Conlan (The Daily Show, The Late Show) take to the stage alongside the late Moses himself. There will be live music from Zenizen as well as the comedic talents of Lana Schwartz, Rod O’Toole, Adrienne Ianniciello, Fallon Boles and Will Jacobs.

Hit the best NYC comedy clubs

  • Comedy
  • Gramercy

Since 2004, the four partners behind Cringe Humor (cringehumor.net)—a blog turned event production company and talent management agency—have capitalized on an expanding audience for audacious comedy. After producing popular stand-up shows for years, it’s only fitting that they cofounded a venue in which to promote their favorite comics—think bawdy, raw and dark acts like Jim Norton and Dave Attell. This bi-level Gramercy spot, which opened last month, is already going full tilt, offering cocktails and embellished comfort food upstairs while shows take place seven nights a week in its long, narrow basement. The snug 75-seat room places the audience of frat guys and young professionals in close proximity to the performers, and they get pumped when one of their idols (Dane Cook, for instance) drops by.

  • Music
  • Greenwich Village
  • price 2 of 4
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Al Martin, the longtime owner of both the New York Comedy Club and Broadway Comedy Club, follows the same basic tenets in his new room—an intimate basement space below an Indian restaurant—as in his other ventures. Though a few pillars in the 60-seat room interfere with sight lines, the pub grub, extensive cocktail selection and long list of stars who just might do a spot while passing through town are drawing crowds every night. Regulars include staples Christian Finnegan, Marina Franklin and Tom Shillue.

Advertising
  • Music
  • price 2 of 4
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

The atmosphere in this spot—not to be confused with the space’s previous occupant, the Tribeca Comedy Club—is a congenial one. Its brick walls and makeshift stage remind you that you’re in a basement, but the doting waitstaff, haute Italian menu from Brick NYC upstairs and roomy layout will please fans of creature comforts, or those too claustrophobic for the likes of the Comedy Cellar. Adam Strauss, the owner-booker and a burgeoning comic himself, makes sure that his programming is packed with next-wave talent (young, funny stars such as Sara Schaefer, Dan St. Germain and Kevin Barnett) while also saving stage time for himself.

  • Long Island City
  • price 2 of 4

Last December, working comic Steve Hofstetter and business partner Jacob Morvay opened their shoebox of a club on a charming strip of Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City. Since then, the pair have been able to draw big talent—smart, outspoken acts like Todd Barry and Ted Alexandro—away from Manhattan five to seven nights a week; he’s also created some ambitious projects such as the She-Devil Comedy Festival, a stand-up competition for ladies from across the country, happening Thursday 25 through Sunday 28. The club, a 15-minute ride from Times Square, features a winning Mexican-American menu, cocktails named after comedy legends and 14 beers on tap. Though the only thing that separates club from bar in this long, narrow room is a curtain, the clear views of the stage and friendly vibe make the place a cozy and relaxed alternative to some of Manhattan’s stuffier venues.

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising